Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

P aige's heart skipped a beat, and heat washed over her as she stared at Devon. "What is it?"

Was her mother no longer alive? Did they finally receive whatever confirmation they'd needed to say it wasn't a trick or a setup?

She swallowed hard as a lump formed in her throat.

"My dad's being a pain."

"What does he want?" Drucinda asked. "Prenup? Blood oath? Oh, Paige turned before the wedding?"

"No, none of those," Devon said with a shake of his head as he frowned down at his phone.

"No pre-nup?" Dewey asked. "Seriously? Paige, you are going to be set."

"Of course no pre-nup, little man," Drucinda said. "He'd never allow them to divorce."

"Wait a minute," Paige said with a crinkled brow. "He got divorced."

"Yes, he did. We're all still reeling over it. Anyway, what's the issue? "

Devon slid his phone into his pocket. "He wants us married before the weekend is out."

"What? This is your engagement party and now your wedding."

"He says if she really is committed to me, it won't be a problem."

"It is a problem," Paige shouted. "We're engaged, isn't that enough?"

"Apparently not. And Ivy's still waiting in the wings."

"Oh speaking of, we had a lovely chat with her in the boutique. She'd like to kill Paige."

"Yeah, I gathered that from my dad's message. Here's the deal. He says no matter which way this goes, I'm no longer a bachelor after this weekend. So, I either marry Paige or Ivy."

Paige's jaw dropped open as she stared at him. "What? Wait…do I still get the soul compass either way?"

Devon gave her an unimpressed stare. "No, Paige. That's only on the table if you're my wife. Outside of that, you get nothing."

Paige slapped a palm against her forehead. "OMG. This is a mess."

"There is a simple solution, here," Drucinda said with a shrug.

"Steal the compass from Dominic?" Paige asked, her eyes wide.

"No, darling," Drucinda answered with narrowed eyes and a shake of her head. "Marry Devon. It's not that awful, you know?"

"Marry Devon?" Paige repeated. "Are you insane?"

"Standing right here, Paige. And I really appreciate that."

"No offense, but a forced marriage wasn't exactly on my to-do list this weekend."

"It wasn't on mine either. I'm just trying to help you out. "

"Oh, right, because you didn't ask me to marry you once already. This plays right into your hands."

"I'm not going to insult you and say it's not a good outcome. But I didn't do this on purpose."

Paige crossed her arms, tugging her lips into a frown. She was stuck. If she wanted to find her mother, she needed the soul compass. And to get it, she needed Devon.

She hated feeling helpless and relying on others. And she really detested that she'd come out of this married, but maybe they could strategize once at the castle and find a new way out of this.

She slid her eyes closed, stretching her neck before she forced the words from her throat. "Fine."

Devon raised his eyebrows, his features turning surprised. "Seriously?"

"Well, that's the only way," Paige said as she flung her arms out to the sides. "So, looks like we're getting hitched."

"I'll tell my dad. And then we can head back to the castle." Devon tugged his cell phone from his pocket.

"What is this that I heard?" a new voice said. "You're marrying that beast?"

Paige let her head fall back between her shoulder blades. "Henry, now isn't the time."

"Isn't it? I think it may be, kitten. You are my fiancé!"

"I'm no one's fiancé. Well, okay, I'm Devon's, technically, but–"

"How could you?" the storybook knight asked. "After I took care of Dodger for months!"

"Dickens," Paige corrected. "And I appreciate you looking after my cat, but this is a matter of life and death."

"Yes, it is," Henry answered, eyes wide. "Your life and death."

"No," Paige said with a curled fist and a stamp of her foot. " My mother's. Unless I marry Devon, I have no chance of finding her."

"Well, isn't this a fine mess," he said with a shake of his head.

"Hey, she could do a lot worse," Devon answered, his chiseled jaw flexing.

"I doubt it," Henry spat. "You are bottom of the barrel, creature."

"Stop calling me creature." Devon clenched his teeth, his fingers curling into fists.

"I will not, you foul beast," Henry answered, matching his stance.

