Page 28 of Taming the Beasts (Crooked Point #3)

I shook my head, but realized he couldn’t see me since I wasn’t in my house. “It’s not a blood kink. She’s a vampire. At least, that’s what she claims.”

“Oh,” Grudge said.

He didn’t sound as horrified as I thought he would.

Emma leaned closer to the phone. “Apparently vampires are really fast. So the cameras weren’t glitching. She was just moving at lightning speed.”

“Interesting.”

That was all he had to say? “We’re not totally convinced she is one though. I feel like something else is going on. What time did she disappear?”

“It was really late last night. Technically early this morning. Around 3 am. And she was gone for a while. She didn’t come back for an hour and a half or so. She was probably out for a walk or something.”

Who went walking alone at 3 am?

“What were you doing up at 3 am?” Emma asked.

“I work odd hours,” Grudge said. “And they’re very flexible. Which is why I can make your wedding on Saturday.”

“Okay. The ceremony starts at 7.”

Emma !

“Nice,” he said. “A sunset wedding.”

Technically it was right after sunset. So that Callum could attend.

“Do you need the address?” she asked.

Seriously, Emma, what the fuck?!

“Nah, I already know where Zoey lives. I’ll just meet up with her at her place beforehand.”

“I’ll be really busy with maid of honor duties,” I said. “We’ll barely have time to hang out.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll hang out with Kebe.”

I groaned. “Grudge, what did you not understand about her possibly being a vampire?”

“That’s she’s possibly one. More importantly, she’s smoking hot.”

Emma laughed.

This wasn’t funny. Grudge was one of my best friends. I didn’t want him to be murdered.

The owner of the boutique came out of the back room with her arms full of white dresses.

“I gotta go,” I said.

“See you on Saturday, hot stuff.” Grudge ended the call.

“Why would you invite him to your wedding?” I asked. “You barely know him.”

“It seemed really rude to mention the wedding and not invite him. I didn’t actually think he was going to say yes.”

I shook my head. I needed to tell my boyfriends about Grudge ASAP. They were not going to like how integrated Grudge was in my life. I’d promised to stop camming and I had. But I wasn’t sure Bennett would be appeased if I was still technically talking to one of my clients .

“God, he’s the only person I’ve invited other than you.” Emma laughed. “Awkward. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. We’ll stuff the guest list so it’s not awkward that you invited someone you barely know.”

The owner stopped in front of us and put the dresses on a rack.

“These were the only white dresses that I had close to your size. Luckily I do have some sewing skills though. I can alter whichever dress you’d like.

And maybe even add a bit of embellishment.

Or alter the necklines. They’re not really wedding dresses.

We stock prom dresses and homecoming dresses. So they’re a bit...young.”

I stared at the low cut of the first one. Young apparently meant the dresses were hot. “One of these will definitely do.” These were even better than I was imagining. There was even a two-piece dress!

“Do you think so?” Emma asked. “Callum is very old-fashioned. Oh wait.” She stood up and pulled a dress off the end of the rack that looked like something you’d wear to work. “What about this one?”

“Anything but that one.”

“But...”

“You want Callum to drool when you walk down the aisle, don’t you?”

Emma bit her lip. But she slowly nodded her head. “There aren’t that many. Is it okay if I try all of them?”

“Of course,” the woman said.

“Thank you for all your last minute help,” I said. “Want to come to the wedding?”

“Oh.” She seemed really surprised. But her smile was contagious. “I would love to come.”

“Great.” I smiled back. I was going to invite everyone I ran into over the next few days. To make the Grudge invite not seem so weird. Because the last thing I wanted to do was upset my boyfriends. Except for Titan. I was greatly enjoying upsetting him.

“Do you have any more dresses like these in red?” Emma asked. “Zoey needs one too. She’s my maid of honor.”

The woman nodded. “What shade of red were you thinking? A bright red or...”

“Blood red,” Emma said.

I raised my eyebrows at her. Bold choice.

