“You didn’t!” I slap his arm.
“Of course, not,” he assures me, rubbing his arm. “But if I did, that probably would be my answer.”
“Okay, stop playing around,” I groan. “Let’s celebrate!”
Julian smiles. “First, there’s something you should see.”
“What?”
“Look,” he nods toward the back of the room. “Table 12.”
Elena, Sofia, and Nathaniel—three ancient vampires in formal wear—are being escorted toward the back of the room.
“Table 12,” the wedding coordinator says brightly. “Right this way.”
Table 12.
I watch them realize it at the same time I do.
Table 12 is tucked in the corner near the kitchen doors. Its chairs are smaller than the others.
And its current occupants are six children under the age of ten.
“You didn’t,” I whisper.
Elena takes a deep breath as she realizes she’s sitting at the kids’ table. Sofia looks like she’s considering murder. Nathaniel is already sitting down and introducing himself to a seven-year-old with pigtails.
Julian presses his lips together. “Tsk. Uh, yeah, I may have mentioned to the coordinator that they were late RSVPs and should be seated accordingly.”
“Julian Blackthorne. You put three ancient vampires at the kids’ table.”
“Technically, Tammy did—and to be honest, she scares me, so I’m not saying anything.”
“You just defeated a vampire that was hundreds of years old, and you’re afraid of Tammy?”
“Have you not met her? I don’t want to be on the wrong side of her.”
“Me either.”
“On the bright side, I put three allies who saved our lives at a table where they could supervise the room’s most chaotic occupants.” His mouth twitches. “We could just call this tactical positioning.”
“It’s hilarious is what it is.”
We watch as a small boy with chocolate on his face asks Elena why she talks funny. Elena’s response is inaudible, but the boy looks serious and offers her his juice box.
“I may have underestimated how they’d react,” Julian admits.
“Never underestimate women with centuries of experience. They’ve dealt with worse than sticky children.”
A shriek of laughter comes from Table 12. Nathaniel has produced a balloon from somewhere and is twisting it into what appears to be a poodle. The children are delighted. Sofia is staring at him like she’s never seen him before.
“Did you know he could do that?” I ask.
“I did not.”
“Two hundred years of friendship, and you didn’t know he could make balloon animals?”
“Some secrets take time to reveal.”
