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I grimaced. “I took a bath before remembering I have no magic to dry my hair.”
Carmen reaches out, smoothing a hand down my head, muttering under her breath. I hear a slight sizzle and touch my hair. It is completely dry. She continues until she has reached the very end. “There you are. Beth?”
Beth comes forward, a bin in her hand filled with smaller boxes. “This will be the longest part,” she says. “We must get started now.”
I sit down on a velvet stool, facing away from the mirror they had brought in. She takes command, telling Carmen and Helena what to do. Soon, the room fills with chatter, warming my heart. Their playful teasing about my wedding night makes me laugh, rather than angering me. I smile to myself, glad I have these women to help me, talk to me. Getting ready on my own would be a lot less entertaining.
Finally, my hair is finished. Carmen and Beth help me off the stool. I move slowly so as not to mess up their work. Helena holds out my dress, and I pull it up. Someone does the buttons, then all three stand back, staring at me. Carmen has tears in her eyes while Helena clasps her hands under her chin and Beth wears a gentle smile.
Taking a deep breath, I turn around to face the mirror. I gasp and my eyes widen. My hair is woven with lavender and jewels, all the way to the ends. Tendrils framing my face are curled, reaching to the floor. Beth had applied powders to my face, and my lips are apple red, while a subtle gold frames my eyes.
“I look amazing,” I say in awe, touching the silver crown pinned to my hair.
“Raúl is going to have a hard time not ripping that dress right off you,” says Beth. I gape at her, expecting to hear that from Helena, not her, with her quiet personality.
Helena bursts into laughter while Carmen shakes her head with a smile. They all start putting on their own dresses. Beth is wearing a rose pink dress with a simple cut and a thin diamond bracelet. Helena wears a deep purple dress cut in the latest fashion, and Beth puts her hair into an elaborate up-do piled on top of her head. Carmen wears a dark brown dress with jewels studded around the hem.
I sit delicately on the stool, waiting for them to finish. When they do, Carmen takes a package out of her stack of supplies and hands it to me. I look up at her and she smiles encouragingly. “A wedding gift.”
I peel back the packaging to reveal a black wooden box with carvings all around it. I open it, and resting on a velvet bed is an athame. My mouth drops, and I pick it up, taking it out of the leather sheath and holding it to the light. The handle is made from a dark wood, with strange circles carved into it. The blade itself is beautiful and uncharacteristically sharp. Beth comes closer and shows me a hidden pocket they had sewn into the dress where I can place it.
“Every witch deserves her own athame. Yours is sharp, though, like the vampire edge you’ll have someday.”
I sniff, trying not to let tears fall and ruin the work they’ve done. “I love you ladies.”
They laugh, surrounding me in hugs again. A knock at the door makes us all pause, and Helena rushes to open it. Henry stands there, looking dashing in a new, dark suit. Helena eyes him appreciatively, and I see the tips of his ears turning red. “We’re ready, my queen.”
“Perfect,” says Carmen. “We will be there soon.”
With one last bow, he leaves.
“Shall we?” says Carmen. Helena hands me my purple chrysanthemum.
“We shall,” I say.
Chapter Eighty-Two
We walk through the castle, standing in the doorway by the gardens. Carmen hands me another single purple chrysanthemum and kisses me on the cheek. All three women leave me there, heading to their seats. Raúl steps forward, and the moonlight falls on him, taking my breath away. He is wearing a black vest with silver swirls decorating it, over a plain white shirt. His charcoal pants fit him perfectly, and I’m not ashamed to admit, make his backside look amazing.
I take a step outside, and a violinist in the corner starts up with a beautiful melody. One step in front of the other, I walk toward Raúl. On either side of me are rows and rows of chairs filled with vampires. They give me no pause, because although I am human, I belong here. My eyes widen when I see Dreselda and Jeremiah sitting in the front, both of them smiling as I pass them.
Wild herbs weave through the chairs while tiny lights in jars line the walkway. The ground is covered in a white cloth, fabric rose petals strewn across it. I keep my gaze trained on Raúl, my heart racing. His expression keeps me moving, one filled with love and pride. At last, I am standing in front of him, under a trellis woven with more lavender. I lift my face and stare into his eyes. His red eye is still filled with adoration, and I grin up at him.
He holds out two rings, a thin gold band for me, and a thicker one for him. “Queen Penny. For all our eternal lives, I am yours and you are mine. I promise to always care for you, protect you, provide for you. This ring is a reminder, and I will not fail.”
He slides the ring on my finger. Now it is my turn. I kept my vow short as well, in line with vampire tradition. After taking a deep breath, I begin. “Raúl, for all our eternal lives, I am yours and you are mine. I promise to always care for you, love you, and protect you. This ring is a reminder, and I will not fail.”
I put the flowers at my feet and slide the ring onto his finger. Together we say, “We are one, now and for always, together we fall, together we rise.”
My heart squeezes, and Raúl leans forward, kissing me. The vampire crowd stands up and cheers, clapping and whooping. “I love you,” I say.
Raúl puts his forehead to mine. “I love you.”
Hand in hand, we turn and meet the crowd. Immediately, my face falls and terror strikes my heart. “Raúl, the trees,” I say, frantic.
Raúl glances toward the forest and his eyes narrow. “Arm up! We have unwanted guests.”
In a flurry of sound, the vampires rise, pulling out weapons from under their chairs or dresses. They disperse, surrounding the gardens and facing the forest. The vampire witches stand behind me, and I search the field for Airalin.
