Though it was not typical of vampire unions, Ethan could not resist the temptation and pulled Alexa to him with his free arm, kissing her fiercely in front of everyone present, eliciting a couple of whoops and hollers from the crowd, mainly Jill and Jesse, but Jared joined in with a low whistle.
When Ethan finally released her, Alexa wobbled for a moment from the force of his kiss as she turned to face the crowd with a guilty smile and flushed cheeks. The music started up again and Ethan, with a megawatt smile on his face, turned his wrist within the binding of the ribbon to take Alexa’s hand. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Time to take our leave Mrs. Kellar,” and lead her back down the aisle through the cheering guests.
CHAPTER 24 - Family Time
Back inside the house, Ethan and Alexa made their way to his bedroom where he undid the binding and pulled her wrist to his mouth, sliding his tongue over the small laceration to seal it before repeating the action on his own.
He then pulled her body to his, sliding his hands up her waist along the silky fabric of her gown before crushing his mouth to hers hungrily. She melted willingly into his kiss, sliding her arms up around his neck and pushing her hands through his soft hair.
He pulled back slightly, leaving her breathless as he looked lovingly into her eyes and said, “Te amo, Alexa. You are mine and I am yours.”
She looked back at him, slightly confused, a question burning in her mind.
“What is it, Amor?” he inquired.
“I just thought, I don’t know, that once we were bonded I would feel different. Your mother mentioned the physical connection that the bond creates, but I don’t feel anything more than what I did before.”
Ethan chuckled slightly at her obvious disappointment. “That is because we have not completed the bond, mi corazón. That part was to make you my wife, as humans do, but it was only the ceremony that unites us before our witnesses. The consummation of our bond is far too intimate to take place in public view,” he husked leaning in so that his breath slid over the sensitive skin of her neck sending a shiver down her spine.
“Oh,” she whispered lazily as she tilted her head giving him better access to her neck, “what will that be like?”
“Hmmm,” he whispered as he kissed her neck gently, “it will be like heaven.”
“Can you be a little more specific, Mr. Kellar?” she challenged pushing him back slightly.
“Well,” he pulled her close again, “first we are going to go on a little trip, somewhere we can truly be alone.” He kissed her neck again, “I know how you worry about my parents hearing your screams,” he teased.
“And where exactly are we going?” she questioned, fighting not to lose herself in his touch.
“That, Amor, is a surprise.” He traced his finger down the side of her neck and down the deep cut of her dress between her breasts, eliciting a low moan. “When we are alone, and I have your beautiful body writhing beneath me,” he whispered, “I will bite you here,” he kissed her neck again, flicking his tongue over the place he had bitten her before, causing her vein to rise to his call, “and bury myself deep inside you.”
Alexa felt the moisture gathering at the apex of her thighs as she listened to Ethan’s hushed words as he continued. “And then you will take my blood from here,” he said raising his wrist which had already healed from the earlier ceremony, “to complete the circle.”
The thought of taking his blood made her feel thirsty in a way she had never felt before.
He took her face in both hands and slanted his lips over hers, his tongue delving in ever so slightly before he said. “I will be inside you and you will be inside me. Once we have mixed our blood in this way and have marked each other, the bond will be complete. These marks will stay with us, like human scars, letting all others know that you belong to me alone. And I to you.”
He kissed her again, deeper this time before he pulled back leaving them both breathless. “Now I am afraid, Amor, that we must return to our guests. They will want to celebrate with us before we leave, and it would be unforgivably rude for us to stay locked away until our departure.”
He took her hand and headed for the door as she used her free hand to smooth out her dress and fidget with her hair.
“You look perfect, Amor,” Ethan said smiling back at her as she lagged behind.
Suddenly she froze, “Wait, Ethan, how long will we be gone? What about Chloe? We can’t leave!” she said starting to panic. “At the rate she’s growing we won’t even recognize her when we get back!”
“Calm yourself, mi corazón. We will be gone for one week and Chloe will be well cared for in our absence. With two sets of greedy grandparents fighting for her attention she will hardly notice. And we have the benefit of technology, I have already worked out the details so that we will be able to FaceTime with her as often as we like.”
While it would not be the same as being with her, Alexa found comfort knowing that she would at least be able to see and talk to Chloe each day.
“Now, let us go and join the celebration, we only have a few hours and I am certain your family would like some time with you before we go,” he said as he opened the door for her.
