I jump and blush when the bartender clears his throat, because I’d been so busy staring at the tall, broad-shouldered stranger that I didn’t even notice that the bartender arrived.

“All right, little lady,” the bartender says, smirking at me and leaning against the bar. “What’ll it be?”

“Um,” I say, ”I’ll have a glass of white wine?”

“There’s no wine here, missy,” the bartender says with a sigh, leaning forward towards me. “There are no grapes. What, newly arrived from an earth dimension?”

I just stare at him because…what’s an earth dimension?

The bartender smirks at me and shakes his head, glancing back at my neighbor. “She must be brand spanking new.” The stranger hums in agreement.

I scowl a little, folding my hands in my lap, embarrassed. “Well, what can I have?”

“Liquor,” the man says, giving me a nod. “Or, what the locals call beer but…” he grimaces and leans towards me. “If it’s your first day in the underworld you’ll want to…avoid that.”

“Okay,” I say, straightening my shoulders. “I’ll have…whatever you recommend.”

The bartender nods and produces a short glass. He sloshes some clear liquid into it from a cloudy bottle, pushing it towards me before he walks away.

“To your first day,” the stranger says, lifting his glass towards me.

I turn towards the stranger, curious, studying his face as I lift my glass and clink it against his. My eyes eagerly move over the sharp line of his jaw, his high cheekbones, his dark, slightly glowering brows…

But then I blush, remembering that I’m here in the Underworld to find my fiancé and bring him back to life. Not to ogle strangers.

“Bottoms up,” the stranger murmurs, smirking a bit at my pink cheeks. I do as he does, lifting the glass to my mouth and tossing the liquor back –

But I gasp immediately as the liquor absolutely singes its way down my throat. I sputter and choke, spilling the rest of the glass down my front in my desperation to get it away from me as I cough and hack so hard I see stars, trying desperately to draw breath.

“Whoa, girl!” the stranger says, patting me on the back with one hand as the other goes to my shoulder, keeping me on my stool.

Red-faced and still coughing into my fist, I glance up at him, both embarrassed and pissed. “What the hell is this!?” I rasp, gesturing towards my now-empty glass.

“It’s shadowroot liquor,” the man says, and I scowl again when I see him smirking. “Pretty much the only thing that grows here.”

“And you didn’t think to warn me?” I gasp more air down, starting to feel my head spin.

“Didn’t think you wanted to be warned,” he murmurs, signaling the bartender to refill his glass. “After all, a girl who sits at the bar in a black wedding gown but no groom in sight seems like she’s kind of…on a mission.”

I sigh sharply through my nose, looking down at my dress, now covered in sticky liquor. “Don’t get me started.”

“Don’t need to,” the stranger says as the bartender makes his way over. “I already know. You’re one of the Prince’s twenty brides, aren’t you?”

I whip my head up to stare at stranger in complete shock as he orders two more glasses of liquor, requesting that the bartender add some cherries to mine to make it more palatable. The bartender hesitates, glancing at me, but the stranger just waves a hand.

“How…” I whisper, my words coming back to me as the handsome stranger turns his attention back to me. “How the hell did you know that?”

“We don’t get a lot of new people here,” he murmurs, looking around the bar at the collection of particularly dull and despondent patrons. “And suddenly a bride shows up, alone, the day before the Ceremony?” He shrugs like it wasn’t much of a puzzle.

“Well,” I say slowly, looking askance at the drink the bartender puts before me, which is now the color of a garnet, a few cherries sunk at the bottom.

Eagerly I begin and find that my tongue is looser than I thought it would be. I spill everything out to this strange man, who lets me talk unimpeded. I tell him all of my great lost love, who died in the war – of wearing this dress to Blythe’s funeral, even though no one understood that I’m half widow half bride – of rashly accepting this horrible deal so I can save him – of finding myself here in the Underworld, of all terrible places.

“So, I was tricked!” I say, gesturing wide with the hand that now holds my half-full glass of cherries and liquor. The handsome stranger smirks, reaching out to catch my wrist so I don’t splash it everywhere. I frown as I look at his hand, and then at the drink because…when did I pick that up?

And when did I drink it?

“You were tricked?” he murmurs, putting me back on track.

I turn towards him with a frown.

“And what do you think of this Prince?” he asks, leaning against the bar and raising a brow at me. “No interest in marrying him?”

