Bride by Initiation: Secret Society Mafia Marriage Pact (The Underworld Book 1)
Bride by Initiation: Chapter 17

‘Don’t worry, I’m the only one who has to do it,’ I murmur in Zara’s ear.

She glances up in horror, her eyebrows pinned together.

‘It’s fine,’ I assure her, leading her toward Kirill.

I knew this day would come. I caught glimpses of the skull branded on all the men watching the underground fight. I assumed it was a rite of passage into The Underworld.

It doesn’t surprise me that it’s happening tonight. While I’m not looking forward to the pain, I want the branded skull on me. It’s my father’s design—his vision and a symbol that I’m part of his world, even if I’m still unsure of all it entails.

It’s a short-term pain, I tell myself, doing my best to show no qualms or fear about getting branded.

It’s going to hurt like a motherfucker.

Short-term, pussy.

We step in front of Kirill, and the other objects the men hold become clear. The one closest to him has a piece of wood, I assume to bite down on. The second holds a jar of salve and some plastic wrap. The third man has a gold censer for incense and a lighter.

I look closer at the censer and realize it’s the same skull design as the brand.

That’s badass.

Pride fills me. My father designed a piece of art that represents something important. From what I gather, it’s a symbol of change and loyalty. Seeing it in gold as well as stamped on the hands of strangers, makes me feel like he lives on and didn’t just die a horrible death.

However, it happened.

I will replace out who killed him and the rest of the details, I tell myself, knowing it will be easier now that I’m entering The Underworld.

A tense, eerie silence takes over the arena.

Kirill points to the man with the censer, and he lights the incense. The smoke rises out of cutouts in the roses. He walks around us, breathing loudly as if he’s a dragon.

Zara gives me a funny look, and I stare at her sternly, thinking, Don’t say a word, my little brat, and hoping she heeds my warning. I can only imagine the smart-ass things she might say.

When the thick scent encircles us, the man sets the censer on the floor between Kirill, Zara, and me. The smoke continues to rise from it.

Kirill turns to Zara and asks, ‘Are you ready to fully commit to The Underworld?’

The color drains from her cheeks. She glances at the hot metal brand and then at me.

Goose bumps race across my skin. I push her slightly behind me, and interject, ‘The branded skull is only for men.’

Amusement fills Kirill’s expression. ‘Where did you get that idea?‘

I clench my jaw, pushing Zara farther behind me.

Kirill looks over my shoulder, then calls for Valentina.

I turn, moving Zara to the side so we’re not behind Kirill, not fully trusting him not to hold Zara down and burn her.

Valentina steps in front of us.

‘Turn,’ Kirill orders her.

She obeys.

‘Lift your hair,’ he demands.

She reaches for her long, dark curls, gathers them in her hands, and twists them above her neck.

I inhale sharply.

Zara gasps loudly.

I clutch my wife tighter as I stare at Valentina’s neck. She has the same brand as the men, but the roses are red instead of pink.

‘Women are just as much a part of The Underworld as men. The importance of their role sometimes outweighs ours. Did you think otherwise?’ Kirill questions.

Valentina lowers her hair.

I step back with Zara so we can see everyone. I answer, ‘I didn’t suggest they weren’t important.’

His eyes narrow. ‘Yet you assumed they weren’t worthy of wearing the skull?’

My chest tightens.

‘Answer me,’ Kirill demands.

I blurt out, ‘Not that they are unworthy. But they’re women.’

‘And?‘

‘I don’t want my wife to go through the pain of being branded,’ I admit.

Valentina turns to Zara. She puts her hand on her cheek and softens her tone. ‘Have I gotten the wrong impression? You are not brave enough to finish initiation?’

I tug Zara back, not trusting Valentina or any of these people not to hurt her. I insist, ‘Of course she’s brave.’

Valentina snaps her glare to me. ‘Then why do you deem her unworthy of wearing the skull?’

I stay quiet, unable to think of a good answer, and clutch my wife to my body.

