Four months, twelve and counting utterly implausible, zany paranormal accidents gone by—a chicken-wing-loving, beer-guzzling, recuperating-from-a-wound-that-almost-ended-her-life-but-saved-her-friends ex-vampire; a beautiful halfsie with the gift of mediation and an endless supply of eye rolls; a gorgeous blonde werewolf who will never let her bestie live down the fact that she took a bullet for her; a cuddly demon who was teaching the sweetest zombie on the face of the planet how to slow dance; a manservant, busily making sure every last detail of his scrumptious buffet was perfect; a gorgeous, fiery-haired almost princess and her handsome Prince Iver; various accidentally turned guests, such as dragons and genies and cougars, oh my; a string of fairytale creatures, like big blue ogres and little old ladies named Roz; one unaware-she’s-about-to-be-ambushed brown bear; and a handsome grizzly in a cheesy blue tuxedo with matching ruffles, gathered for a very special surprise first date at the newly renovated place the new couple called their home away from home…
“Surprise!” voices yelled from the dark interior of the penguin pool house at Sanctuary, just as muted globe lights popped on and a soft love song began to drift to Teddy’s ears.
“Happy prom!” Marty and Wanda squealed, gathering her into a rhinestoned hug of blue and gold tulle-covered satin and clouds of musky-sweet perfume.
Nina held up a dress. A very familiar dress. And she wore a dress, too. Granted, she wore her black hoodie over the top of it and work boots, but a beautiful red dress was beneath the sweatshirt, swaying at her ankles and hugging her long legs.
“What is all this?” Teddy asked, breathless.
Nina shook the dress under her nose with the arm not in a sling, and grinned, her white teeth flashing. “Happy prom, kiddo!”
Teddy smiled at her friend and occasional animal consultant, giving her the hug she knew would annoy her. “Hey, lady! How are you feeling?”
Nina’s recuperation from the bullet she’d taken was indeed slower than even the ex-vampire expected. Nothing moved as quickly as it once did for Nina, not her healing or her body, and it frustrated her. According to her doctors, physical therapy for her arm was going quite well, despite the names she called her hunky Swedish therapist, who laughed off her ire-filled rants.
But what Teddy worried most about was Nina’s mind, her emotional state. “So have you given thought to what we talked about?”
Nina made a face. “You mean more therapy? Like maybe a fucking couch and a bottle of Xanax?”
“No. I mean talking about your feelings with a skilled professional, Heathen. A paranormal professional.”
They’d cornered Nina shortly after her accident and broached the subject of seeking counseling for how displaced she was feeling. Someone to talk to who could help her cope with her fears about leaving this world before her baby and her husband, her friends.
She’d spouted all the typical Nina protests until Teddy mentioned how she’d someday have to explain to Charlie and Carl, who didn’t totally understand mortality as it pertained to Nina, why she wasn’t immortal and they were, and that was the tipping point to her reconsidering. Nothing was more important to Nina than Charlie and Carl.
“Feelings-schmeelings. I hate fucking talking about how I feel. I feel fine.”
“Nina…” Teddy warned as Marty and Wanda rolled their eyes. “If I can be strong, so can you. Always be the hunter.”
Nina scrunched up her beautiful face. “Oh, shut the fuck up. I said I’d go and I’ll GD go. But for now, c’mon, we gotta get ya all dolled up and slap some crap on your face so you can cry it all off when you’re slow dancing to some sappy shit. Bust a move, Teddy Bear. Your man’s gonna be here any minute.”
Teddy fought tears as she took the dress Nina held out to her. Everything made sense to her now. “So, that’s what that shopping trip last week was about?”
Just last week, the three of them had flown in with Carl and stayed the weekend at the ranch with Teddy and her brothers. She’d given them the tour of the newly renovated Sanctuary, shown them the sights, watched as Nina bonded with the horses at the ranch and at Sanctuary, and they’d taken her shopping for a total makeover.
There’d been creams and lotions, lip gloss after lip gloss, a hair appointment with some fancy man with a fancy French accent and magical scissors.