by Kat Bostick
When everyone was seated, Charlie left them to drool while he stood at the front of the table, glass raised. Fresh bottles of champagne were placed strategically between dishes, as well as red wines that probably cost more than Mari’s Toyota. Glass after glass was placed in her hand and she accepted.
Maybe it was a bad idea because even seated at the table, her head was beginning to feel a bit like it too was a freshly popped champagne bottle—all bubbles.
“I would like to propose a toast. Mari and Jasper have inspired us all with their devotion and the strength of their bond. So few are lucky to love with such ferocity and passion in these short lives we lead. I wish you all the happiness in the world. You deserve it.” The werewolf side of the table erupted with noise, clinking their glasses together hard enough that Mari feared one might shatter. Her family and Aubrey joined in with far less enthusiasm.
“A marriage is made up of many facets, the most important of which is sacrifice. I’ll never have to worry about my youngest son so long as he is bound to you, Mariella, because you know what it means to sacrifice for the sake of the ones you love.”
For a heartbeat Mari returned to a night three months ago. The house was still as the pack slept safe and warm at her feet. Charlie’s hand was over hers, steadying her. That was the first moment Mari doubted herself after killing Lyse, the first time she felt that she would come apart. Charlie held her together, reminded her that she didn’t have the luxury of crumbling. She had people that needed her, a pack to protect.
Because that was what family did. She couldn’t help but glance at her own father then. He’d lost so much because of the sacrifices her mother was willing to make for love, but he could have gained so much too.
“We owe you a great deal of gratitude. We may not be standing here today if not for your tenacity—”
“Stubborn woman wouldn’t even die when someone tried to kill her.” Cash interjected loudly. It took a lot of alcohol to intoxicate a werewolf, but Cash appeared to be halfway there already.
Mari tried not to cringe as she loudly added, “Hypothetically.”
“Well said, son.” Charlie only shook his head and smiled. “What I mean to say is that I’m glad you came into our lives. Tonight, you and Jasper became family. That makes you my family too. You will always have a place at my table and a place in my heart.” He raised his glass over his head. “To young love!”
Mari looked around the table, meeting every set of eyes that was on her. They were smiling and cheering their agreement. A burning sensation at the back of her eyes warned her just in time to wipe beneath them and keep the tears from ruining the eyeliner that Coralee took painstaking care to trace along her lids.
So this was what it felt like to belong. To be wanted. After years of yearning, of loneliness, of feeling unfilled, it was hard to pinpoint how she felt. There was an ache in her middle, but she was pretty sure it was a good pain. The kind that came when a hungry belly was finally full. A gaping space inside of her was no longer empty and she hadn’t quite adjusted to the new sensation.
Mari laughed when Cash tossed in another obtuse addition to the end of Charlie’s toast, sloshing his champagne around as he did. She paused with her glass halfway to her lips, catching the alpha’s gaze and holding it long enough to nod. Whatever their differences, Charlie understood her in a way that most people didn’t.
“You’re a good man, Charlie Dunne.” She mouthed.
“And you’re a pain in my ass.” He said back, taking his seat and waving for everyone to begin eating.
Beside her, Jasper chuckled. Mari glanced right, giving him a private smile that only widened when she realized what he’d done. There weren’t assigned seats at the pack table, but that didn’t stop everyone from taking the same chair every day. Jasper was always on her left, Clem was always across from her, and the seat to her right was always empty. Which meant Veronica would be right next to her if Jasper hadn’t snatched up that space.
Yeah, she made the right choice when she picked him.
Polite dinner conversation lasted less than ten minutes before Veronica decided she felt upstaged by Charlie’s toast and had to bring the attention back to her. She’d spent the evening coiling tighter, poised like the snake she was. Vee always had more to say when she’d been drinking. Tonight, they’d all been drinking.
“Oh, you finally got Mari to eat!” Veronica pointed at Mari’s plate. “She’s too skinny. It’s a wonder that dress doesn’t fall off of her. I’ve always told her she needs to eat more. Men like hips.” To demonstrate her point she reached around Jasper—never a good idea—and pinched Mari’s side.