Zara turns to me. ‘Sean.’

I break out in a sweat as I meet her eyes.

‘It’s fine,’ she insists.

‘Zara—’

She puts her fingers over my lips.

My insides quiver. I release a breath through my nose.

She smiles, and when she’s confident I won’t speak, she removes her hand and faces Valentina. She lifts her chin and squares her shoulders, declaring, ‘I’m ready.’

My stomach flips so fast, I swallow bile.

Valentina beams, praising, ‘Good decision.’

I bite my tongue, reminding myself there’s no way out of this. It’s still a live-or-die situation.

Zara can’t handle this pain.

‘I’ll go first,’ she says.

‘No. You’re last,’ Kirill interjects.

I snarl, ‘So she can see how painful it is and freak out before you do it?’

A dark arrogance overtakes Kirill’s expression.

Valentina asserts, ‘Women are stronger than men. We birth your children. We stand by you when you’re weak, and rise through the terror, bringing you with us to get to the other side.’

I grind my molars.

Zara smirks at me, amusement flashing in her eyes.

I leer at her and make a note to add another session where I spank the shit out of my brat’s pale ass.

‘Step forward now or step away, Sean O’Malley Jr.,’ Kirill warns.

I glance at Zara one more time.

She points to Kirill, ordering, ‘Go on.’

I begrudgingly step in front of him, still unhappy. Very soon, these people are going to burn my wife’s perfect skin, and I can’t stop it unless I want us to die.

Why would my father let women do this? I question as I stand in front of Kirill.

Low hisses fill the air, and the stomping of feet erupts once more.

My heart beats harder.

The man picks up the skull censer and circles us in more smoke.

Kirill booms, ‘Do you, Sean O’Malley Jr., pledge your heart and soul, loyalty and honor, to The Underworld?’

I don’t hesitate in my answer. ‘I do.’

‘And do you promise to put The Underworld first?’ Kirill asks.

No. My wife is first, dickhead.

I answer, ‘I do.’

‘When you stand before the stains of injustice, do you vow to slam the laws of The Underworld against all those who break them?’ Kirill questions.

I don’t know what the laws of The Underworld are, but I reply, ‘I do.’

He looks satisfied. He turns and dips the metal rod into the fire again.

Fuck, this is going to hurt.

Stop being a pussy!

One man holds the wood to my lips.

I bite down on it, staring at the blue flames. A cold sweat breaks out on my skin.

Zara steps up next to me and grabs my hand.

I glance at her.

She rises on her tiptoes, kisses me on the cheek, and shoots me a brave smile.

My blood pounds faster.

Kirill pulls the stick out of the fire. It glows with smoke curling around it.

Valentina positions herself next to a small table and orders, ‘Kneel. Then make a fist and put it on the table.’

I obey, and the man who gave me the wood holds my forearm against the table.

Zara kneels next to me and puts her arm around my waist. She murmurs, ‘You got this, babe.’

Babe?

It’s strange that we crossed the line. We weren’t supposed to, and now she’s calling me babe.

She’s my wife.

How the fuck did we get here?

I look straight ahead, gritting my teeth against the wood.

The man with the incense circles me. The hissing turns into a chant mixed with more hisses and gasps. It makes my heart pound so hard that I think I might have a heart attack.

Kirill steps in front of me and announces, ‘Sean O’Malley Jr., you have proven yourself to be worthy of the skull—the mark that represents our eternal commitment. It overrides all law and order as you know it. So by the power of the Omnipotence, and with the full trust of The Underworld, you now may exercise the birthright you’ve earned to keep.’

The women in the crowd shriek, and the men roar.

It startles me. I flinch, but the other man holds down my forearm right as Kirill pushes the skull against my hand.

I bite on the wood, roaring as loud as the crowd, trying to move my hand as my skin singes. The smell of it mixes with the incense. I gaze at my hand, and all I want to do is throw up.

