1. Prologue #3
“I am uncomfortable with that.” My dad moved again.
“Our family has very firm beliefs when it comes to the sanctity of marriage. If he is intended for Arianna, having sex with other women would be disloyal to her and unacceptable. We do not have firm beliefs that women need to be virgins when they get married, so we’re willing to drop that stipulation from the contract in exchange for them being able to let their relationship develop naturally. ”
“Absolutely not. If we allowed that, he could ruin her then refuse to marry her. That would make her useless to me as far as building another alliance. If he wants to save himself for his wedding night to be with her, then so be it. But I will not budge where her purity is concerned.”
My dad let out a deep breath, and I knew he was agitated, even though I didn’t understand why.
“Okay. I can agree to that. In return, I want Arianna to move to Crestwood for high school. This will allow them to build that emotional relationship and cut out any chance of him forming an emotional connection with someone else. She can live with my parents, or if God forbid something has happened to them at that point, my youngest brother and his wife.”
“Ah. The one we killed and you brought back to life.” What the hell did he mean by that?
For the first time, Don Vitale seemed irritated by what was on the table.
“I must say, I didn’t expect this as a request. I’m not sure I like it, but I will agree if they are engaged before he starts his senior year and married before he starts college. ”
“She wouldn’t be out of high school yet.” My father pointed out.
Don Vitale waved him off. “That’s not a big deal. She’ll be eighteen.”
“If we’re going to require a wedding before he starts college, I feel the initiation should be cut down to one summer.
They would get married at the end of that summer.
It would surely be uncomfortable for a couple in their first year of marriage to be living in her fathers house.
And hopefully by that time they’ll be expecting or have a newborn. ”
“Touché. They will be required to consummate the marriage on the wedding night and my family's traditions will be followed. If we’re satisfied with that…” His eyes flicked between my dad and me and Dad gave a nod.
“The alliance will be fully enacted after she has become pregnant with an heir. Until that time, you will be under our protection, but not part of our business.”
“Deal.” My dad’s posture relaxed again. “Now, I think the only thing left is for us to go over the expectations for the boys.”
“Yes.” Don Vitale turned to face his son for the first time during this discussion.
“I expect you to be on your best behavior. I’ve heard your complaints about the situation, but I expect you to move past them.
Your sister is fulfilling her duty to the family, much like you will as you become more involved in the family and eventually take my place.
You are to be respectful to Tucker, and he to you. ” His attention turned to me.
My father cleared his throat. “We have agreed that you two need to work out your relationship on your own, but we will tolerate no threats or actions towards each other. However, we also understand that both of our families are a little hotheaded,” Don Vitale chuckled, “and with the testosterone flood you both will have for the next few years, we will not take offense or go to war over fists flying.”
Alessandro perked up until his father stared him down.
“But there will be consequences for whoever throws the first punch.” He turned his attention back to me, letting me know he meant that for both of us, before focusing back on his son.
“You are both the futures of your family legacies. Diplomacy is a skill you will both need, and there’s no one better to practice that on than your future brother. Any questions?”
Alessandro shook his head and the attention turned to me. “No, sir.”
“Excellent.” Don Vitale clapped his hands and turned towards his computer. “I will update this real quick, then we can sign and head to dinner.”
Within a few minutes, the papers were printed. One copy was handed to my dad to look over, and when he agreed, they both signed each copy.
There was a knock on the door, and then Arianna entered.
“Perfect timing, Dolcezza.” I was really glad I didn’t decide on that nickname.
How weird would that have been? “Time for you two to do your part.” Apollo had told me this was coming, and I’m so glad I wasn’t being caught off guard.
A sterile package with a needle was passed to my dad. “I’ll let you do the honors, Zephyr.”
My father nodded as he opened the package and took my hand in his. He pricked my thumb and squeezed, getting a good sized drop of blood to form. When he was satisfied, he pressed my thumb onto the paper.
Arianna’s prick and thumbprint followed, and when we left that room, our fates were sealed with blood.