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Twenty-One
The wedding happened before I knew it. Literally, I woke up in Michael’s bed, which for some reason now had oranges in it, and then began the process of bathing and dressing to get ready for my wedding.
Anna and Katrina were apparently my personal hair, makeup, and dressing crew.
“Drink this,” Anna said, holding a goblet to my mouth while Katrina curled my hair with cutting-edge equipment. She apparently had a princess streak.
“I know that I was going to get married, but shouldn’t we plan it for a few weeks while I take care of the library? It’s not in the best shape and I need to get to work.”
“Exactly,” Katrina said with a sharp smile. She was such a cute little vampire when she wasn’t trying to kill me. “Everyone knows that you’re a workaholic who spends fifteen to twenty hours a day at the library. When would you find time to plan a wedding? Besides, the Scholar knows what you want.”
I gave her a skeptical look. “I don’t know what I want. How could he?”
Anna sighed and started on my makeup. “Then what does it matter? It’s kind of romantic to have a whirlwind wedding, kind of like eloping, only with everyone you know.”
“Everyone I know?”
“Sure. Even your lawyer will be here.”
“That reminds me. I need to talk to him about my taxes. I don’t suppose you know where he is?”
“You want to talk about your taxes on your wedding day? Did you get a concussion while you were in the infernal realm?” Katrina asked.
Anna elbowed her. “That wasn’t nice. You have to be nice to brides. That’s the rule. Gabby said so.”
“Who’s Gabby?”
I tuned them out. Was this really what I wanted, to marry the Scholar, or had my impulsive declaration been fueled by infernal fumes? I really needed to see Cross, because I hadn’t seen Jessica alive or dead after I got back, not to mention the demon I’d brought with me, and I had to be certain that the cultists were properly executed. And my sword. I needed to make sure it was properly cared for until it was with its proper owners, and maybe I could figure out a way to steal it from them later, but the biggest thing on my mind was definitely the library. Jessica had been breaking down its protective spells for who knew how long, and I still needed to find those bodies in the stacks that she’d bled to make those portal runes.
“Stop twitching,” Anna complained, applying mascara to my eyes.
“It’s fine. No one cares whether or not I’m wearing makeup or oranges. Let’s just get on with it.”
Katrina giggled. “She’s so eager for the wedding night.”
I was suddenly stiff with terror. I grabbed Anna’s arm. “What if he eats me?”
She blinked at me while her lips twitched. “Then you chop off his head.”
“What if he drinks all my blood?”
“Then you poison him.”
“What if he is disappointed with me and wants to leave?”
She gave me a careful hug so she wouldn’t mess up anything. “Aw, you’re so cute. Men are easy.”
“How would you know? You never date.”
She finished putting a layer of fine powder on me. “I have a daughter, don’t I? Whether I can remember her father or not, I know some things, and one thing I know is that if the Scholar wants to marry you, he’s done his research and will make certain that everything goes smoothly.”
I scowled at her. “How much research do you think he’s done, and with who?”
Katrina giggled. “You’re jealous. I’ve never known him to be interested in anyone besides you, so if he did know anyone, they’re probably long dead.”
“How am I supposed to compete with dead people?”
“He’s never married anyone else. Don’t dwell on the past,” Anna said airily. That was easy for her to say, considering that she couldn’t remember fifteen minutes ago. “All right. We’re ready to go. Katrina, go tell the fiancé that she’s ready when he is. Also, send in the lawyer to make sure she has all the documents she’ll need.”
