Tiddly Jinx by Liz Schulte Read Free Book Online Page B

loss. I was strong enough to make it through this. I had to be.
    We broke apart and I rested my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in sync with mine. “The wedding planner is inside waiting to see you. Also don’t forget, Lily is coming over tonight.”
    I wanted to see the coven before dinner, but that would have to wait. Apparently, I had a wedding to plan, though the circumstances were nothing like I’d imagined my wedding would be. I walked inside hand in hand with Cheney.
    “Oh, one last thing.” He stopped and waited for me to turn to him. “We’ll make the announcement about the election tomorrow. That reminds me, I should probably find Sebastian.”
    “Cheney, Sebastian is in a lot of pain. Try to be nice. Remember he has feelings, too.”
    His expression turned to one of confusion. “Sebastian?”
    I nodded, and he shrugged as he walked away. I went into the study to talk to the wedding planner. I took a deep breath and walked through the door with a smile. A pretty elf with long, straight, dark hair and delicate features sat, waiting. I repressed a sigh. The last thing I needed to deal with was a judgmental full elf.
    I held out a hand to her. “Hello. I’m Selene.”
    “Alana Devers.” She took my hand in her firm grip.
    “Devers?” Elves didn’t normally have last names. They sometimes used their region or the type of elf they were to identify themselves, but never a surname; that was a uniquely human (or former human) quality.
    She smiled. “I am committed to a human.”
    I grinned back. “What’s his name?”
    “Albert.”
    I tried not to laugh. “Albert? That’s…that’s not a name you hear very often.”
    “Oh.” She nodded, though she looked a little confused.
    I pushed away my amusement. “Well I’m glad you understand our position.” I glanced toward the window. “Apparently not many do.”
    “More than you might think support you. The opposition may have a louder voice, but I like to believe the majority of the elves aren’t so closed minded. What you’re doing for us, for all of the fae, matters.” She smiled, opened a notebook, and crossed her legs. “And we’re grateful. Now, back to the business at hand. I understand you do not have a lot of time to put toward planning the union and the two of you would like to have it rather soon.”
    I nodded.
    “Can I ask you why you are choosing to bond rather than having a commitment ceremony?”
    That was an excellent question. There were so many reasons why we shouldn’t do this bond, but…I loved him and ever since I broke our first bond it felt like a part of me was missing, like a piece of my heart had been torn away. It was something I could live with, but I didn’t have to. Maybe Cheney felt the same way and that was why he was pushing this so hard. “We...” I shrugged. How was I supposed to explain this to a complete stranger?
    “…are making a permanent show of your commitment publically to show people this is more than a passing romance on the part of the Erlking?” She supplied with a raised eyebrow.
    “This actually has nothing to do with politics. It’s more than that. We love each other.”
    She nodded slowly. “So you don’t want it to be public? You should perhaps reconsider. It’s none of my business, but this could be a big step toward equality.”
    I took a deep breath. Letting go was harder than I thought it would be. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that Cheney and I planned to step down. “You’re right. Public is fine,” I said quietly. “I really have some things I need to take care of. What exactly do you need from me?”
    “I need some idea of the things you like. What is your style, what are your colors, how do you envision this wedding?”
    All of this seemed like another life meant for a different person. “Honestly, I don’t care. I am sure whatever you choose will be beautiful. Try for something classic, but representative of Cheney’s people