The Necklace of Death pulsed warmly against my skin.
Majestic red and gold feathers tickled my back. Horse sat on my shoulder with his chest puffed out like he was proud. A sparkly gold bow was tied around his neck.
Snowflakes drifted across my neck and down onto my chest.
In tall diamond-encrusted heels, I was Lothaire’s height. He held on to my right arm with tears in his eyes.
Enchanted wedding music flowed throughout the quiet hills, and birds chirped as they passed above. The melody was extra sweet because of the enchanted champagne I’d finished off before I’d walked down the aisle.
I smiled, and a serene feeling bubbled up my chest.
It was exquisite.
Swans turned in the lake to watch our meandering ascent down the flower-lined aisle.
A mini horse trotted in front of us, and we stopped to let it pass.
I laughed as Lothaire gaped at the pink bows that covered its mane. Unsurprisingly, Corvus had been the one who gave all the animals extra accessories for the wedding because he didn’t want them to feel left out.
He came across as a harsh psycho, but inside he was a big flaming softy—and a complete psychopath.
It was amusing because you never knew what came out of his mouth; were we going to get into a screaming match and fight to the death, or was he going to blush and put a bow on a small animal? Horse girls were a special breed.
As we walked further down the aisle, I smiled at the small crowd.
There were a handful of guests sitting in white chairs: Vegar, Zenith, Lucinda, Jala, Jess, and Jinx. That was it.
No one else was present.
We hadn’t had a therapy session after we won the war because the High Court canceled our mandatory sessions, but I’d still invited Dr. Palmer.
She’d sent back a letter saying she refused to attend because she believed we should all be incarcerated because we were “a threat to civilized society.”
I’d written back reminding her that we’d saved all civilized society.
She hadn’t replied, which was too bad because some sunshine really could have done her some good.
I stopped our progress down the aisle to shake some feeling back into my fingers because my left arm had gone numb thanks to my best friend.
Sadie walked beside me down the aisle.
She wore the same gown and shoes as me, but she was struggling to walk in the heels. I shook my head at her because I’d told her she could just go barefoot, but she’d refused. She said we had to match.
Her white hair had new red highlights and hung low down her back in a silky sheet. She’d visited the estate every day as of late, and her golden skin had taken on a darker bronze hue that was reminiscent of Corvus’s.
She looked like a sculpture of a princess.
She was stunning.
If you’d told me a few months ago that all three of us would be walking down the aisle together—her, Lothaire, and I—I would have said you were nuts.
Now it made sense.
During the wedding planning, Sadie had gone from maid of honor wearing white and walking me down the aisle to a bride herself. Mostly because she’d wanted to stand beside me for the entire ceremony and plan everything, so it was easier to also just make her a bride.
She took her role as bridezilla very seriously.
In fact, she’d had three mental breakdowns just yesterday because the swans weren’t cooperating and letting her walk them down the aisle on crystal leashes （truly shocking）。
When she’d waded into the pond and tried to put the chain over their heads, she’d been shocked by how uncooperative the birds were.
After an hour of wrestling with the wildlife—and losing while everyone watched—she’d stomped out of the pond and called the swans “mean sluts who were going to die alone.”
At that point, the swans had taken offense to the slander. They’d removed themselves from the water and chased her across the field with flapping wings.
She’d cried because “the most special day of Aran’s life is now ruined.”
I’d patted her on the back and walked away because she was clearly projecting.
Now she, Jess, and Jala sobbed for different reasons.
Both of us were getting married—together.
It was just a formality, since both of us were already mated.
But it was fun to dress up.
It was fun to put on makeup and pretend that we were two country girls living a provincial non-violent life under the sun.
We were just two ordinary women committing to the loves of our lives. Nothing more, nothing less.
Jinx rolled her eyes as we walked past, and I blew her a kiss. Warren was draped over her shoulder as a ferret scarf, and I gave him the evil eye.