“I have a few, yes,” she said. “Let’s get you set up in a changing room and then I’ll go find some of my red dresses.

” She ushered Emma toward the closest changing room.

She pulled back the curtain and got the first few dresses sorted inside for her.

“I’ll be right back. Call for me if you need my help. ” She hurried off.

“Which one should I start with?” Emma asked me.

I wasn’t sure which dresses the owner had put into the dressing room. But I knew my choice. “The two-piece.” I pointed to the one still out here on the rack.

She laughed. “Definitely not.”

I walked over to the rack. “What about this one?” I lifted one up. It was super short and had a big white bow on the back. It was pure white with a scoop back and a scoop neck. It wasn’t nearly as revealing as some of the others. And there was something about it that screamed old-fashioned to me.

“I was really hoping for something floor-length. But it is somehow sexy and sophisticated.”

“At least try it.”

She nodded and grabbed it from my hands. She closed the curtain and I looked through the other dresses as I waited. I loved a lot of them. But I had a feeling Emma wouldn’t like as many. The one I’d just picked out really did seem the most like her.

“Could you zip me?” she called from the other side of the curtain.

I pushed it aside and zipped the back of her dress. I adjusted the big bow.

“It’s a perfect fit,” she said and turned around.

“Emma.” It was like the dress was made for her body. “You look amazing.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Come look in the mirrors out here.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the changing room.

She stopped in front of the closest mirror. “I didn’t expect to love it this much.”

“It was made for you.”

She shook her head. “I really need something longer though. It’s fall. It’s not practical.”

“Wedding dresses aren’t supposed to be practical. But if you want it longer, luckily the owner said she has some sewing skills.”

“You think she could make it longer?”

“Maybe. But hold that thought.” I hurried over to a shoe display and found a pair of blood red stilettos. “Before you add a bunch of layers. You gotta try these on with it.”

She laughed, but let me help her into the high heels.

I whistled as she stood back up. “You’re the hottest bride I’ve ever seen.”

She was smiling so hard.

The owner came back out with a stack of red dresses in her arms. “Oh, that looks lovely on you.”

“Do you really think so?” Emma asked.

She nodded .

“Do you think you could somehow make it floor-length?”

“Oh. Um.” She stared at it for a while but then slowly shook her head. “I wouldn’t know how without there being an awful seam. Hm.” She tilted her head to the side as she kept studying the dress.

Emma stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “I should try one of the longer ones then.”

I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I stepped up beside her and grabbed her hand. “Emma, if you like this dress you should get it.”

“It’s too revealing.”

It really wasn’t. “Well, maybe we could do something else to help make it more modest? What about a really long veil?”

“I have an idea,” the owner finally said. “I could add some length to the bottom of the bow. Maybe make it more of a train? Could that work?”

That was such a good idea! “That would be so beautiful as you walk down the aisle.”

Emma’s frown slowly morphed into a smile. “That would look really amazing, right? With it trailing behind me?”

The owner and I both nodded enthusiastically.

“I really didn’t expect to love anything this much,” Emma said. “It feels very...me.”

It was very her. Form fitting but still somehow modest. And so unique. “We need a picture of this. Where is your camera?”

She laughed. “We don’t need a picture. We’ll have plenty on Saturday.” For just a second, she looked sad .

“I’m going to go look to see what fabric I have for the bow,” the owner said.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked when she was out of earshot.

“I just remembered that Callum won’t appear in any of the wedding photos. Vampires can’t be photographed. It’ll just be...me. Alone at the altar.”

That wouldn’t do. “Then we’ll hire a portrait artist.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” I mentally added it to my growing to-do list. “Now please tell me you’re doing the red heels too?”

Her smile was back. “Oh, I’m so doing the heels.”

“Great, now change. We have a million things to do today.”

She laughed, but hurried back into the dressing room.

We really did have a full day. I glanced at my phone. Hopefully I’d be getting a call from Bennett soon. I couldn’t wait to hear what his contact had to say.