FRANCES

Creeping his head into the wedding hall, Frances listened to the chaos he created as if he wrote a symphony. He had actual butterflies listening to all the fervor and the panicked questions:

"Why are we starting late?"

"Where are the princes?"

"Do you think everything's okay?"

"Is the wedding getting cancelled?"

They were really losing their minds in there, surrounded by hundreds of years old pews, archways over kaleidoscopic stained glass, and its high vaulted ceilings. The wedding was sprinkled throughout in the anemone and rose bouquets and the candles lighting up the aisle so neither groom would lose their way. It was holy ground that Frances was created to desecrate. Frances's wicked giggle was cut short by a hand grabbing the back of his tuxedo and yanking him from the door. He choked on his good time before getting dragged away like a bad dog. The strength of the hand was strong, but not as powerful as Michael's menacing aura.

"I know you have something to do with this," Michael snapped, his fury flickering around him like hot flames.

"What? I don't know what you could possibly mean!" Frances feigned innocence.

"This has your greasy little immature hands all over it."

Frances guffawed, half to continue his charade of confusion, but also it was just pretty funny. Michael dragged him through the impressive halls, the picturesque example of gothic architecture, before throwing him into a secluded corridor with a dead end.

The perfect place to murder Frances.

"It wasn't me!" Frances spouted as he stumbled at least an arm's reach from Michael. He was going to make this guy work for it and chase him around if he wanted to kill him. "Why on earth would I ever do anything to upset this wedding?"

"Because you're a menace—" Michael spat when his phone buzzed inside his pocket. Frances noticed the flash of the King's name on the screen as Michael took it out and his stomach twisted. "Frances Petrovic," Michael said and closed his eyes, holding onto the phone like it was weapon he never wanted to use. Frances only realized now that the bags underneath Michael's eyes had blackened to bruises and his posture was slumped and sad. "I want one good reason for your shenanigans today. You have no idea the fragile state the marriage is in today."

Frances's veins went ice cold. He forced a tight grin and raised his hands, his fingers trembling. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Then who called the caterers and told them to go to a different hotel for the reception?" Michael jumped at him, snatching Frances's tie.

Frances shot him a glare. "Who had the nerve to do that?"

Michael yanked him forward. "Blake is missing. The guests are scattered around the church and the street because someone moved the signs. And I'm the first vampire in all of existence that will perish from an aneurysm. Frances Petrovic, if it is the last thing I do as Daniel's assistant, I will not let you ruin this wedding for your sick kicks."

Once the first call went to voicemail, another call immediately flooded in, and Michael sighed. He answered it, "My apologies your highness. Have you found Blake?"

"Michael," Frances grabbed Michael's arm, holding it firm. Meeting his eyes, confusing him, Frances said, "I need you to know and understand that what I'm doing is important."

"Why?" Michael whispered away from the receiver. "Why should I believe you? What about the last month would give me any confidence in you?"

"Because you know that Danny is my friend and so is Blake."

Michael's grip slacked, Frances's tie slipped between his fingers. Frances told him, "Blake asked for my help. He needed to delay the wedding. If he asked you to do it, would you say no? To that face?"

Unsatisfied, Michael didn't unscrew his grimace as he answered his phone, "Okay... Blake was in Frances's room? He's on his way?"

Frances dropped his head, the crush of failure breaking his bones. He had one job and he still couldn't do it. This was why good things never came to him.

"No," Michael stated, scowling at Frances. "No, I haven't seen Frances. If he knows what's good for him, he knows he should be hiding..." Michael covered the receiver again, shaking his head at Frances. He looked at him like a math equation he'd never be able to solve. "I did speak to Blake and he... well, he didn't tell me he needed time. Why did he ask you for help?"

"Because you're good at what you do and I'm good at what I do."

Michael closed his eyes as if readying for a booster shot. "I swear, if I get fired for this—"

"You can always be my assistant."

"Eat glass."

Throwing his head back with laughter, Frances decided things were going too well and he needed to bolt. Of all the places to hide, Frances figured the best place would be in plain sight. He joined the chaos that was the wedding reception.

Standing in the sanctuary, Frances still couldn't breathe or relax. Eyes drifted towards him like flies to something sweet. He had that look of knowing more than anyone about the drama and people were thirsty for his knowledge. Frances avoided all eye contact, especially from the stone angels staring down at him.

"Frances! Darling!" Delphine Kelley called from the middle of a row. She barged her way through the well-dressed people to reach him. She shimmered in her skintight golden gown with a matching train. Her white gloves climbed her arms, held on by her glittering jewelry.

"What on earth is going on around here?" She asked, smoothing down her black hair. "As far as weddings go, this one is definitely sticking out. Can't believe I made it here before James and Eric. Oh!" She tapped Frances's shoulder like he wasn't already right next to her. "That man and I over there, Lord Winthrop have a bet going on when the wedding will actually begin. Would you like to join?"

"Uh, no," Frances told her, grabbing her shoulders to steer her back to the pews. He eyed the door, ready to meet his maker. "Let's uh- quickly sit before the king and queen of this country come to break me in half."

"Do you need my protection?"

