eight

The Prosecco

Miles Dartmore had been so moved by my sister’s beauty, he had teared up. His mother had also teared up, but hers hadn’t been happy tears. Her only son had just married a woman who his mother already knew was a mistake. Mother’s instinct, I imagine, or just common sense. Men were charmed easily by Kamlock women. Women weren’t as easily fooled.

Geneva hadn’t wanted others to stand with them for the ceremony and distract from her, so luckily, Leanne and I were seated beside our mother. On the other side of our mother sat Geneva and Leanne’s father, Zephyr. That was his only name, as if he were Eminem or Beyoncé. He was a powerful, evil warlock, but he wasn’t a superstar.

I had never attended a regular wedding, but I assumed this one wasn’t that normal. My sister had researched weddings and refused any pagan rituals in their ceremony. She was determined to keep what she was from Miles. I didn’t know much about Catholics, but I knew none of their regular traditions were being represented here. That hadn’t gone over well with the Dartmore family, I assumed.

Once the debacle was finished and everyone was directed to the cocktail and appetizer tent while the bride changed into her party attire, I was free to leave my family and go back to my friends.

A swarm of workers from the event planning company that had been hired to transform the ceremony area into the after party came in once the guests moved to the smaller tent located on the west side of the house. My gaze found the Dartmore family, and I saw the mother forcing a smile as she spoke to guests I didn’t know. I truly felt sorry for her. I knew what was to come for not only Miles but also his relationship with his mother. A Kamlock woman could be deadlier than a disease. Just ask anyone who had ever loved one, if you could find them still living.

With a sigh of heaviness, I turned slowly away from the parents whose son had just been lost to a darkness he had no idea existed.

“She’s that bad, huh?” A deep voice was so close to me that I jumped and let out a startled squeal. I’d been so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t heard or felt Rathe beside me.

“Holy crap! You scared me,” I said, glaring at him and wishing I didn’t like looking at him, or smelling him, or listening to his voice.

He barely grinned. The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”

“Well, you did,” I snapped and moved away slightly to put some distance between us. I glanced around for Heath and Margo, but they weren’t with him. “Where are Heath and Margo?”

He shrugged then looked over my shoulder toward Miles’ parents. “The way you were looking at the groom’s mother was as if they’d just attended their son’s funeral.”

I didn’t want to talk to Rathe about my family. I wanted to find my friends and give their roommate back to them. He looked too dang handsome in the black suit he was wearing and I wished he was easier to ignore. “Kamlock women shouldn’t marry,” I blurted out, then wished I’d just ignored his comment.

“I’m not a supporter of marriage but some couples manage to make it work.”

I glanced back at him. He had no idea how quickly this marriage would be destroyed. “Good people, those who know how to love, who understand commitment and sacrifice. They make it work. My sister is not one of those,” I said, the last part full of sorrow for Miles.

Rathe said nothing. I had expected him to ask more questions after my last comment, but he hadn’t. He did study me in a way that made me both warm and uncomfortable at the same time. This evening his eyes seemed more blue than steel. The voices around us were fading, and I heard the evening breeze in the trees, a bird nearby finding her nest, and Rathe’s breath. Being held in his gaze was like a drug.

“All Kamlock women aren’t the same, it would seem.” His words were low, almost a whisper. I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but I didn’t know if the answer was one I wanted to hear.

“I don’t know what’s in this cocktail, but it’s ah-mazing!” Margo’s voice was loud and exactly what I needed as she appeared beside Rathe. Her interruption snapped me out of whatever I was allowing myself to feel about Rathe. What was wrong with me? I knew better than to entertain any attraction to a man. I turned my attention to Margo, thankful to be free of those hypnotic eyes. He was proving to be too observant. I would have to be careful around him. He saw too much.

Before I could get annoyed with myself for Rathe not fitting the mold I had placed him in, Margo stuck her glass in my face. “Taste this magical liquid!”

Taking drinks from Margo wasn’t something I normally did, but right now, a drink might be needed. I took a sip from her glass, and the too sweet taste of my aunt’s favorite drink made me pucker. “That’s not a cocktail. It’s Pomegranate Prosecco,” I told her, handing the glass back.

“Fancy,” she said, doing a silly eyebrow wiggle before drinking some more.

