He nodded, then kissed me as if to reassure himself I was really there. Heat simmered where I touched him. Everyone around us faded away and my feet barely seemed to touch the ground. He pulled me closer to him, a possessive move that matched the look in his eye. As if anyone might dare say I wasn’t his.
“Are you packed for our flight?” Later tonight we’d jump on a plane and fly into the sunset.
“Yes,” he said.
Knights of the Light were no schlubs. Of course, he was completely prepared and ready to go.
“Are you?” he asked.
“Um...only in the sense that I narrowed it down to the ten books I want to pack and didn’t leave room for any clothes.” It was true, my suitcase was stuffed to the gills with books. I planned on repacking this morning, but I’d lost track of time and forgot.
“From what I understand of honeymoons, the clothing is optional,” Calan said with a grin that made my heart flutter.
A scream broke our moment, shattering it like glass. There were more shouts, and above all the din came the wail of a baby.
“Tristan,” I said, pushing my way past our guests which had bottlenecked in the tent. Stepping outside with Calan at my side, I saw Krystan and Travis staring in abject fear.
“Oh gods,” Calan breathed next to me.
My heart stopped and an ice bath washed over me.
Othanos was standing there, holding baby Tristan in his arms.
15
“Put the baby down. Or we will take him from you,” I said with more confidence than I felt. Leonidas came up beside me as well as Jo and Astrid. Next to Calan, our parents stepped forward. Othanos was outnumbered.
Those blood red eyes tracked the numbers of our group. He picked the wrong fucking wedding to crash.
“Do you really think you can stop me in time?” His fingers rested over Tristan’s head. The baby stopped crying almost instantly. Visions of Othanos twisting Tristan’s neck or smashing his face went through my mind as my gut did cartwheels and threatened to bring up the wedding cake. He was right. We could take him, but I’d lose my godson.
Travis slowly reached out and grabbed Krystan’s arm. The fear on Travis’ face made my blood run cold a second time. He knew Krystan. She looked as though she were trying to set Othanos on fire with her eyes. If she decided to react to the situation impulsively, it could all be over before it started.
I couldn’t let that happen.
“Fine,” I said, holding my arms out. “You want me? You can have me.”
“Emma,” Calan said, fear and warning mixed in my name.
“Trust me,” I said to him under my breath.
“Come to me,” Othanos beckoned, drawing out the words in a creepy way that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Part of me was glad he was here. Waiting for the shoe to drop all day every day long had worn me thin, and now we could finish things. As long as Tristan was out of harm’s way, we could deal with Othanos.
“Give him the baby,” I said, nodding to Travis. Travis took the opportunity to put himself in front of Krystan, his arms outstretched.
Othanos smiled, revealing sharp teeth. “I will hand the baby over when you come to me.” He stretched out a mottled gray hand.
You could have heard a pin drop. I took a step forward. Calan’s hand closed around my wrist stopping me. When I met his gaze, I saw his uneasiness. I may have been wearing a wedding dress, without any kind of weapon on me, but I stood a better chance than my godson and Calan knew that. He released me. His face contorted with the restraint it took him to hold back. He remembered his promise, and that meant everything.
A strange déjà vu came over me as I approached Othanos. It was as if I were walking down the aisle to get married again. Travis slowly neared Othanos at the same time, arms outstretched. Othanos began to the angle the baby toward Travis while holding out his other hand to me.
My fingers slipped into his cool, dry palm. Travis grabbed Tristan from Othanos and backed up quickly.
Othanos’s grip tightened around me, his eyes widening. My surroundings shifted to the dark dystopia I'd seen on the street that last time we met. The people I loved laid on the ground, slain. The sky was dark and blood thirsty creatures slunk by us. Everything was either ash or blood. The world flickered back to normal.
Othanos thought he was going to sacrifice me? We’d see about that.
I tightened my own grip on his hand. My power snapped to the forefront as I reached out to grab his essence. Othanos stiffened, his eyes glazing over as if he were a deer caught in headlights. Pulling on the dark spirit inside of him, I began to pull. Othanos’s mouth dropped slightly as if in awe of my power.