"Okay, okay, that's enough of the tough guy, macho crap," Paige said as she stepped between them. "This is a business transaction, okay? It has to be done. Period, the end. I'm not going to keep arguing about it."

Devon offered the other man a smug smile.

"With any luck, we'll get the compass, find my mom, quietly get a divorce, and no one will be any the wiser."

Henry smirked at Devon after her words.

"Look, let's just get this weekend over with. It's not going to be easy. My dad isn't exactly thrilled."

"Wait, whoa," Paige said, waving her hands in the air, "time out. Is he even going to give us the compass if we go through with this?"

"Yeah, definitely," Devon said with a bob of his head. "He's not happy, and he'll be happier once we're actually married, but…I mean, you weren't his first choice."

Paige's features settled into an unimpressed stare. "Really? I saved your life. Doesn't that count for something?"

"That's probably the only reason he agreed to this. He likes you. He thinks you're smart and brave. But the union with the Delacroixes was still his priority. And I can't imagine they're going to be happy either. "

"They're not," Drucinda said. "Ivy has made that very clear. Now, if we're finished discussing this to death, can we please get on a plane and get to the castle?"

Paige's stomach turned over as she nodded. "Fine. Yes. Just give me a minute to…center myself."

Drucinda rolled her eyes. "Whatever, darling. I'll be on the plane."

"Hey, Paige–" Devon began when she waved him away.

"I'm centering!" she snapped as she sank into a chair.

"Right, see you on the plane."

Dewey fluttered closer, landing on the desk next to her. "Are you mad at me, too?"

"No," Paige said as she rubbed her forehead. "I'm not mad, I'm just…centering."

"Do I have to leave so you can center?"

"No," Paige answered. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

Dewey tugged his lips back into a wince. "Why?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you had a big thing, then you collapsed into the chair, and then you said you had to center. And now you want to talk to me. I feel like you're about to say something I won't like."

Paige stared at him for a minute before she shook her head. "Well, the thing is…I'm about to get married."

"Still on board with this idea because I can be your tagalong friend that gets all the perks of being ultra-rich with none of the downsides."

"Right, well, since you want so badly to be my tagalong friend in this adventure…I'd really like it if you were my…best person."

"Huh?"

"My maid of honor, except you're a guy, so you can't be a maid. Man of honor. Dragon of honor. Whatever. The person who stands next to me when I do this. "

"And fluffs your dress and fixes your veil and stuff?"

"I don't care if you do any of that. I just want your support."

Tears formed in the tiny dragon's eyes, and a smile spread across his features. "Paige. I'd be honored. Wow. Maid of honor. I never thought I'd be someone's maid of honor. This is amazing. Oh…I have so much to do."

Paige crinkled her nose. "Like what?"

"There's a shower to plan, a bachelorette party. I've got to get something nice to wear. And don't make me wear a stupid colored tie and tell me I can use it again." He wagged a finger in her face.

"Uh, okay. Tuxedo with black bowtie is fine. And I don't think we have time for the rest of that stuff."

Dewey sliced a hand through the air. "I'll make time. I'm going to be the best maid of honor you've ever seen. When you have a four-hundred-dollar toaster, you can thank me."

Paige screwed up her face as he buzzed toward the hangar.

"Let's go, Paige. Time's a-wasting. I've got planning to do."

Paige slid her eyes closed. Maybe she'd made a mistake asking Dewey. Too late now, she figured, as she rose to her feet and slogged toward the plane. Each step felt like one closer to her doom.

She climbed the steps to the plane, finding the others already waiting in their seats. Dewey claimed a corner of the couch, spreading out a notepad, pen, and the RP. "I've got a lot of work to do, people. So, please don't disturb me."

"Researching the soul compass, little man?" Drucinda asked.

"Nope. Planning Paige's shower and bachelorette party." He grinned at the group. "I'm Paige's maid of honor."

"You picked Dewey as your maid of honor?" Devon asked .

"He is my best friend," Paige said as she collapsed next to the dragon on the couch. "You have a best man, right?"

"Drucinda," he answered.

