My mother immediately started babbling, but I held up a hand. "Who was that?" I askedher.
"Who?" she asked, her dark brown eyesconcerned.
"The man who took thedoor."
She blinked and pursed her lips. "That is Martin Roma. He does a lot of construction and remodeling work around the town." My mother made a tsk noise. "Do not concern yourself. I told him to doit."
I stared at the empty doorway, a strange feeling in my stomach. I had a feeling I would see Martin Roma again. And I wasn't sure how I felt aboutit.
My mother went straight to wondering how we could curse Jeff Hunt, his family, and his unborn children, but I shook my head. "Mama. No. I should have known better. There weresigns."
She scoffed. "This magic you and your father have. It's a terribleburden."
She wasn't wrong. I took her hand. "But it can also be a wonderful gift." And it could. I was born a Jinn, a powerful deity who had the ability to grant wishes. If you read any stories you would think I would be limited to three wishes, but that part of it was not true and only made up to discourage those who would enslave us. The part about living in the bottle? Only slightly true. Once a quarter for three days I was forced to retreat to it to recharge my magic. As things went, it wasn't a bad life. It just made it very difficult in the romance department. I was always honest with the men I dated. I told them what I was once I felt like I was serious about them. If it ended, I would erase that knowledge from their minds. With my perfect track record of zero marital success, there wasn't a single soul in Midnight Cove who knew of my powers except for myfamily.
The residents knew there was a Jinn here, but I was very careful to go in full disguise to my brewery and shop. I took public transportation in to work and made sure I was never seen traveling to the bus station in my own car. It took work, but preserving my anonymity was worthit.
My mother pushed away a thick hank of hair from my face. My perfect chignon had unraveled, leaving my mass of black hair all over the place. "You must take away his knowledge, daughter. Think of the damage he coulddo."
I'd already thought about it. "I will. Will you leave me for a fewminutes?"
My mother nodded and stood from the bed. "When you are ready, change your clothes. We've decided to continue with the reception. We've asked several guests to leave so it will be just our family and the Lupin pack. Mark specifically asked to stay." She paused and sighed. "He...is a good man. Not like Jeff. I imagine Jeff will not have heard the last of this once Mark findshim."
She bent down, kissed the top of my head, and left the room. There was no door to shut, so I would have to move into the bathroom for privacy. I collapsed back onto the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. I was going to have to face my family and friends in a little while. For the thirdtime.
At least this time I had been smart enough to negotiate refundable deposits on almost everything. Some things, like the food, I couldn't, but I hadn't lost everything. And, I would be seeking recompense from the Lupin pack for the rest of thefunds.
A hysterical laugh bubbled up from me. This was going to be anightmare.
2
The soundsof theMacarenadrifted from the booming speakers as I made my way down to the ballroom. I'd changed into a pair of simple black, flowing palazzo pants, a white silky chemise and a pair of comfortable flats. I'd released my hair from its pinned up torture and left it swinging free. I'd left my makeup on, but the bride I'd been just a couple of hours ago wasgone.
The first person to catch me was myfather.
Sympathy and rage warred in his deep brown gaze as he lifted his hands to my cheeks. "Precious daughter, do not fret so. Someone is meant for you. They will have you as you are and no other way." He leaned in to kiss me. "I know this. I see this. You will have your fairytale." He leaned back and winked at me. "Though maybe you should elope nexttime."
I let out a half sob laugh. "Oh, Daddy, this is theworst."
He made a shh noise and took me by the hand. "Come. See yourself as your family seesyou."
I allowed myself to be led by him over to a massive table where my entire family had gathered. Each person stood up and came up to me. They each kissed my cheek and whispered that they loved me and by the end I was a blubberingmess.
My father picked up and began to ring a bell. "Let us not look at this day with sadness, but as a day to begin again!" He paused and winked at me. "And, please eat every single bit of this meal. Katie could not negotiate a refund on this, even though she reallytried!"
Laughter rang out and people moved toward the buffet style line. The DJ switched over to some slow tunes and before I even turned around, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I knew who was standing behind me even though I hadn't seen hisface.
"Katie."
I slowly turned to see the Alpha of the Lupin pack before me. There was a frightening amount of coiled power within him. "Mark," Igreeted.
He held out a tanned yet scarred hand. "MayI?"
I slipped my hand into his. "Ofcourse."
Mark led me out to the dance floor. His large hand settled on my waist, no lower than my hip. He'd always been a gentleman. I liked him very much, but I would be lying if I said he didn't scare me. He scared everyone and, if he didn't, that person was a fool. His hair was blond, but looked more like a lion's mane than any hair color I'd ever seen on a man. His eyes were bright green and his full generous lips rested on a face that looked like it had been carved of granite. He was beautiful. Ferocious.Terrifying.
And I knew for a fact he was awarrior.
