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No one seemed terribly interested in Adam or the boy, more occupied with the delectable buffet that Charlotte had whipped up with a little help from Christopher. The bartender eyed me a few times but ultimately kept to himself, turning every so often to the fae on his right to offer a napkin or a warm grin.
The feeling around the table was something I had felt a million times before.
It was love.
The ring around my neck stung my skin. I winced as I adjusted the cord, pulling it off to tuck into my pocket. It proceeded to burn even worse there, forcing me to set it in my lap and stare at it. Rose was busy talking to Sasha. She didn’t know what I was doing.
There’s more than one way to lose people.
Rose played with her hair, revealing the mark on her neck. Sasha dropped her fork while Christopher snickered. Grunt turned a shade of blue that I wasn’t sure I could properly identify, though it seemed closer to violet on the spectrum of colors.
The silence that flew around the table drew Rose’s attention.
She looked around. “What? Did I do something?”
Charlotte stood up from the ground and brushed the thighs of her jeans. She peeked around me and then snorted.
“Well, it was bound to happen sooner than later,” she commented. She lifted her mug and added, “Welcome to the club.”
Rose blinked. “What club?”
“Lottie, you’re being mean,” Sasha said sternly, though the humor in her tone wasn’t lost on me. She was trying desperately not to smile. “Be direct. You know Rose needs it.”
“What?” Rose scratched her head. “You guys are up to something again, aren’t you?”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned toward her ear, whispering, “They can see your mark.”
I didn’t need to look at her face to see the embarrassment. I couldfeelthe heat growing in her cheeks, her forehead, her chest. It was the cutest thing I’d seen all day aside from badass Charlotte wrestling with a child.
When I leaned back, Rose covered her neck with her hair, shrugging into her seat. “I didn’t think it was that obvious.”
“The stronger the bond, the bigger the mark,” Christopher commented. “And honey, that mark is the size of Texas.”
Laughter erupted around the table. Rose murmured something under the chaotic noise, then joined the laughter, her eyes closing to slits as she tilted her head back. It was good to see her happy, to see her unbound by worry. Domingo had done nothing but cause us pain.
My hand curled into a fist under the table.And I’ll make him pay one day.
When the laughter faded, Adam grabbed two empty plates and loaded them up. He handed one to his boy and then turned to me. “Were you able to figure anything out about that ancestor of yours?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think we’re going to make much headway with that today.”
“We need to rest,” Rose pointed out. “So do you guys. We’ve been non-stop with this whole thing. Don’t we have like two weddings to plan?”
Sasha groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“We could always combine them,” Charlotte offered. “I know you hate the idea, Sash, but it’s more cost-effective.”
Nina pursed her lips, her angular features sharpened by the daylight spilling into the tavern. “It would be easier to decorate. That’s for sure.”
“Honestly, that’s the best idea,” Sasha agreed. “Combining weddings would certainly reduce costs and keep everyone from having to come back in another month for another ceremony.”
“We just have to discuss colors.”
Sasha beamed. “I was thinking a lilac purple with beige—”
“Black,” Charlotte said flatly. “All black.”
Christopher crackled. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