“Where’s Heath?” I asked, when he didn’t seem to be following her. She finished her glass then licked her lips. “Be careful with that. It’s not beer. Slow down or you’ll be bent over in the bushes sick,” I warned her.

She rolled her eyes at me then pointed with her empty flute toward the west tent. “Your cousin is talking to him, the hot one who I can’t decide if he likes guys or girls.”

Heath would need rescuing from Duely. “He likes both. Duely is not picky when it comes to gender. He is just a lover,” I said, with a trace of amusement in my voice. Margo was sheltered. I knew it would startle her. The shocked expression on her face gave me a laugh. “Let’s go free Heath,” I said, heading toward the west tent.

“Okay wait… so he likes both… so that means he thinks Heath is better looking than me?” Margo asked as she fell into step beside me. “Because he seemed more interested in talking to Heath than he did me.”

Of course, that would be her first concern, which amused me even more. I just shook my head and laughed. It took us a few minutes to reach the tent. I didn’t know if Rathe had followed us or not. He’d been silent, and I had been trying my best not to look back to see if he was still with us; however, just walking off and saying nothing to him seemed rude. I glanced back, and he wasn’t there. I saw him talking to Leanne. She’d made her move to talk to him as soon as she saw an opportunity. The smile he was giving her told me he didn’t mind being left behind.

The sinking feeling that came with that knowledge was unexpected. My chest felt heavy, and something resembling disappointment settled in my gut. I shouldn’t be affected by the sight of them together. Rathe meant nothing to me, and until this evening, I had only been attracted to his outward beauty. Unfortunately, he’d let me see that he wasn’t just a pretty face. My guard had come down just enough to let myself hope Rathe was different, without even realizing I was doing it. It had only been a moment that made me change my opinion slightly. Nothing more than a mere moment. It shouldn’t have gotten to me like this. The sadness that came when he leaned in to whisper something in Leanne’s ear was bothersome.

“You need to warn him about her,” Margo whispered, as if they could hear us that far away. She was right, of course, he needed to be warned. I just didn’t know if I should do it.

I managed to shrug a shoulder like it was of no concern. “He seems like he can handle her,” I lied. Because no man could handle a Kamlock female. Not one with a soul at least.

“Mmmm, I’m gonna have to disagree. Your sister is nasty,” Margo was still whispering.

“Both her sisters are nasty,” Duely whispered, as he stuck his head between ours.

“OH!” Margo cried and spun around with her eyes wide.

I hadn’t heard Duely and Heath approaching us from behind. My thoughts had been too engrossed in my sister and Rathe’s private conversation. I turned my back to the view of Leanne and Rathe to focus on Heath and Duely.

“She knows that well enough,” I assured Duely.

He tapped his half full flute against Margo’s empty one and said “Cheers to that.” Then he shifted his gaze to me. “Why aren’t you drinking yet? We have two more hours of this charade to suffer through.”

He was right. I should be drinking. “I was coming to save Heath from you first then I was headed to get a drink. What do they have other than that terrible Pomegranate Prosecco?”

Duely held his glass up. “Some expensive Brut. When they have the larger tent transformed, there will be a full bar available, which you would know if you’d suffered through today with me.”

Duely held up a hand to signal a server carrying a tray of drinks. “Please begin to numb yourself,” Duely encouraged when the server arrived.

I took a glass, and Margo did too. I started to remind her to go slowly, but I decided to let it go for now. She was enjoying herself, and I wasn’t in the mood to take on my role as mother hen.

“How many is that?” Heath asked Margo.

“Two,” she replied, frowning at him. “So Duely how have you been?” Margo asked, turning the attention away from her.

I took a moment to peek back and see if my sister still held Rathe under her spell. I wish I hadn’t. They were still talking. Rathe was saying something that made her laugh. Her red hair elegantly curled and piled on top of her head like a goddess and the moonlight making her pale skin seem angelic made my stomach turn.

Refusing to watch anymore and determined not to care, I swung my gaze back to Duely who was unfortunately watching me. “Isn’t that right, Cat?” he asked with a mischievous grin that said he knew what I had been looking at and he was going to drill me about it later.

Instead of admitting I had no idea what he had been saying I replied “I’m sorry I need to go check on something. I’ll be right back,” and I walked away before any questions could be asked.