Page 99 of House of Malice
Jolene’s hand with a mini cupcake froze midair, and she looked at Alecto as if she were crazy. Leigh only blinked, politely folding her hands in her lap.
Alecto burst into laughter. “Oh, if you could only see your faces right now.”
Jolene scoffed. “For a moment there, I really thought you had lost your damned mind.”
Leigh chuckled and grabbed a small rye bread sandwich from one of the plates.
“What, you don’t want to be those brides who match perfectly?” Alecto teased. “Two bodies, one soul incarnated.”
Jolene imitated gagging, and Alecto laughed even harder.
“I respect everyone’s point of view, but that whole soul mate bullshit you have in the mortal world is absolutely ridiculous,” Jolene said. “Why would they want to be one unit instead of celebrating the fact that two very different souls chose to be together?”
Alecto shrugged. “Beats me.”
“I think it has to do with the fear of being alone,” Leigh said. “Many mortals consider that to be the worst thing to happen. And the fact that the journey of life often requires us to be alone scares them.”
Jolene pondered her words, nodding.
“That makes sense,” Alecto said. She could understand the desire to belong, to not feel like you were alone against the rest of the world.
“So, anyway,” she said, with a single clap. “Leigh, will your family be coming to the ceremony? We sent them the invitations, but it is such a short notice.”
“Oh, absolutely, they will,” Leigh said. “They are thrilled about it. My mom was sad that they didn’t get to help with the organization of the event, though.”
“Understandable,” Alecto said. “But she will get to enjoy it without having to worry about anything.”
Leigh smiled. Then she looked at Jolene, and her smile turned sad. “I’m sorry that your family won’t be attending.”
“They will,” Alecto said, before Jolene could open her mouth. Jolene looked at her, alert. “We invited them, and trust me, they will be coming.”
Leigh seemed to be surprised. “I thought you didn’t want them to know until after the fact?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry about it,” Jolene said with a small smile. “We have this under control. Right, Alecto?”
Alecto nodded. “Don’t worry. You are getting hitched, even if I have to do it on the way to the damned ceremony myself. Not even the King of Hel will stop me from making it happen.”
Leigh and Jolene laughed.
“Alright, I will go get the designer so we can begin,” Alecto said, rising to her feet.
She left the girls chuckling and murmuring something to each other and went to the front of the store to talk with the shopping assistant.
The moment she appeared through the corridor, the shopping assistant asked, “Are you ready to start?”
Alecto nodded. “Yes, please. And can I ask for some coffee? Black, no cream or sugar.”
The shopping assistant nodded, and Alecto returned to the studio. Just as she sat down on the sofa, the door opened, and a goblin dressed in a black suit and black sunglasses walked in through the door. She held the door open, and three long clothing racks full of garments rolled into the studio.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” the goblin greeted. She had an accent, but Alecto couldn’t place it. “I hope you enjoyed your snacks and drinks while you waited for me. I’m Ariz, the owner and the designer.”
“Nice to meet you, Ariz,” Jolene said. “You have a beautiful place.”
“Yes, and we have heard only good things about your talent,” Leigh said.
“I’m flattered,” Ariz said in a flat tone.
A shopping assistant came in with Alecto’s coffee and handed it to her. Alecto thanked her and took a sip. Now she was ready for the show.
