Page 84 of Merciless
“If I’m at a party, I need to be the drunkest one there by the end of the night,” Reaper went on. “It’s a cardinal rule.”
“You were heavily drugged, if that counts?” I offered, winding my arms around his waist.
“Hmm.” He lifted an arm to wrap it around my shoulders and pull me into his side. “You got a point there, sugar.”
“Can we go already?” Shadow grumbled, fiddling with his sleeves some more in the mirror.
“So eager to chat and mingle with politicians again, are you?” Gunner teased him with a slap on the back.
“The sooner we go, the sooner we can get this over with.”
“And then we can start therealparty.” Jandro rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I got the smoker going with a few racks of ribs already, they’ll be perfect tonight.”
Reaper squeezed my shoulder. “Who all is coming over?”
“I invited everyone we know,” I said, swiping a final coat of mascara over my lashes. “I imagine most of them will be at the ceremony too.”
Once the five of us were ready, we left the house in the waiting SUV that the Governor sent to pick us up. He sent along five armed soldiers on motorcycles to escort us, which was, honestly, excessive, but it was more for show than anything. People lined up on the streets to wave and watch us drive by.
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or uncomfortable,” Reaper said through his teeth as he waved back.
“Just smile and go with it.” I patted his leg.
Someone hit a button that lowered the windows and people screamed louder as they got a clearer look at me sandwiched in the backseat.
“Oh no.” I hid my face in Gunner’s shoulder, suddenly bashful at all the attention.
He just laughed at my reaction, smiling and waving like he was born for the spotlight. “Just go with it, baby girl.”
I peeked up and saw that it was mostly girls and young women walking alongside the vehicle, craning their necks to get a glimpse inside the window. When I waved at them, the brightest smiles broke across their faces as they returned the gesture. They didn’t know exactly what role I played in ending the war, but that was okay. If I gave them something to aspire to, I would take that honor proudly.
The crowd continued all the way up to the City Hall building. The perimeter was roped off to keep people at a distance, but our escorts still surrounded us as we walked up to the front doors.
“No offense, guys.” Jandro grinned good-naturedly at one of them. “But I think we’ve proven we can handle ourselves.”
The guard next to him smiled back. “The governor insisted. And we’re honored.”
Once inside, we were immediately crowded by members of the governor’s cabinet. Everyone wanted to shake hands and congratulate us—mostly my men—personally.
“You must be so proud of your brave, er, husbands, is it?” One older gentleman clasped my hand tightly and leaned inveryclose.
His hand was firmly detached from mine as I was pulled back protectively against a tall, solid chest. “We’re proud ofher,”Shadow corrected. “She saved our lives.”
“Give them space, you damn vultures!” A commanding voice cut through the buzz of curious questions and everyone crowding us slowly parted to reveal Finn and Lis at the end of the foyer.
They made such a beautiful couple—Finn in his formal general’s uniform and Lis in a modest, floor-length dress and a few of her statement jewelry pieces. She held on to her husband’s arm, the two of them beaming at us as we made our way to them.
“Mari, you look beautiful!” Lis held her arms out to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank you for not giving up on him,” she said when my cheek pressed to hers. “Thank you for loving my son.”
There were no words that felt adequate enough to answer, so I just squeezed her back.
She pulled away, smiling and taking my hands. “Your parents are already inside. We saved seats for everyone.”
We moved slowly toward the ceremony room, which looked like an old-fashioned theater with a stage and red curtain. Lis and Finn guided us to the front row where my parents waited in an otherwise mostly-empty section.
“There she is.” My dad beamed, patting the seat next to him. He looked more like the man I remembered every day with that warm brightness in his eyes and his hair growing back.
I hugged both of my parents before sitting down. “Are you guys coming tonight?” I lowered my voice to a whisper as people began to fill seats.
