Hudson came out of the kitchen, and a smile bloomed across his face at the sight of me. There were so many lies between us that needed to be brought into the light. Clandestine groups, dates with gods, and a deal with the devil.
He tilted his head as I sensed Dave at my back. “Cora?” Hudson growled.
Oh boy. What had I done now? “Yes?”
“Why have you arrived with a naked Dave?”
“He’s naked. I’m not.”
He prowled closer, his golden gaze flicking to Dave for a heartbeat. “Not helping.”
“He got covered in poop by a birthing mother, and I refused to let him ride in my car while wearing feces.”
Hudson blinked, threw his head back, and laughed.
Rebecca pattered down the stairs. “Good, you’re home. Time for a dress fitting.” Ugh. Dave snorted as he moved past me and jogged up the stairs. Rebecca’s gaze fell to his bare ass, and she whistled low. “You could bounce a dime off those buns.”
My gaze dropped to check them out.
Hudson’s smile died. “You’ve got five seconds to stop looking.”
Dave paused on the stairs. “I’d rather not die half-dressed, thanks.”
I rubbed my temples. “This house needs more rules and fewer hormones.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The art of power is not in forcing attendance, but in crafting an invitation no one dares decline.
Why did this feel like a dummy run for the wedding? Probably because in the last two days, my aunts had mobilized with invites to key members of the community and the Order, while I’d been blessed with a vampire princess anda teenage shifter who had me outfit swapping like it was a montage from a Hallmark rom-com. Summer Grove House had been transported into the picture-perfect location elementals would expect from a Roberts gathering. The last time we did this was prior to any entanglements with the shifters beyond the occasional query from Dangerous Dave regarding a body.
We’d put Maggie in charge of guest arrival, and she was flourishing in the limelight of hosting. The sweet and genuine laugh she offered to anyone, no matter their faction, was infectious. Liz oversaw the food and snacks. Indigo sulked at the lack of cabbage rolls on the menu until I reminded her that soul sucking was a potential outcome this evening. I knew she was me, and I was her. But knowing and accepting were two completely separate things.
Harry had corralled the ghostly community into some sort of order, and tonight he’d led them on an outing to the graveyard located by the magnolia trees. Once the living were outside, he would bring the spirits inside. It was a delicate dance, but since everyone had their clothes on, I called that progress.
The Serpents of the Dawn were all too busy for a meeting, no doubt pre-warned by Dave and formulating a plan. That was fine, but they couldn’t avoid me forever. Pete the frog was still in my office since Marcia had failed to return with the items I needed. I was beginning to wonder if she’d abandoned him and whether I was going to need to deposit his froggy butt into a swamp.
Hudson hovered in the background, not pushing his luck in the bedroom, but never straying too far from my orbit should my nightmares or my murderous soul-sucking alter ego threaten to drown me.
We gathered in Rebecca’s room, which we were using as the female dressing room. I twisted before the mirror and bit my lipas I studied the way the midnight silk draped across the curve of my ass.
“Hudson is going to lose it,” Rebecca said with a sparkle in her eyes.
I nodded at her ethereal ballgown. She was the picture-perfect princess in pale pink tulle and diamonds. “And Ezra will have fun taking that off you later.”
She flicked her blonde curls over her shoulder and winked at me. “Ezra needs a lesson in me not being a sure thing.”
“Do not make a scene. This night is planned perfectly without a jealous shifter causing chaos.”
She tutted. “I do not make scenes.”
No, she attracted them.
A gentle rap sounded on the door. “Are you decent?” Sebastian called out.
“Never, but my girl bits are covered,” I answered.
He swung the door open and strolled inside. He was dressed to kill in a tux that hugged his form in all the right places. He raised a brow as he took me in, from the thigh-high slit in the dress to the stunning silver strappy heels. I was channeling my own Bond Girl look. I needed all the confidence for what lay ahead.
