Page 31 of Shadow Witch

“Oh, shoot,” Dewey said, clapping his paws on his head.

“What?” Paige asked, her heart racing.

“I forgot to order the cake for the shower. Dang it all.” He grabbed the RP and tapped on it.

“Who cares about the cake? I’ll probably be maimed or worse and not able to eat it.”

“I care. The guests care. I don’t want them to have a crappy cake and say…oh, look, Dewey was the worst maid of honor ever.”

“That is the least of our concerns!” Paige shouted.

“The least of your concerns, Bridezilla, but it’s my job. And quite frankly, I plan on nailing it.”

“Did you get the cake? It is important, little man.”

“I did. And I have the shower scheduled for one tomorrow, between events. Also, dress-shopping at nine a.m. sharp. Don’t be late, Paige, because you’ve got the Gauntlet of Trust at ten-thirty.”

Paige slapped a palm against her forehead. “I can’t handle this. The Riddle of Hearts tonight.”

“And the Feat of Valor, followed by a banquet,” Dewey added.

“Then dress-shopping at nine, a deadly battle at ten-thirty…”

“Duel of Devotion is bright and early at eight, then the dress shopping, deadly battle, luncheon at noon, shower at one, Duel of Shared Memories at four, dinner at six, bachelorette party at seven til…who knows.” Dewey laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows. “Test of Selflessness Sunday morning at ten, and then a wedding at two.”

“OMG,” Paige groaned as she let her head thud back against the chair.

“Sounds like an awesome way to spend a weekend to me,” Drucinda said. “Now, we should start getting you ready. There isn’t much time.”

“Oh, right. As if this wasn’t bad enough, I have to wear a costume.”

A knock sounded at the door and Drucinda crossed to it. “Right on time.”

A man handed off a set of clothing. Paige lifted her chin, trying to assess how awful it was. Drucinda shook her head as she closed the door. “Oh, my. This is…pretty terrible of a choice.”

“Really? How bad? Is it super skimpy? I don’t have the body for bikini-style clothing.”

“Too many breadsticks from Cheesy Does It,” Dewey added.

“Watch it,” she warned with a wag of her finger.

“No, that’s the problem. It’s nothing revealing. It’s a pair of leather trousers, a tank top, and a leather jacket.”

“Not my first choice in apparel, but at least I won’t look like Xena warrior princess running around.”

“Who?” Devon asked.

“Never mind. Give me the stupid clothes, and I’ll go change.” Paige snatched them from Drucinda’s hands and stalked to the en-suite bathroom. With a heavy sigh, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Tears formed in her eyes as she considered the task ahead.

She was about to battle, maybe to the death. But she couldn’t let her mother down. She flicked her gaze back to her glassy eyes. “Same as any other day in the library.”

She lifted her chin, trying to bolster her own spirits. “You’ve fought werewolves, vampires, those weird ice panthers. All kinds of things.”

She puffed out a breath as she peeled her clothes off. “You can do this. You played a live-action game of Mario Brothers, and you won.”

With a poke of her finger at the mirror, she bobbed her head up and down. “You’re awesome, Paige Turner.”

She pulled the tank top over her head before she tugged on the leather pants. They got stuck halfway up her thighs. She yanked a little harder, her features crinkling with effort. “Come on.”

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