Page 148 of Betrayed in the Dark
Alex is sitting beside Vin, and the two of them are deep in conversation, probably discussing the impending war with the Vasiliev family that is looming over us.
And Mauro and Alina are sitting across from me, both of them appearing…well, I’m not exactly sure what to make of it. I’ve never seen Mauro so anxious; his index finger keeps tugging at the collar of his shirt. Alina, on the other hand, simply stares at her plate of food, her fork swirling through the pasta but not picking up any of it.
Hmm…
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Vin stands, the edge of his knife tapping against the crystal glass in his hand. All eyes in the room turn to him as his gaze finds mine.
“Family is all that matters in this world,” he begins, his eyes shifting to Eli. “And we are blessed that our family keeps growing.” He raises his glass high. “Eli, you’ve always been like a brother to me, Leo, Alex, and Mauro. But now, you are officially one of us—an Alarie. I am honored to welcome you to our family. There is no one we would have thought more perfect for our sister than you. And we know…” He clears his throat. “We know our father would be incredibly happy for the two of you.” My eyes water, my throat slightly tightening as I place a hand on Eli’s thigh. His dark eyes meet mine as the corners of his mouth turn up, causing mine to do the same. “So, here’s to family.”
Everyone raises their glasses. “To family.”
Eli caresses his lips against my cheek. “I’ll be right back, love.”
“Where are you going? Dessert will probably be out soon.”
“Trust me, I won’t miss it.” He winks. “Besides.” He lowers his head, placing his lips beside my ear. “You know you’re my favorite dessert.”
Heat creeps up my neck as I bite down on my bottom lip. “Hurry back.”
I watch as he walks off, disappearing toward the kitchen.
“So.” Scarlett leans toward me, smiling. “Need any help planning your wedding?”
Eli and I haven’t discussed what kind of wedding we would like to have, but I have a funny feeling we both already know where it will take place.
“Yeah, starting with a redo of my bachelorette party,” I tell her, making us both laugh. “I’m thinking of doing a girls’ trip somewhere tropical. Maybe—”
“You can go to the family’s island,” Leo cuts in.
“But I’ve been there before.”
“So? It has a private security team, twenty-four-seven surveillance, not to mention it’s in a no-fly zone.”
I roll my eyes. “I guess it could be a compromise.”
“What’s a compromise?” Eli asks, his voice behind me.
“For my bachelorette—” I turn in my chair, and all the air leaves my lungs as Eli pushes a cart toward me, topped with my wedding cake.
Or, well, it looks like it’s supposed to be my former wedding cake. It has the same number of tiers I requested and the same wraparound floral design.
But it’s…
“You really thought I was going to let you order a vanilla cake when you dream of and live for chocolate?” he asks, a playful grin spreading across his face.
“What?” I shake my head in confusion. “I don’t understand… How did you do this?”
He sits next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, tucking me into his side. “I was never going to let you marry Alastor or any other man, for that matter.” He gently sweeps my hair over my shoulder. “And I definitely wasn’t going to let a cake go to waste. So, that night, after we left the bakery, I made a call. Asked her to change some things and to push back onthe date. Elena seemed easily convinced.” I roll my eyes, which makes him chuckle.
“Thank you,” I say, placing a kiss on his lips.
He grins, giving a quick shrug. “It was nothing.”
I shake my head. “It was everything.”
Ding! Ding! Ding!
