His face hardened and he took her hand in a crushing grip. “Shall we?”

She swallowed and stepped up onto the dais before the entire Bryonican court as she prepared to tie herself to this horrid male.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for the marriage of Lord Ashby Hallinger March, First of the House of Medallion, to Lady Felicity Kerrigan Argon, First of the House of Cruse.”

The rest of the words disappeared in a haze. She was committed now. There was no turning back. Nothing could stop this. No cloud of black smoke to tilt her world back onto its axis. This was a nightmare that she couldn’t escape.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

And at the first touch of March’s hard lips against her own, she started screaming.

***

Kerrigan rocketed upright. Her screams tapered off as her gaze shifted around the dimly lit classroom inside Draco Mountain. The other two newest Society members, Audria and Roake, stared at her in horror. The current government instructor, Master Hayes, shot her a steely look.

“Is my instruction that horrifying, Mistress Kerrigan?”

She opened her mouth and then promptly closed it. It had been a dream. A literal nightmare. She wasn’t marrying March…yet. She still had months before that day came. Months before she had to walk down the aisle at Belcourt Palace. She didn’t even have a dress yet. They hadn’t even officially announced their intent to marry. That wouldn’t be happening until tomorrow at the final official Season event of the year.

“My apologies, Master Hayes,” she croaked out.

She had been burning the candle at both ends ever since her return from the battlefield. Most nights were spent in nightmares that woke her crying into her pillow. Her days were filled with catching up on studies, her new apprenticeship, and the current influx of half-Fae and human refugees from the House of Shadows. Now apparently her mind had taken her anxiety about seeing March again and forced their literal wedding into her nightmares. Scales.

“Well, with that rousing excitement,” Hayes said, barely containing his eye roll, “we’ll call it for the day. You have your assignments. I expect better work from you. Just because you’re full members doesn’t mean you don’t have to pass your exam with me.”

They all nodded, dumping parchment into bags, and hastened out of the room.

Audria shot me a look. “Battlefield again?”

Kerrigan just nodded. Easier than explaining about March. “It’s keeping me up at night.”

Roake yawned. “Same.”