"You'll come with us," one of them said. It wasn't a request.
I took one last look in the mirror. The flamingo in pink stared back at me. Hollow. Defeated.
This was it.
I grabbed my hat—the only piece of me Alanna couldn't take—and placed it on my head.
"Let's get this over with."
The guards escorted me down the corridor then through a back entrance into the throne room.
I stopped dead.
Seriously?
Pink. Every shade of pink imaginable assaulted my eyes. Blush pink balloons floated near the ceiling, trailing ribbons that swayed like dancing ghosts. Hot pink streamers spiraled down the marble columns. Sparkling stars glittered overhead, suspended by invisible threads, casting rosy light across everything.
Fountains bubbled with pink liquid—champagne? Punch? Poison? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised by any of them.
Giant roses made of silk bloomed from every corner, their petals so oversized they looked like they belonged in a fever dream. Pink candles flickered on tiered candelabras shaped like flamingos. Even the carpet beneath my feet was pink—a plush runner leading straight to the altar where Alanna waited.
It looked like a bottle of Queen's Blush had exploded and vomited all over the room.
This wasn't a wedding. It was a nightmare wrapped in cotton candy.
I forced myself to walk up on the podium where the Keeper of Vows stood. The Keeper of Vows binds magical unions. Once the vow was made, it couldn’t be broken. My legs felt like lead. Each step was a nail in my coffin.
The music began to play—a sweeping, grandiose waltz.
It might as well have been a funeral march.
The double doors swung open, and a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Ari led Alanna into the room. Her pet playing escort. How fitting.
She wore an extravagant wedding dress that seemed to swallow the light around her. Layer upon layer of pink silk and tulle cascaded to the floor like a waterfall of rose petals. Pink pearls dripped from the bodice, the sleeves, the impossibly longtrain that trailed behind her. A veil of delicate lace framed her face, dotted with tiny diamonds that sparkled with every step.
Her dark hair was piled high atop her head, woven with more pearls and pink roses. A tiara—because of course there was a tiara—glittered at her crown.
She looked like a princess from a twisted fairy tale. Beautiful and terrible all at once.
Her crimson lips curved into a triumphant smile as her cold blue eyes found mine.
This was her moment. Her victory.
And I was the prize.
Chapter Forty-One
Alice
I followed Chester up the stairs. With each step, I repeated the six impossible things over and over in my mind.
There is a place called the Elder Dimension.
A hat can force you to tell the truth.
Weapons pick you.
