Page 91 of Threads That Bind Us

“None of that, she’s not even seventeen,” I say, standing from the vanity and walking to grab myself a water from the little dry bar Aurelio set up. Clara’s eyes flicker to Kenzie, who’s staring at her phone studiously. “Kenzie’s become used to ignoring things she can’t ask questions about, don’t worry.”

“I am checked out until invited back in,” Kenzie mumbles, popping her headphones in and burrowing into the corner of the sofa.

“Your sister’s smart,” Clara says, that little calculating look in her eyes. “And she’s got the disposition to do well in The Syndicate. She gets it from you.”

It’s still strange, having Clara’s approval. At the council meeting in October, she was the most vehement vote in favor of our marriage. She made her argument to a crowd that didn’t need convincing about how I’d proved my dedication to their family and mission through blood and gore. It was touching, if not slightly graphic.

“While it warms my heart to hear you say that, I’m not convincing her into anything,” I say, forcing myself not to down a second bottle of water. There is no one in this building I want holding my dress up while I pee tonight. “She could decide she doesn’t want to know anything else when she turns eighteen, and that’s completely fine with me and Charlie.”

We actually haven’t discussed it much, but Claradoesn’t need to know that. Charlie takes my lead most of the time anyway.

She slumps into the vanity chair, dropping her head back and letting out a whine.

“Please, just let me train her? I’ll adopt her or whatever, and she can become the next Costa matriarch after me. She’s clever and has a good wit. She’ll do fine.”

My jaw drops a bit before I can recover, but it doesn't seem to matter, because Clara’s not looking at me. Her eyes are clenched shut, and she’s rubbing the bridge of her nose like she has a migraine.

“Going to have to pass on that one,” I say, watching her crack her neck. One of their parents must do it, seeing how she and Charlie both have the habit. “Ana’s been forced into enough. She’ll choose this if she wants it.”

“And she’ll be over the age where I can adopt her once she does. Yeah, I know. Worth a shot,” Clara mumbles, straightening in her chair and smoothing over her foundation where she rubbed it off.

“Deniz seems…nice?” I can’t even convincingly finish the sentence.

Clara’s date—and probable future husband—has barely said a word to me since we met yesterday. He hovers around Clara like she’s the center of his gravity, and she generally looks like she’s contemplating the most painful ways to remove his internal organs. Clara scowls at me, the steam back to rising out of her ears.

“Well, he at least looks fertile. You’ll get an heir out of him.”

“I would rather self-replicate than let that man impregnate me,” she growls, adjusting the straps of her dress nervously.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. There’s no way you’re not fucking,” I scoff, heading over to the garment baghanging on the door.

“I didn’t say that,” she says, almost to herself, before catching my eyes in the mirror. “Also, since when is that your fucking business?”

I abandon my dress and cross back to Clara, yanking her hand off the back of the chair and cradling it in mine.

“Isn’t that what sisters are for?”

For a split second, I think she’s going to slap me across the face, wedding makeup or not. But then she gives me her vicious grin, pulling me down to throw her arms around my shoulders.

Ana returns, my shoes and a bottle of champagne in her hands. Kenzie takes her presence as a sign she’s welcome back in the conversation and tosses her phone on the coffee table.

“I saw Charlie in the hallway and he gave me this,” she says, waving the bottle. “Told me to share.”

“Give me that, no champagne for you,” I say, bopping her on the nose and snagging the ice-cold bottle from her. Clara procures champagne glasses out of god-knows-where.

“Oh, come on. In Italy, minors can drink with their guardians,” Ana whines, cuddling up next to Kenzie. “Plus, I’m almost seventeen.”

“How do you know Italian liquor laws?” I ask, popping the bottle to the sound of Kenzie’s polite clapping. A little bit of foam drips out of the top, and I lick it off.

“Google,” Ana and Kenzie say in unison, and I roll my eyes.

We toast to a future filled with whatever we can dream of, and Clara whispersper cent'anniafter the glasses are empty.

Charlie

The breeze off the ocean is cool, but the sun warms my skin under my suit as I stand in my family’s backyard. The gathering is small—just my family, Kenzie, Sammy, Catalina, and a few close friends of The Syndicate. Only Ana will walk Gwen down the aisle.

Gwen had thought this unnecessary, but even if my father and sister hadn’t insisted, I would have asked her to do this for me. Marry me in front of a crowd of the people we care for. Tell me she loves me in this beautiful place.