Suddenly, I remember Dante’s threats. Am I smiling enough? Do my eyes sparkle with happiness? I doubt it, but unless I want to feel the fury of his wrath, I better buck up. Acting may not be my forte, but survival is, and right now, I need to act like I’m having the time of my life.
Through the space between my guards, I spot the outdoor altar. It stands under a leafy arbor that sways in the strong wind. Under the vines and flowers, stands the devil himself. He may have told me to smile for the cameras, but I don’t see a single ounce of happiness in his face. Dante already looks completely fed up with this whole charade; anger lines his slimy features—he’s pissed; am I not smiling enough?
Involuntary tears start to softly tremble down my cheeks. This is really happening...
My walk down the aisle feels like it takes both an eternity and a split-second. Suddenly, I’m face to face with the man who’s taken everything from me.
“The tears are a nice touch,” he hisses under his breath.
I don’t respond. My goonish escorts have fanned out in a circle to protect us from the wind. The veil I’ve been wearing for protection is all but useless; it flaps like the wing of a falling bird...
And then, BOOM!
It’s like a lightning strike hits a few yards away. The earth trembles and I’m thrown from my feet. Shrieks carry on the wind as guests scream at something...
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more explosions rattle the yard. Dante’s body guards abandon me and rush to their master. The priest scrambles away; the wedding guests run like chickens with their heads cut off.
Through the chaos, I see the trunk of a giant tree collapse through the hedges that border the back lawn. It caves in the natural fence. Women scream, men bark orders...
BOOM!
Another tree falls. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my arm. My immediate instinct is to pull away, but then I hear the familiar voice. “Come on!”
It’s Anna.
“What’s happening?” My voice is raspy and quiet from shock; Anna doesn’t seem to hear me. She’s got her big threading needle out in one hand and my wrist wrapped up in the other. “What the hell is happening!?” I ask again, louder this time. Just as I’m pulled back onto my feet another huge boom fills the turbulent air. Anna and I both jump and turn around to confront the roar.
“This way!” Anna tugs at my arm, but my eyes are glued on the insane scene before me. Socialites and debutantes race about in the wind with flailing hands. They all head towards the doors of the grand state house, but there are too many trying to get through to all fit in at once. They clog up the exit as another tree falls and collapses the hedges that border the lawn.
... Then, in through that newly formed hole, rushes a sea of outsiders. What looks like hundreds of men and women spill into the chaos over the felled tree trunks. They recklessly charge at the security personnel, swinging baseball bats and gardening shears and all sorts of makeshift weapons.
The wedding guests scream in fear as Dante’s guards open fire on the intruders. Claps of thunder cut through the hurricane winds until they crescendo in another thunderous boom.
Another tree collapses even more of the hedge fence and another wave of intruders break through the wedding’s defences.
Blood slowly rushes to my ears and the sounds of the blaring gunshots and whizzing bullets fade, but one noise seems to seep through it all. “Catalina!” I hear my name on the wind. “Catalina!” It sounds like the chorus to some epic song. “Catalina!”
A hard tug comes at my arm and I snap back down to earth. “Catalina!” Anna shouts. “Snap out of it! Let’s go!”
I shake the shock from my head and look towards where she wants to lead me. Just ahead, there’s an opening in the hedges where another tree has fallen. There, the intruders seem to have already overcome Dante’s security forces. They defend a path out of here.
My feet start moving before my mind does. I let Anna’s fingers fall down to my hand as we pull on each other towards freedom...
We don’t get far before and even stronger hand clasps around my free wrist and stops us in our tracks.
I yelp in surprise as I’m tugged away from Anna’s grip. My ass hits the ground with a thud, but I’m immediately picked up and thrown over a pair of cold broad shoulders. For a second, a glimmer of hope crosses my heart. Has Angel rescued me?
But this grip is too harsh, too frigid. I struggle to get a better look at my new captor. It’s one of Dante’s body guards. His tight grip only tightens as I squirm to free myself. He’s so strong and I feel so weak, but my veins fill with desperate adrenaline and I kick and punch at him with all my might.
He hardly budges... until a grunt escapes his lips. Suddenly, he’s falling just like one of the giant trees. We hit the ground with a thud and the ogre pins my legs to the muddy grass. For a second, I lose my breath, but then I see what caused my captor to fall and I’m re-filled with determination.
Anna’s big threading needle sticks out of the fallen guards back. I lunge forward and grab it just as the ogre starts to struggle back to his feet. His effort gives me just enough room to slip out from under him; the needle comes with me. He roars as I rip it from his back. “You fucking bitch!” It’s the last thing he says before I plunge the already bloody needle into the side of his neck.
This time, his hands don’t reach for me. Instead, he’s forced to apply his palm to the new wound on his throat. Blood leaks from his punctured skin as his eyes go white and his face turns pale.
My hands tremble at the scene. Did I just kill a man!?