Page 46 of In the Midst of Chaos

“Hmm, Nashton. He protects me.” I beamed at my dad.

He nodded, then he proceeded to kill my king.

“You know the rules to marry into the family?’ he asked nonchalantly.

I nodded because I knew all about our ways since I was Duncan’s age. I was fascinated with our world, and my daddy taught me all there was to know.

“Um, we don’t marry for love,” I said, but none of that mattered because I didn’t love any of the Crull boys, not like I saw in the movies, so that didn’t matter.

My father nodded in agreement. “Do you know why we don’t marry for love?” he asked as he held onto the king and then grabbed another dead queen.

I bobbed my head. “I don’t know.” I hated admitting it.

When you didn’t know the answer to a question, my father said that one must always try to find a solution. “I don’t know” was not acceptable. People were too lazy to look for answers because it meant they had to open their mind and see beyond their ignorance.

Or whatever that meant.

“We don’t marry for love because once you love someone, the Disciples stop coming first, and the person you ‘love,’ becomes a priority” he said the word love like it was a disease. “Once you love, you will do anything for the one who holds your heart. You cheat for them, lie for them, and steal for them, and with that kind of power comes betrayal. How can we trust those at the top if they are willing to throw away years of hard work for a feeling?”

“Do you see yourself developing traitorous feelings for one of these boys?” he asked casually. “You are a king. You don’t need to be scared of losing yourself in anyone. You do not need to look up to anyone. You must never love anyone more than you love yourself. That would be one step away from your demise,” he said, and then he crushed my queen. “Checkmate.”

I thought about what he said, and I pictured my life with the boys. I liked Nash more than I did Huxley. I could be equal with Huxley or even superior, but part of me was scared that I would get stuck in Nashton’s shadow.

He was grand and scary. He was sweet and protective.

“Huxley,” I said as I arranged the game again.

“She’s just a child, Micah.” My mother glared from where she stood at the entrance of my father’s office.

“She’s not just any child,” he said in a dismissing tone.

“Come on, Finley, we are going out with Eleanor.” She extended her hand so I could take it.

I liked it when I went out with Aunt Eleanor and Mom. We got to shop and eat lots of good food.

Our driver took us to Crull Manor, where Eleanor was already waiting outside with Nash.

She was scolding him, and he was laughing; it made me smile.

The door opened, and I got out of the car so Aunt Eleanor could go in the back with my mother, and I would go in the front with Dion.

“Hey, pretty princess,” Nash said, and I beamed. It made me feel funny when he called me pretty princess.

“Hi,” I said with a wave.

“You know what my dad talked to me about yesterday?”

I shook my head as I grabbed the car handle.

“Marriage,” he said.

“My daddy did that today,” I said with glee. It wasn’t surprising.

My dad and Axton had an agenda, and they shared it with their spawns when they saw fit.

“We should do it. Get married.”

My heart stopped when he said that.

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