Chapter 26: The Invitation

"Why does it look so scary?" Katrina asked, prodding the box. "There’s a note." She grabbed it and handed it to me.

I gasped after reading it. "It’s an invitation..." I looked at Damara. "To a royal wedding?! It’s addressed to you, Damara."

"Damn it," she clicked her tongue. "How did they know I was here? Here, let me read it," she said, walking over to me and grabbing the slip of paper out of my hand.

The room was silent as we waited for some kind of reaction. Flashing me a look, her expression dropped. She touched the chains on the box, and they dissolved.

"Sorry, Sam, it seems we have to attend... all of us," Damara said, lifting the lid on the box to inspect it. She grabbed at something inside, pulling it out slowly.

"Is that a tuxedo?" I asked, trying to wrap my mind around the situation. "Why is it white?" I teased, grinning at her.

"White is the themed color for my *brother’s* wedding..." she huffed, continuing to read. "It says it’s tomorrow. They’re sending someone to retrieve our group and transport us to..." She trailed off, hanging her head. "The demon realm."

"Wait, so who..." I scratched my head. "I’m confused. Who’s royalty?"

All Damara offered was a feeble ’me,’ not meeting my eyes. She continued to stare at the floor as she explained further. She apparently was the seventh daughter of the current Demon King, and he was very strict. She continued to explain over breakfast that had gone slightly cold. Once she was done, she just stared blankly at me.

"Say something, Sam..." she finally spoke, cutting the silence.

I flashed a grin. "Something," I teased, sending a wink her way.

My joke landed as the sides of her mouth betrayed her, and she burst into laughter. After a moment, it changed into a soft cry.

"You know how to make a bad situation not suck. Thank you," she said, looking from me to Katrina, who had Micro-Sarah still on her shoulder. "You two are fine with it as well?"

The miniature Goddess shot forward, stopping just in front of Damara’s nose, forcing Damara to cross her eyes. Then, with gusto, she smacked the tip.

"Of course we are," she answered, flying around and landing on Darmara’s shoulder. "I may be afraid, but with all of you," she gestured to the room. "I think I can manage. Though I’m going in this form. It’ll be my first step outside."

Katrina appeared by her side in a blur of orange, placing her hand on Damara’s shoulder. She gave a confident grin before nodding in agreement.

"Thank you..." she managed through sniffles, as she wiped at her eyes. "Thank you all so much," she added, beginning to smile again. "That’s tomorrow. What did you have planned for today, Sam?"

"Are you sure you don’t want to talk some more about tomorrow?"

She shook her head side to side as she said, "I’m sure with all of us, it will turn out alright. It’s a wedding. Maybe we’ll have fun."

"I don’t have anything to wear tomorrow..." Katrina muttered, her ears folded down.

"First-world problems, meet my celestial cheat code," I said, pulling out my phone and unlocking the screen. "Come on. If we’re ordering new clothes, we might as well let everyone get some."

Katrina perked up instantly, practically leaping over the counter to squeeze in beside me, her tail swishing with newfound energy.

I opened a high-end dress boutique app and set the filter strictly to shades of ivory and pearl.

"Ooh, that one!" Katrina pointed a clawed finger at a floor-length satin slip dress with a long daring slit.

"Too modern," Damara chimed in, leaning over my other shoulder. A small, dry smirk returned to her face. "My father would call it ’scandalously bare.’ If you want to terrify an archduke, go with something dramatic." She swiped to a flowing, tiered gown with off-the-shoulder chiffon sleeves.

Katrina gasped softly, her amber eyes wide. "It looks like clouds. Can you really get that for me?"

"Expedited supernatural courier, courtesy of my tab," Damara assured her, tapping the purchase button before I could even object.

"Hey, what about me?" a tiny voice squeaked. Micro-Sarah buzzed off Damara’s shoulder, hovering directly in front of the screen. "I’m tiny. Will it have anything for me?!"

I scrolled the app for several minutes looking for anything that even remotely sounded small. All it offered were adult clothes, however.

"Sorry, Sarah. It doesn’t appear to have any."

With a theatrical roll of her eyes, Sarah snapped her fingers. A swirl of golden, celestial glitter spiraled around her tiny frame, weaving into a miniature, gossamer ballgown with petals of spun starlight.

"Will this work?" she asked, spinning around in the air.

Damara and Katrina surrounded her instantly, fawning over how cute the new dress was.

We spent the rest of the day in a blur of nervous laughter, trying to pretend the weight of tomorrow wasn’t hanging over us. But nighttime brought the quiet back.

I was staring at the ceiling of my dark bedroom, counting the ticks of the wall clock, when the soft click of my door opening shattered the silence.

Katrina stood in the doorway, clutching a spare pillow to her chest, her fox ears flat against her head. Right behind her was Damara, uncharacteristically hesitant, arms folded tightly across her chest, with a faint golden speck of light hovering near her ear.

"We all can’t sleep," Damara muttered quietly, looking anywhere but at me.

"Can we...?" Katrina whispered, gesturing weakly toward the mattress.

I lifted the heavy comforter, offering a reassuring smile. "Get in here."

Katrina curled against my side with a grateful sigh, tucking her tail around her feet. Damara slipped under the covers on the other side, her tense posture melting the moment her head hit the pillow, while Micro-Sarah nestled safely into the hollow of the headboard.

The Demon Realm was waiting for us tomorrow, but for tonight, we were safe in my bed, together.