by Shyla Colt
***
I fight the urge to pinch myself as I stand in the church foyer between Luz and Marcellus. As his next in command, they have the task of making sure I’m delivered to Cristobal like a blushing bride. The deep purple, off the shoulder, gothic gown shimmers beneath the light. The silk has a boat neck and bellows out into a massive ball gown. A black, Spanish-style veil with scalloped edges frames my face. Black was too vulgar, and red was in poor taste, so purple, the color of royalty, was the best choice for the coronation dress.
We’ve gone over the ceremony so many times I could perform it in my sleep. Still, the thought of doing it here in front of a crowd full of upper-crust vampires has me nervous.
“Relax, you’re stunning, and you know what to do,” Luz says.
I squeeze her hand. “Thank you.”
“Don’t let them smell fear, kiddo,” Marcellus adds.
Straightening my spine, I take a deep breath. I have one coronation under my belt. I can do this. The door swings open and Percival and Gil grin down at me. “We’re ready.”
The two hold the doors open. Here we go. Ruby and Ada lift the back of the train, and we begin to move. I focus on the man waiting at the end of the aisle in a black tuxedo with a gray vest tailored to perfection. I smile politely at the vampires all turned to face us. Every bench in the cathedral is packed. They all want to get a glimpse at the witch binding herself to a lord. I can’t blame them. We’re an oddity.
Keep it pretty, relaxed, and graceful. My steps are sure and small. I ignore the looks of disdain or contempt. I refuse to let anyone ruin this day after I worked so damn hard to pull it off flawlessly. The corner of Cristobal’s lip twitches up. My fake smile melts away and becomes a real one. His eyes twinkle.
“You are magnificent, dove.”
“So are you.”
When we reach the end of the aisle, Cristobal offers his hand and helps me up the final three stairs. Two crushed velvet pillows rest on the floor in front of us. The vampire officiating is dressed impeccably in a black three-piece designer suit. He is short but muscular with long, dark, curly hair, a hooked nose, and dark eyes fringed with long lashes. The translucent blue flames dancing around him mark his age as scarily old. I narrow my gaze in an attempt to bring them into focus.
“What do you see?” His accent throws me for a loop.
“I’m sorry?”
“When you look at me. What do you see?”
I look to Cristobal who nods.
“Your aura. It’s incredibly powerful.”
He gives a dark laugh that shows off his fangs. The cathedral echoes him as the vampires join in on his mirth. The jokes on me right now.
“Wonderful. Perhaps she is as talented as you claimed, Cristobal. I am pleased to be the one to perform this ceremony.” He nods his head. There’s more at work here. I trust Cristobal, but I loathe being in the dark. He brushes my hand with a fingertip.
“Finding your mate is a luxury most of us never know. Do not squander the gift you’ve been given. Protect one another at all costs, or you may live to regret it. Eternity can be a lonely sentence, yes?”
Cristobal nods in understanding. The words go over my head once more. The officiant clears his throat. Who is he?
“We are gathered here today to witness a rare thing, bond mates joining together as lady and lord of a court. Let us begin the ceremony.”
Cristobal helps me kneel, and I arrange my dress prettily before I sit up. He takes my hand and kisses it. Right now, I know they can all hear my heart racing a mile a minute.
“It’s nice to know I can still make your heart skip a beat,” Cristobal says, breaking the tension. I giggle. He’s breaching his own protocol to make me feel better. I slow down my vitals and lift my chin.
“Good girl,” Cristobal praises me.
The officiate opens the weathered leather-bound book in his hands. The man speaks the words in an old language I don’t understand, and then he translates.
“Do you swear by blood to work together for the betterment of your court? To teach, protect, and nurture them?”
“We do.”
“Will you remain loyal to your death to them? Forsaking all others?”
“We do.”
“Hold hands.” I place my hand in Cristobal’s. The officiant looks behind us. “Bring forth the cords prepared with their blood.” Everything is all about the life-giving nectar with them.
He takes the cord from Percival and ties our hands together.
“Up until this moment, you have been separate in thought, word, and action. As this cord binds your hands together, so shall your lives be bonded as one.” The rope begins to burn. I gasp in shock. It’s a cold burn, unsettling, but not quite painful. Swirls of green energy wind around our hands.
“Frumoasa,” the officiate whispers.