“Obviously not,” I say, appalled at the idea. “One, because I love my boyfriend, and two,” I swallow hard, suddenly parched, “what kind of loser needs his dad to organize a game so he can get married?”

The stranger huffs out a laugh, his eyes narrowing.

“Seriously he must be like, deeply ugly, in the face,” I say, gesturing towards my own face as I take a sip from my drink. “And boring and stupid with a bad personality. I mean, what kind of pathetic man has to trick twenty girls into a competition for the dubious honor of having his kids!?”

The stranger grins at me, a dark and cunning expression. “So, then you definitely don’t want to marry the Prince?”

“If I wasn’t tied to this stupid deal,” I whisper, leaning towards him and shaking my head, surprised to find that my words are more than slightly slurred, “and the fact that I gotta win to get the wish at the end…I’d run away screaming! I’d rather die than marry that idiot, whoever he is.”

“Well,” the man says, leaning a bit closer now, giving me a smile that shows all of his teeth. “You’re in the Underworld now, aren’t you? Perhaps that can be arranged.”

**

“Okay, little girl,” the bartender says with a sigh, shaking his head at me. “Time for you to get home and sleep this off.”

I wipe roughly at my face with the back of my hand and nearly falling off my stool.The man disappears. “What happened?”

“Shadowroot is about six to eight times stronger than whatever you were drinking on Earth, little lady,” the bartender says, giving me a sad smile. “You gotta watch yourself down here.”

“Hey, who was that guy?” I ask, wrinkling my nose at the bartender and leaning close. “He was cute.”

“Oh, sugar,” the bartender says, leaning forward to pat me on my cheek. “You don’t want to know.”

I groan when I wake up in the morning, immediately clutching my pounding head and rolling over in the blankets that are spread beneath me on the bathroom floor.

I pant a little, working my sticky tongue in my mouth, desperate for some water – but god, every time I move it’s agony –

I moan, disgusted with myself and in absolute physical agony. My wolf gives a sad little yip, laying prone in my soul.

A few minutes pass as I clean myself up, brushing my teeth with a toothbrush I find by the sink and guzzling down a few glasses of water. That done, I allow myself to sink back down to the floor, staring up at the black marble ceiling, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do next.

God, things have gotten very bad very fast, haven’t they?

I mean, I don’t regret coming to save Blythe and I’m still determined to do it, but even if I do win the Prince’s hand and get the wish, I’ll just be sending Blythe back to life when I’m stuck here.

How does that solve anything?

I press my eyes shut, feeling sick and alone and overwhelmed.

I miss my mother with a sudden urgency that surprises me as I remember her face, the fear on it when she saw me make the deal and disappear. Because my family will be frantic now and even if I did want to leave royal life – I never wanted to hurt them.

As I think mournfully of my mother, who I know would do anything to help me right now, I remember quite suddenly that temple I was taken from isn’t dedicated to just any Goddess – it’s to my grandmother, the woman responsible for blessing my mom with her healing magic.

That lineage has got to be good for something, right?

“Um,” I say, sitting up and feeling awkward as I call out to the air around me. “Grandma?”

I look around, feeling foolish when there’s no response from the Goddess, who hasn’t exactly been present in my life. But then I press my eyes shut, thinking that there’s no real harm in a little prayer. “Um, I’m…all alone here and kind of in a sticky situation. I know that you’re busy but…if there’s anything you can do to help me?”

I hold my breath for a second, but when silence reigns I just sigh and lay down on the ground, disappointed and exhausted. My head still pounds so I keep my eyes shut, letting my mind turn over my problems while my body rests.

I start a little at the sound of a windchime tinkling in the air, thinking that’s a bit of a strange accessory for the Underworld. But I let it slip out of my mind, yawning, letting my eyes drift open and turning my head back towards the ceiling.

But the ceiling isn’t there.

No, instead, I find myself staring up into a huge pair of eyes staring curiously down into mine.

I shriek in terror, skittering away from the gigantic blue wolf standing with his muzzle just inches from my face.

He flinches too, leaping back as I scurry to the wall of the bathroom, pressing my back up against it. Panting with fear, I stare at him, completely shocked – because how the hell did a wolf get in here!?

But as he stares back at me I realize that he’s not snarling or even moving towards me. And he’s also not even…real.

My mouth falls open as I peer closer and realize that the wolf is…transparent, and blue, the visible lines of his body and his fur traced out in shining blue and white light. That he’s also a little bit…sparkly. “What…what are you!?”

