And a dose of normal was apparently what I’d needed. I already knew I’d missed our far quieter life in the mountains, but I hadn’t realized how much until now. Something tightly clenched inside me unwound a little as I listened to two people swear to take on all of life’s challenges together in the name of love.

In my thirty years on this earth, I’d already seen and done more than many people would in a lifetime, but I wouldn’t have made it this far if not for love. That had been the solid ground beneath my feet when everything else around me had crumpled, and despite the danger and uncertainty of what lay ahead, I knew it would be again.

For a split second, I pitied Madigan. He only had ambition and ruthlessness holding him up. How great his fall would be from such a tenuous, unreliable perch.

Silently, I slipped my hand into Bones’s. At once, he brought it to his lips, brushing a whisper soft kiss over my knuckles. Another hidden knot inside me eased as the cloud that had been hanging over me from weeks of frustration became pierced by rays of hope. We’d been through so much together. Surely we hadn’t come this far to fail now.

Buoyed by the thought, I cheered when Vlad and Leila were formally pronounced man and wife—according to human law, anyway—and vowed to make the most of this brief time-out from our troubles. Soon I realized that if the ceremony had been more traditional in nature, the reception had shades of Vlad’s over-the-top style. It spilled into the entire third floor of his mansion and had enough food and drink to make even vampires physically sick, and that wasn’t counting the wedding cake that stood taller than me in high heels. I didn’t even get a chance to say hello to Vlad until almost three hours in, when we brought up the rear of the reception line.

Vlad’s long dark hair was slicked back enough to show his widow’s peak. The severe style also emphasized his high cheekbones, strong brows, and unusual coppery green eyes. He wasn’t classically handsome like Bones, but he was striking in a way that couldn’t be ignored. His fur-edged scarlet cloak and the richly braided suit beneath it only added to his commanding presence, not to mention he could club someone to death with the massive gold pendant hanging around his neck.

“You’re going to coin the term ‘medieval fabulous’ in that outfit,” I teased as I leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then I murmured, “I’m so happy for you,” against his stubbled skin.

He embraced me, brief but welcoming. “I’m pleased that you came, Cat.”

His lips curled downward as he looked over my shoulder, but all he said was “Bones” in a noncommittal tone.

“Tepesh,” Bones greeted him in an equally ambiguous voice.

I rolled my eyes. At least they weren’t threatening to kill each other. That was progress for their relationship.