Claudia nodded, looking at me with a pained expression on her face.
Yuri stood up and, walking over to me, gripped my shoulder. “Personally, I think Kailyn’s the right choice.”
I nodded curtly. “Well, I hope the cure goes smoothly. And if you are leaving tomorrow, let me know. I’d like to see you off at the Port.”
I walked toward the door.
“Bye, honey,” Claudia said.
“Bye.”
As I left that treehouse and descended back down to the forest floor, Yuri’s words replayed in my mind.
Kailyn’s the right choice.
Kailyn’s the right choice.
Chapter 4: Mona
I returned with Kiev to our new residence—a grand treehouse not too far away from Derek and Sofia’s. This was the first time we’d even laid eyes on it since the witches had erected it. We walked slowly from room to room, starting with the beautifully furnished living room, moving on to the kitchen, the dining room, and then the three bedrooms. Ibrahim and Corrine could have made it larger for us, but I’d requested that they keep it small. Neither Kiev nor I liked huge homes. We were much happier in more contained spaces. It wasn’t like we were expecting to have many guests stay over anyway.
As we entered the master bedroom, I sat down on the edge of the king-sized bed. Kiev walked over to the window and looked out before turning around to face me.
“What do you think?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Looks good enough.”
I nodded. My eyes fell to his prosthetic arm. Although having a missing arm didn’t seem to bother Kiev, it still pained me every time I looked at it. It reminded me what he’d sacrificed for me. For us. I rolled the engagement ring on my finger.
“What’s wrong?” Kiev frowned. “Don’t you like this place?”
“I love it.” I gave him a watery smile. I reached for his right arm and pulled him down on the bed to sit next to me. Cupping his face with my hands, I brushed my thumbs against his rough cheeks. I closed my eyes. “I love you, Kiev,” I whispered, biting my lip.
He reached for my chin and pressed his lips against mine in a firm yet tender kiss. Then, holding me by the waist with his left arm, he raised my hand and kissed the ring. His voice husky, he looked me deep in the eyes. “Let’s get married, Mona,” he said. “Before things get crazy again, I want to make you my bride.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Although I wanted nothing more than to accept Kiev’s suggestion, I couldn’t help but feel it was too soon, too close to the funeral ceremony. Too close to the destruction we’d just been through. “Do you really think now is the right time for a wedding?”
He wet his lower lip, his expression concerned. “We don’t know when we’ll get another chance. If there’s one thing I’ve learned while staying on this island, it’s that if there’s anything you want to do, you need to do it at the first opportunity. Anything can happen at any time in The Shade.”
He lifted himself off the bed, pulling me up into a standing position next to him. Sliding both hands around my waist, he pulled me flush against his body, bending me back gently and trailing kisses down my throat.
“Let’s get married, Mona,” he said again.
“Okay,” I breathed. “Let’s get married.”
Barely had I said the words before he scooped me up in his arms and began racing toward the exit of the apartment. Running out onto the balcony, he leapt up onto the railing and with one giant leap almost gave me a heart attack as we hurtled down to the ground. I was winded as we landed, practically strangling him with my grip.
“Wh-Where are you taking me?”
“We ought to let the Novaks know first.”
After recovering from the drop, I couldn’t help but laugh at the speed at which he was running. The wind blew so violently against me I could barely keep my eyes open. “You know, I could just magic us there.”
Kiev smiled but didn’t take me up on my suggestion.
“I have no idea how to organize a wedding.” I’d spent too many years of my life believing that I might never even have a wedding. “I’m sure Corrine can help us though.”
As we reached Derek and Sofia’s treehouse, Kiev didn’t bother knocking. The door had been left unlocked and he was able to push it wide open.
Sofia came hurrying into the living room at the noise.
“Kiev? Mona? What are you doing here?”
“We want to get married,” Kiev stated calmly.
Sofia looked only mildly surprised. “Oh… When?”
“Tomorrow,” Kiev replied.
“Kiev,” I said, “do you have any idea how much work goes into a wedding?”
He cocked his head to one side and looked down at me. “Do you?”
Sofia chuckled. “We’ll manage it, I’m sure. The way things have been going on this island recently, I don’t blame you for wanting to get it done as soon as possible. Corrine is the best at weddings around here, as you may already know. I suggest going to see her and starting the arrangements.”
“Thanks, Sofia,” I said, before Kiev carried me back out of the apartment.
“Since we don’t have much time now,” I said, “let me just magic us to Corrine’s.”
Kiev acquiesced and a few seconds later, we were standing outside the Sanctuary. I knocked on the door. Corrine answered a few moments later. Her expression was sober after the ceremony she’d just led us through. The last thing I felt like talking to her about was our wedding. Still, it seemed that we were going through with this.