The wolf lifts one huge paw, moving towards me, and I shriek again, my hands flying out to protect myself.

The wolf jumps at the sound, freezing, and then, hesitating, takes a step back.

We stare at each other for a long time before he sits. And then he lays down, resting his face on his paws with a sigh. I turn my head at him, my face twisting in confusion because…can wolves sigh?

He turns his head, looking away towards the door and I suddenly notice that he has – of all bizarre things – a blue ribbon around his neck.

And attached to it…a note.

Slowly, I force myself to inch towards the wolf, terrified. But he just watches me come, making no move. Keeping an eye on his muzzle, surely filled with razor-sharp teeth, I reach for the ribbon. My fingers pass right through the wolf’s fur where I touch it as if it’s just light and air.

But the ribbon is solid. I untie it, sliding the note off of his neck and into my hands.

Then, fascinated, I plop down on the floor next to the wolf, unfolding the little note and reading it with wide eyes. He lifts his head, likewise interested, peering at the script.

A gift for my granddaughter.

I turn the note over, looking for more but…there’s nothing.

“You’re for me?” I whisper, a little awed, looking up at the wolf.

He huffs, rolling his eyes, but makes no protest.

Cheer and hope fill me and I bite my lip, grinning at my wolf. “Please don’t bite me,” I whisper, leaning forward towards him.

He huffs again, turning his face away like he thinks it’s a stupid request. I hesitate but then stretch my fingers out, trying to stroke his fur. And while I feel the barest tingle on my skin, my fingertips again pass through him as if through air. My own wolf peers at this strange ghost before us, frustrated when she can’t get a whiff of his scent because, of course, it doesn’t exist.

I take a deep breath, grinning at my weird present, getting to my feet and suddenly feeling much better. It can’t mean nothing, right, that the Goddess heard my prayer and listened?

Perhaps things are looking up.

Quite suddenly I want a bath - to be clean and fresh. Once that’s done I’ll figure out what this wolf can do and come up with a plan.

I turn towards the corner of the room where a huge tub sits – nearly the size of a pool and built into the open wall of the terrace. I sigh happily, infused with hope, stepping towards the tub and flipping on the taps to fill it. Then I reach for the laces at the back of my dress.

A nervous whine sounds behind me and my inner wolf turns towards it, curious. But I concentrate on unlacing my gown, which slips down over my shoulders.

“Um!” The word rings out behind me, incredibly anxious.

My eyes flare wide as I spin towards the sound, my jaw dropping open when I see not the ghost wolf standing in the bathroom behind me where I left him.

But, in his place – likewise shining blue and transparent – a boy.

A boy!

I gasp, clutching my dress to my chest, appalled.

“Please,” he says, holding out a hand and grimacing. “You…you might not want to do that.”

“Who the hell are you!?” I shout, horrified, stumbling back.

“I’m – I’m the wolf!” the boy sputters, gesturing at his tall, lanky form which is indeed made up of the same shining blue and white light as the wolf.

“You’re a guy!?” I gasp, appalled.

“I…yeah?” he responds, giving an awkward shrug. “I’m…sorry?”

I glance down at my loosened dress and my temper slips its lead. “You asshole!” I snap, striding forward and swatting a hand at him, enraged. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re really a boy before I started to get undressed!? God, you creep –“

He gasps as my hand passes through his incorporeal body, his eyes flaring wide.

“Hey!” he snaps, glaring at me. “I did tell you! And you aren’t even undressed, you just started –“

“You could have told me earlier!” I shout, smacking again even though it doesn’t do anything. “You could have announced it when you first showed up! Ew, I petted you! You –“

“Hey!” he snarls, taking a step towards me and glaring down into my face, his own temper flaring. “I’m new to all of this too! If I’d known I could shift into my human form, obviously I would have done it sooner!”

Something about this makes me pause. “You – you didn’t know?”

“No,” he snaps, standing straight and sketching an ironic bow my way. “Newly dead, your highness – first five minutes as a ghost. So, please forgive me if I also don’t know what the hell is going on!”

“You’re…dead? You’re a ghost?” I ask, my voice a whisper, my eyes moving up and down his body.

He’s tall – almost as tall as my dad and my brothers, but much slimmer than them. And not a boy, I realize, though his features are boyish. No, he’s older than me, somewhere in his twenties. Still, he’s handsome, with dark hair that falls into his face and a long, straight nose. As I look at him, tilting my head to the side, I can’t help but think that it’s rather a shame that he’s dead.

