Chapter 10

TEN

INDI

There was a lovely courtyard in the middle of the Vauntero castle, just a small square cut out of the stone buildings away from outside eyes. It was my favorite spot on their estate because it was truly private. No one from the outside could stroll by and see in here. For the royal family, that was a big deal. They all had their own suites with terraces and balconies and the like, but none of those were truly as private as this courtyard. And it was quiet.

So there I sat on the stone steps that led down to the elegant fountain in the middle of the courtyard, letting the trickle of water fall from the top down the carved stone drip into the pool at the base. There were little gardens in each of the four corners that had benches I could've sat on, but perhaps it was the jinn in me . . . I liked the feeling of sitting on the steps. It felt like a moment stolen in time. Any second I could jump up and run. Or perhaps it was my mother's nomad tendencies rubbing off on me. I probably needed a supernatural psychologist to help me work through the trauma of my nature versus nurture.

I reached into my black tote bag sitting on the step beside me and pulled out another flower I'd picked from the Vauntero estate today. When I was a young girl, before my mother had become the nomad she was now, she used to take me to gardens in every city we went to so we could pick flowers, then she taught me how to take the flowers and leaves and weave them onto ribbons to make flower crowns. She had all these tricks, and I'd learned them all. It was moments like these when my thoughts about my mother were truly happy. I smiled to myself as I wove a red rose onto the red ribbon. It was coming along nicely.

" Don't sneak up on her, Carter ," Ria whispered from ten feet away.

I grinned and looked up to find Carter and Ria walking toward me in front of the fountain. Granted, I only knew who they were from my spying night at the parade. "I'm not spookable like my sister, have no fear. I don't shift uncontrollably."

Carter rolled her silver eyes at Ria. "And she has ears."

I chuckled. "Hello, Carter and Ria. Nice to officially meet you. I'm Indi."

They both looked surprised, exchanging nervous glances.

Ria scowled. "You know who we are?"

"Really, what gave that away?" Carter gave Ria a deadpan look that made me laugh.

"Well, when I first arrived on the Island, I ran into Lexington at the train station. We're old friends." I frowned and looked up to Carter. "Not sure if you knew that?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, he told me about Torren's older sister, Indiana, once I got to know Torren."

"That tracks." I reached into my bag and pulled out a little twig of leaves and began weaving it onto the ribbon next to the rose. "So, yeah, I ran into Lex at the station. He told me he'd met his soulmate—a mage named Carter whom the Vaunteros loved as their event planner. So when I flew over to catch the parade and I heard your name, I'll be honest . . . I had to stop and see which lucky lady had snagged herself the uncatchable."

Carter's cheeks flushed. "Yeah, he's a grouchy dreamboat."

Ria threw her head back and laughed.

"By the way, I loved The Torren." I laughed. "Ria, you handled the kraken with skill and grace. I'm impressed."

She brushed her shoulder off. "I've dealt with New Yorkers. The Torren ain't nothin' for me."

I shuddered. "You should've seen Torren going into Manhattan when I first brought her here. What a mess. Lex had to come bail us out, both literally and figuratively. Luckily, I met Lex when I was a kid when my mother got us into a jam in Singapore."

"Wow. You go way back." Ria pursed her lips. "I didn't know the man had long-term friends."

"Besides Zuriel, you mean?" I smirked.

Carter shook her head. "I've been with him less than a year. There's still so much to dig up from the rubble that is his past. Maybe after Halloween season we can compare notes?"

I grinned. "Deal."

Ria moved up the steps, then sat on the edge of the wall in front of me. Her dark eyes focused on my hands. "Whatchya got there?"

I held up the flower crown, or what I'd made of it so far. "For Torren, and then I'll make a matching one for Nash but a little more guy-friendly. It's to wear during the ceremony."

"You're making that? By hand?" Ria leaned forward to inspect my work.

"Yep." I held it up for them to see. "Mom taught me. We jinns have tricks too."

"It's beautiful already, Indi." Carter sat a few steps down. "And it's for the reception too?"

"They can be. But I suspect they'll only be worn for the ceremony and maybe some pictures. Maybe for their intro to the reception." I smiled over at Lexington's soulmate whom I'd only just met. "It can work into whatever centerpiece you have planned?"

Carter grinned. "Excellent. Send me a picture when it's finished so I can plan accordingly? Torren has both of our numbers."

