I next looked at my hair, which was swept off my face. Delicate diamond leaf clips sat against my black hair like stars glittering in the night sky. Diamond earrings sparkled in my ears.

  “One last thing.” Beauty stood behind me. I watched through the mirror as she placed a floor-length lace veil in my hair. Beauty fanned the material around my shoulders, and I had to wipe a stray tear from my cheek.

  “I could not have asked for anything more,” I whispered and turned to face my sisters, Letti and Ruth.

  Bella, Lilah, and Maddie were crying too. I stared down at my sisters with unrivalled relief that they were here. Bella rose from the couch and stood before me. She took my hands. My fingers ran over her wedding band. She must have seen the happy smile on my face because she smiled too. “It will give you a kind of peace you could never imagine,” she said and lowered her eyes. I knew in that moment she was picturing Rider. And she was right. I had witnessed them together. They fit, each the perfect complement of the other.

  At peace.

  “I know you have that with Styx already. And some would argue that a marriage could not strengthen what was already a solid foundation to begin with.” She shrugged and met my eyes. “But something will shift in your heart, a spiritual embrace in your soul. And it will change you. Forever.”

  “It is true,” Maddie said and came to stand beside Bella. My shy, reserved sister blushed. “Having them vow to love you forever will change you irreversibly. Both of you. Styx too, as it did Flame.”

  Lastly Lilah came to stand on Bella’s other side. “After everything we have experienced, it will simply fill you with calmness. Such a heady calmness, Mae. Such beautiful serenity.”

  I had vowed to wed Styx only when my sisters were safe. And here they were, all happy and free before me. “I cannot wait.” I had to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. “Now,” I said and released Bella’s hands. “We must see you in your bridesmaid’s dresses.”

  Grace stood beside Lilah, and I stroked her face. “And you in your flower-girl dress, little miss.”

  “Yes!” Grace said and followed Beauty to the changing rooms. My sisters followed, and I watched them go. Maddie, Lilah, and Grace would be my bridesmaids. Bella would be my maid of honor.

  I turned and studied my reflection again. I wondered what Styx would think the moment he saw me at the end of the aisle. I wondered what would be going though his head.

  Then my smile fell when I thought about him of late. Thought about how he was signing more, even when it was just the two of us. Shutting down and sitting alone on our porch. Troubled. Styx was troubled. But I did not know about what.

  I prayed it was not the wedding . . . that it was not me . . .

  “Heads up, Mae,” Letti said from the couch.

  My sisters and Grace were coming from the changing room. I could not help but smile widely when I saw them. All of them were wearing identical ice-blue dresses. I had wanted to pick Styx’s favorite color: the color of my eyes. Their hair was down, and delicate white flower garlands crowned their heads. Grace was dressed in white, a basket in her hands. On the wedding day it would be filled with petals. My sisters gathered around me on the plinth, and we all stared into the mirror.

  “Your father will be very proud to walk you down the aisle, Mae,” Ruth said. I turned to face her on the couch, my heart swelling at the thought of Stephen giving me away to Styx. We had all become very close to Stephen and Ruth of late—Bella, Maddie and even Lilah and Grace. Ruth was affectionate and considerate. Stephen was kind and gentle. And he was very proud of the women we had become. I knew by the teary expression on Ruth’s face, that Stephen was just excited about this day as me.

  Turning back to the mirror, I looked at all of us in our dresses. I took a deep breath, letting happiness fill my lungs. “I adore it,” I said and my sisters’ faces lit up. “It is exactly as I always dreamed.”

  “As is your groom,” Bella said and I caught her eye. “Your dream. The boy you met behind the fence.”

  “Yes,” I said and smiled.

  The boy who gave me my very first kiss.

Chapter Three

  Styx

  I opened my cabin door to see Ky on the deck. “Phebe?” I signed.

  “Not yet,” he replied and glanced in the general direction of AK’s cabin. “He texted me saying she’s pulling through. He’ll let me know when she’s good. And I hope it’s fucking soon. I can tell Li smells bullshit when I tell her nothing’s on my mind.”

  I nodded then signed, “Why are you here?”

  Ky put his hand over his heart. “Fucking wounded, Prez! Can’t your best friend just come to say hi?”

  I raised an eyebrow and he laughed, flicking out his motherfucking tongue like he was licking Li’s pussy or some shit. I blew out a breath, and he said, “Fine. I’m here ’cause your stuttering ass is coming with me.”

  “Why?”

  “Just get your fucking cut and let’s go, asshole.”

  I grabbed my cut, threw on my boots, and went to my Harley. Ky pulled out first and drove up the dirt track to the clubhouse. I pulled in beside him and followed him inside.

  “Prez.” Vike sat at the bar, a slut in his lap. Smiler sat beside him, along with Tank, Tanner, and Bull. The last three got off their seats as we entered and followed Ky and me into church.

  I remained standing as Tank, Tanner, and Bull took their seats then turned their confused asses to Ky. He handed me a sheet of paper and took a seat on his usual VP chair. I glanced down at the paper and saw the same old bullshit generic wedding vows Ky had spoken at his wedding to Li. And just like that, I felt the blood drain from my face. When I looked to Ky, he smiled, pointed to a real confused Tank, Tanner, and Bull, and informed me, “We’re your test dummies. Practice on us.”

  I glared at my VP. When I looked to Tank, Tanner, and Bull, the fuckers were shifting in their seats uncomfortably. At least I wouldn’t have to murder them as well as my asshole best friend for setting me up with this shit.

  “Fuck, Ky,” Tank muttered as he shook his head. “This is why you called us here?”