And then my heart sinks as I realize that he had the same fate as Blythe - that they’re both just two young men dead way before their time. Grief sinks in me and I sigh, looking up into the boy’s face, all the anger and vigor going out of me at once.

“Well, who the hell are you?” I grumble, working hard to rekindle my anger so I don’t cry anymore.

“I’m Anton,” he says, his smile softening as he takes in the emotions passing over my face, the grief I’m feeling for him, the confusion for myself. Anton presses a hand to his chest and dips his head. “At your service, highness.”

I sigh, studying him, wishing quite vehemently that neither of us was here in this horrible place. “I’m sorry that you died, Anton.” I say the words very quietly, hoping he takes them as earnestly as I mean them.

Slowly, Anton lifts his eyes to mine. “It was for a good cause, highness,” he says. “I wouldn’t take back the act that made me lose my life.”

I turn my head at him, curious, but when he drops his eyes and looks away, grief sweeping over his features, I let him have his space. Perhaps, later, when it’s not so fresh, he’ll tell me about it.

“How do you know who I am?” I ask.

“What?” He turns his face back to me, confused.

“You called me Juniper,” I say, straightening my shoulders. “How do you know my name? Did my grandmother tell you?”

The ghost boy just stares at me for a long moment. Too long.

I narrow my eyes at him further, my lips pressing tight together, my anger starting to coil again. I mean, is he another trick? Was he not sent by my grandmother, but by someone else eager to see me fail?

“Juniper,” the ghost boy says, his face bursting into a grin. “I mean, to begin, you’re a princess – you’re basically a celebrity. How could I not know who you are?”

I go still for a second but then my shoulders slump in embarrassment. Because of course he’s right. Everyone in Moon Valley – maybe our entire world – knows who I am. A blush flushes across my cheeks and his smile widens.

“But also…yeah,” he shrugs. “Your Grandmother told me she was sending me to you.”

“Really?” I ask, stepping closer, staring up at him. “What happened?”

“Um,” he glances down at me with a little grimace. “Can you like…not be as undressed as you are while we have this conversation?”

I gasp, glancing down at myself, bursting into another blush as I realize that I am kind of just clutching a piece of fabric to my chest. “Oh, go away,” I snarl, shoving at his shoulder and then stumbling a little as – of course – my hand passes right through him.

Anton laughs at me again goodheartedly, stepping away as I straighten up, grinning when he sees my blush deepen. “Listen, I’d love to let you have your privacy, but I don’t think I can go away.”

“What?” I ask, clutching the dress a little tighter.

“Um, I’m like…tied to you, Juniper,” he says with a shrug. “Even when you went a quarter of the way across the room, I felt like…a tug, pulling me with you\. And when you start to go further, it gets…scary. Like if I don’t follow you I’m going to disappear.”

I just gape at him, horrified at the idea that he could just disappear but also…kind of appalled that I apparently can’t be alone anymore.

“How long is the…tether?” I ask, searching for a better word.

“Like a few feet?” he says, grimacing. “I mean, we can experiment with it but,” he shrugs. “I’d prefer not to puff away to dust. I’ve already died once recently. Not trying to…repeat the experience.”

My heart sinks at the joke. Anton tries hard for a smile, but that falls away too.

“Okay,” I say with a sigh, looking longingly at the bath as the taps stop automatically, very much wanting to climb into it.

“Look, I’ll turn around,” he says. “I’ll even like…hum? If you want? So I can’t hear anything?”

I whip my head back to him with a frown. “Why would it matter if you heard something?”

“I don’t know,” he says, his eyes going wide as he spreads his hands out in front of him, “I don’t know what girls do in baths –“

“Oh my god, Anton,” I cry, scowling at him as I storm to the side of the tub.

“You are making this way dirtier than it needs to be, Juniper!” he shouts after me. “I didn’t mean anything like that – I was just being nice, trying to give you privacy –“

“Around, Anton!” I snap, turning to glare at him and twirling my finger in a circle, indicating that he should do the same. “Pets must be obedient, after all. And silent.”

Anton stares at me for a long moment, clearly appalled at being referred to as my pet.

But I just grin at him, a little wicked, and he blinks once before he huffs a low laugh, his face breaking into a smile. “Yes, your highness,” he says, dipping into a mocking little bow with his hands spread wide at his sides.