Page 29

Oonagh, oblivious, had approached with a bouquet the size of a basketball. She thrust it under my nose. The smell was so sweet it was like huffing straight-up funeral home. “Now, let’s try some makeup. We want you glowing for the wedding photos.”

“I think I’m glowing from rage,” I said, but she was already rummaging through a tackle box filled with lipsticks and eyeshadows in colors not found in nature.

Linden patted my hand, as if I needed comfort. “You’ll thank me for this someday,” he said. “I know how you get. You need direction. A strong hand.”

“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself since our days on the playground? Because that is a long time to be deluding yourself,” I said, and for the first time since waking up, I saw his smile slip.

Silver watched the exchange, his eyes sharp. I wondered why unicorns were always portrayed as whimsical and majestic. He was downright creepy right now. I ignored his intense look.

Instead, I started to focus on my magic. I could feel it, just under my skin. It was sluggish, but it was there. If I could justmuster a little more, maybe I could get off one spell—just enough to get out a message to my sisters or mother. I tried a simple beacon spell to alert my mom. She was so close.

My fingers began to tingle, then they sparked with faint, rose-gold light. Oonagh’s head whipped around, a sixth sense for magical misbehavior. Silver was faster. He flicked his wrist and cast a counter-spell so sharp I felt it slap my hand away. The spark snuffed instantly, leaving my nerves raw and aching.

“Nice try, little witch,” Silver said, his voice cold. “But your magic won’t work here.”

“And I always thought you were the nice one,” I muttered at him.

“Power corrupts,” he said simply and eyed my belly. So, he’d bought into the idea that my unborn baby would make them the most powerful witches in our realm. Silver stepped closer, folding his arms. “Try again and I’ll break your fingers,” he said, totally without malice. Just a casual statement of fact.

I nodded, like I understood the rules of this game, and for now I would play along. But I wouldn’t stop looking for loopholes. Or weak points.

“So much for unicorns being all happiness and rainbows,” I grumbled.

That’s when I felt it. The faintest movement, a twitch against my hip. I thought maybe it was a muscle spasm—until the sensation repeated, sharper, like a tiny pinch.

I glanced down and saw a bump wriggling beneath the crinolines of my dress. For a split second, I wondered if Oonagh had sewn a tracker or a bomb or a magical chastity device into the outfit. But then I recognized the telltale pattern of the lump. It was moving up, carefully, expertly. A crustacean’s approach. Jocko.

He must have hitched a ride during the newest abduction, burrowing into the folds of my dress like a tiny, alcoholicstowaway. He had probably played dead, or at least inebriated, while they were moving me here. I was not sure whether to feel grateful or deeply, deeply alarmed.

I angled my body, careful not to draw Silver’s attention, and stuck my hand into the depths of the skirt. Jocko latched onto my finger with both claws, then released and scurried up to the crook of my arm.

“Mon dieu, what kind of mess have you gotten us into now?” he hissed, keeping his antennae low.

I almost cried with relief. “Keep your voice down,” I whispered.

“You look like the corpse bride?”

I glanced over my shoulder at Silver, who was distracted for the moment by Oonagh being unhappy about the placement of the floral arrangements. “We need a distraction. Can you do something?”

Jocko’s eyes narrowed, the black beads gleaming. “You want distraction, I give you distraction. But you owe me three bottles of whiskey and one bag of Zapp’s.”

“Deal. But be careful. They are straight up crazy.”

Jocko clung tighter to my arm, then with a practiced move, shimmied down the sleeve and back into the tulle. “Count to ten. Then be ready to run.”

I nodded, heart hammering. Oonagh returned to me to apply an entire tube of lipstick to my mouth, and now she and Linden were squabbling over where to position the flower arch. Oonagh favored the end of the room, where the morning sun would stream in through the bay window. Linden thought it should be closer to the cake. Silver, meanwhile, was now pacing by the fireplace, eyes darting between me and the other two.

I waited, willing my body to stay still. Nine. Ten.

There was a sharp clatter. The sound of an expensive vase toppling, then the skitter of glass against marble tile.

Oonagh shrieked, “Who did that?!” and both she and Linden ran to see the damage.

Silver turned toward the commotion, just for a second. It was enough. Jocko shot out from under the table and made a beeline for the corner, where he vanished behind the tangle of electrical cords powering the ceremonial archway. I saw a spray of sparks and a puff of smoke as he wreaked havoc with his small claws.

The room’s lights flickered, then all the wedding music stopped at once, replaced by the eerie sound of power failing.

I tried to make a run for the door, but Silver was already at my side, gripping my arm with supernatural strength. “You don’t get another warning,” he said and twisted my wrist just enough to send fire up my nerves.