Mari squirmed uncomfortably and muttered, “My hips are fine.”
Another round of wine was poured and Mari was the first to accept. One glass—two if she wasn’t working the next day—was usually her limit but she wasn’t against using a vice to cope with having her family at Charlie’s dinner table.
“That is a lovely dress, Mar.” Since when did Vee call her that? “But it’s really suited for someone with more curves. Why did you rush into this? A dress like that needs to be fitted. There are so many little details your wedding is missing.” She all but gulped her glass of wine. “Have you already signed the papers? You should wait and try for a later date. Summer is a great time for a wedding. I know a gal who can work with your—” A vague wave up and down Mari’s body. “—‘slim’ figure.”
Mari wasn’t even sure how to respond. “We literally just got married.”
“I don’t think a ceremony like that counts. You skipped so many traditions. You seem to be in such a hurry that you’re missing out on the true wedding experience.” She made a show of looking at Mari’s midriff. “Unless there’s a different reason you’re tying the knot.”
“I’m not pregnant.” She muttered, not wanting to grace that accusation with a response but hating to leave it hanging there to gain weight with her father. He probably hadn’t even considered that as a potential; he was too fixated on Mari as the rebellious daughter vying for his attention.
The conversation at the table had been ambling on—the pack trying to be polite to their guests and tone down their normally raucous behavior—but the longer Veronica spoke, the quieter the dining room became. More and more Vee picked apart the details of the dress, the wedding, and everything in between—including Mari’s choice to wear white the day before—until eventually the only two sounds were her voice and the clacking of forks on plates. Beside her, Jasper was vibrating with indignation, his anger so violent Mari feared he was falling back into the behavior they’d only just changed.
Cash stood jerkily, his chair screeching on the floor, and nearly shouted, “I think we need more drinks. Who wants wine? Champagne? I’ll get both.” He returned to the table with bottle after bottle, filling glasses to the brim and trying to lighten the awkward mood with several crass jokes.
Eventually his good humor caught on and everyone was laughing. Drinking and laughing and drinking until the din was overwhelming. Mari glanced at her hand around her wine glass and realized her vision was blearier than she expected. How many glasses had she had? This should have been the second but it felt more like the fifth or sixth and the bottle was coming back down the table toward her. Even Jasper was drinking, his face flushing crimson.
She was so tuned out of the growing noise that she didn’t hear whatever else Veronica said. It must have been as provocative as the rest because Jasper twisted in his seat and snarled, “I’ve had enough of you insulting my mate.”
“Your what?” Vee smiled innocently. “I only want the best for her. She knows that, don’t you, Mar?”
Jasper wasn’t buying it. His eyes were bright, throat full with a frustrated growl. Just like that he was out of control again, totally on the verge of snapping. “There is something foul about you.”
“Mari!” Dad barked. He was standing. Jasper and Charlie were standing too. Why was everyone standing? “I need to have a word with
you.”
“Can it wait until after dinner?”
“No, it can’t.” He stormed from the dining room. Apparently he wasn’t requesting a private audience because Veronica and Emma got up to follow him, Vee smiling and waving as she went.
“Unbelievable bitch.” Aubrey shook her head, dropping her napkin in her chair and following. She’d been rattled after their conversation in the greenhouse and Mari feared the worst. It was reassuring that she was taking Mari’s side now.
“Um, will you please excuse me for a moment?” Mari stumbled from her chair, pushing on Jasper’s shoulder and pointing to his seat. “Stay.”
“Mari—”
“I’ll be right back.” She promised as the pack watched her in silent discomfort. “Let me handle this.”
“What the hell is going on in this house?” Dad gripped her by the wrist and yanked her through the front door, slamming it behind her so hard he startled Aubrey and Emma. “What did you do to us?”
“What are you talking about?”
He waved angrily around his head. “What kind of spell is this?”
