Page 40 of Magpies & Mayhem
Jordan gave a subtle nod.
Iwasentirelyawarethat Elara’s wedding wasn’t about me, but this was quite possibly the best day of my life. I’d been dancing around everywhere I went, unable to stop swirling the skirt of my dress and flouncing about no matter how hard I tried. Between the plunging neckline and the corset-back lacing, this thing didamazingthings for my figure.
Elara looked positively resplendent. The royal decorum with which she carried herself had been baked into her at the expensive girl’s school that moneyed elvish families always sent their children to. Her dress draped behind her, the filmy white gauze and gold detailing catching the candlelight with every movement. While she normally wore jewelry in excess simply due to its pragmatic magical functions, tonight she’d selected pieces for their beauty and elegance. The effect was striking as her train trailed behind her down the aisle and her jewelry glittered in much the same way it had in the dusty wreckage of our college campus the first day I’d met her.My girl was growing up,I thought with a pretend tear wipe.
Regardless of her regal bearing, Elara was still jittery about the event, being the consummate introvert that she was, but spending the day getting ready with her had caused me to give her nerves a side-eye more than once. She’d seemed more emotional than usual, and it struck me as an odd reaction from her. When I caught her getting glassy eyed as the hairstylist pinned her hair back, I’d zeroed in on the tiny teardrop that escaped. “What is this? This isn’t ceremony jitters. What’s wrong?” I’d reached out and taken her hand, and when she grasped me back like a lifeline, I was on high alert. Elara wasn’t the clingy type like I was, so my anxiety was pinging. “Who do I need to kill? Or did you already do it and there’s a body to hide? Just tell me where to find it, and I’ll take care of it, El.”
She’d huffed a watery laugh. “Everything’s fine. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I’d frowned in confusion. This wasn’t stage fright. Elara wasn’t the type to crumple under pressure even if she didn’t care for crowds and attention. “You’re not concerned about marrying Levi, are you? You already did that once, and anyone can see you two are madly in love with each other.” I could take him out if I had to, but I’d rather not since I liked the guy, and it was obvious he adored her.
“No, of course not.” She’d given her head a little shake, careful not to disturb the hairstylist. “Of course not,” she’d repeated. “I think I’m just afraid of things changing, and you know I don’t do well with change,” she’d admitted. I’d searched her face, looking for anything hidden or hurt, but she just seemed… well… emotional. “I miss you,” she’d huffed and squeezed my hand. “I had to leave for weeks to help the sprites, and now you’re gone with the baby dragon.” She wiped her eyes. “The elvish government contacted me this morning with requests for more magical emitters like my prototype, and I don’t know how I could build those and continue to run the shop.”
“Elara!” I’d squealed, startling her and the hairstylist both. “That’s fantastic! That’s great news!” I’d told her, genuinely happy. I didn’t know where I fit into this future she painted, but I couldn’t have cared less at the moment. “This is huge, Hon. Those emitters can save so many lives.” The shop was great, but this would change the way Boundlands citizens were rescued in the Void.
I’d wrapped her hand in mine and squeezed. I’d realized as I stared at her, though, that I understood her fear of change. It hadn’t bothered me before, because change was a constant thing and I’d always known the things that mattered most to me wouldn’t change. I had my family, and that was all that I’d ever feared losing. But I had more than that now, and I didn’t want to lose what I had.
Jordan had a tendency to disappear on me, and that was one thing I could see myself fighting him on, because it scared me. Losing him to the shadows again was a thought I found I couldn’t tolerate. And I didn’t want to lose Huck, even though I knew it was best for him to grow up and fly free. But one thing, at least, that wouldn’t ever change was my friendship with Elara.
“No matter what happens, Elara, I’m always going to be here. No matter what.” I let my eyes shift between hers before jumping for the tissues. “Stop! No crying! You’re going to make your face all puffy!” We’d spent the rest of the day being primped and polished by lovely hair and makeup artists, and even though it wasn’t my usual thing, it was girl time that my soul had truly needed. I was already tired, but I intended to enjoy every moment of this event.
Her parents had invited everyone they’d ever known and their entire extended families to their sprawling castle estate on the edge of Golden Laurel. It was an outdoor wedding with big, beautiful flower arrangements and gauzy fabric dripping down the stone walls of their home and outbuildings. There were fountains and musicians and fifteen-foot pikes topped with streamers and garlands. Torches and double full moons provided dreamy, cozy lighting for the ceremony. I was in the company of more important people in one place than I could count on a dozen hands. Government officials, high-society socialites, famous musicians, deeply respected scientists and healers… Everywhere I looked, there was someone new to schmooze. I was having a blast. At least until the ceremony started.