"Yeah, sure thing. But don't show them to anyone else. It's a surprise."

"What's a surprise?" Torren said from close by.

I slid the crown back into my tote bag so she wouldn't see. "If I told you that, it'd ruin the whole thing."

She bounced down the steps to sit next to me, her teal eyes watching me carefully. "It's a surprise from you ?"

I smiled and nodded.

She flipped her teal hair over her petite shoulders. "Fine. I trust that. Hi, ladies! Have you met my sister?"

"Yep, we're old friends now." Carter winked to me.

Torren sighed wistfully. "I wish I made friends half as easily as you do, Indi."

"Excuse me . . . Everywhere we go, everyone says hi to you. By name." I arched an eyebrow at her. "Before Christmas last year you told me you barely knew anyone . . . and here you are. You just needed a little confidence to get you out of your shell."

"Or a near death experience with a prince," she mumbled.

We all laughed.

Torren rubbed her hands together. "Thank you so much for fitting my wedding in. It really means a lot to me and Nash."

Ria waved me off. "Weddings are the fun events. We're excited and happy to plan yours."

"Yeah, the more weddings I can drag Lex to, the better." Carter wagged her eyebrows. " Carter Prescott has a nice ring to it."

"A ring would have a nice ring to it." Ria pointed to her own left ring finger. "What's the grump waiting for?"

"Fangs. I think." She ran her tongue over her top teeth. "And I need him to focus on that because we're almost at the one-year mark when he's allowed to turn me, and I want to be ready."

"So you can turn me illegally immediately after." Ria nodded.

Carter gave her a wicked grin. "I have no idea what you—or Meredith—are even talking about."

Ria snickered.

"I know we just met, and I haven't been here in ages, but I'm pretty sure you two could get away with almost anything." I tapped on my teeth where fangs would be to make my point.

"I like her, bruh." Ria held her fist out to me, so I bumped it with mine. "Now, it's Fae Night, and I wanna go play, so let's get to the business part before sunset?"

I frowned. "Right, Fae Night. No one has told me what the event is for that."

"It's a pumpkin hunt."

I must've made a face because Carter chuckled. "They turn all the lights off on the Island. Driving is strictly forbidden, for safety reasons. Then everyone who wants to play runs around the Island hunting for miniature pumpkins that a select few people hid. It's supposed to be all kinds of epic and it's our first year here for it."

"Colette invited us to go with her. She's going to help Chip and Pickles take a bunch of kids out." Ria jumped to her feet. "I'm pumped, bruh."

"But first, we need to get a couple things sorted so that Ria and I can start the planning of all the details." Carter stood and brushed her hands off. "That cool?"

Torren wrung her hands together. "Yeah, where do you wanna start?"

"Did you pick your dress yet?" Ria pulled a tablet from Carter's large purse. "We wanna get pictures of it so we can plan, coordinate all the alterations and delivery, all that good stuff."

I smiled, remembering the dress Torren wept over in the bridal shop on Sunday. "Yeah, she picked one. Sally can give you all the info?"

"Perfect. We can stop by Sally's shop in the morning." Ria tapped on the screen. "You won't need to worry about that anymore until we need to fit you for alterations next week. Okay?"

Torren bit her lip and nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Carter leaned over Ria's shoulder to look at something, then turned her gaze back to us. "We really need to narrow down the location for both ceremony and reception so we can get invites out tonight."

I raised my hand. "I heard once that all the Vauntero children get married on the estate?"

"Yeah, though I can't wait for that to get tricky with them all wanting different locations." Carter rolled her eyes. "Yvonne and Xavier will only be left with the main kitchen for their venue."

I snort-laughed.

"But . . . I know jinns are connected to nature and animals, as is Nash specifically, so I have a location in mind." Carter gestured behind her. "May I show you?"

Torren and I jumped up without hesitation. Carter and Ria led us across the courtyard, through a few doorways inside the castle, then back out another door into the open-air walkway that connected the main castle with some of the exterior buildings and outdoor spaces.

Carter stopped in the middle of the walkway. "So, we were thinking you'd come out from right inside the building and walk this whole way, like this is the start of the aisle."

"The actual ceremony would be down there." Ria pointed through an open window with an intricate archway made of red bricks. "We'd set up the chairs beneath that giant ass oak tree."

