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‘In two months,’ Jess continued.
‘In two months?’ The words exploded out of me. ‘Are you kidding me? That’s not enough time to plan a fricking wedding!’ Everybody needs a year, at least! I suddenly worried that she was using the wedding as a distraction. Maybe she didn’t really want to marry Emory but she was using it to save them both. It wasn’t the worst reason for a marriage, but it wasn’t the best one either.
‘When you’re rich, you can do a lot in two months. Hell, we could probably do a lot in two weeks if we really needed to. We’re using the wedding to keep the Court busy and occupied – Elizabeth is positively salivating over the guest list. I just need them to focus on that, then I can find a missing jewel for Emory and sort out this whole gargoyle situation.’
‘“Situation” isn’t really the word for it. Emory turned the gargoyles human again and then he bound them to himself. He has an adoring army at his command – a forbidden adoring army.’
‘It makes it sound bad when you say it like that,’ Jess muttered. ‘Anyway, they’re not human; they’re something else. They have wings now. And besides, he saved their lives. If he hadn’t made the gargoyles into true brethren, they would all have died.’
‘I know that – you’re preaching to the choir – but Greg told me that making true brethren has been outlawed for a good couple of centuries. Dragons have very long memories.’
‘You’d think immortality would make them forgetful but they always remember the crap that you wish they’d let slide,’ she complained.
I wasn’t letting her derail me. There were important things to be discussed; if she was getting married, that meant we were going to get our party on. Man, I really needed something to look forward to. ‘So, when do we get a hen-do, then?’ I asked, blatantly changing the subject.
What do we do at a hen-do? Esme asked. Do we get to hunt and eat hens? That is a tradition I could uphold, she added enthusiastically.
I rubbed my forehead and muttered, ‘No, you don’t eat the hens.’
But we get to hunt them? she persisted.
No! No hunting!
What is the point of the hens then?
There are no hens. It is just a group of women gathering together to celebrate one of the women mating.
I do not know why you would promise me hen hunting and then take it away from me like that. Esme’s voice was sulky.
I didn’t— You know what? Never mind.
Jess gave a little sigh. ‘I don’t know when exactly, but I promise it’s on the cards. It’ll be great. You and I will have a blast—’
‘It’s not just going to be you and me,’ I scoffed. ‘I’ll organise it! It’ll be amazing.’
‘You have other stuff on your plate—’
‘Don’t you dare take this away from me!’ I snapped. ‘I’ve been dreaming of this moment since we were six years old. I’m sure Amber will be up for it. Who else?’
There was a beat of silence while Jess thought. ‘Hes.’
‘Hes?’ I was surprised. ‘Did you guys make up?’
Jess’s assistant Hester had played God by deleting a message that was meant for her vampyr boyfriend, Nate. The message had been a plea for help from Jess; Nate had not been happy when he’d found out what she’d done and he’d dumped her on the spot. For obvious reasons, Jess hadn’t been thrilled with Hes either.
‘It’d be hard not to after she got kidnapped and held hostage by the great fire chicken.’
‘I dare you to call the phoenix that to her face,’ I sniggered. By all accounts, the phoenix was hellish scary and just a smidge insane.
‘Erm … no.’
‘Okay, so Hes. Who else?’
‘Elvira and Summer?’ Jess suggested weakly. ‘Oh, and maybe Emory’s mum, Audrey?’
‘Now we’re cooking.’ I jotted down the names and started daydreaming about the spreadsheet I could make later. Queen or not, I had not lost my addiction to spreadsheets. You could take the girl out of accountancy but you couldn’t take accountancy out of the girl…
‘This will be great. Leave it all to me. It’s exactly what I need, something to look forward to. I’d best go and get stuck in. And Jess?’
