“You still need to make it through the reception, kids,” he said, throwing Felipe a wink.
The crowd laughed and we made our way down the aisle. Considering how fast the wedding went, the next two hours dragged on endlessly. The guests took ages to give their blessings and tell us how lovely the wedding was, then, at Donna’s insistence, we took a gazillion photographs, most of which would never be looked at again.
Finally, when my eyes were watery from too many camera flashes and my brain was about fried, Felipe steered me away from the rest of the wedding party to the limousine waiting on the corner.
“Beautiful blushing brides first,” he said as he held open the door.
I gave him a kiss on the cheek and climbed in, dragging the train of my dress with me. He climbed in after and settled beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Let’s never do that again.” His lips pressed against my poofy hair and he sighed.
“I told you we should’ve gone to Vegas.”
“Yes, you did, several times.” He smiled and kissed me softly. “But every girl needs a wedding at some point, and considering this was your last chance, I wanted you to make the most of it.”
I kissed him again and leaned my head on his shoulder. “I hope they have coffee at the reception.”
Chapter 3
We arrived at the reception hall after all the other guests. Donna and Benton were waiting outside the doors and greeted us as we left the limo. I hadn't been allowed to see the reception hall while it was being decorated and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. Donna had truly outdone herself.
The entrance to the hall was a circular drive with a long, covered walkway. A red carpet had literally been rolled out, running the whole length of the walk, and white roses in enormous silver vases lined the sides. Strips of white and silver fabric shimmered alternately on the poles holding up the roof and each had been adorned with a single white rose.
I looked up as Felipe and I walked toward the double doors and it took my breath away. Thousands of tiny lights shone against the black canvas, twinkling like the unseen stars above. They were even arranged correctly and I stopped to look for the big and little dippers-- the only star patterns I really knew.
“Keep walking, Jane. We have a schedule to keep.”
I smirked at Donna, but bit my tongue. She'd earned the right to pester me.
When we reached the doors, Donna made us wait outside for what felt like ever. I fidgeted in my high heel shoes, which were making me feet scream in protest and making me long for my comfortable combat boots. At long last, she opened the door and ushered us through. The hall was filled and I was sure it was beyond the legal capacity. Tables were arranged so closely that the guests bumped chairs when they stood up.
A small aisle had been created between the mass of bodies and at Donna's gesture, music started. She grabbed Benton by the arm and dragged him toward a long, elaborately decorated table that marked the end of our journey.
Annie appeared beside me with Jax in tow and gave me a kiss on the cheek before she too swept into the crowd. I stood alone with Felipe once again and he slipped an arm around my waist. A new song started and someone began to clap in time. Within seconds, the entire crowd was clapping and cheering and pretty much asking for a noise ordinance complaint. It was the coolest thing ever.
Donna waved from the far end of the aisle and Felipe stepped out into the crowd of crazy guests. I followed beside him, feeling like Angelina Jolie at the Oscars, minus the intense security. People I didn't even know were grinning and cheering for me, some of them even reaching out to touch my arm or dress. It was so weird, but oddly enjoyable. I even shook a few hands. Sadly, no one asked me for an autograph.
We finally reached the end and emerged into an open area that was blocked off by red velvet ropes. I turned to look at the crowd behind us. Everyone was returning to their seats, making a right old ruckus with the clanging of chairs and scuffling of feet. I could hear a few arguments here and there after someone set a chair leg on someone else's toe, mostly from the humans.
I noticed another table located with ours behind the red ropes, off to the left. It was small and round, and it brought an even bigger smile to my face. Father Bellini sat between Captain Albertini and Marta. With them were Ronin, Rossi, Nathan, and Romano. I felt much better knowing they were all close at hand.
After we were seated at the table of honor, I leaned down to unstrap my shoes, earning a glare from Donna. Luckily, she was seated on the other side of Annie and couldn't reach over her to swat me. The spread in front of me was amazing. There were little silvery trinkets covering the table, arrayed in between the beautiful arrangements of even more white roses. I tried very hard to not imagine what Felipe had spent on this wedding. I had offered to pay for half--I had Steven's money, after all--but he flat out refused to take any of it.
A gaggle of young people dressed in very classy serving outfits swept into the room from a side door. Some held trays covered in wine glasses, both white and red, and others carried very medieval-looking goblets. A woman carrying a tray of the goblets stopped in front of us, a smile plastered across her otherwise stony face. I couldn't tell if she was just apathetic to her job in general or if she was unhappy about serving vampires.
She placed a goblet in front of me and I looked inside. It was a thick red liquid and I could feel the warmth through the glass. A quick sip confirmed what I already knew; somehow, Donna had secured fresh blood for the affair, a lovely treat compared to the bottled stuff I usually drank.
