Sociopath (Ash Trilogy #1) ✔️

2

I stood there in shock. My ears felt like they were ringing and all I could hear was white noise. The families all glanced at each other, looking surprised, taking in Kingston's words.

I blink harshly and force myself to come back into reality. I put my hand on his strong arm and whisper harshly at him, "A fight to the death, are you insane? Just tell them to go home!"

His brown eyes moved from the crowd, to mine. He stared down at me, "Sienna, you know what has happened to any boy that has shown an interest in you over the years. You are mine, nobody else's. So, if they truly do want you enough to fight for you, then they will die. At my hands."

His deep and raspy voice speaks calmly as if the things he says are normal. 

"You can force me into a marriage with you," I state. "But that doesn't mean I'll love you."

He placed his large hands on the sides of my face, his thumbs rubbing up and down against my cheeks. He spoke softly, "I love you, Sienna. Be a little nicer to me."

"You may love me, but you aren't in love with me. There's a difference. You love me in the way that a child loves their favorite toy," I hit his hands away.

He rolled his eyes and asks, "Why are you always so dramatic?"

"Because, unlike you, I can feel emotions!"

"Well, it's annoying. So could you stop it?"

I rolled my eyes. One of the men suddenly spoke from the crowd, "I accept it. I know I'll beat all of you. My family is the only one here who deserves to mix with that bloodline."

Bloodline. That's all these people care about. They don't care about my health, they don't care about my happiness, they just care about my goddamn bloodline. 

An amused smirk formed across Kingston's face as if he were just invited to play a game. The other men all agreed slowly, some having to get convinced more than others. They all have the same mentality of 'I will win' but the truth is Kingston has slaughtered hundreds of people and agreeing to do this is just agreeing to death. 

Kingston clapped his hands together, "Fantastic. In the backyard, 5 minutes. No guns either, let's play fair, ladies."

The people who had come for the wedding started to clear out and go home, they didn't seem as shocked about this as I did. But I've stayed clear of all things mafia-related as much as I could. The men and their families stayed where they were. 

Kingston crossed his arms, "Your families can all go home now, too. I don't want to watch all of you pathetically cry when I inevitably win. If your son comes home to you tonight, good for you. If not, well, you know what happened."

He smirks after saying his sentence. He enjoyed the cruelness of it. 

The men all said something to their families before they left, all of them too much confidence for their own good. But I guess if the family you are coming from is in dire need of money, you don't have much to lose.

Kingston turned to the man who had dragged me in here and told him, "Take Sienna to my bedroom. She'll be safe there."

The man put his hand on my arm, and I tried to get out of his grip, causing him to tighten it. Kingston's jaw clenched and he snapped, "Be fucking gentle with her. If you do so much as cause her a bruise, you will end up gutted in the backyard just like the rest of these idiots."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ash," the man apologized, his grip on my arm loosening.

He dragged me out of the room and down the hallway, heading towards a staircase. He forced me to walk up to it, dragging me to a room at the end of the hallway. He opened the door, pushed me in there, and then shut it.