Page 37 (2/2)

"The Eldritch Cross was one of the great endary Its loss, during the sieges of the Second World War, was a devastating blow to our people The seers a strife within the ruling fa"

He turned to Adriana, taking her hand in his "Would that I had the original to give you Alas, I do not But this, the copy made for ic, is o of her hand to take the necklace froood look It was a lovely piece, a large cross, encrusted with eolden topaz, colors that perfectly suited Adriana’s beauty He fastened it around her delicate neck, kissed her tenderly, and turned back to the crowd

"With your indulgence I have another bit of business to attend to before we eat" He stood, and everyone in the rooiven to citizens of Rusland whose actions on behalf of King and Country show such extraordinary courage and valor as to provide an example for all to aspire to I a this honor on its recipient, for her actions in thwarting not one, but two political coups surely earned her this honor long before now"

He turned tostupidly as caly "Princess Celia Kalino Graves, I present you the Silver Eagle of Rusland with ratitude, and that of all e to stand in front ofinto his pocket, he withdrew a loop of black ribbon with an exquisite silver bird hanging froht of it on ive you Princess Celia, hero of Rusland"

"Huzzah!" Male voices, scattered throughout the room, called out the honor the first time But the second and third cries were voiced by nearly everyone, a joyous shout that echoed through the hall

King Dahl me a pristine white handkerchief as he did I wiped the tears from my eyes as Dahlmar moved back to stand behind his seat "Now, our business is done Let us eat"

26

The bachelorette party was scheduled for a late start, but the dinner ran long, so we didn’t have ti to the limo that would take us to the docks Milena, Adriana’s best friend, was officially hosting the party even though it was being held on Adriana’s yacht The Secret Service had derailed the original plan of renting a cruise ship and hiring caterers due to "security concerns," which I hadn’t been privy to Yet So Adriana’s own crew and staff had been pressed into service

The limo was a little crowded, ith me, Adriana, and our security--just Helen Baker for me, but a team of four, plus the driver, for the bride

The day I’d arrived on Serenity, the harbor had been busy but not too crowded Now … ed Every slip was filled and ers and crew probably used set back and forth from the island The landward ends of the piers, this side of the security barriers, were crawling with paparazzi and croith onlookers hoping for a glihtmare!

When the car doors opened ere buffeted by a wave of sound--people calling Adriana’s name, and even ave a brief wave before the guards hustled us onto the yacht

The sun was setting, bathing the low-hanging cirrus clouds in a blaze of reds, pinks, and purples that were reflected in the ocean We were uests Adriana introduced me to Milena, a pretty redhead with lots of freckles and theamber-colored eyes I’d wondered about Adriana’s best friend from earliest childhood and was surprised to find that she was mostly a subdued, serious woman with an acerbic wit She soon had all of us in stitches as she detailed how she’d been followed around all day by none-too-subtle members of the world press, many of whom had offered her obscene amounts of money for the "inside scoop" and pictures from the party

Nani and Naneka were identical tith honey-colored hair and blue eyes It would have been inant They were bright and cheerful, chattering away like a pair of birds Keohi, on the other hand, was a sultry, sloe-eyed, dark-haired beauty who hung silently back, watching the others, but only rarely saying anything When she did, it orth listening

Adriana noticed ht to be impressed; Keohi is quite brilliant She works as athe effect of oil spills on ocean ecosyste naturaltoat the jokes of the others I found it fascinating that she could carry on two entirely different conversations at once Keohi once told me she was only able to first become published in scientific journals under a male pseudonym, because people saw too le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>