Page 35 of Bride of Death

When a parchment edged in fire appears, I take a step back, but he thrusts it in my direction, which causes a flurry of golden leaves to sprout—literally,sprout—up from the page. I gape at the magic, then start to read the writing beneath the growing stem of leaves.

Or is it a flower?I wonder as glittering petals bloom at the end of the stalk.Wow, that’s pretty.I almost reach out to touch it, but my gaze snags on my name written in black ink.

You’re Cordially Invited to the Nuptial Day Event

between

Hades C. Netherworld

and

Serapina P. Everheart

My brow furrows. “I don’t have a middle name.” But I can guess what thePstands for. “And this is all just a big misunderstanding. I’m not mating Hades.”

Gasps answer my proclamation, reminding me of our audience.

“Sera,” Gnarls whispers, his voice underlined in warning. “If you say his name, he’ll appear.”

“Oh?” I ask, feigning intrigue. “Well then,Hades. Hades. Hades!” I glance around, waiting for someone to either appear or step forward.

The problem is, even if the God of Death revealed himself, I wouldn’t recognize him.

Because we have never even met!

I nearly scream those words aloud but instead allow them to echo loudly in my head before stealing a deep breath and facing Gnarls. “Well, he’s not here. So let me set the record straight—I’m not engaged. The invitations were sent in error. I’m just a human girl trying to survive in the Netherworld Kingdom, okay?”

His expression is underlined in incredulity, making it clear that he doesn’t believe me.

I sigh. “Look, just let me work my shift tonight, okay? Then I’ll go… sort this out.”

A snort from my left has me glancing at Maliki just as he settles at the bar.

Gnarls visibly pales and says, “I was just about to tell our queen that we appreciate all she’s done to get to know us, but we obviously don’t expect her to work anymore.”

I steal a deep breath, my nerves suddenly frayed. “Gnarls, please don’t?—”

“She likes fixing drinks and talking to fae,” Maliki interjects. “Should I tell Hades you’re taking away her enjoyment, Gnarls?”

My manager’s eyes widens. “No, I?—”

“And further, I think Hades owns this place, yeah?” He glances back at the entrance. “I mean, there’s not a sign outside, I guess, but it is calledDeath’s Den, is it not?”

“It is. It’s his. I know th?—”

“So if his fiancée wants to work here,” Maliki interrupts again, “then I think it might be wise to let her, yeah?”

Gnarls is whiter than Pip’s bony face now, his green eyes even less vibrant than before. “Of course,” he says, sounding ill. “I would never tell her not to do something, especially if she enjoys it.”

Maliki nods, then focuses on me. “Are you in the mood to fix me a spider ale tonight, or should I do it myself?”

I grit my teeth, irritated by him inserting himself into this discussion.

Yeah, okay, he helped.

But I could have handled this without his involvement. “You can get your own drink,” I tell him.

His lips quirk. “Sure, trouble.”