We turned to look. I smiled. The setting was breathtaking. The oak tree down below was my favorite tree on the estate. It was massive and the huge branches were practically horizontal. Some of them were only like a foot off the ground. The way the moss swayed in the breeze from where it hung on the branches was so romantic and mystical.

"If you're good with this, then we'll mockup some visuals for you to approve?—"

"Oh, I'm good with this." Torren placed both hands on the window frame and leaned her face into the open air. "It's my favorite tree on the property. I would love to marry Nash right there beneath the canopy of the moss."

"Perfect." Ria slid her tablet on the flat surface in front of my sister. "Let's talk color scheme."

Torren flipped a few pages, then handed the tablet back to Ria. "I want to be surprised."

Carter's eyes widened. "What?"

"Look, it's the sixth. That means my wedding is in twenty-one days . . . I don't want to hinder your work by being specific. Plus . . ." she sighed and looked to the tree, "it's going to be beautiful no matter what you do. I just want it to be elegant and fancy, because my life is never that. I wanna feel like a princess."

"You just want us to pick the details?"

She shrugged. "I'm happy to make decisions if you need me to, if that helps. But otherwise, I trust you. And I kind of like the idea of walking out into this walkway that night and seeing it for the first time with Nash."

I smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "That's so you. But, ladies, I'm happy to help make decisions on her behalf if you need guidance."

Both mages nodded in approval.

"I like them, bruh." Ria smirked. "We need to be friends."

I chuckled. "Agreed."

Carter was laughing as she tapped on her tablet. "Right, so Tuesday October twenty-seventh, as the Queen asked. That's still good with you?"

"Yup indeedy."

Carter nodded and frowned down at her screen. "The only thing I'm worried about is a photographer. Not a lot of options for the Island?—"

"What about Archer Bow?" Torren pulled her phone out. "He's here. Want me to ask him? We're buds."

Suddenly my throat felt thick and tight. I leaned out the open window to suck in fresh air as the phone rang on speakerphone.

"Hey, Torren," a deep voice I knew far too well said through the speaker. His voice echoed down the walkway. "It's Will. Archer doesn't move fast enough despite being a vampire, so I answered."

Torren chuckled. I wanted to die.

"Oh! HI, Willem! How are you?"

He chuckled and it sent a chill down my spine that made me shiver. "I'm well, thank you. We're getting ready to head out. Here's Archer now. Hold one second."

God, his voice. It did something to me, like unraveled me at the frayed edges of my sanity. With every word he spoke, my chest grew tighter until it was burning like I'd swallowed lava. My breaths were short and labored. It felt like I couldn't take a deep breath.

There was rustling through the call, then someone cleared their throat. "Hello? Is this Torren?"

"Hi, Archer. Yeah, it's me."

"Sorry, I walked away from my phone for a minute." Archer cursed softly. "What is wrong with you?"

" ME? " Torren paled.

"No, no. Will. He's being weird."

Because he knows I'm on the other side of this phone call somewhere. He doesn't want to hear from me either. That's fine.

" Oh, sorry. I can let you go if you're busy?—"

"I'm good. What's up, Torren?"

Torren grimaced. "Well, I'm getting married on the twenty-seventh and I need?—"

"—A photographer who knows his way around a dress?" Archer chuckled. "I just checked my calendar. Nothing on it for that night, so now it's yours."

"Thank you, Archer. I owe you one!"

Carter leaned over and took the phone. "Hey, Archer, it's Carter?—"

I had to stop listening. I'd learned to tune noise out ages ago. Torren would be upset if I walked away, so I merely pulled my phone out to distract myself while Carter, Ria, and Archer talked shop.

My thoughts went right to Liam. He had a skill for calming me down, so I opened up our thread and sent him a message. ‘ You know what your next book should be about?'

Those bubbles popped up immediately. And then he sent, ‘Why am I suddenly nervous?'

I smirked. ‘You should travel the world researching all the different wedding customs and take pictures, then put them into one book.'

‘. . . ' Liam sent. ‘I can't tell if this suggests wedding planning is going well or horribly.'

" You can send the invitations with magic?" Torren half-shouted, "You don't have to print them out?"

"Not if you don't want to." Ria pulled a wand out and started swinging it like an opera conductor. "Carter, read me off names from the list."

