Penny & Her Heru Ch 13

Rent-A-Witch: Whynot Coven

The Ring

"Honey, you adjust your hair one more time and I’ll put so much hairspray in it you will never be able to brush it again." Roxy grabbed a can of hairspray from the vanity in front of me.

"Alright, I think it is time to go ladies." Bea clapped her hands and stood up.

Mom looked at her watch with a frown. Bea stopped her before she could tell us there was over an hour before we had to leave.

"I don't mean the ceremony, Mother. I mean the two of you. You’re done." Bea stood and opened the bedroom door.

"Bea! What is the matter with you?" Our mother clutched her pearls.

"The two of you. You did this to me last month and Penny saved me. Now it’s my turn to return the favor." She took the can of hair spray from a startled Roxy. "Thank you very much for everything, Roxy. Penny looks beautiful, I don't think I have ever seen her look more stunning than she does today. We will leave you a five-star review on the website. Since there is no possible way, you can make her any more stunning, I'm gonna go ahead and let you head out. I'm sure you have another woman waiting for your very talented hands."

When Roxy stuttered something about packing up her things Bea shook her head and told her to get a clue and come back later.

I let out a sigh of relief when the door closed behind them. "You’re my favorite."

She patted me on the shoulder before sitting on the edge of the bed in an effort not to wrinkle her dress. "I don’t know why Bianca dared to go out of town this weekend and leave us with that one.”

"I know right." I rested my arm on the vanity trying to find a comfortable position.

When I picked up my dress last week, I didn't think about sitting around and waiting for things to happen. I thought of Heru's face when he saw the way the corset cinched in my waist and how it made my boobs look amazing. I loved the flare of the full tulle skirt covered in tiny crystals. It was perfect for walking down the aisle, for our wedding pictures, and one day to pass down to the daughter I decided I'd have – even if daughters were rare in the Grabbio clan.

Bea dragged her feet to the door when someone knocked on it. I couldn’t tell what she was whispering, but I knew Heru was on the other side of the door thanks to the ball of energy that kept getting stronger. The first time we made love I thought it would kill me.

She shook her head no and held the door mostly shut when he tried to push it open.

"Dude. You can't see her before the ceremony, it’s bad luck."

Without being able to see him I knew when he shook his head in defeat. "Come to the door, Dove. I have a present for you."

I moved to the back of the door where he couldn't see me to prevent my sister from losing her temper. "A present? Should Bea leave the room?"

"No, you'll get that later. This is for the ceremony. I got you something to help with your fear of heights." He passed a small black velvet box to Bea. "See you soon, Little Dove."

My heart stopped at the thought of him flying away with me in his arms after the ceremony. He'd been trying to convince me to let him carry me short distances close to the ground for the past three weeks, but I never let him. The farthest I wanted to get from the ground was when he pressed me against the shower wall a couple of days ago and did some very dirty things.

I took the present and returned to the uncomfortable vanity chair. The box was too small for anything but a piece of jewelry or a pill. I doubted Heru wanted to drug me on our wedding night, so chances were high that a piece of jewelry was nestled inside.

Bea leaned over my shoulder staring at the closed box. "Open it. I want to see what he got you."

"I don't know, maybe I'll wait till you've stepped out into the courtyard to open it. You won't know what is inside it for days." I smiled wickedly at my sister as I dragged out the word days for as long as possible.

Her hands went to her hips. "You can't wait that long, and you know it."

"I hate it when you're right." I flicked the top of the box open to reveal a beautiful gold band covered with engraved feathers. An inscription peeked from inside the band as I turned it over in my hand. I didn't have to translate the inscription to know what it was for. Thanks to my witchy gift I knew the moment I touched the metal it was enchanted. It took me a couple of minutes to work out the enchantment blocked the wearer's fear of flying.

Leave it to Heru to make sure it fit my finger perfectly.

I didn't feel anything different with it on my finger. I still didn't want to climb to the top of the Empire State Building any time soon, but I didn't break out in a cold sweat at the thought of the ground so far below, with nothing but a wire mesh net to stop me from falling to my death. Then again having a gargoyle that could snatch me out of the air was a big bonus.

The image of Heru flying with me over New York didn't send me into an immediate panic attack. I was more curious than scared when I imagined him carrying me over a forest. No buildings to navigate through, and soft grass instead of endless concrete. Maybe we could fly over water. I'd never done it, but I knew the way cliff divers dove without getting hurt was to go feet first with their arms crossed over their chest. Out of all the options, falling into water would be the best.

"What are you thinking? Your face looks weird." Bea waved a hand at my face.

"I was imagining flying with Heru. I still don't like the thought of flying over a city, but the forest isn't so bad. I think water would be the best option if he dropped me." I rubbed the small ring and thought of all the ways my life had changed since stepping foot in Whynot.

"That has to be a serious enchantment if you are smiling like that while thinking about flying."

"No, you dork. I was thinking about how things changed in the last month.” I rolled my eyes in an effort to not cry. “If you asked me a month ago what I would do after getting my license I probably would have said 'I'm going to Disney World.' No way in the world would I have said 'I'm getting married to a gargoyle who I love with all my heart and moving to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere to work in a Rent-A-Witch house with my sister, who just so happened to also be married to a gargoyle and is preggers with his baby."

Bea's eyes cut to the side – a clear sign she was trying to figure out how to get out of something. "No idea what you're talking about."

I couldn't help myself; I snorted. "Honey, you know exactly what I am talking about."

"I'm trying not to ruin your wedding." She threw her hands up in defeat and huffed. "Today should be all about you and Heru and the bloody ceremony you're about to have. I don't want to take away from that. Besides, I don't even know if I'm pregnant. I haven't taken a test."

I pulled her into a hug not caring if it wrinkled our dresses. "Oh Bea, I don't care if you put it on a poster and carried it down the aisle. I'm so happy for you!"

Bea blinked her eyes rapidly while biting her lips. "Don't make me cry. I don't want Roxie to come back in here to fix my makeup."

"That would suck." I rolled my lips and blinked my eyes trying to stop my own tears from falling. "Ok. We’re gonna hold it together. No one is gonna talk about the fact you are pregnant until you take a test."

"Deal." She blew out a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Come on. The quicker we get you mated, the quicker you can try that ring."

---