A timid smile sweeps across my face as everyone claps. Eryx escorts me down the stairs, where my family immediately surrounds us. He releases his hold on my hand, and I look back at him as my father approaches.
Eryx’s gaze cuts to me, and he nods, silently telling me he’s not going far away.
Why is it that I want him to stay close?
My father shakes Eryx’s hand, and my mother gives me a hug. “How are things?”
“They’re good,” I reply because they are.
“We’ve been worried, but Elmore came and told us you were safe.”
My eyebrows lift. “You’re the ones who let me get married.”
Mama’s gaze flicks to Eryx. “He’s not as scary as we thought he would be.”
I glance over at him as he introduces my father to someone. The edges of my mouth curl into a smile. “He’s not as scary as I imagined, either.”
He’s not scary at all.
My entire family showed up for the party, even Addison and Blair, who are currently married. Addison is married to Feylin, who rules over the fae, and Blair’s married to her high-school sweetheart, Devlin.
Addison even brought her new baby.
“I admit, I was worried when they told me about Eryx,” she murmurs after I say hello. “But from the way he looks at you, you’re in good hands.”
My head swivels to find him. He stands on the other side of the room, talking to guests. Maybe it’s the magical pull between us; maybe he’s just hyperfocused. But as soon as my gaze lands on him, he looks over and gives me the faintest of smiles.
“He certainly is handsome,” Blair adds.
“Excuse me,” her husband, Devlin, chimes in, and we laugh.
“I just want to see the baby,” I say, picking up little Emma and cradling her to my chest. She’s six months old and is so precious.
“What about the nightmares?” Addison asks.
“He doesn’t cause them. He stops them,” I explain.
“So he’s not a monster.”
The baby spits out her pacifier, and I hand it to Addison. “No, he’s not a monster at all.”
Dinner is amazing—it’s a roast and lobster, and by the time we get around to cutting the cake, I’m pretty much stuffed. But when Stave wheels it out, I nearly fall over.
Three tiers tall and beautifully iced—simple white, elegant, regal.
Eryx, who’s seated beside me, offers his hand. “Would you like to do the honors?”
“We’re just cutting the cake, right?”
“Right.” He winks. Winks! The Nightmare King winks! “No magic. I promise.”
The line is a throwback to when we first danced, and even though the words are simple, they feel so charged my cheeks heat.
I slip my hand over his. Electricity shoots up my arm, and I swallow down the buzz that’s taken over me. But it’s impossible to ignore how my body responds to him, how it comes to life when he’s near.
Stave hands me the cake cutter, and I hold it just over the top tier. Eryx stands so close to me I stop breathing, and when he gently pushes the knife into the cake and we dish up one slice, the whole time I’m not focused on cake. All my concentration is on Eryx—his soap and musk scent, the heat of his body, how his touch brings me to life.
My mind is reeling by the end of the party. We say good night to all the guests, and I hug my family. It’s then I realize that Ovie didn’t come.
