“Is Ilamanthe safe now that the Warden knows our location?” Marcus asked. “I can’t imagine what’s so important that he’s holding off going after our city.”
“I think that’s the point,” Charlie said. “He’s trying to capture all these other cities first, and we’re the final boss. Ilamanthe is still protected by demigods, but I’m certain he’s already working out another way to draw us out so he can take the city forhis own. It sure doesn’t help that we’re losing soldiers to The Mission, as that weakens our defenses by the day. Soon the Warden will be done with whatever he's doing with the Elves, or get impatient, and come for us here. We should be very, very afraid.”
Cassiel finally spoke. “If he wants a fight, then we’ll give him something to fight. Our wards are strong; I’d like to see him try getting through them.”
Cassiel started for the door, but Charlie asked, “What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to fortify our wards right away, as well as order a city shutdown,” Cassiel stated. “No residents will be allowed in or out of Ilamanthe. Only your team and our military will be permitted the use of portals.”
Cassiel left the room to get to work.
“The Emperor will keep the city safe,” I said, and I squeezed Charlie’s hand. “Let’s focus on getting the rest of the Divinity Keys. Then, once the Elven Gate is open and the Elves are safe in the Blessed Haven, we can deal with the Warden once and for all.”
Overdoingit put me back a couple of days. I had to stay in bed for most of the week to recover, because I was too tired to get out of it. My spine felt like it was on fire for days, and it’d been hell dealing with the agony. No medicine or healing magic had worked to make it go away. I’d had to let it pass on its own.
I got in trouble with Charlie for not letting the doctors help me. I wasn’t allowed to practice any magic for the rest of the week. He didn’t even let me attend demigod training, which I thought was really unfair. He’d commanded me to stay in theJacuzzi tub all afternoon and eat chocolate-covered strawberries instead.
I mean, not a bad trade-off, but still. I wanted tohelp. I’d upset my dom, but if my actions had put us any closer to saving the world, I’d have to suck it up and take the luxurious punishment.
Charlie didn’t go to demigod training, either. He was still recovering and spent most of his time in our suite resting.
My bachelorette party was on Saturday, but I was concerned about leaving Charlie alone in the suite… even though he was never really alone, because there were guards and servants stationed everywhere.
Of course, I’d thought that before, and Danielle had sunk her claws into him.
“I don’t want to go. What if you need me?” I protested. I was doing my hair in the vanity mirror, because even if I wasn’t going outside the palace, I still wanted to have big fluffy curls.
“Eddie is right outside to grab me whatever I ask for, and if I need you, someone will come get you right away,” Charlie promised. “This is your bachelorette party. You shouldn’t miss it. You need a chance to have fun.”
Kallie had been planning this party for weeks, and I guess it would bum her out if I had to cancel. “Okay, fine. I’ll try to relax.”
I tied a big white bow into my hair, and Charlie said, “Have a great time, pidge.”
“I will. Be back in the morning.”
Kallie and the girls were planning on keeping me all night. I could only imagine what those sluts had planned. I smoothed down my slim white dress before Oberi escorted me out the door in her unicorn form.
Women cheered when I entered the Ladies’ Court. The entire area had been decorated in black and pink— our wedding colors. Balloons and banners were hung over the area, and near the poolwas a table that was laid out with fruit parfait cups, a chocolate charcuterie board, and a champagne bar.
“Congratulations, bitch. You’re getting married again!” Kallie slipped a sash around my shoulders that readThe Brideand fashioned a mini-veil into my curls underneath the bow.
Opal, Abigail, and Ivy were here, along with a variety of Elvish girls I’d met. Everyone was here to celebrate my wedding, and I couldn’t be more honored that all my friends had come by to support me.
We started the party by having a tea party and playing party games. We played a fun truth-or-dare game that was bachelorette party themed, where everyone had to draw a card. The prompts were hilarious. Ivy had to give Kallie a piggyback ride while making donkey sounds, Abigail and Opal had to swap bras, and Oberi had to do a belly-dance— which looked completely silly in her unicorn form. She shook her big butt more than anything, and she knocked a poor Elf girl over. My card said I had to get into an embarrassing position and take a group photo. By the time we’d worked our way through all the cards, my stomach hurt because I was laughing so much.
After the game, we got massages and spent some time relaxing in the hot tub and sipping on our drink concoctions. I’d mixed raspberries into my lemonade and felt really refreshed. I watched Oberi swim around the pool in her narwhal form while I sank further into the water. Charlie was right. I needed this.
“Isn’t this so wonderful?” Abigail asked, toasting her glass to the party. “Your wedding is going to be a celebration fit for a fairytale.”
“It feels magical and all, but I don’t know if I can believe it’s a fairytale quite yet.” I was a princess, but I was also a mob wife, after all.
“You should!” Opal burst. “You guys are everywhere! I can’t turn the TV on without seeing a story about the proposal!”
All the Elvish tabloids had front-page articles about our upcoming wedding. Pictures of Charlie and me were on every page. I knew Cassiel must’ve put them up to it.
The fanfare was nice and all. It was crazy, seeing how obsessed people were with us. The Elves actually acted like they knew us personally. I’d been in the spotlight as a daughter of a chieftain, but I’d never had this much attention.
“Ilamanthe is so different from Malovia,” Kallie said. “In my country, the monarchy looks the wrong way and the fae press rips them to shreds. The Elves don’t think their monarchy can do any wrong.”
