AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My entire soul fills with sparkles.
“Because you have done the one thing than none of us ever could.” Proud warmth pulses from his whole body as he looks at me. “You have neutralized the Hunters.”
42
KADEN
The argument has been going for so long that the doctors have already finished stitching me up and left the building again. In fact, I’m pretty sure that even the cleaning crews are done in the dining room by now. Exasperation washes over me as I rub a hand over my face before giving my father a pointed look.
“Last time I checked, I don’t need your permission to get married,” I point out.
“You’re not marrying a Petrov!” he retorts, throwing out his arms in frustration. “She is the reason you almost died in that dining room earlier.”
The fact that he is yelling at me really is saying something about his feelings for the Petrov family, considering that he has almost never dared to deny me anything. Let alone raise his voice at me. But I don’t give a shit. Alina is mine. And the sooner I can put a ring on her finger, the sooner everyone else will back the fuck off.
“Almost died?” I retort. “Give me some credit. You saw what the room looked like when you arrived. It will take more than that to kill me.”
Some of that retort is partially negated by the fact that I’m still sitting down. But after the blood loss and the exhaustion of the fight, the doctors practically threatened me into sitting still while whatever they injected me with did its job. So I have remained in my seat.
“He’s right,” Eli says from where he is seated next to me. “Given that aftermath, it had to have been one hell of a fight.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, and I cast him a quick glance from the corner of my eye. His mouth quirks in a barely visible grin. Rico and Jace are also seated at the large table in the conference room that we’re occupying. The moment the doctors told me that I needed to keep sitting down for a while, all three of my brothers immediately stopped pacing like caged wolves and casually sat down around the table with me. As if they knew how much I would hate being the only one who was sitting down like some kind of weakling. I appreciate the gesture more than I can say.
“It doesn’t matter,” our father says from where he is still stalking back and forth on the floor. “She’s still a Petrov.”
“So?” I fix him with a look full of challenge. “Eli is dating a Smith and you don’t have a problem with that.”
Eli nods, silently backing up my argument.
“Not to mention the kind of background the girl I’m dating comes from,” Rico adds.
Jonathan blows out a breath full of frustration and exasperation as he stops and turns to face the four of us head on. “Your future marriage falls under Federico’s jurisdiction,” he points out, giving Rico a look. Then he shifts his gaze between me and Eli. “And the Smiths are different. They’re trust-worthy. A stable and predictable family.”
Eli chuckles under his breath and wiggles his eyebrows at the three of us.
Jace and I snort while Rico rolls his eyes.
I don’t think anyone who has met Raina would describe her as stable and predictable. She’s absolutely insane. Even more so than Eli. And that really is saying something.
“You can’t trust the Petrovs,” our father finishes.
Since this argument isn’t getting anywhere, I decide to switch tactics. “And that’s exactly why I should marry Alina. We will lose an enemy and gain an ally.”
“How—”
“Think about it. If I marry Alina, she will be in my house and at my mercy for the rest of her life. And as long as I hold her safety over their heads, the Petrovs will never dare to threaten us again.”
That gets his attention.
Running a hand over his jaw, he considers in silence for a few seconds.
Outside the windows, the storm continues raging. Rain pelts the glass and winds howl around the building.
At last, Jonathan looks back at me and nods. “That’s an excellent point.”
“I know.” I arch an eyebrow at him. “Have I ever done anything without a proper plan?”
“No, I suppose you haven’t.” Rolling his shoulders back, he clears his throat and then starts towards the doors. “Let’s get this over with then, shall we?”
