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“Pretty sure,” Joy said. “I would have preferred more time, but the two of you did save the day, and I’d already thought up a few things to say in case something like this happened.”
“I appreciate your help,” Noctus said. “Despite the possible tenseness in the situation.”
Joy swatted her hand at him. “Don’t worry—we’re eventually going to be family. Oh, and I’ve still got one trick up my sleeve to help your image. One that will knock the socks off any smear campaign supernaturals could ever come up with—speaking of which, might I add, the bonus to all of this being so sudden is that they also won’t have any time to come up with any negative press about you.”
I frowned as I puzzled through her explanation. “There’s really a story that would go over even better than a rescue-save-the-day story?”
“Oh yeah.” Joy smirked. “Humans like a good rescue story, but this? They’ll go crazy for it.”
Puzzled—because I had no idea what she could possibly be thinking—I glanced up at Noctus—who appeared equally confused.
“What’s the idea?” he asked.
“Two words,” Joy said. “Royal wedding!”
Epilogue- Chloe
Chloe
Our wedding was held in January—which was a lot sooner than I thought we’d be able to pull off, but apparently when Joy is given a nearly unlimited budget and an entire city of elves willing to help her, she can do miracles.
The day of the ceremony I was sick with anxiety. Yes, I was thrilled that I was about to marry the love of my life, but my life was about to forever change in a huge way. There was no way I—ever anxious cat that I am—was going to experience that without some mild hyperventilating.
I was still questioning my sanity when my wedding actually started.
We were holding it outdoors, on the very edge of a terrace in the top level of Calor Villa. The terrace overlooked the lake and would make Noctus and me visible to the residents of Calor, who crowded the streets far below so they could watch their king marry.
(In reality, I was pretty sure Joy had chosen the spot because of the excellent framing opportunity. She could get Noctus, me, the lake,andthe crowded streets in one shot. Our wedding was being livestreamed on the internet thanks to Calor’s impossibly perfect wifi, but there was also a slew of human TV reporters—some of them were even international and had translators present.)
I was brought to the terrace in a sleigh, pulled by eight white reindeer as snow fell from the sky, making everything quiet while covering the ground in a sparkling dusting.
Ker, Aristide, Charon, Joy, and Pat were waiting for me—all of them wearing polished armor and chainmail and armed with swords—except for Charon and Pat who had both opted for handguns.
Their appearance followed the elven tradition of a blood-shield—something Noctus and I had opted for instead of a traditional wedding party. Blood-shields were essentially our closest friends who would be willing to shed blood to protect us in an attack during the wedding. (Noctus told me it was from an ancient custom when elves commonly tried to attack one another during wedding ceremonies, so you wanted only your closest allies with you to limit the chance of a betrayal.)
“You okay, Chloe?” Pat asked as he helped me disembark from the sleigh.
“I think so.” I grabbed fistfuls of my dress—an elven made, white gown that had long, off the shoulder sleeves and a full skirt that was covered in gorgeous white netting embroidered with flourishes and a few hidden cats—until I realized I was going to crush it in my fists and wrinkle it, so I made myself let it go. “I’m just nervous.”
“It is a most joyous day,” Charon acknowledged.
Joy circled around behind me to fuss with the train of my gown. “Ignore the reporters and the cameras. Today is all about you and Noctus, and you look gorgeous.”
Ker pressed her forehead against mine in a brief sign of werewolf affection. “Like a true queen.”
Aristide offered me his arm—he’d been chosen to walk with me—while the others settled into place around us so I was surrounded on all sides by our friends in a bubble of reassurance. “Don’t sweat it, Ama,” he told me, smiling impishly. “Just look at your bond partner, and all your anxiety will melt away.”
He probably meant it as a joke, but I looked across the terrace, hoping for a moment of reassurance.
Noctus stood at the edge of the terrace—dressed in a black chestplate and gauntlets, with a jet-black crown settled on his head and his elven splendor on full display.
Even from this distance I could tell the spiral pupils of his eyes were swirling, and when our eyes met his gaze heated. He slightly tilted his head back, wordlessly beckoning me toward him.
Instantly my shoulders settled, and I was able to push my anxiety to the back of my mind.
It’s okay. I have Noctus. I don’t need to worry.
Shiloh, standing just a few feet in front of the blood-shield formation, looked back at me with a teasing smile. “Are you ready, Your Majesty?”