“What is this? Some trick?” Etta’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
“Our powers are saying hello,” I say softly, knowing all of them can hear us. My energy rises to answer his. The blue and green tendrils dart after each other like playful pups. They move through our bodies, wrestling with one another until they find a happy compromise. The discomfort stops, and the colors mingle to make a greenish blue before they settle back into our bodies.
I exhale.
“Wow,” I whisper shakily.
I hear the members of my court chuckle.
“Bring forth the chalice.”
Renee and Miles walk up. Everyone played a part in our day. I wink at Renee who grins even harder. Renee kneels beside me, and Miles mirrors him next to Cristobal.
“Today your blood will mingle and become one.”
Larkin steps forward with a sharp blade. “Let this blood oath taken in front of all be an outward sign of your promises here today.”
Larkin makes a cut on Cristobal’s palm. Miles catches the droplets in the silver chalice. Larkin repeats the process, and Renee grabs mine.
“When you accept this blood into your body, you bind yourself to the contract agreed upon.” When Cristobal’s wound seals shut, he leans forward to lick mine. The anticoagulant goes to work and my skin mends. Renee and Miles hand over the chalices. We link arms and drink. His blood is a fire ringing its way through my body. Like a shot of espresso, it reinvigorates me. His eyes go heavy-lidded. I look away, pleased. Let them smell how we make each other feel. Etta has a front row seat. I wish I could turn around and see her face without being a basic bitch.
I unbind our wrists with magic. Cristobal places the cord in his pocket and rises, offering up his hand to help me stand. We turn, and he addresses the crowd.
“Meet the Lord and Lady of Cortez Court, Cristobal Cortez and Louella Esçhete.” The vampires clap politely.
“We thank you for being here to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. I think we all dream of one day finding our bond mate. We have entertainment, food, and wine prepared for you at our home. We hope you’ll join us, so we can thank each one of you in person,” Cristobal says with a small smile.
“Come with me to the office, and we’ll sign the paperwork?” The officiate leads us in the opposite direction away from the crowd to the side of the building where the office rests. “Do vampires file paperwork?”
Cristobal nods. The members of our court follow us, forming a wall of protection. I notice the officiant has his own people as well. Once the door closes, Cristobal turns to me. Who is this man?
“Can you perform a silencing spell, dove?”
Closing my eyes, I weave a quick muting ward. “Done.”
“I’m sure by now you are wondering who I am. I will see if you can guess.”
The last thing I want to do is offend him by guessing horribly wrong.
“Who did I tell you would survive long after a nuclear war broke out?”
No.
&
nbsp; My eyes widen. I glance from Cristobal to the man.
“I … V-Vlad?” I choke.
He bows. “At your services.”
My jaw drops, and he laughs heartily.
“How? Why?” I shake my head, confused.
“I’ve made many deals during my recent travels.”
“I agreed to do this for a fee. I have waited a long time for someone like you to come along and help me with a task. One day soon I will come and ask a favor.”
I nod slowly.
“By officiating, he was giving his approval of our union.”
Holy shit I was kind of married by Dracula. Now I can’t stop staring at him, despite the rudeness factor. He glances up as Cristobal fills out his part of the paperwork and catches me staring.
“I’m sorry.” I study my hands.
“Sign here, dove.” We prick our fingers and add a few droplets beside our names.
Vlad signs the bottom. “I will send this to the archives.”
“Thank you again, Vlad,” Cristobal says.
He nods. “You’ll forgive me for not attending the celebration. I do not enjoy large crowds of strangers vying for attention and talking politics. I will give you time to settle in before I call upon you.”
“We’re at your disposal.” Cristobal bows.
Vlad studies me once more. “You will be my savior or my ruin, Ms. Esçhete.”
He’s gone before I can respond.
“What?”
“Yeah, he has that effect on people.” Cristobal laughs.
“What did you agree to do?”
“It’s more about what you can do. Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.”
“You know our opinions vary greatly on that statement often.”
“Not this time.”
He pulls me from the room, and I’m bombarded by hugs. I let the issue go. I have an evening of schmoozing and avoiding traps to get through. Swept away on the infectious excitement, I exit the cathedral in high spirits. A few months back I wasn’t sure if we’d live to see this moment, and now it’s already in our rearview mirror. I can’t say what the future holds for me, but I know it won’t be dull, and I won’t be alone. Can anyone really ask for more than that?
The End