Page 82 of The Stolen Bride

Wedding Bells and Battlecries: When Cake and Combat Mix

–HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BERSERKER

By Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy-Bruce

Iawoke the next morning, expecting to be cuddled in Viktor’s arms. Sunlight streamed in through the lacy curtains covering the floor to ceiling windows of our suite, but he wasn’t anywhere nearby.

Disappointment struck. At least I could hold his words close.

The world will end, but our love and peace will endure.

Tomorrow had officially become today! My fiancé must be overseeing final details for our wedding.

A note waited on his pillow. Grinning, I snatched it up and read.

I will give you time to enjoy your sister. After the ceremony, we won’t be leaving our bed for weeks.

What a darling man. And sexy!

Barely able to contain my excitement, I raced to mysister’s room. She slept, but I shook her awake. “I’m getting married today! Up, up, up!”

She groaned as she opened her eyes. “Are you always Miss Chipper Morning Sunshine? Let me fetch a gallon of coffee or you can expect nothing but complaints from me.”

I wrinkled my nose. The one subject we disagreed on. “Fine. Get your motor oil. But bring me back a kifli. And some biscuits and gravy. Also, add rantotta, szalonna, some kind of sweet pastry and kefir.” My bottomless stomach had more demands than ever.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she muttered, lumbering to her feet. She was a total grouch in the morning, and for some reason, I adored that about her. “By the way, I can totally feel Viktor’s energy radiating from your body, and it’s as freaky as it is savage. If I don’t get marked one day, I will revolt.”

I giggled as she exited, yes giggled. Unable to sit still, I returned to my private bathroom to shower. My excitement amplified with every minute that passed. After I dried off and donned a robe, I returned to Juniper’s room. She arrived soon after with food. We ate and drank and laughed, then prepared for my big day.

Juniper applied my makeup and curled my hair, then helped me into my wedding dress. A masterpiece so elegant, I couldn't believe a seamstress had created it overnight, without taking any measurements. Embroidery in subtle golden hues adorned a fitted bodice. The full-length skirt flowed to the floor, the train a full five feet long, and it too possessed golden hues.

She teared up as she looked me over. “You are the most beautiful, amazing woman in the world, and I’m so glad you’re in my life now.”

Before I teared up too and ruined my face spackle, I hugged her close. “I’m so glad, too.”

I felt as if I’d waited for this moment my entire life. Never had I experienced such contentment. Such satisfaction. I had won the love of my life, forged a relationship with my twin, and defeated the enemy, who just happened to be our mother. Normally, a girl’s mom helped in times like this.

My shoulders slumped.

As if she’d read my mind, Juniper reached over and hugged me. “Valkara is nothing to us.”

Yes, today was a day for putting the past in the past and walking into my future. And Valkara was definitely in my past. But I wanted her to know I saw her vision of doom for what it was. A lie meant to manipulate me. “Let’s go see her, one last time.”

If any staff and guests thought it odd to spot a bride in full regalia gallivanting down the steps toward the dungeon of Turálvár Kastély, no one said a word.

Juniper chuckled. “Told you. You can’t do anything wrong in the eyes of the turul kingdom. If you decreed every day to be Broadway musical day, the people would learn how to choreograph, guaranteed.”

Lights triggered by our motion illuminated the corridor that led to the dungeon. Cameras followed our every move. Foreboding hung heavy in the air. Considering the time I’d spent behind iron bars in Deco’s fortress, I was chilled to the bone in seconds.

Two armed guards with grim expressions reluctantly stepped aside after giving each other an oh-no look. What in the world?

We quickened our steps. An unexpected flurry of activity greeted us as we passed them, entering the other side. A handful of soldiers scurried about in a constant state of motion. Searching for something? Swinging mygaze to the left, I gasped when I spotted my mother’s cell. Empty.

“Explain,” I demanded of someone. Everyone.

Commander Tabor stepped from a cluster of warriors examining a set of bars, his handsome features fixed in a blank mask. “She escaped this morning.”

My blood curdled. “Does Viktor know?”

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