Grim, as Best Man, escorted me down the aisle like a complete gentleman, and stood opposite me as Elara and Levi said their vows for the second time. Only, this time, I couldn’t understand a word of what was being said because it was all spoken in Old Elvish. Grim obviously understood it from the way he was paying attention to every back and forth, and Elara had mentioned that he’d helped tutor Levi on what words to say and when. There had been a lot more rituals this time too, a handfasting and several other old elvish customs I hadn’t paid much attention to. It was all way more buttoned up and stuffy than any shifter wedding I’d ever attended, which was mostly a bunch of drunken shenanigans. I’d wager you were more likely to wake up with your pants on your head or a bad tattoo from one of those than any of these staid elvish affairs.
As much as I’d tried to pay attention to what was going on, I was in the perfect position to watch the crowd, and I had a bead on a sneaky-ass vampire who had slipped in the back just as the ceremony began. Elara felt guilty about Jordan not being able to attend their elopement with us the first time, hence the night-wedding request this time. Jordan was wearing a perfectly tailored black tux, with his hair—as usual—styled just so, anddamnbut if he didn’t look good like that. I couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over because I’d already decided I was going to hunt Jordan for sport tonight.
Levi’s voice carried such a strong enchantment that he managed to pull me back to the present as he returned his vows to Elara. His voice was strong and clear, and even if he stumbled over a few words, and I couldn’t parse their meaning, I could hear the triumph in his voice and see it written on his face. This was a man hopelessly in love, and I couldn’t help the burning feeling that creeped up behind my eyes as I watched my best friend smile at him with tears pouring down her face just like she did the first time they were married. Even Grim wore a soft expression as he gazed at our two friends.
Their kiss was gentle and short. Too short, if Levi’s blazing eyes telegraphed his desires correctly, but they had the rest of their lives to muss each other up properly. Elara was too shy to make out with her husband in front of a crowd of beaming well-wishers. By the time the officiant announced the bride and groom, and Grim and I followed them down the aisle, I was ready to be out of the spotlight myself. I slid my gaze to the arrogant vampire in the back row on my way out. He owed me a dance.
Chapter 27
GrimandIwereseated since we weren’t part of the receiving line. It was kind of a bummer because I was incredibly nosy and wanted to know more about some of these guests who were making their way through the line. For instance, there was an elvish girl a little younger than us who looked like the spitting image of Elara’s father, Lord Varsalos, but she was married to a guy who looked nearly full mer. So maybe he was related to Levi? But when they reached the front of the line, Varsalos embraced the girl in an awkward but genuine hug, and she looked like she wanted to cry.Elara’s family then,I decided. I wondered what that was about, but she seemed happy to be here, even if her husband looked a little gun shy and overwhelmed. I made a mental note to ask Elara about her, then scanned the line, looking for my handsome, fanged quarry.
“Sidney.” Grim’s voice was quiet as always, but I nearly fell out of my chair. I shot him a look that probably showed every ounce of shock I felt since I’m terrible at keeping my inside-thoughts on the inside. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten Grim wasthere, because his aura was so overwhelming that it was physically impossible. It was that I’d only heard the man speak two or three times—ever—and this was the first time he’d ever spokento me. He appeared entirely unruffled by my behavior, continuing on as if he wasn’t some kind of primeval eldritch bogeyman who was choosing the current moment to speak to me for thefirst time. “Do you mind if I ask how you’ve come to bear a dragon’s mark?” he asked softly. He deftly opened the roll of silverware in front of him with one hand, unfurling the napkin and draping it gracefully across his lap.I should probably do that.Table manners weren’t my strong suit.
“Uh—dragon’s…?”What?I looked down at my exposed skin, hurriedly checking my arms and inspecting my cleavage for claw marks. Huck had left plenty of scratches on me, but shifter-healing should have meant that they were all gone by now. “Well, he’s a feisty little brat,” I responded as I removed my own napkin, “but I would have figured they’d have healed up by now. You must have exceptional eyesight,” I concluded.
