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“How did you manage that? I thought they searched your room.”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Life finds a way.”
“Did you really just quoteJurassic Parkto me?”
“Sure did.
I grin. “You’re going to have to tell me all your secrets.”
“Only because you’re my favorite cousin.”
Freja calls out to her mother, telling her we’re leaving. I don’t miss Odin watching us, which prompts me to usher Freja out the door as fast as I can. Knowing him, he’ll try to stop me from leaving, giving some fictional reason that everyone will eat up and I just…I can’t deal with him today.
When we’re finally in the safety of the backseat of her vehicle, Freja closes the partition, separating us from the driver, and produces a joint and lights it.
“Won’t your driver tell your mother what we’re doing?”
Freja laughs. “So what if he does? I’ll already be high.”
I’ve only smoked a few times, but know enough that I take two puffs, holding in the smoke as I hand it back to her. The urge to cough is strong but I resist. I exhale, leaving a cloud of smoke that floats over us. Soon, the back of the car is full of smoke and I’m feeling the familiar euphoric sense of calm.
Freja grins at me. “Dang, girl. I think you needed that. I can try to get some pills if you want something stronger.”
“This is good for now.”
Leaning my head against the glass, I watch the city pass by in a blur. Maybe I’ve been overthinking the Odin thing. I mean, it’s not like helikesme. Hello, he’s engaged to my mother. We’ve just gotten off on the wrong foot, that’s it. I smile to myself. Once I clear the air with him, I’ll remind him that Hans is really the one that I like. Pretty Hans with the pretty blue eyes. Definitely not Odin.
Freja says, “I have another one. Want to take a few hits before we go into the madhouse? Or I have two magic pills we can take.”
Blinking, I realize we’ve come to a stop, and she’s holding two white pills in her palm. Fuck it.
“Yeah, let’s do the pills.”
* * *
Odin
I smile at something Selma says, but all I can do is wonder where in the fuck Anna is. She should be here by now. The dress shop wasn’t that far from Elsa’s penthouse, and everyone else has already arrived. One of Selma’s sisters talks, so I use the moment to step away. Being around all of her sisters is a lot. These women were raised too freely and say whatever is on their fucking minds, whether or not it’s relevant. Most of the time, it’s the latter. Judging by the glazed look in their husbands’ eyes, it’s something one gets used to. Eventually.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I open the app that tracks Anna’s phone. Odd. It shows that she’s at this address. I’m just about to go look for her when she stumbles through the front door with her cousin on her heels. They’re high as fuck, and it pisses me off. How dare she put herself in danger like that?
Selma doesn’t seem to notice that her daughter’s eyes are red, and she smells like a fucking skunk, and says, “Anna, your dress is hanging in the last dressing room. It likely won’t fit, since they don’t carry your size, but at least we can get an idea of how it will look.”
Anna’s cousin mutters something that makes Anna giggle, gaining glares from several people. Her cheeks flush and she makes her way to her dressing room without saying a word. Selma directs the rest of her family to their dressing rooms before turning to me.
“I’m going to try on my dress. Are you sure you don’t want to see it?”
I force a smile on my lips. “No, my dear. I want to be surprised.”
I don’t give a fuck what her dress looks like. Hell, the only reason I’m here today is because she won’t stop blowing up my phone, asking to see me. My favorite brother, Heimdall, was right. She’s going to be high maintenance.
She seems pleased with my answer, disappearing into a dressing room. As soon as she’s gone, the smile fades from my face. Fucking hell.
I wait a beat before heading toward the door Anna went through. Without knocking, I walk in, finding her pulling up a hideous burgundy gown up her curvy body. Is this Selma’s sick idea of a joke? I make a mental note to tell Selma to change the dress color. She’s been demanding that I be more involved in the wedding, so that’s what’s going to happen.
Anna meets my gaze in the mirror and fucking smiles at me.
“You’ve been a naughty girl,” I say, pushing the lock on the door behind me.
