Page 44 of Shadow Witch

“I mean, I ate a lot already, but sure I could eat.”

“Paige could always eat, that’s why she needed the butter and plastic wrap for those leather pants,” Dewey said as he patted her head.

“Hahahaha, ohhh, you’re so funny, Dewey,” she said as they shuffled from the ballroom into a massive banquet hall. The din of chatter filled the air as Devon wrapped his hand around hers and tugged her forward to a long rectangular table on a platform.

“We’re up here with my dad. Get used to being royalty, Paige, because you’re about to become a princess.”

“Hopefully,” she said as she settled into a seat with Dewey on one side and Devon on the other.

Drucinda eased into a chair on the opposite side of Dewey. “Planning on losing?”

“No, but…I’m also not that good at this stuff. I nearly lost already.”

“You did fairly well, but you left a lot to be desired. You’ve got to go into these things with an attack mentality,” Drucinda answered.

“Ohhh, shrimp cocktail,” Dewey said as he clapped his paws. “Devon, your dad knows how to put on a spread.”

“I know,” Devon said with a grin. “Just wait until the wedding banquet.”

“I hope I’m alive then.”

“Paige, babe,” Devon said as he lifted his wine glass, “the way you attacked Ivy…”

He pressed a hand against his heart. “Wow. I am so thrilled you agreed to marry me.”

Paige held his gaze for a moment, trying to discern whether he was serious or jesting. Regardless, she decided to take it as a compliment.

She pushed her shrimp around in the cocktail sauce before she popped one in her mouth. At least the food she’d enjoy before she potentially died was good.

Dewey babbled on about her tight schedule tomorrow, but she barely heard him as exhaustion settled on her. She hoped she made it through the weekend.

When the meal finally came to an end, she shuffled upstairs to her room with Dewey, Devon, and Drucinda in tow. After a brief conversation, she turned in for the night.

The quietness of the room set her nerves on edge as she slid between the sheets. “Why did I have to get involved with a vampire prince?” she asked herself, her words echoing off the walls.

In the dim light, everything took on a sinister appearance. She made a face at the creepy painting of a former Durand on the wall before she shifted her eyes to the devils decorating the fireplace.

“If I do marry Devon, I’m redecorating. This place is hideous.”

“That’s a big if,” a new voice answered her.

Without thinking, she responded, “Yeah, I know. I’m not sure I–”

Her eyes went wide as she realized she wasn’t alone. She clutched the covers, pulling them up to her chin. “Who’s there?”

“Who do you think?” Ivy answered, slinking from a dark corner toward Paige’s bed.

“What are you doing here?”

“What I should have done a long time ago,” the woman answered, sliding a long, sharp blade from the folds of her dress. “Killing you.”

Paige sucked in a sharp breath as she stared up at the knife glinting in the room’s dim light. She’d never find her mother because she wasn’t going to live beyond today.

CHAPTER 11

“Help!” Paige screamed as she kicked her feet against the bed to propel herself backward.

“No one will hear you,” Ivy said with an evil grin. “It’s just you and me.”

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