Carter started saying names of people we were inviting to the wedding. Each name she spoke, Ria swished and flicked her wand around.

"Right, so obviously we have the Bow family," Carter said just to torture me. "Obviously they're invited, and they all live in the same house, so I think one invitation is necessary. But list all of their names?—"

"What are all their names again?" Ria chuckled. "I lost track."

"Peggy, Duvall, Archer, Connor, Caleb, Jethro, and Brian." Carter chuckled. "I feel like I just named all of Santa's reindeer."

"Not all of them. You missed some." Torren held her hand up. "You gotta add Ivy, Bash, and Collins too."

And one more. My mouth was too dry to speak his name.

"Oh, wait, and Willem."

Whomp, there it is. My heart felt like an anchor sinking to the ocean floor. Don't cry. Don't panic. Just breathe.

I needed more distraction, so I went back to my phone. ‘ Well, they just sent out an official invitation to my ex-boyfriend.'

‘OOF.'

I cringed inside and turned away from my sister so she wouldn't see my face. ‘ I need a date. I cannot go there alone if he's gonna be there.'

‘I believe I gave you the solution you need.'

I rolled my eyes. ‘ You were serious about the fake-dating?'

‘It's a trope for a reason, Andi.'

‘If only I had a male best friend who could swoop in and be my fake boyfriend to scare off my ex . . ."

‘ I could show up naked?'

‘ LIAM. ' I rolled my eyes.

‘No? Maybe in a towel? I've seen that in rom-coms.'

‘Shut up, butthead.'

‘OH I KNOW. A kilt. I'll arrive in a kilt, no shirt. Full commando, swinging in the breeze.'

‘You're ridiculous. Don't tempt me with a good time.'

‘Maybe I need to show up pretending to be a billionaire?' He sent the thinking GIF. ‘ Like maybe in a business suit with a briefcase and I can say I invented Post-it notes?'

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud. ‘ Question, am I Romy or Michelle in this reenactment?'

‘Despite this being MY idea, you'd probably be Romy. You're in possession of the brain cell more often. I'm more of a happy-go-lucky, cheer you up Michelle-type anyway.'

‘You can only come be my fake boyfriend if you wear the dress.'

‘. . . THE dress?'

‘Pink faux fur and all. With the platform heels or it's no deal.'

‘I'll trade you the platform heels for the full dance routine?'

I pursed my lips as I remembered the final scenes of the classic movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. I frowned. ‘ No dice. My ex would want to play Alan Cumming's Sandy Frink's part and that defeats the purpose.'

Liam sent laughing emojis. ‘ I really am starting to question why you dumped this guy.'

‘I had my reasons. Good reasons.'

‘Maybe you should write those down on paper and carry it around in your pocket so you can keep reminding yourself?'

I groaned. ‘ Get outta here with all your logic.'

" Indi?"

I flinched and looked up. Carter and Ria were already walking ahead of us, back toward the castle. I cursed. "What happened?"

Torren frowned and cocked her head to the side. "Something's up with you."

"Torren—"

"No, no, no. There is. Something's wrong." She pointed her finger at me. "You're gonna tell me. But for now, let's walk them out."

I nodded and followed the three of them, but I was so lost in my head about Will that it wasn't until Torren elbowed me in the side that I realized we'd gotten all the way out front of the castle. I looked up just as Carter and Ria climbed into the back seat of a taxi. They waved so I waved back. Torren spun on me with a wild expression on her face.

"WILLEM, MOVE YOUR ASS!"

Oh God no. Why is this happening?

"Why are you running, Brian? " Will shouted back.

"IT'S PUMPKIN HUNT TIME, LEMON DROP!"

Torren gasped. "It's the Bow family!" She giggled. "Hi, BOWS!"

I wrapped my arms around myself and turned back for the front door with every intention of running and hiding in my room, but it seemed half the Vauntero family chose that moment to leave. And not just any Vaunteros, the select few who wouldn't hesitate to pry into why I was acting weird around Will. Well, except for Constantine, but he marched out the front door with five miniature versions of himself that I assumed were his siblings. They all climbed into a three-row golf cart and took off.

"Hey, Torren!" Brian shouted back. "You playing?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe?" Torren yelled. "What y'all doing over here?"