✧
Once they were back amongst the guests in one of the large rooms in the west wing of the house that had been expertly decorated for the occasion, Alexa could see that Ethan was right. Chloe seemed quite at home bouncing around between her doting grandparents soaking up all of the extra attention.
Looking around at all of the food, Alexa thought that Josephine had gone a little overboard. There was enough to feed a small army instead of the twelve who were in attendance. Although she had noted at previous meals that vampires seemed to have exceptionally healthy appetites for human cuisine.
Alexa grabbed a large strawberry from a nearby tray and dipped it into the accompanying chocolate sauce before taking a large bite, sending juice dripping down her chin. She went to wipe it off with the napkin in her hand, but before she could Ethan was there using his finger to clear it away then he put it in his mouth and sucked in one of the most erotic gestures she had ever seen.
And just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone, back to his conversation with Elijah and Josephine who simply smiled at her from across the room.
“Anyway, we’re really sorry we couldn’t tell you, but we made a promise and they only wanted to make sure you were safe without interfering.” Jill said pulling Alexa back to the conversation. “We didn’t really do the best job at the not interfering part. You just seemed so alone, I couldn’t help myself,” she said looking at Alexa with compassion. To her own surprise, instead of feeling angry at being spied on, she felt oddly touched that her family had cared enough to go to such lengths as to send humans to keep an eye on her. Apparently, they were not the first humans who had been employed for such a purpose, there having been one or more people watching over her since the moment she left the group home all those years ago. However, the rest had remained completely hands off, only watching from a distance. Somehow, it made her feel more connected to the family that she had only met that day, though she still had so many questions.
It was then that William and Rebecca appeared at her side. “Darling, would you grant us the pleasure of a private audience?” He requested rather formally.
“Of course, father,” she replied, giving Jill a little wave as she turned to follow them. As they passed a tray of full champagne flutes, she grabbed one and downed the contents before they were out of the room.
When they were safely tucked away in the privacy of the parlor, William began to speak, “We wanted to take the opportunity to explain our actions over all these years, before your new husband whisks you away. I understand if you are angry and confused, but you must know that everything thing we did was to protect you.”
Tears were already streaming down Rebecca’s face. Alexa was silent for a moment, considering how to respond, how to ease some of her parents’ guilt because while her life
had been difficult, she now realized there had been a purpose to all of it.
Before she could speak, William looked at her with surprise, “You are not angry with us. I must say, that while my heart hoped for such understanding, I in no way expected it.”
Rebecca looked to William and began to cry even harder, unable to speak as she grabbed Alexa and pulled her into a tight embrace. Now it was Alexa’s turn to look surprised as she returned her mother’s hug. She smiled when the truth flooded her mind, “So I inherited my gift from you, father,” she said with a smile.
“Yes, you are a clever young woman. I want you to know, we are so proud of you. All that you have endured, to still possess such a pure and compassionate heart, it is remarkable, as are you.”
They spent the next hour talking about the past. The anguish that he and her mother felt when they discovered her mark. How they had enlisted the help of a witch to suppress her transformation before they sent her to the group home under the care of Ms. Johnson to keep her hidden from the vampire world, which they assured her could be removed as soon as she and Ethan returned from their honeymoon. The told her about the trust fund, the human watchers, how heartbreaking it was to remain separated from her, all of it. By the time they were finished, most of her and her mother’s makeup had been washed away by tears and William’s eyes were red, but they were all smiling.
“Well, my sweet girl,” Rebecca began, “I suppose we should go and get you freshened up and back to your husband, you do not have much time left before your journey.
As they headed for the door, William placed his hand on her shoulder. “He is a good man, Alexa, I have seen his heart. You are both fortunate to have found your mates at so young an age,” he looked to his wife adoringly, “I lived many empty centuries before I found your mother. Each year that passed I felt more and more restless, but I never knew the source. It was not until I laid eyes on her that I realized I had been missing a piece of my soul. Cherish and protect that bond.”
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, “Thank you, daddy.”
✧
Ethan had felt anxious since the moment Alexa left the room. While he didn’t want to smother her and he knew she needed time with her family, it was difficult for him to be separated from her. His body was practically vibrating with the need to complete the blood bond and he knew he would not feel peace until it was done.
He took comfort knowing that he only had to wait a few more hours and observing his sister across the room had provided a much needed distraction while he waited for Alexa’s return.
