As we approached my friends waiting at the buffet tables, Dominic handed me a slice of strawberry shortcake from Schubert's. I knew that it was from that bakery because of their round candy logo on the piece. Once I could tear my eyes from the perfection flown to another dimension from my favorite bakery, my eyes scanned the crowd for Luke to thank him. He hadn't moved away from his discussion with Valenia, but I caught his eye. How had he managed to get it to me?  How had he even known? I lifted the plate of strawberry shortcake high at him, earning me a faint smile before Valenia steered him back to their conversation.

I felt annoyed enough by her interference to pile my plate high with opera cake, chocolate mousse cake, and Swedish princess cake.

"Yo, Matt. You're gonna get sick eating all that," Adrian said. 

"Shubert's has magical flour to make all the calories go away. Plus, their glorious goodness keeps sickness at bay. I'm surprised you don't know that."

"You should at least get some actual food. I'm not even sure how you're still standing after what happened on the dance floor." He put an arm around me, and I found I liked that. I let him keep it there while I got half my plate cleaned. It was a valiant effort, but my stomach issued my defeat. With a groan, I lowered my fork.

"Told you," Adrian crowed as he patted my head.

"Shut up." I looked sorrowfully at the sweets still left on my plate.

"What was that anyway, out there..." he asked, his tone growing more serious.

"I don't know... but the sad thing is I want it to happen again. I'm nuts right?" I glanced at him for confirmation.

He shrugged. "If it was anything like what you did to me, then... no."

I blinked, but then Dominic approached us and pried the plate from my hands. After he set it aside on a table, I hissed at him just like a ring-obsessed golem would and cried out, "No! My preciouses! You dare!"

"How about you dance with me instead," Dominic said with a chuckle as he took my hand.

I was going to agree, but Valenia broke into our conversation. "There you are. I need to introduce you to the other Elect and their courts. After that shocking display, I hope the dignitaries here won't ostracize you." She was looking at me with a pinched face. 

I held Dominic's hand as I turned to her and answered in a frosty voice. "I'm sorry, but I don't really care.  I was just about to dance with Dominic, Your Holiness."

She glanced at him as though he was beneath her, which just made me angrier. Nobody looked at Dominic like that.  "It would be best to meet your competitors," she insisted.

"Why?" I folded my arms over my chest as I scowled, honorifics forgotten

 "Your lack of knowledge of our ways harms you as much as your court. Not only do you not have all seven consorts, but..." Her gaze rested on Dominic and Adrian, and her smile was dismissive. "Some are human. Nevertheless, the prophecies demand you take part. The situation at hand is indeed dire enough to bend our traditions slightly."

I shrugged. "I'm here participating against my will. Not sure what else you want from me."

 "You know Emerlee has complained to me about her claim on Luke."

My brows raised. Oh. Was this what Valenia came by for? She wanted me to release Luke so he could marry the anaconda? "I think that's up to Luke, isn't it?"

"No, but I don't expect you to understand." She sneered with annoyance.  "Men do not have the forethought to make their own decisions; that is why we make them for them." She gave me a condescending smile, as though I'd agree now that she'd given me her explanation.

My eyes squinted at her. What the heck? Men don't have the forethought to — What?? I didn't like her, her ringlets, or her uncomfortable hat. "I believe in choice, and that's all there is to it. Alright, I'll meet these women since you think it's so important, but I'm coming right back to my 'humans.'" I put the air quotes up on the last word. 

Her smile fell. "It's a shame you are not from our world. This way," 

I snarled at her back. No. I didn't agree with that at all. 

As I followed her, a group of giggling ladies rushed up to Adrian, Dominic, and Luis, cutting them off from following me. I glanced back, suspicious, and wondered if I was being set up.  Emerlee had waylaid Luke in the spot where Valenia had left him. She was shouting, but I couldn't hear her exact words.

High Priestess Valenia and I approached Regina and another young woman discussing the slices of cake they had in their hands. Each piece of cake was yellow and white, with a red filling between the layers. A black and white striped ganache frosted the outside of the slice.

My cousin, wearing the same gray robe as I, waved her fork in the air after sampling a bit. Her tiny mouth pursed into a moue of displeasure. "This cake has too much vanilla in it and not enough sugar."

