O steps closer, her hand on mine. Tate is behind Madison.
O must sense my discomfort because her brows pull in as she starts searching the crowd. Everything flies over my head when Scarlet steps forward, carrying a knife. The blade is sharp and long, but the handle looks to be made from bone. It looks old and very used. Hector opens a book in front of him, worn leather with no title. He flips through pages until he reaches somewhere in the back. Scarlet raises the blade up while Hector reads a passage in fluent Latin.
“But what is love if not the substance that pumps through our veins. But what is love if not sacrifice. For you will find this especially in this world; that love does not exist, but blood, blood flows forever.” Hector takes the blade from Scarlet and I follow Madison, Tillie, and the boys when they all place their hands out. Brantley is opposite me, with Tillie and Nate and Madison and Bishop. We stand in a line, with our hands out, waiting. The urgency is gone, but the feeling of betrayal is still emanating from somewhere. I just need to figure out from where. Who is feeling guilty? Hector continues, “So take this oath for what it is, and that’s not a marriage of two, but one of six. When others fail you, your family will not. When you’re hurting, they hurt. When you’re struggling, they struggle. You take the future steps together. You’re in this together.” Hector starts at the top of the line, taking Bishop’s hand and cutting him through his palm before moving back down. Once we’re all cut on both hands, Hector is now at the opposite end.
“Repeat after me while taking each other’s hand,” he says, holding the knife up beneath the light. “On this day, I choose blood. Today, tomorrow, and forever. Blessed be the EKC.” We repeat the words after he repeats them.
Hector smiles. “You may now kiss your brides.” None of us move. Hector rolls his eyes, and the movement is so foreign that had I liked him, I would have found it amusing. “Or you can kill each other,” he mumbles, turning back around to the crowd while adding, “Probably a higher chance.” He raises his hands up into the air. “The ceremony is finally completed. Please, enjoy the rest of your night.”
The ceremony is finally completed.
All of us girls freeze. I can feel Tillie brush against my arm and Madison’s anger reverberating off her beside me.
Minutes pass and the boys still haven’t said anything.
“Hold up!” Tillie’s the first to break the silence because, well, it’s Tillie. “You’re telling me that you used our motherfucking wedding day to complete the ceremony for Bishop?”
“Not just for Bishop,” Nate says to her. He tries to step forward, but her hand flies out. “For all of us, Tillie. The changes we have been saying that need to happen in order for us all to move with the current times start here. This is part of those changes.”
“Meaning?” Madison fumes, grinding her teeth. I remain frozen on the spot, but I can feel the pitter-patter of blood falling from my open wound and dropping to the ground. Music continues in the background while people go back to their socializing, as if nothing just happened. As if we didn’t just go through what would be considered a major life event.
“Meaning,” Bishop says, grabbing a roll of bandages and snatching her hand in his. The snarl never leaves his mouth. “You are all safe. People will know exactly who the fuck all three of you are before this night is over. In fact, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if word has already been spread to the fucking Yakuza in Japan.”
“But it was part of the ceremony, Bishop!” Madison snaps at him. “Meaning you used us all to seal it.”
Bishop shrugs. “Tough shit, Kitty. If we had told you all, you would have thrown a fucking tantrum.”
Tillie hands me a Band-Aid, but I shake my head, remaining focused on Brantley. “You used me to get me here so that this could happen…”
Brantley’s eyes weaken, but yet somehow still intensify. “What?”
I bring my hand up to my mouth.
His jaw clenches as he follows the movement.
I flick my tongue over the bottom of my palm, licking the wound before sucking on the tip of my middle finger. He growls softly, taking a step forward.
“Jesus Christ.” Nate groans somewhere, but I can’t seem to care. Because I’m pissed. If he had told me this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have cared. It was the principle. He told me he wouldn’t lie to me, and I believed him. I’m beginning to think he told me that just so I didn’t need to dig deep to find his lies. They knew I could sniff them out so instead, they baited me. I am such an idiot.