She had changed into her normal clothes after the ceremony, black form-fitting fatigues, weapons and all, yet her demeanor was still off. She was fidgety, constantly fingering her sidearm and eating as if she had never seen food before in her life. He focused in and listened to her heart beat which was erratic and far faster than normal. It wasn’t until Jared approached her and her heart beat nearly doubled that he realized what had her so distracted and he couldn’t help but laugh to himself.
Not wanting to be overly intrusive, Ethan did his best not to listen in as he continued to watch. Jared spoke, and Cami appeared irritated as she responded curtly and moved away to procure a drink, another dead giveaway since she never partook in alcohol, always wanting to keep her focus sharp. While it took a great deal more alcohol to affect a vampire, it had the same impact on them as it did humans.
Jared did not appear to be deterred in the slightest, finding a variety of excuses to continue to approach her, whether it be to ask her a question about the house or to offer her more food or drink. Ethan couldn’t help but he came to be so confident and resilient. Then he thought perhaps it was because Jared knew something everyone else could not, his father and sister were telepaths, it wouldn’t be unlikely for him to be one as well.
When Ethan thought the thought, Jared looked over at him and flashed him a crooked grin confirming his suspicion.
At that point, he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. Finally, his celibate sister may have met her match.
Jared raised his eyebrows at that tidbit of information and Ethan shook his head in response.
Well, good luck with that one. He sent.
As Jared approached her yet again, much to Cami’s relief, Chloe ran over to her and jumped into her arms, offering her a much needed excuse to avoid the cocky young vampire.
Ethan heard Barb chuckle from a few yards away, drawing his attention. “It’s about time,” she said looking at him, then over at Cami and Jared.
That old woman was far too smart for her own good. She had been like a second mother for most of his life, he couldn’t imagine being without her, though he knew someday, when the war finally ended, she would go to the other side. She had mentioned on more than one occasion how ready she was to cross over and be with the rest of her family.
The sound of Alexa’s familiar heart drew his focus and caused his to speed up as he turned towards the door in anticipation of her entry.
When she appeared in the doorway, he couldn’t stop himself and flashed over to her, pulling her into his arms eliciting a surprised squeal and leaving her now bare feet dangling as he kissed her. “I missed you,” he whispered against her cheek before setting her back down, but keeping her wrapped in his arms.
“Mr. Kellar, I was only gone for a little while, and you are going to have me all to yourself for the next week,” she said feigning irritation.
“I plan to take full and complete advantage of that time, Mrs. Kellar,” he said with promise in his tone as he kissed the tip of her nose, causing her blood to rush.
Just then, Chloe rushed over, far faster than a human toddler could move and wrapped an arm around each of their legs. “Miss you,” she said looking up at each of them with a smile.
Elijah strolled over, with Josephine following closely behind. “Our little princess is right, it is nearly time for you two to leave for the airport.”
Alexa looked at Ethan with panic in her eyes and knelt down to pick up Chloe. “I haven’t even packed anything,” she said hugging Chloe tightly.
“That is all taken care of,” Josephine said brightly. I sent one of our staff to do some shopping for you and everything is all packed and loaded into the car.
“Staff?” Alexa said in question.
“Yes, we normally have a staff of five on the grounds,” Josephine replied, “but given the nature of everything happening the last few days, we thought it prudent to give them some time off. I just had someone run into the city and pick up a few items for you and drop them off at the gate. There is enough to give you a variety of options with regard to the occasion and the weather, all in your size of course.”
Ethan and Alexa changed into more casual clothing, and after several tearful and drawn out goodbyes, they were loaded into the car and on their way to board the private jet.
CHAPTER 25 - Paradise
As they neared the end of their fairly short ride to the airport, Ethan could sense Alexa’s growing anxiety through her increasing heart rate and bouncing leg. “What is it, Amor?” he asked with concern.
She pulled her attention from staring out the window to face him, “I’ve never been on a plane before and, um, I guess I’m a little claustrophobic,” she admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed knowing that thousands of people flew every day.
Ethan smiled at her reassuringly, “Do not worry, the jet will be rather spacious so I do not think you will feel trapped inside. It will be nothing like flying on a commercial plane being packed in with other passengers. We will be free to move around, eat, drink, watch television, and there is even a bedroom,” he said only wanting to offer the option of sleep, but Alexa’s mind went in a much naughtier direction and her nerves receded significantly.
With his preternatural senses picking up on her response, he chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He had to admit he had similar thoughts when he first booked the charter and learned of the bedroom, w
ondering how on earth he was going to keep his hands off of her until they reached their destination.
Choices of Fate (Fate Series) Page 23