The other woman, who looked younger and had light strawberry blond hair that was frizzy, nodded her head in agreement. She was also, sadly, wearing the same robe. Because of our attire, I felt so sorry for all of us.

"I think so too," the strawberry blond said, "and the frosting is too rich. I do not like it at all." She said this as she shoveled another forkful into her mouth and even licked at the utensil. Then she wrinkled her nose - as if that would fool anyone. There were quite a few cake crumbs on her robe.

I could have found some sisters to commiserate with. They had to wear the same things as me. But noooo! They just had to diss my favorite bakery. "Then don't eat it."

The two girls looked up from the lovely cakes they were bashing and their brows rose almost into their gelled hairlines. The high priestess cleared her throat as she realized I looked affronted by the rising amusement of the other women as they took in my irritation. 

"Regina and Marisol, I wanted to bring over The Elect Madeline to make your acquaintance. I noticed you did not come over during the announcement to greet her."

"Oh, was it necessary? I am only here because Papa dragged me here. As you know, I wanted my ceremony to be separate. It would have been so much more regal at the temple." Marisol said with an eye roll. 

"Oh yeah? Why come then? No need to go someplace you don't want to go to." 

Marisol sneered at me, then tried to cover up her expression by patting her mouth.

"I apologize, Holiness; I was behind another when Elect Madeline arrived and couldn't come close," My cousin said.

Liar. I saw her standing a few feet behind the priestess. Well, I guess it was not exactly a lie. She was "behind another" as she said.

I glanced at Valenia. "We done here?"

Valenia clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I was expecting more decorum from you, daughters of Duir" She directed a frosty look at Regina and Marisol, who quickly realized their snarkiness didn't amuse her. "I will take you to meet some of the Counsul. I heard you already met Sir Parson."

"Yeah..." I grimaced. "I met Marisol's 'papa.'" I made quote fingers and raised the pitch of my voice. "Say, why do men get to be in the Counsul if they can't decide anything?" I tried to distract her from having me meet Parson.

She breathed out through her nose like an angry bull, and I happily realized my ploy worked. "The Counsul are men and women that possess the highest gifts. They are no longer mere men, as Duir holds part of their lifeforce. However..." she smiled patronizingly, "They can never be the closest to the Mother. That is a spot only the women of the Temple hold."

"Wait a second." I held my hand out in a plea to understand. "Duir has their lifeforce - you mean, literally?"

"Well, only the men. The Seraph from the winter court is exempt as she is female and an ancient. It's a failsafe against the poor judgment that males have.  The Counsul is happy to allow her to keep a piece of themselves with her. If they misbehave, she can snuff out their life easily."

That sounded a lot like what I did to Luis and Adrian, which made me frown. What was the significance of Duir and I having that ability? Could I do that to the guys? I sure hoped not.

Regina handed me her plate, surprising me. "For you. This tale is dull and something even our children know. Men are decorations and gardeners for the new female flowers we bloom, so who cares what happens to them? The men of the Counsul are just men, well... most of them," she said with a chuckle as her gaze raked my form. "I despair for your court. Not only are you gluttonous, but you're stupid too."

Marisol cackled.

My lips stretched into a crazed grin. "People love me just as I am, which you wouldn't understand since you're both soulless shrews."

The women gasped in horror. Even Valenia looked stricken. "Elect Madeline... speaking of the Fae's soulless nature is a high affront!"

"Wait. You guys don't have souls? Seriously?" So that's why I had seen no ghosts in Aleria. They were lost souls that hadn't departed the earth, but the people here didn't have any. That sucked. I had grown used to having ghosts help me out in San Francisco.

"We don't have souls in the sense that humans do, that is correct. We were created in the garden to serve it, so souls were not deemed necessary," Valenia explained. "Only humans have souls. The fae do not as we were created from the trees and not from the Creator. We have a lifeforce and our magic, which is enough."

"Oh. Sorry, I guess." I figured that a lifeforce was a lot like a soul, but I guess it was a different essence. Then, did that mean I didn't actually take Luis or Adrian's soul, but their lifeforce? I guess that was it.

Marisol gave a little snort and walked past me, bumping into me as she did. I turned my head to watch her leave and noticed that Erick was storming over to us.

"My Lady, what are you doing without an escort?" he fumed, then he bowed low to Valenia and the shrews.

