Page 148 of Love & Heart Braking

We were invited to their wedding.

I dropped the invitation and the RSVP slip, then grabbed the second envelope, ripping it open.

Gug G. Gregaggog & Maligni Ammatus

They were playing with us.

Telling us they knew exactly who we were.

My lips numbed. Where was Lerome’s invitation?

They either didn’t know he was with us, or… I grabbed the phone, checking what type our current clients were. Mermaids’ hearing was shocking though their eyesight was keen. Annya was speaking with a boggart.

I dialed Devereaux’s number.

It rang four times.

“Hello?” Gug’s nervous voice flooded the line.

“It’s Cerys. How are you?”

“Writing the truth. At last. It feels good, but it’s going to take time. How are you? Maligni told me about last night with Rodney.”

“Yeah, crazy stuff, huh? Listen, everything is fine on my end, but I was wondering if you’d heard from Lerome in the last few days.”

She hummed. “No. But that’s the norm for all of us, aside from the odd call from you to check in. Why?”

My chest tightened. “I just received invitations. For all of us except Lerome to Austin’s wedding next week.”

The line buzzed.

“Do they not know Lerome is with us?” she asked.

“Possibly. But he was watching the Cinereses’ estate.” I didn’t want to contemplate the worst, especially after the false call with Devereaux yesterday, but more often than not, the worst came to eventuation when the twelve were involved. “Listen, don’t worry too much. We’ll know one way or another if he doesn’t show to the meeting tonight.”

Ending the call with Gug, I stared at the invitation.

Grandma Cineres was behind this. She was fucking with me. With all of us. This was a challenge and a dare. We’d be fools to take her up on it.

Which only made me wonder what she’d do between now and the wedding to force our attendance.

33

“Yep, and that one over there.” I pointed and Rolli lugged the last table into the second row.

We often had a theme with our parties, but this event was totally casual. Low, twinkling lighting—of course—and we’d hired a bunch of the bar tables like the one in Yearning Harmony. We’d set up three rows of the tables and an icebreaker activity plus conversation starters at each. If I had to run events, too, then at least I’d been eased in with the most straightforward event we’d ever done.

At the far end, a Yearning Hearts sign-up booth sat beside a Yearning Harmony sign-up booth, and joy filled me at the sight of them.

The booths would’ve made Soleil so happy too.

And I wanted to make sure she saw it. I’d sent a little email of my own yesterday afternoon.

“Could your photographer take a picture of that?” I asked the reporter beside me, one of Soleil’s guys. The one she’d used in the past to battle the twelve’s petty attempts to ruin Yearning’s reputation.

“Sure can,” the air mage said.

I left them to it and set out all the games and conversation cards, relieved that the venue had allowed us to set up a day early. I still had to organize the registration sheets and decide on some sign-up deals for the booths. To do that, I’d have to look at the earnings and wages and decide what we could viably offer. My brain wanted to explode at the very thought.