Mari wrenched her arm from his grasp and crossed it over her chest. The porch offered zero protection from the elements and the silky wedding gown that Cora and Clem stitched her into was about as warm as tissue paper. “It’s called alcohol, Dad. Maybe you shouldn’t have had so much wine.” Maybe I shouldn’t have had so much wine.
“I’ve only had—” He caught himself, realizing that he too had far more than intended. How did they get so carried away? No one, not even Cash was such a heavy drinker. Except…
Mari glared at Veronica, who was smiling far too wickedly for someone that seemed sloshed a moment ago. “I know what you’re trying to do. It’s petty and it won’t work.” “I’m looking out for my stepdaughter. Mari, you may not be my real daughter, but we’re still a family. Your father and I are worried about how quickly you’ve decided to get married. Marriage is a serious commitment.”
“Oh shut up, Veronica. You wouldn’t care if I joined a gang in South America as long as I didn’t call asking for money.”
“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” Dad actually stomped his foot.
“But it’s perfectly fine for her to insult my choices on my wedding day.” Mari snapped back.
“She’s concerned, as we all are. There’s something very wrong with these people.”
“You’re not concerned about me, you’re concerned about what you think I’m going to do.” She was done censoring herself. Let Dad handle explaining what he was to Veronica.
“I’m concerned about what you’ve already done. Why did you invite us here, Mari?” His expression turned grave, almost frightened. “Was this all a trick? What do you plan to do to us?”
“Oh, yes, it was all a trick.” She laughed sarcastically. “I only invited you here so I could cast a spell on the food. Obviously it backfired because it was supposed to make you considerate long enough to watch me get married without causing a scene.”
It was like Dad had only been half aware of their audience until then. He glanced between the three women standing behind him, lingering on Veronica as he said, “We’re leaving. Tonight. Mari, I expect you to come home with us.”
“Nope. No can do. I’m staying right here.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Mari.” Veronica pouted her lips.
“She’s trying to get a rise out of us. This is Mari’s modus operandi. She creates friction between people for attention. This whole wedding has been about getting back at me.”
Father above, did he really believe that? He was so incredibly selfish.
“Trust me, I know, honey. No one puts on a show like Mari. I just didn’t think it could get any worse than crying rape because she didn’t want to be held responsible for the death of those poor boys.”
Darkness ate Mari alive. It was instantaneous, unforgiving in it’s all encompassing blackness. Darkness became her and the peace she gained from bonding with Jasper evaporated. Veronica was a hateful woman and she deserved to be punished.
Suddenly there was snow beneath Mari’s bare feet as she grabbed Veronica by the hair and dragged her from the porch. Her stepmother’s startled cry was cut off as Mari smashed her face into the icy ground. Dad jumped between them, pushing Mari away, but it didn’t matter. The earth answered her call for power, pouring life energy into her. With that power Mari crafted a song—a guttural, chanting song that embodied the intention of her spell.
Veronica was barely on her feet before the vines caught her, breaking the frozen soil and snaking from the earth to grip her legs. Higher and higher they climbed until Vee was tangled up to her waist in them. Then came the thorns—monstrous, nail-like thorns that ripped into her flesh. A circle of blood formed in the snow as it dripped from half a hundred places on Veronica’s body.
Mari raised her arms to the heavens, her voice a booming thunder of vengeance. Punishment was her gift. Punishment for any that would wrong her, that would hold her back, that would dare defy her rule.
Veronica screamed. She screamed and screamed and as she did, Mari swore she heard the darkness laughing. It was an aura around her, an impenetrable cloud that blocked out everything but her victim.
No, it wasn’t wholly impenetrable, because a spray of gold and green came charging at her. Jasper crashed into her hard enough to knock the wind from her chest. Mari tried to gasp as her back hit the snow but Jasper’s weight was crushing her lungs. Then his hand was on her mouth and she writhed, desperate for breath.
“Stop, Mari. Look at me. Stop casting.”
Only then did she realize that she wasn’t trying to breathe, she was trying to continue her spell. Mari met his eyes and let the brightness there clear the fog that momentarily held her. The gurgling death of the spell in her throat stopped and immediately, Jasper let her up.