‘Breathe, Sean,’ Zara orders in a stern voice.

I turn toward her.

She grabs my cheeks, demanding, ‘Breathe!’

I realize I’m not taking in any oxygen. So I inhale short breaths through my nose, continuing to bite the wood.

She nods, smiling. ‘Good. Keep breathing.’

Something cold hits my hand, and it’s an instant relief. I refocus on the burned spot. The second man applies more balm to my brand and then wraps it in plastic.

The man who gave me the wood says, ‘You can relax now. You look like you’re going to break your teeth.’ He releases his grip on my forearm.

I spit the wood next to me.

‘Good job,’ Zara praises.

I stare at her, feeling semi-crazy, wondering how she can be so calm when she’s about to have this done to her neck. I turn to Kirill. ‘Brand me on my neck instead of Zara.’

He jerks his head backward.

Valentina’s amused laugh fills the air.

I growl, ‘What’s so funny?’

‘You can’t take another member’s mark,’ she claims.

‘Why not? She’s my wife,’ I remind her.

She shrugs. ‘So what? That doesn’t negate her duty to The Underworld or eliminate her obligation to fulfill initiation. Or allow you to steal her earned right to wear the skull.’

‘It does if I’m taking it for her,’ I declare.

Kirill warns, ‘Keep talking like that, Sean. We’ll brand you in your neck, and Zara will still get hers.’

‘Listen—’

‘Shut up, Sean,’ Zara interjects.

I snap my head toward her.

Her eyes turn to slits. ‘Don’t say another word.‘

I open my mouth, and she puts her hand over it, threatening, ‘Enough.’

Your ass, my hand, little brat.

She rises. ‘I’m ready.’

Valentina puts her arm around Zara’s shoulder. ‘Come with me, darling.’

‘Now she’s your darling?’ I mutter.

Valentina turns and says, ‘Zara and I hold no harsh feelings toward the other, do we?’

‘No,’ Zara replies, raising her chin and pinning me with a challenging stare.

Confusion fills me.

Valentina laughs. ‘It’s okay. Lots of men don’t understand the sisterhood. Come on, darling. It won’t hurt too long.’ She leads Zara back toward the bed.

I rush after them, and the other men follow.

‘Zara—’

‘I need you to lie on top of me, Sean,’ she says.

I freeze.

‘I’m serious. Put all your body weight on me and hold my head in place,’ she orders.

The arena fills with hissing.

The air thickens.

Zara smirks, unties her robe, pushes it so it falls to the floor, and puts her hand on her hip. She teases, ‘Are you lying on me naked or robed?‘

My breath catches. I lower my gaze to her tits, my erection perking up again. I mutter, ‘Fucking brat.’

She bats her eyelashes and points at me, demanding, ‘Take your robe off. It’ll be better for me if you’re naked.’

I arch my eyebrows.

She purses her lips, spins, and struts over to the bed. She slowly gets on all fours, then crawls to the other side, lowering her face first so her ass is in the air. She looks over her shoulder at me, then slowly slides her lower body to the sheets. Then her lips form a pout. ‘Why aren’t you naked?’

‘Fucking brat,’ I say, louder this time. I drop my robe, approach the bed, then grab her foot and press down.

She gasps and lifts off the bed.

I lunge my body over hers, then murmur in her ear, ‘This mark is going to be nothing compared to what my hand does to your ass.’

‘Don’t tease me,’ she sassily retorts.

My dick digs into her backside, throbbing. I grunt.

Her smirk grows.

Kirill, holding the hot brand, kneels before Zara so he can meet her eye, and asks, ‘Do you promise to uphold the vows your husband just made to The Underworld?’

Her voice cracks as she answers, ‘I-I do.’

He touches the back of her neck. ‘The skull is sacred.’

‘I know,’ she interjects.

‘So you pledge your life to The Underworld and will defend it against its enemies?’

‘I will,’ Zara agrees.

He kisses her forehead and rises.

