“I liked my long hair too, but it’s hot in the summer, and it requires a lot more maintenance, especially if you’re working around food all day.” Teddy’s warm, steady gaze turns serious. “And it felt like a part of me I was ready to leave behind, now that I’ll be marrying my evermore mate in a few months?—”
“Yourevermoremate?”
Teddy chuckles. “I think it’s more poetic than fated mate, don’t you?”
“Whether it’s the hand of fate that brought us together or Miss Dragonfly’s ingenious matchmaking, I love the idea of being your evermore mate,” I whisper.
Teddy wraps his arms around my waist, draws me closer, and kisses the top of my head. “Me too.”
Julien waves us over, and we pose for another round of photographs before Cassia releases everyone except for the bride and groom. As Julien snaps more photos of the couple, Teddy and I head to the inn for appetizers, entering the lounge area with its massive Victorian-style mahogany bar, reputedly a gift from Queen Victoria. Granny Catbeam claims the bar was crafted by a pair of wood nymphs from Normal, Illinois, which as it turns out isn’t such a normal place after all; apparently it’s a favorite hangout for nymphs and dryads pretending to be college students.
As I predicted, Teddy is flocked by every woman inthe lobby, both waitstaff and guests. He’s always polite, smiles sweetly, and answers their questions in his low, raspy voice that still makes my insides quiver. But instead of getting upset, I find myself chuckling as Teddy gently tries to disentangle himself from two fiftyish vampire ladies who are draped all over him.
It’s not that I’m no longer jealous, but I’m more confident these days about Teddy’s feelings for me. As I’m sipping from my glass of craft root beer, which I never drank until I started dating Teddy, I can’t help grinning at my handsome, helpless fiancé.
Cassia comes alongside me and whispers, “Don’t you think you ought to go rescue your man? Poor Teddy looks like he might drown soon in all that female attention.”
I set down my mug on a small, high-topped table and feign a dramatic sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”
I saunter over to the women, sidestep around the bleach-blonde vampire staring adoringly up at Teddy, and throw my arms around his neck. Then I kiss my werewolf fiancé so thoroughly every female in the room between nineteen and ninety realizes this particular Nordic god is most definitely mine.
The next few hours fly by in typical wedding reception fashion—a three-course dinner, dancing to a live band, and too many speeches—until Teddy and I finally slip away from the inn’s ballroom and wander outside. We head toward the broad front lawn that gently slopes down toward the road and the glimmering bay beyond, the water reflecting the glow of the crescent moon above.
I lean my hand on Teddy’s shoulder for support and bend over to remove my heels. “Oh, that feels good,” Imurmur, wriggling my toes in the cool, slightly damp grass.
“I saw the other bridesmaids wearing flipflops; what happened to yours?”
“I gave mine to Pru’s mother when one of her straps broke.”
Teddy chuckles softly. “My kindhearted faerie.”
“Shh,” I tell him with a laugh, “don’t tell anyone. Let’s not ruin my reputation as your grouchy fiancée; it’s the only way I’ll be able to keep all the ladies at bay.”
Teddy wordlessly reaches behind my head and starts pulling out my hairpins, flinging them all over the lawn.
“What are you doing, you crazy werewolf?”
“Freeing your luscious locks so I can do this,” Teddy murmurs, entangling both his hands in my hair and claiming my mouth. Teddy’s kisses are simultaneously sweet and sizzling, heating my core and sending warm tingles all the way to my fingers and toes. My heart soars, ten-thousand wing feathers fluttering inside my chest, and I have to grasp Teddy’s lapels so I don’t melt into a swoony puddle on the grass.
When he finally releases my lips, he pulls me against his chest, and I can feel the rapid thrumming of his heart. “I’ve wanted to do that all night long,” he whispers.
“I’m glad you waited until after the photos,” I reply, smiling. “Spectra would be horrified to see what my hair looks like now.”
Teddy grins and takes my hand, guiding me back up the lawn toward the inn, where the reception must be nearly over. I stifle a yawn; tomorrow is Sunday, a busyday for our bakery. It’s time to say goodnight to my vampire friends and head home.
As we approach the inn’s circular gravel driveway, Teddy pauses and stares down at my bare feet. “Why don’t I head inside and see if I can scrounge up a spare pair of flip-flops for you. Either that, or I can carry you across the gravel, up the steps, and into the inn; that would be much more fun.” His white teeth flash as he gives me a mischievous grin.
“Let’s hold off on any dramatic damsel-in-distress antics, wolf-boy. I’ll wait here while you go ask Cassia for a pair of flip-flops; I’m sure she has spares tucked somewhere.”
“As you wish, my beautiful faerie boss.” Teddy gives me a quick peck on the lips and turns to leave. As he starts across the driveway, I notice movement around the side of the inn, probably another couple who stepped outside for fresh air and a cuddle under the stars.
Then my heart stutters and skips a few beats.
No, it’s not another couple at all.
It’shim, dressed all in black.
His face is paler than moonlight and oddly shaped; it takes me a moment to realize Rafe has partially shifted, his nose and mouth lengthened into a muzzle, his furred hands tipped with sharp claws.
