Dark Debt

And with that, the ghost who’d haunted our dreams—literally and figuratively—was finally gone. Yes, there was still Reed and his sorcerer to deal with. But this threat, at least, had been neutralized.

Most of the vampires had left the party, returned to their Houses. Our group—our Cadogan and Ombuddy family—still sat at a table beneath the tent looking utterly relaxed and sipping the rest of the champagne.

“What’s the saying?” Ethan asked. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here?” But he grinned at them, accepted the glass of champagne that Luc offered.

“We were just saying how gorgeous the garden looked,” Jeff said, “and how you’d probably agree to let them use it for their wedding.”

Since nobody at the table looked surprised, Mallory and Catcher must have shared the nuptial news. “I don’t want any fuss.”

“It wouldn’t be any fuss at all,” Luc said. “Right, hoss?”

“Of course not. I actually already offered her the garden, if I recall.”

“He did,” Mallory said, reaching out to pat his arm. “It was a very nice offer.”

“And it still stands.” Ethan grinned. “Hell, we’re all dressed in pretty clothes, and the garden will hardly get any better than this. We could just do it now.”

He’d meant it as a joke, but a weighty silence fell as Mallory and Catcher looked at each other.

“We couldn’t,” Mallory said. “Could we?”

Catcher scratched the back of his neck, looked at Mallory. “I don’t know why we wouldn’t, actually. There’s never going to be a perfect time. Isn’t that the point of love, or marriage, in the first place? Recognizing that perfection is irrelevant? That imperfection is sometimes kind of perfect?”

Mallory pressed her lips together, trying to will back tears.

“Oh my God, are you two seriously about to get married?” Lindsey drummed her feet on the ground like an excited child.

Catcher didn’t take his eyes off Mallory, but reached out and squeezed her hand. “I kinda think we are, yeah.”

Ethan looked at the group. “Anybody licensed to perform a ceremony?”

Grinning, Jeff raised a hand. “Actually, I am. River nymphs,” he explained with a shrug, and I was momentarily bummed I hadn’t been invited to that particular wedding. The nymphs knew how to party. “Do you have a license?”

Mallory nodded. “I got it yesterday.”

“Then we’re good,” Jeff said.

“Oh my God,” Mallory said, her excitement rising, her eyes glowing with love and happiness. “Oh my God.” She slapped Catcher’s arm. “We’re going to get married.”

“It does look like that.”

There was no regret in his eyes. No remorse. No hesitation. Just happiness, and maybe a bright edge of nerves.

Good, I thought with a grin. Those nerves will keep him honest.

Ethan nodded. “That takes care of the officiate. What else?”

“If we’re doing this,” I said, “we’re doing it right. We need the traditional things—something old, new, borrowed, blue.”

I looked around, grabbed the pocket square from Ethan’s jacket, pressed it into Mallory’s hand. “Blue,” I said, and Mallory’s eyes filled with tears of shock and surprise. She squeezed her fingers around it.

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

“Borrowed,” my grandfather said, pulling a watch from his pocket and extending it to Catcher. “My father gave it to me, and I’d be honored for you to carry it.”

Obviously swamped with emotion, Catcher wrapped his arms around my grandfather, squeezed. “That is . . . that is just excellent, Chuck.”

“Damn it,” I murmured, knuckling my own tears away. “I didn’t want to cry any more this week.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to avoid it,” Lindsey said, putting her arms through mine and Mallory’s, linking us together. “We are going to be mewling like kittens before the night’s up.”

“And then Mallory will be mewling like a kitten for entirely different reasons.”

We all looked back at Jeff, found his eyebrows winging up and down in amusement. “No? Too soon?”

“For the officiate, yes,” I said.

“We need old and new,” my grandfather said, avoiding the byplay.

“I believe I count as old,” Ethan said. “Technically.”

Mallory and I exchanged a look.

“Four centuries is probably as good as you’re going to get,” I said.

“Then we’ll check that box,” she said. “New?”

“I got this,” Jeff said, squinting as he patted down his pockets. After several groping seconds, he pulled out a small green keychain with a single key attached. It was a square of green rubber, “JQ” embossed in lime letters.

“New Jakob’s Quest swag came out this week,” he said, passing it over to Mallory with a sheepish grin.

“That’ll do,” Mallory said kindly. “Thank you very much.”

Jeff nodded. “You’re welcome. And I think that’s it. New, borrowed, blue, vampire.”

Ethan grinned. “Shall we get arranged?”

Mallory looked at me, squealed. “I’m getting married! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!”