Frances smiled. In this blissful moment, he forgot about all the horribleness and his loss of maybe the only man who would ever understand him. He remembered that even if he'd never get his soulmate, he still had family. He would always have Delphine. "There's not enough time to list all the ways I need you."

She kissed his cheek, careful not to smudge too much lipstick and guided him back to her spot. Frances sat down, but he was still a pile of jitters and fear. Something else was going on and Frances wished he knew what.

#

BLAKE

After Blake got picked up from Frances's room, he blacked out. He just found himself inside the back of a limousine, separated from Edward. Still drowning in the unknown. His parents were in the same car. The tension was thick like humidity, like a killer bee was somewhere hiding in the corner of a car and any sudden movement would set it off.

They were all late and Blake's aura was as bright as the darkest part of the ocean. He was bent over with his head rested against his clenched fists as he silently wished for Daniel to be alright for his spell to have worked.

The car stopped outside the Sagewick Church and Blake thought he might vomit.

He blacked out again until he was outside the giant ornate doors that led to the chapel that might lead to the end of his life forever.

"Ready?" Blake's mother asked him, giving his arm an excited squeezed. She whispered underneath the sound of strings and piano, playing Edward and Daniel's parents down the aisle. At the last minute, one of Daniel's distant cousins went down the aisle as one of his groomsmen. Josephine and Frances were meant to walk down before him, but Josephine went missing and Frances was kicked out of the wedding.

Blake wished he could thank him.

"Mm, hm," Blake forced himself to smile and nod.

"Ready or not," Blake's father said, fixing his tie. "It's time."

Taking a deep breath, Blake stood up straight and the doors opened. His parents walked the aisle first, then Link. Blake stayed back, out of view in the shadows as his mind raced. He needed to do something more. Something to get him away from the people. He needed to be alone with Edward.

"Blake," someone whispered, and Blake jumped. He spun around, wide-eyed at his brother of all people hiding behind a saint's statue. "Pass out."

"What?" Blake asked, unsure if he heard him right. The ushers opened the door for him, giving him his cue to walk the aisle. A wash of music and light crashed into Blake, just confusing him more.

"Pass out," Damien said again and then fell back into the shadows.

The ushers had to say his name, urging him to move. He had already missed his cue and there was an uncomfortable pinch to their faces. Blake shook his head and tried to take a breath. He forced his feet to move, and he marched the way he practiced. No thoughts. Just his pounding heart pounding the walls of his skull. It was so loud. Surely, everyone could hear its thunder. Everyone's eyes were on him, their faces were a thousand spotlights burning his skin.

This would be an easy trick to pull.

He was already shaking. Even his lips trembled as he smiled at the wedding guests. His blood was already thinned from his anxiety. All he had to do was roll his eyes into the back of his head and drop. Going limp, Blake let himself hit the ground hard and a wave of gasps flooded the atrium. The stringed instruments caught off with a screech that scratched Blake's eardrums.

"I've got him!" Blake heard his brother, Damien's voice. "I've got him!"

"Me too! Nobody worry!" Josephine yelled too, grabbing Blake's legs while Damien picked him up underneath his armpits. They lugged him from the floor, fast walking and jostling Blake around.

Her words did not stop the room from creating a fuss. Some people were even exasperated that the wedding would have to be delayed even longer. Blake tried not to take that one to heart.

"Daniel!" Josephine yelled as Blake's body bumped into people and flowers. "You do crowd control and we'll be back before you know it."

Together, they dragged Blake out of the room and only when the doors shut, Blake's eyes popped opened. "What's happening?!" He piped up.

"It's us!" Damien said, still going at full speed. "Nicholas and Henry!"

The threat of tears burned Blake's eyes as he looked between them. It would be too good. It would mean something finally went right and Blake could hardly believe it. "What?! Really?!"

Josephine threw her head back with laughter. "Don't act so surprised! You're the one that summoned us! I'm Nick by the way. You look so much like Henry, it makes my heart flutter."

"I'm right here," Henry reminded Nicholas.

"Put me down," Blake requested with a little struggling and when his feet touched the ground, he turned around and threw his arms around Henry. He was shaped like his big brother and Henry's put his long arms around him. He held on tight, burying his head on top of Blake's hair. This warmth was Damien's, but the affection felt like family all the same.

Henry whispered, "Thank you."

"Helping you..." Blake chuckled through the tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "Is just helping me, isn't it? It's actually pretty selfish."

Henry laughed.

Sighing, Nicholas grabbed their arms and tugged them forward. "Gentlemen, I love you both, but we must keep going. Blake, we have Daniel—"

"You do? Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Blake broke into a run.

It was painful to stay behind them and follow, not just rush ahead, and find Daniel himself. His heart pounded and his mind was flooded with all the things Blake needed to say the moment he saw Daniel. They ran far from the main assembly hall into another where a smaller Christmas party was meant to take place. All the modern decorations seemed wrong placed against the ancient stone and the black steel framing the stained glass.

"Danny?" Blake called as he rushed inside.

