Two Weddings (and One Near Funeral) (southern arcana ) Read online

  She swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I just...I want to already be married to you. I need to be already married to you.”

  The emotion that welled at the thought threatened to choke him. “I know the feeling. If you really want to do it... Fuck it. Let’s go.”

  Her brilliant smile was reward enough, but a second later she had both hands in his hair and her mouth crashed into his, kissing him like she couldn’t help herself, like she needed him more than life.

  Like she needed him as much as he needed her.

  “We’re crazy,” he murmured against her mouth.

  “Always have been.” She bit his lip. “Get me out of this dress before we rip it.”

  He tugged at the zipper and groaned when it held fast. “One problem. Zipper’s stuck.”

  Mackenzie dropped her head to rest against his shoulder and whimpered. “I hate weddings.”

  The Big Day

  Carmen and Alec were married, and Mackenzie was going to be drunk before she accomplished the same thing.

  She dropped her champagne glass on a passing tray and snagged Nick’s arm before the brunette could move past her again. “Nick, hold up a second.”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  Mackenzie wet her lips, suddenly nervous. “I can’t find Carmen and Alec. Would you say goodbye to them, for me? Jackson and I are sneaking out early.”

  “Can’t find the bride and groom, huh?” Nick rolled her eyes. “You haven’t stumbled into the master bath, obviously.”

  A laugh bubbled up, and Mackenzie slapped her hand over her mouth. “Already?”

  Nick giggled too. “Like a couple of goddamn teenagers.”

  “Well, tell them congratulations for us.” Mackenzie hesitated, torn between a quick lie and the truth. But it was Nick—Jackson’s best friend, and the first friend she’d made in New Orleans. It felt wrong to drag him off to Las Vegas without telling any of the people in their lives.

  She couldn’t remember deciding, but the words tumbled out anyway. “Alec’s friend is flying us to Las Vegas. Now.”

  “What?” A frown crinkled her brow. “What’s going on?”

  So much for a clean getaway. “We’re eloping, Nick. Tonight.”

  “To Vegas?” She squealed and grabbed Mackenzie’s hands. “Forget Nelson’s tiny-ass little plane. Let’s steal my dad’s jet.”

  She’d known better. She’d known better. “We can’t all disappear. Someone has to stay here to protect Carmen and Alec from the cream of shapeshifter society.”

  “Screw that, we’ll staple their pants on and bring them with us.”

  Mackenzie gazed among the crowd of well-dressed shapeshifters, all of them pressing in on her with an angry menace that made her long for claws and teeth. There were so many, it would take hours for Alec’s mother to notice they were even gone.

  Served her right. “Fine, but hurry. I need to get out of here.”

  Nick squealed again, this time with a little hop that made her look like a kid. “Don’t move. I’ll round everyone up.”

  Everyone.

  Jackson was going to kill her.

  Ever After

  You couldn’t go through a Vegas drive-thru wedding chapel in a jet. As it turned out, a stretch Hummer wouldn’t fit either, so they filed into the chapel itself. Damn near everyone he knew in New Orleans, along with a couple of plus-ones.

  Carmen shoved her bouquet into Mackenzie’s hands and pointed her toward Jackson—and the officiant, who was doing a pretty damn good job of impersonating Elvis, the early years.

  Mackenzie just stared at him, wide-eyed and clearly shocked at how fast it had all gone down, even after a year’s association with Nicky Peyton in a determined mood. She kept staring until Kat let out a whoop of triumph and held up her phone. A few seconds later, a wedding march spilled out of its tiny speakers.

  Mackenzie laughed and held out a hand to him. “So much for just us.”

  “It wouldn’t have felt right,” he whispered, taking her hand. “You know it’s true.”

  “Uh-huh.” She turned toward Elvis with a goofy smile. “Your mother’s going to kill me.”

  She had no idea. “We’ll have to throw a proper party at my parents’ house.”

  “Anything. Just...marry me, Jackson. Right now.”

  He’d been waiting for it for what seemed like forever. He would have waited even longer, but he was damn glad he didn’t have to. “Got to do something first.”

  Her fingers tightened around his hand in a nervous enough grip that he knew she’d forgotten to check her strength. “What?”

  He grabbed her and did what he’d wanted to do pretty much from the moment he’d met her.

  He kissed her.

  The End

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