Free Til Death (Jane #5) by Samantha Warren

Chapter 1
     
    Have I ever told you I hate weddings? Well, I
do. I hate them with a passion. There’s a reason Steven and I
headed off to Vegas the first time I got married. I’ve never been
one of those girls who sat and pondered my wedding for hours on end
when I was still in ribbons and curls. There is too much drama, too
much money, too much concern over everything being just perfect.
But at least Donna was going to get her perfect wedding.
    “Come on, Jane. Stop being a baby and try on
the dress.”
    Groaning, I slouched deeper into the plush
chair at the back of the room. Donna rented out the entire bridal
store for two whole nights, determined to stuff me into something
white, poofy, shimmery, and long. I looked pleadingly at Mindy, the
attendant who had been coerced into helping us. Her young face was
drawn and her eyes had deep bags under them.
    She held up her hands and shook her head,
offering me no escape. I didn’t really blame her. The previous
evening, she had attempted to suggest something to Donna that Donna
didn’t really like. My vampire friend still hadn't fully recovered
from the loss of her sister and her foray into the dark side and
the poor girl was lucky to make it out of the confrontation with
all her limbs. Since then, she kept her lips pressed tightly
together and played the part of errand girl instead of bridal
consultant.
    I’d lost count of how many dresses I’d tried
on and yet another monstrosity was being shoved in my face.
Sighing, I grabbed it from Donna’s outstretched hand with more
force than necessary and stalked to the fitting room. Sure, I
could’ve just stripped out of the one I was in right there. The
blinds were drawn and no one without x-ray vision could see inside,
but I got a small pleasure from hearing Donna huff outside the door
as I dawdled inside.
    There was a big mirror on the wall of the
dressing room and I examined myself while Donna grumbled. It was
strapless with a bustier that felt like armor from the Middle Ages.
It stood stiff and stark against my tanned chest and if I looked
down, I could see all the way to my waist. Felipe would like it,
but I didn’t particularly want anyone else to get that view. It
clamped uncomfortably tight around my hips before ballooning out
into a marshmallow-esque explosion of fabric. Behind me, the train
bunched up against the wall in a puddle of white.
    “What is going on in there, Jane?” Donna’s
fist thumped heavily against the wood, making it vibrate on its
hinges.
    Stifling another sigh, I opened the door and
looked into her hopeful eyes. “No.”
    “Yes! It’s beautiful! It’s perfect! It’s so
you!”
    She reached out to hug me and I returned her
embrace momentarily before pulling back. “I hate it.”
    Donna’s eyes narrowed. “You hate
everything.”
    “No, but I hate this.”
    Our relationship had been tense for the past
several months, but we were working on it. The last two days had
put a damper on that progress.
    Donna opened her mouth to say something, then
closed it tight. She nodded once, then held up a finger. “Stay
here.”
    As she disappeared into the sea of white,
Mindy smiled at me and shrugged. I waited, leaning against the door
jamb in despair.
    Donna was gone a lot longer than I expected
and I was contemplating going in search of her when she emerged
from the last row of dresses. In her hands she held a simple,
off-white dress. It had the faintest of shimmers and a halter-top
neckline. The back was longer than the front with a very small
train. She held it out to me, a small smile on her face.
    “This is the one.”
    I took it hesitantly. She had made that claim
for the last two dozen dresses, but this time, her voice held a
quiet confidence. Eyeing her suspiciously, I turned and went back
into the dressing room. It took me a long time to shrug out of the
straight-jacket I was wearing and I breathed a sigh of relief when
it was finally off.
    The new dress hung beside the mirror and as