Chapter 10 #2
Mr. Averson pulls out a chair, takes a seat, and adjusts his tie.
“Centuries ago, the world was run by one Royal family. The Everfords. They had all the power, all the control, and all of the wealth. The firstborn son was always the one to take over the throne, and an arranged marriage was then set up for him. This was all done through negotiation and bidding, and sometimes they would even hold competitions to make the selection. The daughters of the Everfords were usually sold off to Royal men with high statuses; however, about seventy years ago, something odd happened.” He reaches for the thick leather-bound book and opens it to a specific page.
“The Everford family started only birthing girls. At first, everyone believed it was a weird coincidence, but as the years turned into decades and no son had been born, they began to believe they’d been cursed.
And when people believe that they do desperate things.
” He flips the page. “At first, the Everfords did subtle things, like sought out curse reversals, tried drinking from the Fountain of Fertility, then got really into some dark times where they tried to summon a fertility demon.”
“You’re lying,” I interrupt. “This stuff doesn’t exist.”
“Who’s to say if it does. All I’m telling is what has been recorded in the Royal history books.
My great-great-great-grandfather insisted that dark, mysterious forces had taken over the world during this time.
The sun didn’t shine for months, crops died, and people suffered.
Death was everywhere. Everyone started to grow tired of it.
And do you know what happens when enough people grow tired of one singular family ruining an entire world based on their own greed?
” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. “They revolt. My family was a huge part of putting together The Black Rose Hunt, where the Everfords were hunted down and killed one by one. The person who killed the last one won all of the wealth and power the Everfords had. My family won, which gave us all of our wealth and power. It was fucking earned, though. We bled the streets with Everford blood.”
“You’re fucking disgusting,” I breathe out shakily. “Seriously, what is wrong with you? You sound like a nutjob. You know that, right?
Finn takes my hand with his gaze trained on his father. “You know, I’ve always hated you, but that hatred just turned into full-blown revulsion.”
Mr. Averson gives a lazy shrug. “Like I care about your opinion, Finn. River was always the better son, which is why I’m using you for this. River is going to do wonderful things with his life. He will rule in his own way, and Isla will be by his side.”
“River isn’t as compliant as you think,” Finn stresses through gritted teeth. “And I think you know that.”
“River is exactly who I need him to be.” Mr. Averson pushes his chair back and rises to his feet.
“Now, enough with the history lesson, it’s time for us to move on to the ceremony part.
” He rounds the table and then sits on the edge of it right in front of us.
“The thing is that a document was made centuries ago that was signed and sealed in blood. The document stated that as long as a single Everford exists, they are destined to rule the world. And here’s where we’ve run into a problem.
Technically, my family should’ve gotten the throne and the power, but that never happened.
We got more power, but never the Crown of the Royal Flame, which is the key to ruling the entire world.
For decades, my family simply assumed that when the Everfords died, the crown ceased to exist. We tried several times to overtake the world, but we were always met with random obstacles.
Eventually, the concept of a king withered, and the world changed into what it is now.
My father, however, never wanted to accept this.
He put a lot of time and money into searching not only for a reason why we could never take the throne over, but why we could never find the crown.
He also looked into what started the curse that became the Everford family.
What he found out was that a curse does indeed exist.”
I roll my eyes. “Curses aren’t real.”
“Believe what you want, Maddison. But I believe they do. I believe that your family did something to gain their royal status. Something that led to the curse of not being able to have a son. I’m not entirely sure about that part since my father never found out anything about it.
What he did find out, though, was that in these documents, it states that so long as an Everford is alive, they have all of the Royal power of the Crown of the Royal Flame, which means they own the throne, the world—they own fucking everything.
” He steps toward me, and Finn quickly puts an arm in front of me.
“For decades, all the Royal families believed the Everfords to be dead, but then my father discovered a man who bore the Everford blood, which would be your father. He killed him, of course, and all of his children. Or so he thought. What he didn’t realize was that this man had had an affair with a woman who had a daughter named Ellie Claireford.
Does that name ring a bell?” He already knows it does, his smirk giving it away.
My stomach churns, and fear consumes me.
He knows who I am.
And he’s going to kill me?
“Did you kill my mother?” I snap, inching toward him, ready to punch that smirk right off his stupid face.
