"You sure this is going to work?" Sandy asked, pacing nervously inside my mind, causing me a headache.
I groaned as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes, it will. Calm down, you are hurting me."
"Sorry," Sandy muttered, reining in her nervous energy. The pounding in my skull eased slightly. "But are you sure she'll say yes?"
I adjusted the picnic blanket for the tenth time, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. The clearing was perfect—soft grass, twinkling fairy lights strung between the trees, and the scent of wildflowers carried on the evening breeze. At the center, a basket held Esmeralda’s favorite blood-wine and the rare chocolates I’d bribed Ivy to get for me.
"She’d better," I grumbled, though my stomach twisted with nerves. "Or I’m throwing myself into the nearest river."
Sand