Lark and Josiah came giggling out the front door. I cringed. They were nosy. They would ask. Mateo strolled out behind them, his gaze already landing on my sister and frowning. Henry was in the back with his wife, Geraldine. Their young son was between them, holding their hands. I cursed and glanced around for an exit. Henry would definitely ask questions. We were friends. He'd notice me being weird. Orson was behind them with his wife, Liza, and his two teenage sisters, Pemberley and Queenie. That meant I had seconds to act before they pounced on me like vultures.

I turned back to Torren and my stomach sank. The Bow family was now heading toward us. Archer and Ivy were in the front of the group with Bash and Collins. Brian was bouncing on his toes. Jethro was on his phone. Connor and Caleb were eating some kind of pie. I didn't want to look for him . I didn't even tell my brain to move my head in his direction. It seemed my body was drawn to him on its own.

Will's amber gaze was locked on me. Our eyes met. I gasped. Goosebumps spread down my arms. I licked my lips, and his eyes tracked the movement. My pulse went haywire, beating out of control in my chest like it was trying to break right out of my body. My muscles locked down.

Archer laughed. "We have a contest within the family. It gets intense. You two should join us."

Will's eyes widened. His face flushed.

My heart stopped. No, no, no. I had to escape. I had to abort the mission. If I couldn't get back into the Vauntero castle, then I'd have to find somewhere else to hide. I shifted into my pink parrot form and took off into the sky.

"INDI! WAIT!" Torren cursed from down below. "Mateo! Tell Nash I went out with Indi!"

For a few moments I saw nothing but darkness. The sky was a deep, dark blue and the city lights on Megelle Island had been turned off. All I saw were the flickering of orange pumpkins. I flapped my wings as hard as I could, relishing the cool breeze through my feathers. Torren was behind me. I knew that without looking. My wings ached and my pace slowed.

" INDI, STOP! " Torren screamed into my mind. " LAND NOW!"

I cursed and dove for the ground, shifting back into my human form when I was still a few feet away from the sandy shore. My lungs were on fire. My whole body trembled and burned. I'd exerted too much energy. I stood on a beach next to the huts that were stationed along the water for the sirens. Torren crash-landed, sending an arc of sand raining down on me. She squawked and flapped her wings, then she was in her human form again.

"You okay?"

"ME? ME? " She jumped up and marched toward me. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I flinched.

"No. That was alarming as hell, Indi. What was that?"

"I needed to get out of there?—"

"—Clearly. But why ?"

I groaned and tugged on my hair. "Remember my ex who was nineteen?"

She frowned. "Yeah, the one you were in love with ten years ago."

You were in love with. My heart sank. My stomach tightened into knots.

"Indi?" She whined and stomped her foot in the sand.

"That was Willem Bow," I said in a rush.

Torren gasped. "Will Bow is your ex-boyfriend?"

I nodded.

Her eyes filled with worry and panic. Her jaw dropped. "Why did you tell me that?"

I frowned. "I don't like to keep secrets from you."

" I can't keep secrets at all !" she cried and started to pace the beach in front of me. "What am I supposed to do when someone mentions him? I'm gonna panic. You know what happens when I panic, Indi!"

"Torren, I just?—"

"If people get hurt, this is on you." She whimpered and tugged on her hair. Then she gasped again and spun to face me. "You're gonna leave me again."

I flinched. "What?"

"Will's your ex. Will is here on the Island for the month. Will's on the Island a lot." Tears began to fill her eyes. "You're gonna leave me . . . to avoid him. You're going to leave again?—"

"—I'm not leaving, Torren. I'm right here."

"I don't believe you. The Bow family is everywhere. They're invited to my wedding, Indi. What are you going to do? You gonna bird-out and run? Is this how Mom got this way? I can't lose you again, Indi?—"

"—You're not going to." I grabbed her hands to stop her. "I'm not Mom."

She whimpered. "Why did you have to tell me that secret? I'm gonna stress every time we leave the Island. I'm gonna panic at home that you're leaving."

She was spiraling and I couldn't blame her. I needed an idea fast. Then Liam's words bounced around in my mind. Whether he was joking or not, I was officially going to take his suggestion. I cleared my throat and held my chin high. "I'll just get a fake boyfriend to avoid awkward moments with Will, like I did last night with Daniel."

Torren gnawed on her bottom lip and wrung her hands. "Who's gonna do that?"

I shrugged. "No idea, but I'll ask Daniel."