Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“She would have been welcome, of course,” I said. “Damn it—I should have spoken to her at the ceremony. I meant to, I just got distracted.”
“All we can do now is look for her and hope for the best,” Aurora said gravely. “But I tell you, Slade—I don’t think you’re going to find her if she doesn’t want to be found.”
“Where could she be, though?” I asked. “Where would she go?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know. She did say something about having a crush on one of your friends, though she never said who it was. Do you think she’d go to him? Maybe try to Bind herself to him so she couldn’t be Bound to the man your stepmother picked?”
I shook my head.
“None of my friends would betray me like that. It’s against Clan Code to take a female from her birth Clan and Bind her to you without the permission of either her father or her brother.”
Aurora frowned.
“Really? The woman doesn’t have any say in it?”
“Afraid not.” I shook my head. “Especially with a Chieftain’s daughter—you can’t just snatch any woman you want or the Four Families would be in turmoil all the fucking time.”
“I see.” She nodded slowly. “And I thought my people—the humans—had strict rules about marriage.”
“You’re not the only ones,” I told her. “Clan Laws are extremely rigid. But even aside from all of that, none of my friends would betray me that way. Jessina is my little sister! That means she’s off fucking limits.” I felt my blood boil and my voice came out in a growl.
“Well, then maybe she just went off on her own,” Aurora said. “Wherever she is, I hope she’s safe.” She looked worried.
“From your lips to the ears of She of the Four Faces,” I growled, feeling a surge of protective fear for my little sister. I prayed that wherever she was, she would be safe and protected. The fringes of the galaxy, where we Four Families operate, aren’t exactly safe territory. I hoped that maybe she was headed inward, towards the center of the galaxy where the Imperium kept things safer. But if she was, it would be harder for anyone from Clan Cruel to get to her—maybe that was what she wanted, though.
I would look for her—I would do everything in my power to find her and keep her safe. But something told me that Aurora was right—we weren’t going to find Jessina if she didn’t want to be found.
I wondered where she had gone to and if I would ever see her again…only the Goddess knew. I prayed again for her safety.
Jessina, I thought. Wherever you are, be careful. It’s a fucking Brutal Universe out there!
THE END?
NO!
I have to tell you, I am SO excited about the Brutal Universe series. I already have two more books planned and I feel like there might even be more coming. I hope you enjoyed reading this fusion of Mafia and Sci-fi Romance as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you liked Cruel Union, please take a moment to leave a review or like a positive review. Also, why not tell a friend? There are lots of readers who love Mafia romance but still haven’t given Sci-fi a try. Help me lure them to the Dark Side and I’ll love you forever for it. ; )