"Relax," I said. "Go back to noodling with Beth and let me handle my business."

Regina tittered behind a blue silk fan. Her laugh was a pretty, trilling sound. "You should let your males do their duty. It would be a shame if I defeated you because you wouldn't let them. "

"Come at me, Regina, I dare you." My eyes narrowed at her.

"I've decided I might like you. So after I've defeated you, I may let you live." Regina flashed a grin at me.

"Humph. Because you bashed my favorite bakery, if I win, I'll make you eat every kind of slice of Schubert's cake at once." Then I realized my threat was less menacing and blushed. Later that night, I was sure that a thousand better responses would keep me awake.

Her laughter trilled. "Horrors. I must run away."

While still laughing, she turned and left.  As she left, two men followed after her. It was the twins from the airplane. Tweedle Dee gave me a narrowed stare, which I returned. 

While I fumed, I noted that Erick was still standing beside me. But I didn't want him there, so I tried to walk off as well. "I need to stay with you; you're unescorted!" Erick insisted as he looked over his shoulders in embarrassment. "People are looking down upon you, My Lady.

"I don't care, Erick. You don't get to hang out with me." My cake was souring in my stomach. 

"What can I do to fix this between us? You must believe me when I say that I have already broken things off!" 

"You want to know what you can do to fix this?" I set the cake I was juggling on the table. "How about you take my Mother's place so I can have her back." Shame filled me because of my ugly behavior, so I pushed him. "I didn't mean that. Get away from me, Erick, before we start a scene, or I say something uglier."

He tried to take my hand, but I shook him off. "I make an oath right here that I will die for you, should an occasion arise that I must," He declared, and his expression was stark. It made him look more beautiful, like a tortured angel, and I hated him for it.

I sighed wearily. "Stop it. I can't deal with you right now."

"Wait." He touched my shoulder. 

I didn't wait. I practically ran back to Dominic, who stared at me with concern from the buffet area. Erick followed behind me, still sputtering on about me needing an escort. Adrian and Luis were dancing with the ladies that had waylaid them, but Luis ended his dance once he saw me. As I watched him approach, I realized I needed to calm down. My outrage would add gasoline to Luis's dark mood, which would, in turn, make me into an inferno of rage. So I grabbed Dominic by the arm and pulled him out onto a balcony. Once I was out there, I hugged him. It was impulsive and probably wrong. I knew how he felt about me, and I wasn't sure what I felt about anyone right now.

I breathed in the cookie smell he always had on him. He was always baking sweets and thus always smelled wonderful. I wondered why that felt like home.

"You okay, Pumpkin?" He squeezed me, not at all unhappy about my mixed messages.

He called me a nickname. My lips curled up in a smile. "No, but I think I should sell your hugs to the highest bidder. They're very effective."

"Don't you dare! I refuse your desire to traffic me to an underground hug market." He gave me a look of mock anger.

"Hey, I'd keep it on the up and up. I'd take care of you, babe." I made my voice sound sleazy as I leered at him. I felt my mood lifting as we bantered. This whole shindig was a disaster, but Dom was a champ about it.

Dominic chuckled against my temple as he kissed it. Comforting love like a warm waterfall and devotion that felt like cashmere poured through our connection. What had I done right to deserve Dom? I leaned back until I was looking up into his eyes. They looked like storm clouds over an ocean. 

"Dominic..." I whispered. I saw a line, and I knew I shouldn't cross it, not when I was so unbalanced. But his lips were a hair's breadth from mine. I closed my eyes.

A crescendo of chimes sounded out onto the balcony. My eyes flew open, then I turned to see that the Elect were lining up with their consorts in front of the dais. The crowd was moving to each side to make way. Valenia was standing on the dais in front of the altar.

I stepped away from our embrace, more rattled than I'd begun. Dominic had kissed me. The pressing of his lips on mine had been feather-light, but he'd done it. Line crossed. I had my second kiss.

"Madeline... I'm..." He started to say.

"Uh... I guess that is our cue." I said with a shaky laugh, interrupting him. There was no time to discuss anything, and I had too much to unwrap. "Let's find the guys."

Dominic offered me his hand, and I saw what looked like uncertain hope in his eyes. Then he frowned and coughed. He spat out something and showed it to me.

It was a gray jewel with flecks of diamond-like sparks within its facets.