Page 34 of The Grip of Death
Lore and Whitby trilled excitedly, their matching bodies spinning in a glittering spiral of crystal and light, their tiny fanfares playing in harmony.
“Oh, Whitby, this means you can attend the wedding after all!” Lore chirped. “Jackson won’t have to load your mainframe on a trolley to wheel you down the aisle anymore.”
“Oh no,” Whitby said, his light dimming. He paused in the air, then zipped to stop a few inches between Xander’s face and mine. “Jack, Xander? I know this looks bad now that I have a floating little body and I have no excuse, but I’m still so anxious about participating in the ceremony, and I — ”
Xander raised his hand. “We completely forgot to tell you, Wit. We convinced another friend to take over for ring bearer duties. You’re off the hook.”
Whitby heaved as big a sigh of relief as an artificer’s intelligence could muster, then zipped off again, leaving a trail of “Thank you thank you thank you” behind him, one meant for each of us, but especially Hecate.
“Then we’ll just be going now,” Hecate said, dusting off her robes as she rose to her full height. “It appears you have much to celebrate.”
“And we’d love for you to celebrate with us,” Xander said. “Right, Jack?”
I grinned. “Absolutely. I hope it’s not too late to invite you to our wedding, Hecate. Where can we send the invitation?”
Hecate’s smile gleamed, as sticky and sweet as the honey she loved as an offering. “Leave it out in the rain, or set it on fire. It will find a path to us either way.”
And without another word, Hecate collapsed into a pile of robes. Then the robes disintegrated, the dust slipping into the cracks in the floor.
“She’s so creepy,” I muttered.
“Super creepy,” Xander said. “But I kind of love her now.”
I watched as Lore and Whitby spun and zipped around the living room, crystalline twins delighting in their shared freedom.
Yeah, I couldn’t disagree. Hecate was a weird-as-hell goddess, but she wasourgoddess.
15
I followedthe swirl of silk as it slithered up into the trees, nestling into a neat curve between two branches. Beatrice magicked up another sheet of fabric, and then another, alternating a series of artfully drooping black-and-ivory drapery all around the wedding venue.
The Palace of Briars. I still couldn’t believe our luck. I sat there dumbfounded as my friends moved in a meditative dance, conjuring their magics to decorate the incredibly generous space that Oberon had granted us.
The abode of the King of the Summer Court. His gardens. Our wedding venue! How my heart didn’t stop when he first told us we could get married here, I would never know.
My mouth hung half open as candles drifted through the air, each held aloft by Sedgewick’s magic, each slotting perfectly into its home among the many wrought-iron candelabras personally forged by the great Master Vikhyat.
With every wave of Kaoru’s hand came a spray of elegant stationery, little black envelopes for monetary gifts finding their way to the registration table, flawlessly engraved place cards floating into position in the dining area.
And all the while my butt stayed right in my chair, my jaw growing tired from being dropped, a kid at a magic show. Xander strolled by and waved his hand in my face.
“Hello? Jackson Pryde, world’s best fiancé? Anybody home? Don’t leave your mouth hanging open like that. Your brain could float out any minute.”
I blinked, my teeth clicking as I snapped my mouth shut. “So rude. If you didn’t mention the best fiancé bit, I’d even consider being deeply offended.”
He picked something out of my hair, plucking my locks like he was playing a musical instrument. My heart strings, perhaps. I batted playfully at his hand. He dodged my fingers, then lowered his hand to show me the strange little leaf that had found its way into my hair. Five leaves radiated from its center, like a star.
“Make a wish,” he said.
I frowned, because I loved giving Xander shit sometimes, and because he loved it a lot, too.
“That’s not a dandelion and you know it. I can’t wish on that.”
Xander rolled his eyes. “Come on, you grump. It’s like wishing on a star, or a lucky clover with an extra leaf. That makes it super lucky, or something.”
I blew it out of his fingers before he could react. I didn’t need to think about my wish at all. Xander sputtered and laughed, entranced as the little leaf spun across the lawn.
“So what did you wish for?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me.
