Page 130 of Serpent & Saviors

“But it’s not fair, right? Of me to ask that?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her expression shifted as she contemplated something. I instantly felt foolish. The idea of postponing the wedding for something so uncertain, so impossible to predict, was too much to consider. But it equally felt wrong. How could I stand up there, say my vows, and celebrate without the missing piece?

“Can I tell you something? In secret. Basically, Kinsley can’t know.”

I sat forward, not expecting this. I thought for sure she’d tell me she’d understand, because a huge part of me was sure Winter would. Who knew? She could be married and living her best life somewhere and never want to see us again.

“Of course,” I breathed as I waited in anticipation.

“Technically, I wasn’t supposed to know this, but Alek was struggling with a piece one night. We sometimes sit on the porch and draw together.”

“Awe, that’s sweet.” I sighed.

“Yeah, well, you can expect to find Declan joining us going forward. That son of yours is better than me.”

“Oh, stop.”

“No, I’m serious. But anyway. From one artist to another, I knew the look on his face. The damned lines on his forehead crease a certain way when he’s stuck.”

I laughed, thinking about the many times I’d seen creases just randomly appear on the man’s forehead. It was like his telltale sign.

“Anyway. I asked if I could help and he handed me his sketch.”

“What was it?” I asked, wondering how it related to my initial question.

“Brace yourself. This may be hard to hear.” She paused and gulped. With a shake of her head, she forged ahead. “They want to collar her.”

“Oh, yeah. I know all about it.”

“Excuse me? I was sworn to secrecy. How do you know about it?”

“I’ve seen it.” I giggled.

“What’s so funny?” she huffed.

“You’re not supposed to know, yet you do. You didn’t think I knew, and I did. And Andy was adamant that I not mention it to either of you. I’m sure for different reasons.”

“That man. I swear he thinks I’m…”

“Fragile,” we said in unison.

“You hesitated. You didn’t want to tell me initially. Is that because of our past?” I asked.

“Yeah. But the thing is Alek was so god damn sweet about it, nervous even. He wanted it to be perfect. So I guess you can tell me, how did the final piece come out?”

“It’s exquisite. Emeralds for the crow’s eyes, purple diamonds collecting like sand in the hourglass, and a single blood shaped…I’m not exactly sure why kind of gemstone—”

“Red beryl,” she offered, before adding. “The gemstones were my addition. He wasn’t really stuck. He’d already had the basics down. He just wanted to add some whimsy, to make it all her. Delicate, Kinsley.”

“Yeah, well, you did a fantastic job on the design.”

She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “But back to your original question. You know Kinsley has her own line in the sand. While it’s true, she doesn’t know about the collar, she has some things to work out on that front. She’s put her foot down.”

“On?” I prodded.

“Babies. Those men fantasize about breeding her like a puppy mill. You’ll soon pick up on the lingo.”

“I already have,” I laughed.