Page 41 of Dark Princess Ascending

"I love you, Princess Morelle. With all my heart and soul." He closed the distance between their mouths and sealed his lips over hers.

24

MARINA

Marina's bedroom was a hive of activity, with dresses draped over every surface and the air thick with the mingled scents of hairspray, cosmetics, and perfume.

Her heart fluttered with excitement and nerves as Larissa worked on her hair with a curling iron while Lusha carefully applied makeup to her mother's face.

She'd already done Marina's, and it was a work of art. The woman was really talented, and she claimed to have learned all the tricks from watching countless instructional videos on YouTube.

Marina had watched quite a few herself and still didn't know how to make her eyeliner stay in place all day without smudging and giving her raccoon eyes.

Peter had often commented that she shouldn't bother because she was beautiful as she was and didn't need cosmetics to enhance her appearance, but Marina knew better. In a place where every female looked like a supermodel, she needed all the help she could get just to blend in.

Thankfully, nearly half of the females in the room right now were human, so she felt more at home. It was good that the master suite was spacious, with a seating area separate from the bed, so there was enough space for all of her bridesmaids and her mother. Catrina remained in the living room, and Marina felt a pang of guilt for excluding her.

Then again, she hadn't told the woman to stay out there, and besides, Peter's mother could have spent the morning visiting her many friends and relatives in the village instead of sitting on the living room couch and making everyone uncomfortable.

Yesterday over dinner, it had seemed like she was warming up to Marina and her parents, but it must have been the vodka or maybe her own wishful thinking, because this morning Catrina was back to being her old standoffish self who treated everyone like they were beneath her.

Still, a small voice in the back of Marina's head whispered that she was misinterpreting the woman's behavior. Peter's mom was uncomfortable around her and her gaggle of bridesmaids,most of whom she knew only by name. She wasn't the friendly type, and maybe she needed a drink in her to loosen up.

"Stop fidgeting," Lusha commanded Marina’s mother, wielding the makeup brush like a weapon. "I can't get this highlight perfect if you keep bouncing your knee."

"Sorry." Her mother tried to still her restless movements. "I'm just so excited. My baby girl is getting married."

Marina stifled an eye roll.

She was a twenty-seven-year-old woman, not a baby, and her mother hadn't babied her since she'd been twelve and started working in the compound, cleaning up after the Kra-ell, but Marina was in a forgiving mood today and let it pass.

"What about you?" Wonder asked her from her perch on the bed. "Are you nervous? Excited? Or about to explode?"

Marina stuck out her tongue at her friend, earning a reproachful tug on her hair from Larissa.

Working with Wonder at the café had been a blessing—the immortal's endless patience and kindness had helped Marina adjust to life in the village. Thanks to her, she knew almost every resident not only by name but also their backstories, provided that Wonder knew them.

"I'm still mad at you for refusing to have a proper bachelorette party," Aliya said, sorting through a collection of nail polish bottles thatLusha had brought over. "We could have had so much fun!"

"We are having fun." Marina gestured at the comfortable chaos around her. "This is perfect. We are spending the morning together getting ready, reminiscing, and drinking."

As if on cue, Wendy appeared in the doorway with another round of mimosas balanced on a tray. She only worked part-time at the café, but she was part of Marina's inner circle of friends. "Speaking of perfect, wait until you see the village green. The flowers just arrived and?—"

"No spoilers!" Eleanor called from her spot by the window. "Amanda wants it to be a surprise."

Marina had been instructed to avoid the area and, if she happened to walk by, to look in the other direction.

Her mother took a glass from the tray and raised it in a toast. "To my beautiful daughter on her wedding day."

"To Marina!" the others echoed, raising their glasses.

Marina's gaze drifted to the closed bedroom door, beyond which Catrina was sitting alone in the living room.

Guilt gnawed at her stomach.

"I should invite her in," she murmured.

Larissa's hand stilled with the curler. "Who?"