“No, unfortunately, Ellie, with the help of my ex-wife, has gone off the radar. Don’t worry, though. We’ll find her soon enough,” he tells me confidentially. “Now that I have you.”
“So you’re using me as bait to lure her here, and then you’re going to kill us?” My panic bleeds into my tone.
“Not exactly.” He takes another step toward me.
“I plan on killing your mother, but not you. I have bigger plans for you.” He eyes me over in a way that makes me want to squirm, but I refuse to do that.
“Here’s the thing. All of these documents and papers about the history and the crown are so tangled up in curses, legends, and a lot of mystery, so I’m going a different route than eliminating your bloodline.
” The haunting smile he gives me makes fear pulsate through my veins.
“I’m going to mix our family bloodlines.
I’m going to make a child born of Everford blood and Averson blood. ”
It clicks what he’s saying, that he’s going to rape me and try to impregnate me.
Anxiety clutches at my throat as I trip back, bumping into the guys standing behind me. I shake my head, searching for a way out of here. But cloaked men are blocking every route. Doesn’t matter. Like I said before, I’ll die trying to get out of here.
“You’re not going to touch her,” Finn growls out, and then he charges at his father.
But as he slams into him, Mr. Averson pulls out a taser and zaps his son with a charge of electricity strong enough for Finn to cry out. As Finn struggles to regain control of his body, Mr. Averson shoves him off and gets to his feet with the taser still in his hand.
“You’re right. I’m not going to touch her.
I have no desire to impregnate anyone, as pretty as she is.
” Mr. Averson grins at me, causing vomit to burn in my throat.
“I have my own life, and the last thing I want is to be a father again. I already hated it the first time around.” He crouches down beside Finn and, in a low voice, says the most chilling words I’ve heard. “You’re going to do it.”
Finn stands up straight, his mouth opening, an appalled expression consuming his face. But then the shock morphs into fury.
“I won’t fucking do it.” He steps back and clutches onto my hand.
Mr. Averson gives him a hard look. “If you don’t do it, then I’ll follow through with my earlier threats.”
Finn’s hold on my hand loosens as the severity of the situation seeps through him.
My shock mirrors his, and a wave of panic crashes over me.
If I don’t do this, he’ll kill Noah and ruin Lily’s life.
If I do do it, then there’s a chance I’ll get knocked up by Finn.
I don’t want that. I don’t want any of this.
I want to go back and be northside trash Maddy with no ties to Royal blood.
But I can’t do that.
Just like I can’t let Noah die.
Just like I can’t let Lily get sent to that damn island.
“We’ll do it,” I whisper through a loud gulp.
Finn’s gaze snaps to mine, and a series of complicated emotions wash over his face. He doesn’t want to do this, but he knows he has to, and he feels bad about it. However, he’s relieved I’m being cooperative.
“Maddy,” he starts to say.
I shake my head and whisper, “I’m not going to let Noah die, and Lily get sent to that island. I can make it through this.” I drop my voice to a hushed tone. “We both can.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re not as stupid as I thought you’d be,” Mr. Averson beams with a shit-eating grin, like he’s won.
I make a promise to myself to one day punch that smile off that jackasses face, but for now, that plot will have to wait. The society members in this room are too eager to go along with this insane plan.
Mr. Averson opens a folder, picks up a pen, and clicks. “Now, before we do this, I just need your signatures on these contracts, and we’ll be good to go.”
“What contract?” I ask, not moving.
“The one that states the Aversons basically own you,” Mr. Averson explains in an exaggerated, tired tone. “Oh yeah, and the marriage contract, of course.”
“Marriage?” I sputter, slipping my hand from Finn’s grip so I can inch away. “No way, dude.”
Finn’s jaw nearly smacks the ground. “You never said anything about marriage.”
“Well, I thought it was self-explanatory,” he says with an eye roll.
“Now get your asses over here and sign the papers. And if you’re thinking about changing your mind, then let me give you an extra incentive.
” He picks up a remote and points it at a television hanging above a small fireplace across from where I’m standing.
The screen clicks on, and what I see makes fear soar through my veins.
It’s a view of Noah sitting in what looks like a hospital, and a red dot is on his head, from what I’m guessing is the scope of a gun.