“The humans. What do they get?” I reiterated.
The chaos central stared at the table and gave a collective blink.
“How many humans will be coming?” Sebastian asked with a shrug. “Just give them the stones.”
“Spoken like a true imbecile who doesn’t understand the danger possessing such a blessed artefact could have,” Dayna huffed.
“What are they going to do? Skim them over the river?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Those would make terrible skimming stones,” Rebecca said.
“Back to the human problem,” I said. “How many are coming?”
Dayna frowned and turned to look at Rebecca. “One, maybe two?”
I sighed. That was good. It gave me an indication of the scale of this thing. Clearly, the favor thing was an overbuying problem.
“Closer to two,” Rebecca said.
“How can it be closer to two? Please don’t dissect humans on my wedding day.”
“That was macabre, even for you,” Dayna grumbled.
“You are the one talking about parts of people.”
“Oh, she thinks one or two,” Rebecca said.
“Clueless,” Sebastian muttered. “Utterly clueless.”
If I strangled them all, there wouldn’t need to be a wedding. Problem solved. I took a sip of my tea before my idle and useless hands got creative.
“Explain before she murders someone,” Hudson advised.
“We mean one to two hundred,” Rebecca explained, twisting another ribbon with a flick of her wrist.
I choked. Hudson patted my back with a chuckle. We weren’t fucking royalty. I didn’t even know that many people. I coughed into my hand, wheezed, and then straightened my spine. “Why?”
“It’s a bad time to be a good person,” Dayna explained. “People need something to look forward to.”
“Then they should adopt a freaking puppy, not hijack a wedding.”
“It would only be hijacking if they weren’t invited. Don’t be so dramatic.”
I lurched to my feet and fought to drag in a breath. What if I just kidnapped Hudson, eloped, and came back tomorrow with rings and vows already done?
Dayna pointed at me. “Don’t even think about it. If you elope, I will double the size of the reception to compensate.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“No, that’s a fact. The factions need this harmony, Cora. While you weren’t pushed together for political reasons, it doesn’t negate that your mating has political ramifications. So stop being a baby and go fetch me something humans would want for a favor.”
“Sugared nuts,” Sebastian said.
“It’s not a shopping list for your next conquest,” I snapped.
Sebastian’s lips twitched.
Hudson stood and placed a hand on my back, pushing me away from the dining table and my impending panic attack. “We’ll figure something out,” he shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed his car keys and encased his hand around mine. He didn’t let go until he’d bundled me into the passenger side.