"Wow," Paige said. "We both picked nontraditional genders for this role. How weird."

"And I am about to blow it out of the water. Look out, Patrick Dempsey, I am going to be the best maid of honor ever. And don't worry, Devon, I will not ride a horse into the church to tell Paige I love her."

Paige crinkled her brow and stared at him.

"What? I watched Made of Honor for research," Dewey said.

"When? Just now? I just asked you, so you couldn't have watched it."

"No, Paige, duh. For research into my romance novels."

"Oh, I didn't realize you were writing a rom-com, little man. I thought it was steamy paranormal."

"Some of the same tropes apply. Plus, I'm keeping my options open." Dewey poked at the RP's screen, studying ideas for bridal showers.

"Dewey, I really don't think we have time for a bridal shower or a bachelorette party."

"What? No shower? No bachelorette party? What sort of wedding is this? I'm planning an epic bachelor party for Devon."

Paige shot Drucinda a glance. "Are you serious?"

"Of course, I am. A vampire only gets married once. Usually, anyway."

Paige heaved a sigh as her options slimmed. How would she ever get out of this marriage? She shook her head. As long as she got the soul compass, she'd worry about everything else later. She needed to find her mother, and she was willing to do whatever it took to find her, including marrying Devon .

She raised her gaze to the chiseled features of her fiancé. He offered her a grin and a nod. It may have melted other women's hearts, but it turned her stomach. How did she end up betrothed to a day-walking vampire?

She propped an elbow on the arm of the couch and dropped her forehead into her palm. Getting through this weekend would take a miracle. She hoped she could pull it off.

Her eyes slid toward the screen of Dewey's RP. She spotted a sash reading BLUSHING brIDE-TO-BE complete with a matching tiara. His claw tapped the BUY NOW button before moving on to a new item.

It would take more than a miracle to survive this weekend.

Dewey slid his eyes sideways before he grinned. She offered him a weak smile. "Hey, you should get busy. Why are you just sitting there?"

"I'm busy," she answered. "Praying for strength."

"Now's not the time for that. You've got a registry to make! Grab that extra RP and start picking china patterns."

"Dewey, this wedding isn't for real. We're not going to need china. We just need to get through it and get the soul compass. After that…"

"What?" Dewey asked.

"To be fair, Paige," Devon added, "you should make a registry. We need this to look legit to my dad. If you don't do that, he'll wonder what we're going to eat on when he comes over and it'll blow the whole thing."

"OMG," she said as she grabbed the RP device. "I cannot believe this. I'm doing more work for my fake wedding than I'll probably do for my real one."

"Are you going to have a real wedding?" Dewey asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige asked as she toggled on the device .

"Well, I mean, you were all about how independent you were and whatever. I'm just wondering."

"Just shut up, Dewey. I'm busy trying to make a registry. Where do I even do this?"

"Pamazon, Piffany's, Deiman Marcus," Drucinda answered as she paged through a magazine. "Just to name a few."

"Right. Okay, Pamazon."

"Don't forget the toaster. I like toast with my breakfast, so you'll need one for when I visit," Dewey said.

"Oh, and an air fryer," Devon said. "Definitely need one of those."

Paige shot him an unimpressed glance as he rose and crossed to her before collapsing onto the arm to peer over her shoulder. "Scoot over."

Paige crinkled her nose as she shifted closer to Dewey, and Devon slid onto the couch with her. "Are you serious?"

"This is important," Devon said. "I want to help pick our china."

Paige stared at him for a few more seconds before returning her frowning gaze to the RP. "Fine. Do you want flowers, plain, or–"

"Ohh, this one," Devon said, poking a finger at a set of silver-trimmed plates called Opal Innocence.

Dewey leaned sideways to peer at the pattern. "Oh, nice choice, Dimples. It's classy, classic, with a timeless flair."

"Right? That china says we'll be here centuries from now still serving blood pudding on these very plates while we teach our grandchildren the traditions of the family."

"I can't take this," Paige said with a shake of her head as she tried to add the china pattern to the registry.

