She reached into her magic with more speed than I thought possible for her first real try and used her hands to set the crown on my brow. Our images stared back from the mirror. I choked. I wouldn’t laugh.
“You hate it!” she whined.
“No. No. Evie. I love it.” I touched the dull, gold, misshapen circle that looked like a cub’s first art project. Lopsided, it almost fell off my head.
Evie reached for it. “No. No. You don’t have to wear it. It’s terrible.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter anymore. With its tangled-together spikes sticking out in the wrong direction and the surprisingly realistic, detailed dragon curled up across the crown, it was hideous. “It is terrible, but I wouldn’t wear anything else. Thank you, Evie.”
I kissed my mate long enough that she forgot her objections. I finally had to pull away. “You convinced me we needed to be downstairs. I’m still ready to go back to bed.”
“Everyone has to see my crown and dress before I can’t face them at all!” Evie towed me out the door and we were out in the main hall in record time. The deafening cheer that sounded as we entered told me every single person in Harrowood was here. Our brood descended on us to bring us up to the head table where two large chairs commanded the space. Fallon, Maggie, Noth, and Declan sat closest to us, on either side.
“If I know Fallon, all this is hers.” Evie gestured to the giant spread of food. “I hope you were all eating without us.”
“Nice crown!” Maggie said, pushing it back up onto my head. Evie stood up in a rush. I gently removed Maggie’s hand and sent a pulse of love through the mate bond.
“Thank you!” I responded, even though I’m sure her sister meant it sarcastically.
“Toast!” Declan called in a cheery voice, raising his glass.
Evie looked at me, and I gestured for her to proceed. She twitched a smile. Tears glinted in her eyes as I let her address the crowd.
“I’m not very good at this,” Evie started and I squeezed her hand. “But thank you for helping us on our quest. I hope I never have to repeat it. Dig in!”
The music began and everyone sat down to share the roasts and pies and dizzying number of dishes before us. Wine flowed freely and the hum of voices drowned out everything but Evie’s thigh beneath my hand. It was too good to last, of course.
A collective gasp around the room followed a splash. Maggie stood across the table from a man, wiping wine off his face.
“Try it again, fish face, and I’ll have the dragon gut you,” Maggie yelled.
Evie froze next to me, anxiety tightening the bond uncomfortably.
That seemed to be the signal that dinner was over and the musicians lured most of the guests to the dance floor as Maggie lunged across the table. Noth was quicker than the human and scooped her up mid air.
“Let me go,” she said to Noth. “I know exactly where to shove this crystal for what you did.” She held up her ring on her middle finger.
The human fell back as Evie inserted herself between them and then I was breaking up the sister slap fight so she didn’t get hurt. Noth dragged Maggie away. The man was handsome for a human, black hair falling into his gray eyes. He immediately put my hackles up and my bear came into my eyes. I recognized that face. Noth showed it to us often enough in our collective nightmare.
“Evie! Thanks for curbing that bitch.” His jovial tone was at odds with his words and spoke of familiarity. Too much familiarity for my bear’s liking.
“Fish face,” Evie said. “What in the seven hells are you doing here?”
I did my best not to laugh, but my bear did chuckle in my mind, soothed a fraction that Evie looked like she had sucked a basket of lemons.
“What did you call me?” the man said.
“Oh, nothing, Abner.” Evie turned her body more firmly into mine and I roped an arm around her waist. She touched our mate bond tentatively.
I never thought I would ever have the courage to call him the name I graced him with after our breakup. You must be rubbing off on me.
Every part of me swelled with the urge to tear the man apart. I didn’t forget the way Evie was so starved for praise. A simple ‘Thank You’ brought her to tears. Or how he haunted her in our fight with Noth. I was determined not to bear out and destroy any chance I had of biting Evie.
Still, he eyed my mate for too long and my bear slammed against my mind.
“I didn’t think you liked parties,” he said.
Evie crossed her arms. “Where else would I be, Abner? This is for me.”
