But if you’re not, if, like my brother, you turn against them, their wrath is just as powerful, their justice swift and final. But there is also compassion. Hazel and Michael were welcomed back. I don’t know what my father or she or even I had expected would happen if they found her. I always imagined them hunting for her. Hunting for anyone who’d left the fold. But it’s not like that. They will hunt you. Absolutely. If you’ve caused harm to members of The Society or The Society itself, they will hold you accountable. But walking away is not a punishable offense. At least it hasn’t been in the case of Hazel. My father’s fear had been in her running off, shunning a Sovereign Son. But that’s not how IVI saw it. I'm not sure how much Santiago had to do with that, but I am happy for the end result.

This doesn’t mean that I plan on enmeshing myself more than I would any other group or organization, but it makes me see things a little differently, and that’s a good thing because I know how important IVI is to Santiago. His ancestors are among the founding families, after all. It’s in his blood.

Someone clears their throat. We turn to the door to find Colette and Eva standing there.

“Are you guys coming?” Eva asks anxiously.

“The guests are getting restless,” Colette adds.

“I mean, really, if you want to hang out here,” Eva continues, rolling her eyes and walking toward us. “My niece is the main event so…” She trails off, shrugging a shoulder.

“We’re coming,” Santiago says.

“Actually,” I contradict, handing Elena over to her favorite aunt. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Eva’s gaze shifts from Santiago to me and back to him. “Just remember it’s a church,” she tells him and turns to walk away.

“How old is she again?” Santiago asks as the door closes behind them, and we’re alone. He turns to me, eyebrows raised. “We should go in. The sooner we do, the sooner we can go home.”

“You’re such a homebody.”

“And you’re a socialite?”

“You have a point.” I take his hand and lead him to a pew. We sit down beside each other and he studies me, his expression more serious.

“Ivy?”

I see the furrow between his eyes deepen and reach out to smooth it out. “It’s nothing bad. I just wanted to have a minute alone with you. We’re so rarely alone now.”

He smiles but waits. He knows me too well now.

“I wanted to wait until I was sure,” I start, glancing up at the altar as my eyes warm with tears. Happy ones. When I turn back to him, his are nearly the same as he waits expectantly.

I touch his collar to straighten it.