16. Chapter 16 - Minnie
Damien narrows his eyes and shoots me a look that screams ‘what the fuck?’ Not that I blame him. I should have given Zoe and Violet some sort of heads-up. Did I really think they’d just show up and not ask questions?
Shit! What if Judge Adeboye realizes we’re not the lovey-dovey couple he’s pegged us for and refuses to marry us?
What if he tells every other judge within a hundred-mile radius not to marry us, and I have to convince Julian to travel with us into the city?
Or worse, I don’t get the house, and Zachariah finds out where I’ve been living with Natty, and—
“Big deal,” Violet says, “I can shift into Damien Starr.”
“Only if you see him in person,” Zoe says.
“Oh yeah,” Violet’s eyes light up as she stares at Damien. “So, tell me—”
Shit, shit, shit! I have to do something, so I let out an awkward giggle. “They’re just kidding, obviously.”
Was that convincing? Please let it be convincing!
Zoe shoots me a ‘what the fuck’ look too. But unlike Damien, she seems to realize I’m way out of my depth here and laughs, too. Hers sounds genuine. “Of course we’re kidding!”
Violet’s eyebrows squish together and she glances from me to Zoe to Damien as she tries to piece together what’s happening. “We are,” she finally says, but it sounds like a half-question half-statement.
Zoe rolls her eyes. And possibly reconsiders the entire Save the Fuzzies operation if this is what she’s got to work with. Violet and I would not make good agents. But she smiles. “Gentlemen,” she says cheerfully, “do you mind if we borrow Minnie for a couple of minutes?”
“We wouldn’t want to keep Judge Adeboye waiting,” Damien says.
He seems to completely miss the fact that everything is falling apart and that my chest hurts and I can’t seem to catch my breath.
Judge Adeboye shrugs. “Normally, I’d agree. I’m a very busy man, and I like to keep to my schedule. But I am marrying the famous Damien Starr today.” He breaks into a grin. “Take your time, girls.”
“But—” Damien protests.
“We’ll be quick.” Zoe grabs my hand and yanks me out of the room. She pulls me down the hall to the bathroom, while I wonder how my lungs will ever get enough air.
Violet follows us in, locks the door, and shifts into Damien.
Then, she spins around to face me. “That was the Damien Starr, wasn’t it?
” she demands. His voice is on point, but the intonation is all wrong.
She shifts back. “It was!” she cries. “It really was. I wouldn’t have been able to shift into him unless he was Damien Starr! ”
I’m too busy begging my lungs to suck in enough air to reply.
Zoe takes my Birkin and dumps it on the counter along with her coat. “Breathe, Minnie,” she says, moving to stand in front of me.
I nod and inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
“That’s better,” she says, and I realize I can finally breathe. “Now care to explain why there is bright pink magic connecting you to Damien Starr?”
Violet gasps. “Wait, magic like a mating bond?”
I nod.
Zoe places her hands on her hips. “Or a hating bond. It looks identical to the one she’s got with Dr. Reddy. And Natty’s dad, apparently. And a chameleon shifter named Danny.”
“Damien is the chameleon shifter named Danny.” I grimace. “He changed his name to Damien when he got famous.”
“So Damien Starr asked you to marry him?” Zoe asks.
Violet’s eyes widen. “Wait, you’re actually marrying the Damien Starr?”
I nod again.
Zoe scowls. “Is he forcing you down the aisle? What’s he got over you? You should have talked to me, instead of going through with this. Whatever it is, I can get you out of it.”
“It’s not like that.”
She hovers above the ground, crosses her legs—giving us a brief flash of pink underwear—and sits down in mid-air. The skirt of her dress bunches on her lap, and she takes a second to straighten it, so it curtains her legs. “Then why isn’t Natty here? And why did you insist we not tell Amber?”
“Amber would freak.”
“And then she’d get over it.” Zoe shrugs. “Probably.”
Violet worries her lower lip. “She’ll never forgive you for marrying Damien Starr and not inviting her. And she’ll never forgive us for not telling her.”
“I’m not marrying Damien,” I protest. “I mean, I am marrying him, but not like that. It’s… temporary.”
Zoe frowns. “Not how marriage works.”
“This is different. Damien and I were friends when we were kids. We made a promise that we’d get married when we grew up.”
“That’s not legally binding,” Zoe says.
“I know, but he kind of needs a wife.”
“And what do you need?” Zoe asks.
A lot of things I’ll never get.
Violet giggles. “And I doubt a famous rock star would have any trouble finding someone to marry.”
My heart sinks, because she’s right. Damien is the only person willing to marry me—and only to escape someone worse—while he’s got thousands of fans who’d beg for the chance to walk down the aisle with him.
Violet hops onto the counter next to the sink, drops her enormous bag onto her lap, and frowns. “Seriously, though, you don’t have to marry someone just because you said you would when you were kids. You know how many stupid things I said when I was a kid?”
Zoe nods. “Violet’s right. And if you and Damien are fated hates, then you can back out.”
I sigh, because it’s not that easy. And I don’t want to admit I’m doing this because I need the money.
Zoe frowns. “Do you think he might be your fated mate?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m just doing him a favor.” For a million dollars, a house, and a potentially broken curse. “We signed a prenup, and we’re going to get divorced in a couple months. That’s why Natty’s at the cafe. I don’t want him to think this is a real relationship.”
It hurts, and I shove the pain aside. I’m getting everything I need out of this deal. Danny and I were over a long time ago.
Zoe floats forward until we’re eye to eye. “Are you sure this is what you want? Even knowing you might be fated to hate him after this?”
I already hate him after the way he abandoned me. “I’m sure. And I need you both to play along so Judge Adeboye thinks this is for real. Please?”
I expect them to ask what’s in it for them, or to refuse outright, but they nod.
Violet opens her bag. “Why did you need all this stuff? Your hair and makeup are perfect.”
“They’re not. According to the website, the arch in the ceremony room is warded, and my hair and makeup are spelled.” I pull a gray vial out of my Birkin and drink the contents. It’s a simple antidote that only works on really weak spells, not elaborate ones like the curse, but it does the trick.
My hair frizzes back up, my lip gloss disappears, and a map of freckles materializes on my face.
“Whoa,” Violet—the only one who’s never seen me with the magic dampener on—says.
“I know it’s bad,” I mumble, looking down at my hands. “Can you fix it?”
“There’s nothing to fix,” she says. “You’re gorgeous just the way you are, Minnie. Different, but gorgeous.”
Zoe nods. “I agree.”
I know they’re lying, and I look like I got electrocuted, but they still make me feel a little better.
They braid my hair, help me with my makeup, and walk with me back to the wedding chamber.
As we enter, I catch the tail end of Judge Adeboye’s conversation with Damien. “…got Not a Vampire tickets, she screamed so loud I’m sure they could hear it in Scarborough.”
“Sounds like Amber,” I mutter.
Damien gives the judge his signature grin, which turns a whole lot more genuine when he turns to me. The tension seeps out of him, too, so either getting fawned over makes him uncomfortable—which, given his ego, is highly unlikely—or he expected me to change my mind and run.
He stares at me for several long seconds. “You look beautiful, Minnie.”
I know he’s just acting for our audience—especially since I don’t look nearly as good as I did with the potions—but his words still make me blush.
Judge Adeboye grins and claps his hands. “Is everyone ready?”
And that’s when I realize that a few minutes from now, we’ll be married and sealing the deal with a kiss. My first kiss. In front of an audience. What was I thinking?