“Nana! You’re not helping.”
“What? You want me to lie?”
“Just don’t help him.”
Chewing a piece of crispy bread dipped in olive oil, Josh lowered his tablet and offered a rare moment of eye contact with his sister. “Why not help him? I like him.”
Liam chuckled. “Thank you, Josh. I like you, too.”
Dianne scrunched her face towards her brother. “What made you say that, Josh?”
“I like Liam.”
“We all like Liam, but that was random.”
Josh looked towards the ceiling. “I was thinking he’d be a nice brother-in-law.”
Flushed with embarrassment, Dianne blushed and looked across the table at Liam, who also turned red and had trouble holding eye contact with her. “Um, don’t be silly, Josh. He’s taken a vow of chastity.”
“Oh, why is everyone so stupid?”
Connor tried to calm the frustrated autistic man. “She’s right, Josh. As wraith hunters, we all must take the vow of chastity.”
“I’ve read your books. There’s nothing against getting married and starting families.”
Dianne intensified her scowl and raised her volume. “Josh! You can’t tell Connor and Liam their business.”
The elder hunter waived his palm. “No, I don’t mind at all. That’s true, there’s nothing written against it. It’s all been a matter of tradition. None of us has married in generations due to the nature of our work, but it’s well known that the first hunters were indeed married.”
Liam frowned and nearly coughed out a mouthful of falafel. “It’s not well known to me.”
“Well known to those in the order whose job it is to know.”
The young hunter swallowed. “Were you going to wait until you died of old age to tell me?”
“You’re well ahead of yourself, lad. There are time-honored rules, there are exceptions, and then there are even rarer exceptions. What we’re talking about here doesn’t even register in the rarer exceptions end of the spectrum.”
Undeterred, Josh continued his argument. “Your vows were for chastity, not celibacy. There’s a difference.”
The elder hunter tried to keep the table calm. “I agree. Chastity is a virtue that a married couple can share. Do you believe that Liam and Dianne are destined for marriage, Josh?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. Ask Dianne.”
As all eyes turned to her, she wanted to sink into her chair. She knew the answer, but she’d melt into a pile of gooey embarrassment if she shared it. “Can I answer that later, like maybe when I’m alone–with Liam?”
THE END
About the Author
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1991, John R. Monteith served on a nuclear ballistic missile submarine and then as a top-rated instructor of combat tactics at the U.S. Naval Submarine School. He now works as an engineer in the Detroit area. He writes the award-winning Rogue Submarine series:
Also from Monteith:
Rogue Submarine Series
ROGUE AVENGER (2005)
ROGUE BETRAYER (2007)
ROGUE CRUSADER (2010)
ROGUE DEFENDER (2013)
ROGUE ENFORCER (2014)
ROGUE FORTRESS (2015)
ROGUE GOLIATH (2015)
ROGUE HUNTER (2016)
ROGUE INVADER (2017)
ROGUE JUSTICE (2017)
Wrath of the Angel
PROPHECY OF BLOOD
Copyright © 2018 by John R. Monteith
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