Chapter 36

Next, however, he planned to tackle the pumpkins, having seen such splendid images of them all over the place. He picked out six of them for the express purpose of carving, then added a seventh because the little white fella was much too cute to pass up. Maybe he could use it inside as a centerpiece for the dining room table. And the inside, another thing that demanded his attention. If he wanted everyone to thoroughly adore his festivities, he needed things to be flawless.

“Well,” Cinder said, alighting a few feet away. Io experienced that silly flutter in the pit of his stomach as he watched his betrothed, Cinder befitting of a Greek statue. At least in Io’s opinion. Once back on the ground, Cinder’s leathery bat-like wings quickly disappeared from sight, leaving him to resemble an ordinary man. “I see that you’ve been busy in my absence.” He fingered one of the bats. “Cute.”

Io frowned. “They aren’t supposed to be cute. They should be scary.”