Mari clutched her chest, taking in the scene as she panted. Veronica collapsed in the snow, the vines receding from her but leaving dozens of puncture wounds in her skin. Emma was kneeling beside her, sobbing as she held her mother’s hand. Dad was on the other side, using his shirt to press on as many oozing wounds as he could. Aubrey was frozen in place on the porch as pack members bolted past her, staring at Mari as if she were a stranger.
A stranger she’d just watch commit a violent crime.
“What the hell is going on?” Charlie looked between the two crumpled heaps of people and found no clarity.
“She needs help!” Dad croaked. “Hurry, we need to get her to a doctor.”
“Clementine, get the first aid kit!” Charlie shouted without taking those terribly cool eyes off of Mari. “Cash, Teal, we need help bringing her inside.” Finally, he said, “Mari, tell me.”
“I…” But Mari couldn’t seem to remember exactly what happened. There was an echo of a spell drumming in the back of her head, the last remnants of a foul tasting magic on her tongue that she knew wasn’t wholly hers. That was all. “I don’t know.”
“You did this to her!” Dad pointed a shaky finger at her. “Don’t lie! Don’t you dare deny it.”
The darkness was laughing again and it sounded strangely like Veronica. Probably because Veronica was sitting up, her eyes two glowing beams of red, and laughing maniacally. She swiped her hands down the slick blood on her thighs and brought them to her mouth to lick her palms.
“How could you? I was only trying to help.”
With startling speed, she was up off the ground, racing at Mari with her hands outstretched. Mari and Jasper both stood, hurrying to get out of her way as they realized those hands had suddenly grown long, pointed claws.
The series of horrified noises and growled “what the fucks” didn’t stop Jasper, Charlie, or Clem from reacting. Jasper shoved Mari backward with enough force to make her lose her footing just as a claw swiped in her direction. His back arched into a “C” shape, narrowly missing the blow himself. Charlie pressed two fingers between his lips and whistled loudly, drawing the o
thers outside to help. Clem took off at a run back to the house, probably to grab the shotgun she kept loaded and stashed behind the coat rack in the foyer if Veronica was particularly unlucky.
If that was even Veronica. She looked more like someone took Veronica and put Halloween contacts in her eyes then dressed her hands up like Freddy Kreuger’s.
The cold rapidly seeping through the fabric of her dress snapped her out of her stunned state and Mari scrambled to get out of Jasper’s way. He was trying to distract Vee, swinging at her with open palmed hands.
Despite the two determined werewolves coming at her from both sides, Vee was fixated on Mari, her creepy red eyes shining with some twisted kind of amusement. Something about the feel of her was unsettlingly familiar. On instinct, she focused her sight inward, drawing on the ability to see auras. Before her, Jasper was a haze of gold and green. Charlie was dimmer, but still shining with gilded light.
Between them, it looked as if there was an oil spill suspended in midair. Blackness absolute, writhing like a swarm of bugs.
Nausea churned her already taut stomach and dinner threatened to make a reappearance, along with the excess of champagne she’d sipped all evening. Whatever Veronica was, this wasn’t the first time Mari had seen her. In dreams, that black ichor haunted her, that dark presence prodding at her consciousness until she was convinced it was her. Or at least something she’d let into herself.
They’d met even earlier than that, though. Months ago, when Lyse was standing triumphantly over her, Mari’s blood dripping from that awful enchanted dagger, this presence was there. Fragile then, only a fine wisp of smoke among the many shades of magic that Lyse had consumed from others.
Was this darkness incarnate, the embodiment of the evil that lurked just behind that inner door? If it was, how did it come to infect Veronica? Mari was positive about few things, but her step family being mundane was one of them. Dad would never have married another witch.
Unless he didn’t know. Even after completing her rites, Dad could scarcely detect the power Mari wielded. He could barely recognize the pack as anything more than regular people with traces of magic in their veins. Maybe she’d misread Veronica and Emma this entire time. Maybe they were hiding in plain sight.