“I want the marriage.” When I saw all the men’s mouths drop, I added, “I know this sounds crazy, but it is how my family does things. It’s our royal way. But besides that, this chick is everything I could want… or have ever wanted. I have known her my entire life, and I knew this day would come. I know I’m going to sound like some sappy shithead, but I’ve been looking forward to the day that we would both be ready.”
“And you are ready?” Victor asked with skepticism in his eyes. I expected that from Victor. He would never make such an impulsive decision and most likely thought I had lost my fucking mind.
“All right,” Kenneth said. “So why are we all here? Going to ask us to be your groomsmen or something?”
“No wedding plans yet,” I said with a smirk. “That will be its own meeting. But I wanted to tell you all in person that I will be leaving for a little bit. Cheri—my fiancée—and I will be going away.”
I swallowed hard and tried to avoid eye contact with my business partner Alec Sheldon who hadn’t said a word since sitting at the table. I knew what I had to say next would cause the man to explode with rage if I didn’t handle this delicately.
“Cheri. Was that the girl with the wild blonde hair who stormed in here last night?” Lennon asked.
“Her attitude matches her wild appearance,” I said with a Cheshire grin I couldn’t contain.
“Fuck man,” Harley said. “Someone looks whipped.”
I was about to tell Harley that he was one to talk since his balls were under a vise grip with his true love, but I knew better. Whipped by a chick or not, Harley was still not a man to challenge or piss off.
“Where are you going?” Matthew asked, getting back on topic and keeping the business moving forward as only Matthew could do with such ease.
I glanced at Alec, drumming up a way to say what I needed to say but knew there was no easy way. “The initiation.”
Alec’s eyes grew wide and he slammed his hands on the table. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“What’s the initiation?” Kenneth asked.
“Tell me this is a joke,” Alec demanded. “You aren’t that stupid.”
I bit back my anger caused by the insult and allowed the man to rage. I understood why. Out of all people, Alec had every excuse for his outburst.
“Can someone please fill us in here?” Kenneth looked at Alec and then at me. “What the fuck are you guys talking about?”
“Roman is getting back in bed with The Iron Colt Brotherhood!” Alec said, sending daggers my way with his eyes. “Do you want the girl to die? Because she will.”
I took a deep breath. “She’s not going to die. I won’t allow it. Cheri is strong and really smart. She has had to follow so many rules and follow proper etiquette her entire life. She can survive the initiation. Especially when it’s explained why to her.”
“I don’t understand why you would willingly walk into their grips again,” Matthew said, clearly on Alec’s side. I wouldn’t blame each man for thinking the same way as Alec. But it was different for me. I was of royal blood. Rules were not the same. My rules go back centuries. Old, old blood and even older customs.
“I can’t be the first royal to not do the initiation. I know that is hard for you to understand,” I said, looking directly at Alec. “And I know exactly what The Iron Colt Brotherhood is capable of, but whether I like it or not, my bloodline makes up the society. Just as yours does, Alec.” I took another deep breath. “I can’t ignore it. I can’t walk away. I sure as fuck can’t say no to them and what they require. I’m a fucking prince drowning in tradition, in customs. It’s my life and always will be. So yeah, am I thrilled to put Cheri in the hands of the brotherhood? No. But she knows who they are. She knows what they expect. They are her customs and traditions as well.”
“It’s suicide,” Alec said much calmer than before. “And murder if you put her in that situation.”
“I can handle this. She can handle this.” I looked at all the men who had worry washed over each of their faces. “This is my world, gentlemen. I can handle myself in it.” I stood up from the table and straightened my suit jacket. “I’m not sure how long I will be gone. It could be a few weeks or a few months. If you need me in case of an emergency, you can reach me via Silas. He will be the only one aware of our whereabouts.”
“And the man who will tell us where your bodies are buried,” Alec mumbled.
I already knew I wouldn’t be able to convince Alec that participating in any Iron Colt Brotherhood ritual would be a wise decision. But regardless, it was what I had to do. What Cheri had to do. It was our royal duty regardless of the risk.
“Be careful, man. If you need us…” Harley said.
“Silas knows to contact you all if things get fucked,” I said more at Harley than the rest of the men. I knew if anyone could get me out of a death sentence, it would be him.
“Can someone still explain what the initiation is exactly? What are the details?” Kenneth asked.
“I’ll let Alec fill you all in,” I said as I walked toward the door. “I need to go pick up Cheri.”
I left the room without giving them a chance to say or ask anything else. Unless you walked in my shoes, and lived my life, it would be impossible to understand. Ancient rituals were part of my heritage. I wouldn’t be able to escape if I wanted to. But that was if I wanted to… which I didn’t. It was time for the initiation to begin. It would be the first step in making Cheri my wife.
Cheri
I didn’t have keys on me to my mother’s home, but I was pretty sure she had staff still present. If Roman was supplementing her income—or lack of it—then I couldn’t possibly imagine her not having a full staff to oversee the house. My father had loved New Orleans when he was still alive. It was French enough for him, had European history present that he appreciated, but possessed an American flair that he had simply loved. Prince Roman’s family had believed the same which is why Roman and I had grown up together. We traveled around the world together, but New Orleans had always been home and where we had spent the majority of our time.
Our estate was obviously much smaller than the one Roman’s family owned, but it still was grand in every way. After my father’s death, some had expected my mother and me to downsize, but my mother believed doing so was for commoners—and we were far from commoners in her eyes. My mother was meant to be the princess… not me.
I was happy to see lights on in the house when I pulled up in the circular driveway. After paying the driver, I hopped out with nothing more than my purse. My assumption was that Silas already had my luggage delivered to the house since that man took care of every single detail both big and small.
Before I could knock on the door to have someone allow me in, the door opened and a familiar face stood on the other side.
“Hello, Smith,” I said, hoping I had his name right. My mother had hired him shortly before I left, so I didn’t have a chance to get to know him. She wasn’t one for keeping the help for long. Her demands were hard to fulfill.