I didn’t even realize what I was doing until Vitor grabbed me. I struggled, to no avail, the dagger in my hand taken away from me, but still I would have attacked Olivia with nothing but my bare hands.
And from the look in her eyes, she believed it.
“I am seconds from doing the same,” Matilda said quietly. “Olivia, you step one more toe out of line or hint you might and I will disown you. The coven will never become yours then and you will be a princess all on your own. Ceawlin, I would do the same, and our alliance with your princess would dissolve. It might anyways as she gives nothing and Inez gives everything. You both disgust me.”
She turned and followed after Cerdic, trying to keep it together, but I saw the first tears trailing down her cheeks.
Trisha must have as well because the nail gun was in my hand a second later. I got two shots into Olivia’s chest before Vitor took it from me too.
“Oh no, please, let her,” Hanna purred as she gave both her distant relatives a scathing look. “I will stand by my cousin’s choice on how to handle this, but let me be clear, I would have already done it and will do much worse than her threats if you misstep and risk the house of Wessex again.” She left as well, and that just left Nora with my people.
“Well, I think I’ll add to that as the final nail in the coffin,” Nora said, her musical voice sounding like a darker song than normal. “Hurt my son or daughter-in-law and I will gut you both, savvy?” She waited until they nodded. “Wonderful.” She beamed at me. “Now, I’ve already picked up that you forgot we were arriving early, so what was on the docket that will amuse us?”
“Party stuff, which I could actually use help with,” I admitted with a sigh. “This is my first fancy party and I get it, but it’s the apocalypse, so I don’t get it, you know?”
“I do, as you put everyone else before yourself,” she chuckled, taking my arm. “We will make it fabulous, and you will stop feeling guilty that you didn’t do the same for Jaxon and Darius. That is life. You will have a fabulous five-year anniversary party and renew your vows.”
“I like that,” I admitted, shocked she hit the nail on the head of what else was going on inside of me. “Yeah, I like that a lot.”
“Good.”
I stopped just before we reached the door. “Release him. He can have a trailer outside and stay to witness his brother’s happiness. Warn everyone to keep an eye on him and Olivia though. I’m not taking any fucking chances they’ll still behave.” I glanced over my shoulder at them. “I do this for Matilda and Hanna. After this you will leave and never come back to my territories again.”
“Nicely done,” Nora praised under her breath when we were upstairs and out of range.
“I just don’t have the patience to be polite, and as much as I’d like to say it’s because of everything that happened, it’s not. I’ve always been this way.”
“Yes, but your first memories are already being in the middle of ‘everything that happened.’ I would give myself a bit more leeway.”
She wasn’t wrong, and I was going to say that, but I gasped as I saw something in the entryway that hadn’t been there before. I pulled my arm away from hers and moved closer, my hand rubbing my chest.
“It’s lovely, truly lovely,” Nora complimented, her tone confused.
“It was a promise to my princess,” Darius said from behind me. “One I have not lived up to, but I hoped she remembered what we shared, and she might take it as the reaffirming of what I said then. I will never leave you, Inez. We’re in this together, always.” He moved closer but didn’t touch me. “I know it seems I abandoned you, understandably, but I wasn’t ever going to leave. I won’t.”
I nodded I heard him, but I had no idea what to say. I took another look at the gorgeous glass chandelier we had seen after we first met when I was recovering items for my quest and headed to the dining hall for dinner. All our guests from their courts, plus several who had been staying with us, were there settling what needed to be.
“Trisha’s never going to let you out of the bachelorette party we have planned,” Lara warned me.
“No, we’re still doing it,” I agreed. “We’ll just add some people to the list.”
“Fair enough. We need some better coordination though.”
“We do,” I sighed, realizing that was mostly my fault. “I was thinking of making Hope my right hand. She’s like Cerdic and moves between all the chaos and we need that. He can coordinate with the nobles and projects as my husband, and she can on the actual coven stuff. I would like you to become the territories coordinator or we can think of titles later.”
“What would that involve?”
“Making sure we’re not leaving anyone behind,” I muttered. “They found those homeschool bundles and only a few clans got them. We need to make sure everyone is getting the right information and you’re a cut-to-the-chase sort of person. I think that the best way to handle this. Or at least better.”
“I would very much like that position. Thank you, Inez.”
I snickered. “Thanks for doing it so I don’t have to.” I shot her a wink and headed to the end of the table with Nick and a group gathered, including Hope, who were working with Maggie to be my wedding planners sort of.
“These are appetizer options,” Hope explained as I took it all in. “Friday afternoon, everyone is landing, and we will bring them
