Page 27 of Ruthless Legacy

That admission coaxes a smile out of me.

“Exactly, you like her. You want her, you weren’t willing to let a little problem like a heavily fortified military compound keep you from stalking and chasing her. Just like I’m not gonna let Pax’s team up with my bitch of a fiancé, stop me from being with her.”

“The rules say we can’t fraternize.”

“A, fuck those rules. We both know Thea’s a rule breaker. She’d happily gift us with that sweet pussy just to flip off the leadership team. And B, she said no to MISTIC.”

“She… said, no?” Is that why I didn’t see her transfer papers submitted yet? “How can she say no? That’s the position The League gave Joshua. He can’t turn it down.”

“That’s true.Hecan’t turn it down, but Thea can. Joshua doesn’t have the authority to accept on her behalf because she’s over the age of eighteen and grew up in foster care. She’s basically her own parent and all decisions about her life rest solely on her shoulders.”

I do the math in my head. Her fake birthday makes her twenty. Her actual birthday was over the Christmas Break. “It seems odd that The League would miss that deadline.”

Finn shrugs. “It was a holiday, and with everything else going on, it must’ve just slipped their mind. Or maybe they voted, and Joshua was just too busy being a pompous asshole to mention it. Either way, Thea’s answer was no, and now my dad thinks the Laurent bloodline is going to be superseded by the next senior male in that family.”

I search my brain for the rules governing acceptance and denials of alliances within The League. “Why would she say no? If she’s not affiliated with a guardian line, and another branch of the family becomes the named line, then she’ll be just like all the other relatives, here. She won’t have any real status or power.”

“Does our girl care about status or power?”

With a shake of my head, I admit, “No, she. Does. Not.”

“Exactly.”

I don’t let myself get excited. I can’t. Because there’s one other thing to consider. “Finn, she won’t be a named line, and her name isn’t even eligible for a match because she’s not from here. Our parents will never approve of a union. It’s a dream. A nice one, but it’ll never work.”

He’s got that shit-eating grin on his face again. “Care to share with the class?”

“She doesn’t have to be a named line. The league just has to acknowledge and accept that she came from a legacy family. They’ve already gone on record to say they believe she’s Laurent’s grandchild. No take backs. Which means we can pursue her if we want to.”

“What?” I ask, not because I didn’t hear him, but because I’m not sure I’m hearing him correctly. I remember when he found those marriage contracts in his dad’s safe. We all discussed how that would work and decided we’d pursue the same woman if it was an option. Once Finn matched with Eloise, I didn’t give anymore thought to it. I can’t stand her, and can’t imagine tying myself to her. I was happy to let him deal with that nightmare all on his own. But now he’s saying there’s a chance.

“And despite what we’ve been told, there’s no requirement that our choice has to have grown up here. We just have to agree on our pick.”

Not having to be a named line makes sense. If Thea’s mom or Moira would have been married to a someone in The League, she still wouldn’t be a Laurent. Her last name doesn’t change her heritage.

Finn’s still talking while I’m analyzing data and projecting outcomes. A tentative spark of hope blooming in my chest.

“The only thing we have to worry about is getting Thea to let us in again, and Pax.”

The hope, sputters out. “Pax won’t want her. He’ll say no before we’re even finished presenting it as an option.”

Finn’s anger bleeds through. “I’ve already considered that. He doesn’t have to want it, he can just sign the paperwork saying he does, negotiate whatever he needs to get out of the deal and sit his ass in the chair.” He pins me with his stare. “Or do you need him as a happy participant in order for you to agree?”

The answer’s complicated. If we did this, everyone has to agree to the terms. For the families, heirs are always a requirement to carry on the bloodlines. Finn and I can say no to children, because we have sisters. Our family lines will continue through them, but Pax is an only child. He’d need an heir. I guess we could always get him drunk when it’s time for him to get to work on making a baby.

“Pax will never agree to any of this.” I hold up my hand before Finn can complain. “Not without some convincing, and right now I don’t have the energy to start that war if Thea’s going to reject us. We need to work on her first, so we have to come up with a plan to make her forgive us.”

He looks non-plussed when he says, “We have a plan, Holden. We’re gonna woo her, and beg forgiveness, just like we did last time, only with more guts and gore.” He nods at his own words. “Yeah, finding out who hurt her and torturing them is the biggest grand gesture in the history of grand gestures.”

I give a curt nod. I can agree with that. “Fine. We’re done giving her space. We’ll come at it from two different sides. You woo and beg. I’ll hunt her and hold her down until she gives in.”

* * *

Thea

“You know, I’m really getting sick and tired of the stares.” I say to LJ as we cross the street. We’re spending the day on the East Side of Canyon Falls. “Girl, you’re gonna need to get used to it. You’re a bit of a celebrity now.”

“I don’t know why, I didn’t do anything celebratory.”

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