by Jayne Castle
Clara, dressed in a tuxedo, took Hannah’s arm.
“Nervous?” she whispered.
“Excited,” Hannah said. “Thrilled. Happy. And, okay, maybe a little nervous.”
“Everything is going to be just fine,” Clara said. “In fact, the future looks wonderful.”
“You sound very sure of that.”
“I am.” Clara looked down the aisle at Elias, who stood waiting at the altar. “After all, you’re marrying the man who knows why Bernice and I named the Magic Hannah orchid after you.”
“Because my talent looks a bit like magic?”
“No,” Clara said. “Because you are magical.”
Hannah smiled. “Thanks, but we both know I never had the talent to go onstage like you and Aunt Bernice.”
“You weren’t born to be a professional stage magician but you changed our lives. Bernice and I are very different people now than we would have been if you hadn’t wound up on our doorstep. We stopped the wild partying and got married because of you. We settled down, created a home, and made plans for a future all because of you. And now you’re going to bring a little magic into Elias’s life. He knows that. He understands how fortunate he is to have found you. That makes him the right one for you.”
“Aunt Clara, I’m going to cry and ruin the makeup that the nice cosmetician just spent half an hour putting on my face.”
Clara laughed. “Don’t you dare. Remember the old stage motto: Never cry in front of an audience unless it’s part of the act.”
Hannah sniffed. “Okay.”
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
The music rose to a joyous level.
Clara tightened her grip on Hannah’s arm and escorted her down the aisle.
Elias never took his eyes off Hannah. In that moment she saw the promise of a lifetime of love and knew that together she and Elias would create some real magic—a new family and a future.
* * *
The reception was held in the glorious rooftop gardens of the Amber Palace. Maxwell Smith had insisted on hosting the event. In Illusion Town you didn’t turn down such a gracious offer from one of the members of the Club. And there was no denying the venue made a spectacular setting for a party.
There were the usual toasts with Smith’s very fine champagne and various and assorted traditions were honored.
A hush fell over the crowd when Elias led Hannah out onto the dance floor that had been set up in the middle of the garden. When the music came to an end he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. There was a round of applause.
And then the fun really got started.
If there was one thing Illusion Town knew how to do well, it was throw a party.
A good time was had by all, including the dust bunnies who, after stoking up on the special wedding cupcakes that had been made for them, headed straight for the glowing pool.
Perkins served as lifeguard. Some of the guests were secretly disappointed when the frolicking in the water did not result in any emergencies requiring the butler to strip out of her elegant uniform.
Sometime after midnight the bride and groom took their leave. Everyone assumed they were headed for one of the opulent honeymoon suites in the Amber Palace. But the truth—later reported in the Curtain—was that they spent their second wedding night in the bride’s little apartment above her shop. When asked for a comment, the couple had explained that the apartment felt like home.
Chapter 39
With the bride and groom gone, the rooftop party wound down. But the night was far from over. The human guests headed for the bright lights of the Strip where the glittering casinos and exotic shows awaited.
The dust bunnies allowed themselves to be hauled out of the pool but their fun was not yet over, either. Runner and his crew were waiting for them. They collected Virgil and his pals and headed for the newest attraction on the Strip.
The Alien Storm roller coaster was officially open for business. Tickets for the first couple of months had been sold out for ages. But the bride and groom knew some important people in town. The envelope that Elias had presented to Runner and his crew had contained passes for the night of the wedding. Management had agreed that dust bunnies could ride for free.
The night was still young and the tickets were good for an unlimited number of rides. As luck would have it, dust bunnies and humans had a few things in common when it came to the definition of a good time. Both groups liked their fun spiked with a few thrills.
In Illusion Town, the thrills were real.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jayne Castle, the author of Siren’s Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow, and After Dark, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick. She lives in Seattle. Visit her online at jayneannkrentz.com and facebook.com/jayneannkrentz.
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