My grin had sure vanished by now. It was everything I could do to not let my emotions overwhelm me. The love I felt for this man was all-consuming. How could I even begin to articulate it?

“Caleb,” I said. “If someone had told me exactly one year ago that I’d be walking down the aisle by the age of eighteen, I’d have laughed in their face. No other man could have made this happen but you, Caleb. Anyone who knew me then will agree. From our first encounter, I was drawn to you in a way I didn’t even understand. But I knew that you were different than the company you kept. You didn’t belong in that dark castle. It was during the time I spent between those cold stone walls that you captured my heart. So much so that it didn’t matter when you returned me to The Shade. You still held me captive… Even though we haven’t known each other long, it feels like you know me better than I know myself. You know when to reel me in and when to let me go. When to comfort and when to challenge me. And now, even though we’ve dealt with the black witches… I hope we’ll find another crazy wave to ride together.”

Caleb chuckled, beaming down at me.

We exchanged rings and then Ibrahim gave permission to “kiss the bride”.

Caleb closed in on me, lifting my veil and reaching both hands behind my neck. Bending down to me, he pushed his lips against mine. He kissed me softly, slowly, allowing me to relish every second our lips touched. When he drew away, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Rose Achilles. That’s who I am now.

“Rose, you’re supposed to throw the bouquet,” Micah whispered behind me.

I was too entranced with my new husband to think about what I should be doing. Husband… I can hardly believe—

“Throw the bouquet,” Becky bugged.

Okay, okay.

Closing my eyes, I raised the bouquet over my shoulder and threw it blindly into the crowd. It looked like it was heading straight for Mona, but Helina leapt into the air and caught it just in time.

“I think it’s time for a dance,” Caleb said, placing his hands either side of my waist and leading me down the steps to the ground.

Everyone who had been seated on the chairs within the clearing stood up, and the witches moved them further into the trees, in order to create space for a dance floor.

A group of witches set up with instruments in one corner. I noticed Shayla among them, beginning to play the piano.

As Caleb began leading me in a dance, I thought back to our first encounter. Dancing. That was where everything had started for Caleb and me. If he hadn’t arrived at that beach, and if Ben and I hadn’t gone partying with Kristal and Jake, I likely never would’ve met this man. I never could have dreamed that night that this man would end up becoming my life partner. How strange it is, how people come together.

It was only now that I looked around more closely at the wedding attendees. I spotted Adelle and Eli standing at the edge of the dance floor, holding hands and talking. Micah and Kira had started dancing near us, and so had my grandfather and Kailyn. My mother and father were just about to join in along with Vivienne and Xavier.

“The ogres are here, too,” Caleb said. He indicated with his head to our right.

Brett and Bella were sitting on the ground with overflowing plates of food on their laps. Food hadn’t even been served yet, so I could only assume that they’d helped themselves. A smile spread across my face as I realized that they’d dressed up. Brett wore a large white shirt and—shock, horror—pants. I was so used to him wearing a loin cloth, I had to look twice to check I wasn’t seeing things. Bella on the other hand wore a long cream smock that reached beneath her knees. Though cross-legged on the ground, she was not sitting at the most strategic of angles. She was flashing her underwear to everyone who looked her way. Which was probably why nobody was looking her way.

Corrine must have attacked them both with a wardrobe. Not the best choice of colors, though. Their smart-looking clothes were fast being soiled as they overfilled their mouths with wedding food.

At least they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

“Happy birthday, Rose!” Griffin called to me. He swerved next to us, dancing with Becky.

“Thank you.” I laughed, even as joy mixed with melancholy.

“Happy birthday, Rose,” Anna and Kyle called, also taking to the dance floor.

“Thank you,” I said again, giving them a smile.

I noticed Ariana in one of the seats looking after baby Kiev.

I continued looking around and greeting people. I was amazed at the turnout with such short notice. I couldn’t spot a single dragon anywhere, though. I guessed that they were still feeling sore that their prince couldn’t have me. Otherwise, the only familiar faces I couldn’t spot were Yuri and Claudia. It saddened me that they weren’t here, but I knew that I could count on them to be having fun in Paris.

We danced for about half an hour more, and then it was time to cut the cake. Corrine floated it into the center of the dance floor on a table and beckoned to Caleb and me to approach. Laced with white and light pink icing, it was a gorgeous cake. I felt almost bad cutting it. Holding the knife together, Caleb and I sliced a piece.

As was custom, Corrine insisted that we take the first bite. Unfortunately, Caleb couldn’t or it would make him feel sick. He picked up the piece of cake and dug a spoon into it, feeding me.

He smiled, watching my reaction. “Good?”

I nodded, licking my lips. It was delicious. We moved to a seat at the side of the dance floor and Caleb pulled me onto his lap. He spoon-fed me the rest of the cake, watching me with interest as I swallowed.