And if they weren’t? Then it didn’t matter, because I felt sexy and powerful for the first time in a long time. My curves were on display beneath the tight outfit where they were normally carefully hidden under sweeping gowns and glistening dresses. I didn’t want to be Princess Avianna tonight. I didn’t want to be the vampire king’s little sister. I didn’t want to be Samuel’s soon-to-be betrothed.
Tonight, I wanted to be Avi, just Avi.
“Then let’s roll,” Annika said, grabbing my hand with her free one and practically pulling me from the back of the car. “Oh, this is so badass,” she said as we were ushered through the main entrance and instantly transported into another world.
The building was massive on the inside, with a ground level and three balcony levels stacked in tiers, each one showcasing a different theme from the classic tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The ground level was made up of a huge dance floor, a giant bar fashioned to look like a mystical mushroom, and private flower-shaped booths and tables lined the walls for more intimate connections. Purple and teal lights flickered in and out, creating a sense of otherworldly detachment within the club as music thumped all around us.
“We don’t have anything like this back home,” Annika said as we weaved through the dance floor and toward the mushroom bar on the other side. “I’m going to dance until the sun comes up!” Her excitement was so infectious I couldn’t help but smile, my own giddiness filling me up so much there wasn’t an inch of space left for worries or doubts or apprehension.
“You’re here!” Jocelyn said the minute we found her at the bar, hanging out with Valor. Benedict and Lachlan stood on either side of them, the four of them clad in perfect Scooby-Doo gang costumes.
I hugged her when we reached her, then accepted the neon green drink she passed me and Annika. Jocelyn and Valor held up their own drinks.
“Happy new year,” Jocelyn said.
“Don’t you mean Happy Halloween?” Annika asked.
Jocelyn’s eyes glowed with her power as she smirked. “For you, sure,” she said. “But for witches, it’s an end to the season and a fresh start to the year. Goddess knows we all need one.”
“I’ll drink to that,” I said.
“I’ll drink to anything,” Annika said, and we all clinked our glasses together before taking a sip.
The liquid filled my mouth with notes of absinthe and a tartness that made it go down way too easy.
“So, where’s Scooby-Doo?” I asked, my head happily buzzing as I finished my drink in another two gulps.
Valor—aka Daphne—grinned at me, instantly ordering me another. Lachlan was a very scary Fred next to her, his muscles threatening to bust out of the white polo he wore, and Benedict made an incredibly hilarious Shaggy. I don’t know if I’d ever seen him out of his immaculate suits unless he was in fighting leathers, so the casual green shirt and brown pants were giving me all the giggle vibes. And Jocelyn made the sexiest Thelma I’d ever seen, so again, I couldn’t help but wonder where the star Great Dane was.
“Behind you!” Ransom barked.
I whirled around, silently cursing the damn warrior for being as silent as the night. I instantly laughed, barely able to cover my mouth to stop it as I looked Ransom over. He was shirtless, of course, with brown leather pants on, and he wore a headband with floppy dog ears, and the signature blue collar wound around his neck.
“Did Olivia see you like this?” I asked, reeling in my laughter.
“Who do you think put on my collar?” he asked, his voice saturated with lust only a love-struck mate could possess.
I smiled again, feeling nothing but joy for my best friend. She’d hit the lottery with her mate… Actually, all my family had.
And then there was me.
Mated to a male who wanted to reject the bond even before I’d made the political decision to save them all with a diplomatic marriage.
My heart threatened to crack, but Ransom barked at me again, and I remembered my character, laughing as I hissed at him.
“Olivia made me promise to get you to dance,” Ransom said, his laughter joining my own. “And I’ve never broken a promise to my mate.” He grabbed my hand, hauling me out to the dance floor, our friends following on his heels.
I fell into the swarm of love surrounding me, the companionship, the little bubble of safety as we danced and laughed and let the music drown out everything else in my mind.
After a few dances, we headed back to the mushroom bar for another round of drinks. I threw mine back in one gulp, my body basically buzzing with the positive energy all around us. Tonight was about fun, not a thought about the future—