Underneath one of the tables, Blake saw a dark hand reach out first and Blake raced over, to grab his hand and pull Daniel out the rest of the way. He hit Daniel hard and everything building inside of him burst at once. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You were right and I was too stupid not to get tricked—"

Daniel grabbed his face and kissed him, pressing his lips hard and holding Blake so firm, Blake imagined he wasn't going to fall apart anymore. He clung to Daniel's arms. He felt different. His lips were chapped. He smelled so much like blood Blake's stomach unsettled, but he was here. That was all that mattered.

He could squeeze Daniel's arms and feel that he was solid that this wasn't a dream.

"I must apologize too," Daniel said, his coloring off and his eyes tired. "I should've known how much Adrian—or Edward had been manipulating you. I should've been clearer. I should've—"

"No, it's my fault," Blake insisted.

"No, it's mine."

"This isn't going to get us anywhere," Henry stated. "It's neither of your faults."

"It's Edward's," Nicholas agreed. "For the past 500 years, it's been his fault."

"Well, it ends today," Blake said.

He stared up at Daniel and Blake realized his eyes changed in more ways than one... they were deeper and the look he gave Blake was stronger. It reminded him a lot of the way Nicholas looked at Henry in the dreams. Like he was staring up a night sky full of stars with so much wonder and promise of a much grander world. Blake stood there like Daniel's entire universe. Blake leaned up on his toes and kissed him again, gentler this time with a touch of an apology still on his lips.

The doors opened again, and Blake put himself in front of Daniel, who then tugged on him and they changed places. Blake smacked him because he was the one who looked closer to death. Not Blake. As if reading his mind, Daniel smirked like it was a joke. All the tension lessened as Frances came barreling into the room with the oracle, Delphine Kelley at his heels.

Frances threw his hands open. "What in the world is going on around here? Blake, are you okay?"

He asked, his eyes flickering from Daniel's hand on his wrist and up to his face. Frances did a double take at Daniel, who still wore his suit from the Gala. It was just adorned with new patches of blood stains and dirt.

"It's okay! This is the real Danny," Blake said, squeezing his hand.

Delphine laid a hand on her chest. "This is the most exciting wedding I think I've ever attended, and I once witnessed a bride get carried off by a dragon."

Frances let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Christ. I'll never call you a dickhead again. Not when I've met the President of Dickhead Incorporated. Where's Iggy?"

"Not here." Daniel shook his head. "He doesn't have the option to pick sides, but if we save ourselves, we save him too. We can get him back."

A twinkle of joy sparkled in Delphine's eye as she turned to Frances. "Who's Iggy?"

"No one. Shut up," Frances grumbled, turning a bit red around the ears.

"We need to get this wedding started," Daniel said, squeezing Blake's hand as if to remind him that he was here. There were together. That was what mattered the most. "One of you, Nicholas or Frances, find someone that can officiate a wedding."

Blake straightened and tugged on Daniel's sleeve. Yes, Blake thought, this was all they had to do. Just get married and everything could be fixed and made right. It sounded too easy. Nothing came to Blake easy.

"Who's Nicholas?" Frances asked.

"Look no further!" Delphine flicked her hands up, a huge smile on her face. "I've officiated several weddings and officiating yours would check something off my bucket list."

"You have to make it quick," Blake told the oracle. "No embellishments."

"None? Not even a quick sonnet about the power of love?"

"No," they all chorused.

"Fine, have it your way. It's your wedding..." Delphine grumbled and threw her long train over her shoulders like a scarf before taking her place between Daniel and Blake. This wasn't what Blake imagined to be feeling on his wedding day. He didn't expect his butterflies to feel more like maggots and his heart didn't race at how handsome Daniel looked, but because his abuser was somewhere, looking for him, and could come at him at any moment.

"We are gathered here today—" Delphine began to say, grandly.

"Skip ahead," Blake insisted, too restless to stand still. He couldn't keep one eye off the door.

Delphine rolled her eyes. "Alright. Do you Daniel Bellerose take Blake Winslow to be your lawfully wedded partner, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and not-so-good times, for richer or poorer, committing yourself unto them for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Daniel said.

Echoed by another with the same response, "I do."

Red smoke spiraled from the floor and a rush of magic and heat combusted, shoving Blake off his feet. Only Delphine caught him, but it was too powerful, and they both hit the ground hard. The red smoke didn't even need to fade. Blake wasn't surprised to find Edward standing in the middle of the room. This time he wasn't Daniel, but Adrian dressed up in wedding attire and with a smug smile that Blake just wanted to punch off.

Standing at his side, Ignacio's face was void of all expression. His horns were out, his skin still red as a shiny apple.

Edward grinned. "You didn't think you could get married without me? Did you?"

#

AUTHOR'S NOTE

They're back together again 😭 And the whole gang is here~ Can you believe even Delphine is here for the finale? Lol. This will be the second time this woman marries my main characters in a book. I'm writing a Going Rogue Novella about Jess and Drew's wedding. Should she marry them too? It is all the same universe 😂

Don't forget to tell me what you think! How do you think Frances did with stalling for time? And how do you think Michael and Frances's relationship has progressed? Lol. We're heading towards the finale battle >.< 

See you next week!