‘Don’t do that again,’ I warn.

Arrogance washes over his expression. ‘An innocent kiss from an Omni is a privilege. It’s a gift of a beautiful future.’

‘I don’t care. Don’t ever kiss my wife again. Not you or anyone,’ I threaten.

He grunts but steps back. He nods to the man with the wood.

The man holds it in front of Zara.

She bites down on it.

I stroke her cheek, reminding her, ‘Make sure you breathe.’

She offers me a calm look.

Why isn’t she freaking out?

Valentina twists Zara’s hair into a tight bun, ensuring no strays. She adds, ‘Piece of cake, darling.’

The crowd doesn’t make the same chant as when I got branded. They resume their erotic ohs and ahs.

My cock hardens further.

The man with the incense jumps on the bed, waving the censer over our bodies. When the air is thick with the scent, and I can barely breathe, Kirill steps forward. He nods at me.

I add more body weight to Zara and press my palms against her head so she can’t move. I lean down, kiss the spot on her neck that’ll soon be burned, and murmur in her ear, ‘Just breathe, my pulse.’

As soon as I lean away, Kirill pushes the skull against her flesh.

I cringe, watching her skin singe.

She whimpers, her body trying to jerk up, but I weigh too much.

I order, ‘Get the balm on her now!’

But the man already has it scooped out of the jar and ready to apply. He reaches over and layers it on her.

Her body relaxes.

I pet her hair, careful not to touch the burnt area, as plastic gets wrapped around her entire neck.

When it’s secure, I slowly get up, tug her off the bed, and pull her into my arms. I kiss the top of her head, praising, ‘You did great.’

She glances up. A few tears stain her cheeks. She asserts, ‘It wasn’t that bad.’

‘No?’ I question, shocked.

She shakes her head.

I confess, ‘I thought it hurt like a motherfucker.’

She giggles.

I give her a chaste kiss, then say, ‘You were really brave.’

‘Thanks.’ She smiles.

The crowd breaks out in loud applause.

I spin us to face them, then freeze.

Their masks are all off. The sun has risen, and the torches no longer burn.

Valentina holds out our robes to us.

We take them and put them on.

She removes her mask, beaming as bright as Zara.

‘I knew you were gorgeous,’ Zara blurts.

The look Valentina gives her is as nice as the one you’d give a best friend. She claims, ‘We have good genes.’

‘We?’ Zara questions.

Something passes over Valentina’s expression. It quickly fades, and she smiles brighter. ‘Yes. Us Italian women.’

‘Oh! Right,’ Zara says.

Valentina embraces her, then me. She retreats and turns to the crowd.

The applause dies down.

She holds her arms above her, crying out, ‘I now pronounce to The Underworld, Mr. and Mrs. Sean O’Malley Jr.!’

The applause resumes, and an SUV drives into the arena. It stops next to the stage.

Kirill still wears his mask. He opens the door to the back seat, then motions inside, stating, ‘It’s time to go. We’ll give you some time to yourselves, but your orders will arrive soon.’

‘Orders?’ I question.

Darkness fills his expression. ‘Yes. Every member of The Underworld has them. We all have a duty to fulfill your father’s vision.’

‘And when do I replace out the entirety of his vision?’ I ask.

‘Soon. Now, go enjoy each other,’ he answers in a nonnegotiable tone.

‘Sean, let’s go,’ Zara says, tugging my arm.

I look at her.

‘Please,’ she begs.

I glance around the arena as the sun rises higher. The masks cover the audience’s faces once more. They begin stomping and raising the torches into the air again.

‘Sean. Please,’ Zara repeats in a soft tone.

I cave and grab her hand, leading her to the SUV, wondering what we just committed to, but knowing all will be revealed soon.

And now, I’m going home with a wife, but not just any wife.

Zara Marino is my bride. There will be consequences in the outside world for what we’ve done tonight. I don’t fully know what they are yet, but my gut says it won’t be long until we replace out.