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“All right. We need to clear him out,” she said.
I turned to see Mills on the ground, a shocked expression frozen on his face. He didn’t move, and his chest was still. He was dead. I glanced at my grandmother and she held my gaze, calm, yet with an expression that saidDon’t question me.
“Should we call Millie?” Hank asked. He, too, spoke in a calm and collected manner.
Tarvish shook his head. “I suggest we take care of this ourselves.”
“But where do we put him?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. Mills had murdered Daya, and he had been after me, but I felt conflicted. While I had destroyed some spirits, and we had killed a few monsters, Mills was witchblood.
“Wedon’t.Youleave this to me. I’ll call Marquette and she’ll send someone down from the Court Magika to take over.” Rowan paused, then said, “Remember, the coven works for the Order of the Moon. And the Order of the Moon is governed by the Court Magika. They gave us our orders. When you joined the Crystal Cauldron, you agreed to honor every order we got. Remember, we’re the first line in magically defending Moonshadow Bay.”
She was right. I had to adjust my mindset. Mills was a threat to everyone in the town, and he was here to destroy everything he could.
“All right, we wait around, then?” Just then, the spirits came out from the basement. “We have company,” I started to say but stopped. At that moment, Mills appeared behind them, his spirit wrapped in chains. The leader of the three Haunts was holding a leash to the collar around Mills’s neck. The spirit grinned at me, gruesome delight on his face. Mills tried to call out for help, but the spirits dragged him away, disappearing out of the door.
As Tarvish and Hank headed downstairs to check out what Mills had been up to, I walked over to the window and stared out into the night. The darkness of the forest battled with the lightness of the snow, and I shivered, staring at the woodland, wondering how many bodies were hidden beneath the forest floor.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
One week later on Winter Solstice…
“Please fit…please fit…” I whispered as Ari and Meagan helped me into my wedding dress. I sucked in my stomach as they zipped it up, then I bent over to adjust my boobs so they were pushed up and on display. Ari and Meagan adjusted the skirt. It was perfect—absolutely perfect.
“Before we put on your capelet, sit down and I’ll do your hair,” Ari said.
After she took out the curlers, she caught the top layer and back up into a medieval look with ringlets hanging down the sides of my face, and thin braids crisscrossing the back of my head, entwined with ribbons. After my hair was in place, Meagan carefully fitted the wreath of red roses, baby’s breath, and ferns over the top of my head and pinned it into place.
Ari did my makeup for me, keeping it true to my tastes—a smoky eye, with retro glamour girl eyeliner, and a rich, burgundy lip lacquer that wouldn’t come off. Finally, Meagan handed me my gloves—black opera fingerless gloves that came up to my forearms, complimenting the black velvet dress.
Meagan fastened Ellen’s emerald necklace around my neck. I still didn’t know what exact magic it had, but I could feel the gentle hum of a protective barrier.
Finally, I slid into my shoes—non-slip granny boots that were highly polished black patent leather. Ari laced them up for me. Then—and only then—did they slide the black velvet capelet around my shoulders and fasten it with the silver brooch my grandmother had given me.
I took a deep breath and stood, looking in the mirror. I gasped.
“I’m…beautiful…” I whispered, barely able to believe that the regal woman in the mirror was me. I looked like a true witch queen, and I’d never felt so confident in my life.
I looked up at Ari and Meagan, both of whom were beaming. Ari was my matron of honor, and Meagan, along with Caitlin and Killian’s sister, Tally, were my bridesmaids. Caitlin was finishing her own makeup, and Tally was fixing her hair. I’d chosen the color burgundy for their gowns, which I made sure brought out their beauty. In other words, no ugly taffeta puffy-sleeved gowns for my wedding party. Their dresses were strapless, fitted to their curves, and tea length. They were wearing velvet black lace shawls and fashionable ankle boots.
“Are you ready?” Ari asked. “You look absolutely stunning.”
I nodded, trying not to cry. I had never expected to get married again when Ellison dumped me, let alone to a man who treated me like a goddess. I had gone from a nightmare to a dream and suddenly, I was terrified I’d wake up. I held out my hand. I was shaking.
“I can’t believe I’m so nervous. I wasn’t nervous yesterday! But I’m so anxious. What if he changes his mind? What if he isn’t there when I walk down the aisle?”
“Oh, honey,” Tally said, taking my hand and leading me to a chair. “Killian adores you. He only has eyes for you.” She gave me a cautious hug, trying not to mess up my outfit.
“I know! I know I sound crazy, but…for some reason I’m terrified.” I took the water Ari offered me and sipped it, trying to assess what was going on. Was I getting a migraine? I searched, but none of the regular signs were apparent. Maybe all the stress of the past months had caught up to me. I closed my eyes and focused on controlling my breath and, after a few minutes, the panic subsided, although the butterflies were playing fast and loose in my stomach.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I said after a moment. “What’s the time?”
“We should get ready to go. The snow’s holding off so the gazebo is still a go, even though we moved the reception into the hall.” Meagan motioned to the door. We were in one of the bedrooms in the Clydesdale Mansion.
I stood, letting out a long breath. “I’m ready. Let’s go get me married!”
* * *
Mulberry Farm,the venue we’d chosen for the wedding, was gorgeous in the snow. We had booked Clydesdale Mansion for the reception, and the wedding if the weather was horrible. But since the snow was only coming down in light flakes, the gazebo was perfect for the ceremony. Awnings had been erected to cover the chairs for the guests, and the walkway had been sanded to keep us from slipping.
