Elyse had to turn away, lest she be tempted to resume what they’d started in the study. A few moments later, she’d donned the blue dress. The wide neck spilled across her shoulders, exposing her collar bones, and the long sleeves were light and airy. A thick leather belt buckled at her waist above a pleated skirt that flowed to her shins.
“How does Sera know what I like even better than I do?” she asked as she studied her reflection in the mirror. She was twirling, letting the skirt flow around her, when she caught sight of Killian over her shoulder.
Elyse spun to face him and felt her knees nearly give out. Killian was fastening the buttons at the end of the sleeves, his biceps rippling beneath the fabric. The shirt seemed tailored perfectly for him, and the white fabric made his tan skin glow. Even the black trousers were exquisite as they clung to his muscular thighs.
He paused as she stared at him, his eyes flitting to her and then back to his task. He blinked and looked up again, his jaw going slack.
“Fucking hell,” he moaned. He started toward her, his expression dripping with desire. Elyse gave him a gratuitous twirl.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, a bit of feral hunger in his voice. “Forget what I said earlier. We’re skipping dinner.”
He slid his hands around her waist, but Elyse batted them away. “Finish getting ready,” she ordered him. “I want to show you off,” she added with a wink. Before she could change her mind, she sauntered off to the washroom to add a bit of rouge to her cheeks and lips.
Soon after, Elyse and Killian emerged from their room. Sera had also provided shoes for each of them—sensible black dress shoes for Killian, and brown boots with a short heel for Elyse. As much as she’d been dreading the fancy goodbye dinner, she was excited for it now that she was dressed and done up. Admittedly, it felt a bit strange—like they were blatantly ignoring the fact that in two days they would be fighting a murderous demon. However, the distraction was most welcome as she paraded hand-in-hand with Killian in her elegant dress. They traipsed through the house until they reached the dining room.
Servants bustled about, carrying trays of food and bouquets of flowers, but there was no meal on the table, and none of their friends were there either.
“Where is everyone?” Elyse asked. She twisted about, almost expecting someone to leap out from behind the curtains.
As if on cue, Manny came strolling out of the kitchen. He was dressed similarly to Killian in white and black, but with a brilliant suit jacket to match. “Come with me,” he said, his wide smile brimming with mischief. He ushered them out of the room and toward the east side of the house.
He paused just before the door to the gardens, and whirled to face them. He was buzzing with excitement, and Elyse couldn’t help but soak up some of his contagious energy.
“What’s going on?” she asked, half laughing, half genuinely confused.
Manny rocked on the balls of his feet. “I have something important to ask you,” he said to both of them. He examined their outfits. “You look stunning, by the way.”
Killian shook his head, even as he laughed. “Out with it, brother.” He looked at Manny like he thought his friend might have gone mad.
Manny grinned up at Killian. Elyse thought she might die of curiosity if Manny didn’t explain immediately. Right when she was about to wring him for answers, he asked, “Will you be my best man?”
Elyse’s heart stopped in her chest. She gaped at Manny, certain she hadn’t heard him right. Beside her, Killian was doing the same.
Manny threw open the doors to the courtyard. A score of chairs had been set upon the stones, all of them facing a wooden archway draped in yellow blooms—starflowers plucked from the garden. Votives lined the path to the arch, their gentle lights dancing with the breeze, and white silks punctuated with more flowers had been woven throughout the shrubbery.
With sheer happiness, Manny declared, “We’re getting married!”
36
Elyse
Elyse stood bythe archway made of silk and starflowers and smiled at the small crowd gathered in the chairs. A few feet away, Manny stood talking to Killian. A palpable delight emanated from him as he glanced between his best friend and the doors to the garden. Not one ounce of nervousness showed on his face, only pure joy.
Killian caught Elyse’s eye over Manny’s shoulder, and she felt her stomach flip. With a bashful smile, she looked away. She didn’t want to think about how excruciatingly handsome Killian looked in his dress clothes, and the fantasy that played through her mind at the sight of him at a wedding altar. She’d have to untangle those thoughts later.
Dah, Kal, and Sera were the only ones missing from the party. Camilla with the two other sisters in the front row. They shared the same black hair and narrow eyes as everyone else in Otsuk,but they were unmistakably related. Each of their heart-shaped faces held the same confidence and geniality as Sera’s, the kind instilled by loving parents like Dah and Kal. Her eldest sister, Viola, held a chubby infant with wild black hair, while the final sister, Taleea, pinched the child’s cheeks.
Behind them sat Nina and Corin, their hands entwined as they eagerly glanced around. Mrs. Southwick, who was craning her neck to try and spot Sera, was on Corin’s other side. Even Zubir and his cousins were present, though they looked equal parts confused and intrigued. The entire crowd held a sort of giddiness, one that Elyse felt deep in her own bones.
A hush fell over the garden, and all eyes turned toward the doorway. Sera stood on the threshold, her parents on either side of her. Elyse sucked in a breath at the sight of her best friend. Sera looked absolutely radiant in a cream-colored gown of silk. Her lashes had been tinted and filled, and they framed her lilac eyes perfectly. Most of her black hair was loose, hanging free around her bare shoulders, but a few strands had been pulled back and pinned in place, accented with another starflower.
The soft strum of a guitar echoed through the garden, and Elyse searched for the source. She found a servant standing in the corner, a small guitar in his arms. With a tinge of surprise, Elyse realized it was the gardener. He noticed her watching and winked before returning his attention to the melody.
Sera began her parade down the aisle, arm-in-arm with Dah and Kal, both of whom had silver-lined eyes. Unable to help herself, Elyse glanced toward Manny. He stared at his betrothed with his mouth parted and nothing but affection and loyalty onhis face. He seemed to reflect all the beauty that Sera was, as if he were a mirror to her soul.
When Sera reached the end of the aisle, she kissed Dah on the cheek, and her mother joined her sisters. Kal, however, escorted Sera right to the archway before taking his place beneath it.
Sera turned and shot Elyse a quick grin. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
