“We’re fine.”A pause, and he added, “Thanks.”
Ty shrugged.“No problem.You two did most of the heavy lifting anyway.”
And he went around to open the passenger door for Prudence.
After waving goodbye, Delia and Caleb continued down the block to the spot where her little white Kona waited for them.It felt as if she’d parked it there a hundred years ago, but it seemed just fine.
“So,” she said, as Caleb climbed into the passenger seat and she reached over to fasten her seatbelt, “want to go crash a wedding reception?”
His smile was warm and real and utterly human, despite everything he’d just been through.“Thought you’d never ask.”
ChapterSeventeen
The driveto Anthem took almost twenty-five minutes…mostly because it felt as if every single person in Las Vegas had somehow sensed the change in atmosphere and had decided to get out and party…and every mile of it gave Caleb time to take stock of the changes that had occurred in his body during his confrontation with Vinea.The silver flames were gone, and the demonic energy that had threatened to consume him completely had settled into something more manageable, but it still felt as if a cell-deep shift had taken place.The barriers between his human and demon natures had dissolved entirely, leaving him something new — neither fully human nor purely demonic, but a perfect synthesis of both.
This new normal should have been terrifying.Instead, he found it oddly liberating.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Delia observed from the driver’s seat of her Kona.She’d insisted on playing chauffeur, claiming he looked like he was about to fall over, and Caleb hadn’t bothered to argue.The adrenaline crash from their battle with Vinea was hitting him harder than he’d expected, making him glad that all he had to do for now was sit there and watch the lights of Las Vegas pass by outside the little SUV’s window.
“Just thinking,” he replied, and gave an experimental flex of his fingers.Small sparks of silver fire danced between them before disappearing, although he noted the silvery hue was beginning to fade and turn warmer, more the color of the fire he was used to summoning.That reassured him, made him think that, even if he might never return to what he’d once been, he’d still be able to figure out a way to live with this new normal.“How are you holding up?”
Delia sent him a quick glance, her expression thoughtful, before she returned her attention to the crowded streets around them.“I feel like I should be a wreck.Instead, I feel almost stronger, which I know must sound weird.”She paused, then added with a rueful smile, “And I’m starving.I guess saving the world works up quite an appetite.”
The casual way she referred to what they’d just accomplished made Caleb’s chest tighten with an emotion he couldn’t quite identify.Pride, he thought.Or maybe love.
All right, definitely love, if he was going to be honest with himself.
“Good thing we’re heading to a reception, then,” he said as he settled back in his seat.“It sounded like your cousin was planning a pretty good party.”
The Anthem Country Club sat nestled in the foothills southeast of Las Vegas, its Mediterranean-style architecture and manicured grounds a stark contrast to the desert landscape that surrounded it.As they pulled into the circular drive, Caleb caught a glimpse of a warm glow of lights from the private dining room where the wedding reception was being held.Through the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw people talking and laughing, celebrating the beginning of Olivia and Alec’s new life together.
It looked so normal.Beautifully, blessedly normal.
And damn, he was ready for some normal.
No, scratch that.A wholehellof a lot of normal.
“Are you sure we should be crashing the party like this?”he asked as they approached the entrance.“I mean, we’re not exactly dressed for a country club reception.”
Delia glanced down at her wrinkled green sheath dress, which had somehow survived their interdimensional adventure without any major stains but still looked a little worse for wear, then over at his jeans and rumpled black shirt — luckily, he’d kept them on beneath the ceremonial robes, or he would have been wandering around in his underwear — before she gave a philosophical shrug.“We look like we’ve been through hell and back.Which, I suppose, we have.Anyway,” she added with a grin, “I’m family.They have to let me in, right?”
He sure hoped so.
The reception was in full swing when they entered the dining room.Olivia and Alec were on the small dance floor that had been laid out in the middle of the space, swaying to a jazz standard that Caleb thought he recognized but couldn’t quite place.The bride’s slim white dress had its train bustled up and out of the way, and her face was radiant with happiness as she gazed up at her new husband.Around them, guests mingled with drinks in hand, sharing stories and laughter, completely unaware of how close they’d all come to disaster just a short while earlier.
“Delia!”Linda Dunne spotted them first, hurrying over and looking relieved.Caleb didn’t know what story Delia had given her mother to explain her absence, but it had clearly been enough to make Linda worry that she wouldn’t show up for the reception at all.“I’m so glad you could finally make it.How did everything go with your client?”
“It worked out fine,” Delia replied smoothly as she gave her mother a quick hug.“Sorry I had to duck out like that.But you remember Caleb, right?”
“Of course,” Linda said, then turned to him and offered him a friendly smile.“It’s wonderful that you could join us.”
His answering smile felt rusty when he slapped it on, as if his face wasn’t sure what to do with such an expression.However, Linda didn’t seem to notice anything odd as he replied, “I’m glad to be here.It’s beautiful.”
And it was.The private dining room overlooked the golf course, and the city lights of Las Vegas twinkled in the distance.With the white linens on the round tables scattered around the room, crystal stemware, and arrangements of white hydrangea and peonies everywhere, everything looked elegant and understated…and a good deal more elaborate than the simple dinner for friends and family that Delia had first mentioned to him.
Well, like a lot of other things, weddings often got kind of out of control.
“Have you eaten?”Linda asked, now looking a little concerned.“The kitchen here did an amazing job with dinner, but there’s still plenty left.”