In an effort to pretend like Ialsohad manners, I dropped the napkin over my lap just in time for a dwarvish waiter to place an artfully plated appetizer carefully in front of each of us, and then glanced at Grim to find he looked as confused by my answer as I did by his question. He returned my frown. I noticed he had none of the slices of fish on his plate that I had on mine. His only contained vegetables.
My youngest brother gave a little wave to catch my attention as he filed past the raised dais where we were seated in front of the rest of the tables. He’d brought a smaller crow-shifter with a beautiful, dark complexion and a voice I recognized from Josh’s late-night calling-chip conversations. He’d found me to introduce his date, Ahmed, before the ceremony, and they both blushed every time they made eye contact with each other. You couldn’t wipe this smug grin off my face if you tried. I wanted to smash them together like little dolls and say, “Now kiss!” but I would restrain myself. I wondered if Ahmed danced.I bet I could get him to dance with me.That would be a perfect time to interrogate him about his intentions regarding my brother.
The crowd continued to filter into the sunken garden area in the back, where all the dinner tables were set up. Servers drifted between the tables delivering appetizers and wine, and I spotted my oldest brother, Sam, in line for the open bar. I searched the crowd as it grew and found Aaron nearby, mingling with Levi’s dad, who seemed like he’d probably fit in better with one of my people’s pants-on-head shindigs anyway. Joshua stayed toward the fringes with his date, and my parents were awkwardly trying to make conversation with Ahmed.Good.Jordan was nowhere to be seen, though. I drummed my fingers on the table.
Levi and Elara finally had their grand entrance and joined us, and the feast began, but I still hadn’t spotted my prey. “Grim,” I hissed under my breath. We were friends now, since he had spoken to me. Right? “Where’s your roommate?” What if Jordan had left already? I wanted to dance! I flicked a glance at my newly friended collector of souls to find him quickly scanning the seated crowd.
“There.” He pointed to an area off to the side that I couldn’t see from my seat. I had to lean a little closer to him to catch a glimpse of Jordan, but found him seated with my old friends Hyrak, Solandis, and Alistair, drinking a glass of what looked like very dark wine.Jordan can’t drink wine.Had the caterers sourced blood for him? I glanced at Grim’s vegan meal again and turned to eye the large clan of dryads in the crowd who had supposedly lived on Elara’s family’s estate for centuries, maybe millennia. Even the giant tree people had some sort of greenish brew to sip on. Elara had certainly worked to make sure everyone had individual attention… butblood? Seating Jordan with Hyrak had been an interesting choice, considering they’d never met, but knowing how he felt about old acquaintances, it was a good one. Probably better than some stuffy Head-of-State.
I practically inhaled my food, which was a shame, because I barely tasted it, and the roasted elk and sea grapes paired with the expensive elvish confections were delicious. The servers kept our wine glasses topped off, so I wasn’t entirely sure how many glasses I’d had, but I was already starting to feel it.Finally, the cake was cut, and the tea was served, and Levi led Elara out to the center of the beautifully landscaped stone walkways to dance in the moonlight. It was all I could do to not melt into a puddle of goo at how romantic it looked and how beautiful they were together. I realized I had my hands clutched together under my cheek like a loon, but they were so lovely!
I noticed as they danced that little sparks, the fire fairies, were darting around their feet, always coming between them and the crowd any time they got close to an onlooker. I squinted, trying to get a better look, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “What are they doing?” I whispered to Grim. He didn’t respond, staring at me in the darkness with a puzzled expression. “The fairies,” I clarified.
He turned back to the spectacle, a minute frown marring his expression as he watched. “I believe they’re guarding her,” came his quiet response.
“She already has guards,” I puzzled out loud. Her father had hired a private security company of elves from Chicago to staff the wedding tonight. Elara had mentioned that some fae had taken up residence in her potted plants and some cabinets after she delivered the leviathan to the sprites and that she’d found a few flitting around whenever she traveled in the Boundlands, but it was hard to tell how she felt about it. Fairies could be rather vicious, but they were also incredibly loyal. Not a people you’d want to anger, for sure.
Fairies have some serious PR in the Void. I’ve never understood how they managed to convince humans that they look like darling towheaded children with sparkly wings. Andwho decidedthat teaching children to bargain with fairies using body parts was a good idea? Teeth and bones are old magic. Humans are the epitome of naïve ignorance and their only saving grace is that they’ll never get a chance to meet a real fairy, since neither of them can cross a portal and live. So having them pottering around after my friend everywhere made me a little uneasy. I’d have to ask Jordan what he thought.