Devon grabbed the RP from her. "Here, I'll do it. Let's see…we'll want at least service for twelve. "

Paige furrowed her brow as she stared at him. "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?" he asked as he added a serving platter and a silver spoon set.

"Have you actually…thought about your wedding before? You seem…weirdly cognizant of what you'd like to receive for gifts."

Devon glanced sideways at her as he flicked a piece of hair from his eyes. "Every little vampire dreams of their wedding day."

"This is messed up," Paige said with a shake of her head. "I can't even. I…just…can't even."

Dewey continued his shopping spree. "You've never thought of your wedding, Paige? Dreamed of a white dress and a big church?"

Devon leaned around Paige to glance at the small dragon. "Oh, uh, technically, it'll be a small chapel. Big churches and vampires don't go over too well."

"No. No, okay? I never did. Why is that so surprising?"

"Well, I mean, most little girls do."

"Well, this little girl didn't. She dreamed of finding her mother. Okay? And being a writer or something."

"Suuuure," Dewey said.

"Why is this so hard to believe? Drucinda never dreamed of her wedding."

"Yes, darling, but I'm far more exceptional than you. So, it's understandable. You're…mediocre at best. So, it stands to reason that you would have thought of it. You would have assumed you would live a normal, average, ordinary life."

"Average and ordinary does not mean I have to get married."

"But that is what most average, ordinary people do. They get married instead of ruling the world."

"What? Who is ruling the world?" Paige asked .

"I am. Obviously," Drucinda said. "If anyone has a shot at it, it's me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Yeah, come on, Dru," Devon said, "Paige and I will be supernatural royalty, so…"

"Second to me, Ruler of the World. Don't worry, darling, I'll make certain you're well taken care of. You are, after all, a prince."

Dewey clapped a hand on his head. "Oh, that's right! You're going to be a princess!"

Paige furrowed her brow as she considered it. "Wait, will you need to call me Your Royal Highness?"

"Let's not get crazy, Paige."

"But if I'm going to be a princess–"

"Just don't," Dewey said with a shake of his head as he continued his work. "You're not going to pull rank on me, kid."

Paige slouched down on the couch, stuck between two men who both planned her wedding festivities. Devon happily added items to their registry while Dewey continued to buy things for her shower and bachelorette party.

By the time they started their descent, she'd started to wonder if she was going insane. Maybe she'd slipped into a separate universe where the world tilted on its axis.

They stepped off the plane outside of a small airport with Devon's familial castle looming in the distance. Paige blew out a sigh as she recalled her last experience there. She'd nearly died at the hands of a Venompire.

A shiver shot through her as they piled into the stretch limousine waiting for them.

"Ahhh, this is the life," Dewey said as he sprawled on the seat. "I hope your dad is giving me a quality room, Abs."

"If you keep making fun of how I look, I can't make any promises. "

Dewey's eyes went round. "You know it's all just playful ribbing, right?"

"Really? Because sometimes it feels…really mean."

"Nah. I'm not mean. Only snarky." Dewey winked at him. "So, about that room…"

"We'll see what he gave you in a minute," Devon said as the car rolled to a stop outside the castle.

Paige climbed from the car, wrinkling her nose as she stared up at the gothic castle rising in front of her.

Devon slid his arm around her shoulders. "Welcome home, babe."

She struggled not to roll her eyes as bile crept up her throat. The front door popped open, and Dominic strode toward her, setting her heart to pound against her ribs. She tried to force a pleasant smile onto her face as he closed the distance.

"Well, lovely to see you again, Ms. Turner. Let us hope this time around does not involve a sword being held to my son's throat."

Paige gave him a nervous laugh as she wrung her hands. "Just…flirting where I come from. You know, where's the fun in just giving in, right?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Interesting. Well, I hope that feisty behavior remains intact, though."

"Ahh, I'm sure it does," Devon said as he tightened his grip on her shoulder. "My little Paige is a firecracker."

She'd never make it through this weekend. Ever.

"Well, I hope so. Because we have a major problem."

Paige's heart skipped a beat. Problem? What problem? And would it cost her the chance to find her mother?