After everyone hushed at the urging of the unseen man on the microphone, Annie stood and gave a speech. It had been a tough decision between Annie and Donna as my maid of honor, but the distance between Donna and I had been too great. In her absence, Annie had become my best friend. She was like a sister I never had. I knew it hurt Donna to not have that role, but I hoped that letting her plan the entire wedding was enough to soothe the pain.
When Annie finished, Jax stood and gave his own toast. It was filled with crude humor and boyish remarks, drawing gasps from several of the more uptight folks in the crowd. I laughed until my sides hurt.
After he finished, about a dozen more people stood up, uninvited, to give their salutes to Felipe and I. Donna finally called a halt to it and had the meal brought around. Our server placed huge plates in front of us filled with massive steaks just this side of rare. The steaks were accompanied by salt potatoes that were the creamiest I've ever had, steamed vegetables that tasted like they'd just been pulled from a garden, and the most flaky, buttery rolls.
I ate until I thought I would pop, which probably wasn't the best idea, then leaned back to chat with Annie. Marta left her table and floated over to squat between us and Donna wandered off to take her seat beside Bellini.
I looked around, watching my closest friends chatting with people I couldn't place and smiled in satisfaction. They were all there for me. They were all there to support me on what was possibly the best day of my life. My heart was filled with a feeling of elation.
Annie, Marta, and I chatted for a long time, all of us sipping the always-full goblets. I found myself giggling excessively over the smallest thing, but I attributed that to the general excitement of getting married to the sexiest man on the planet. The servers were on the ball and kept the drinks of all the guests full, too. The wine kept the humans in high spirits and small cups of coffee were passed around for the vampires.
Almost an hour later, Donna came prancing over to me with a smile on her face. "Guess what, kids? It's time for the first dance! Then after that, you can cut the cake."
Felipe held out a hand to me and I put my gloved fingers in his as I downed the last of my coffee. When he pulled me up, my head swam and he reached an arm around my waist to steady me.
"Easy there, girl. Too much excitement?" His easy smile echoed in his sparkling eyes and I leaned up to kiss him.
"I think so. I feel giddy. I better back off
the coffee."
Guiding me along gently, Felipe led me to an area that had been cleared of tables and chairs. The floor was cool beneath my bare feet and I wiggled my toes, enjoying the feeling. As Felipe and I didn't have a song, Donna had picked out a nice and cheesy number for our first dance. It wafted through the noisy crowd from the speakers along the walls.
Slowly, the guests quieted and formed a thick circle around us. I could see many of them swaying in time with the tune as Felipe put one hand on my back and took my right hand in his. He pressed me to him and I gazed up into his eyes as we twirled around in circles. The world in my peripheral vision started spinning and I focused on him to keep from tipping sideways.
The song was almost over when the first scream echoed through the room. It was faint and I almost missed it in the coffee-addled state I was in, but I'd heard that sound before and it was unmistakeable.
Felipe stopped moving immediately, gripping me tightly as his head darted from side to side. The humans in the crowd mumbled amongst themselves, confused. Their hearing was not as powerful as ours. They had not heard the sound of death.
The second scream was louder, more piercing, and everyone heard it. It came from the bathroom off the side hall. I made to move toward it, but Felipe held me back.
"No, Jane. Stay here."
His body wrapped around mine protectively. Peeking under his arm, I could see Jax and Benton flanking him, facing outward, and Annie was between Jax and Felipe. I looked around frantically but couldn't see Donna or Father Bellini anywhere.
Another scream came, then two and three at once. They started overlapping and soon the room was in chaos. The humans were running toward the exits, trying to escape the unseen attackers. A body flew up over the crowd, thudding heavily on the floor behind me. I squealed and pressed closer to Felipe.
The crowd began to separate itself. While most of the guests were heading for the doors, leaving trampled bodies in their wake, a handful were going against the flow, making their way toward us. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by half a dozen vampires, all bloodied and snarling.
Jax pulled a short sword from underneath his jacket while Benton brandished a handgun. Even Annie reached beneath her dress to extract a knife. They circled us, protecting us from the attackers.
One vampire dressed in an expensive suit pushed through the crowd. His hand was wrapped tightly around the collar of Father Bellini, dragging the unconscious man onto the dance floor. He tossed the priest at our feet and a bloody streak marred the wood where my mentor had slid.
"What do you want?" Felipe growled the words through gritted teeth. He was tense and gripping me too tightly, but I barely noticed.
The man laughed, and I swear he had taken acting classes on how to laugh like a super villain. He even threw his head back. When he exhausted himself, he looked at me, all humor gone from his eyes.
"Your wife."
Felipe squeezed me so hard I squeaked and his snarl would rival a lion. "You will not touch her."
"On the contrary, I'll do exactly that. You and your little group nearly brought an end to my plans in Europe. It was so kind of you to come to my home and offer yourselves to me."
He looked around and waved a hand at the diminishing crowd. Bodies were strewn across the floor and blood stained the walls. In addition to those directly around us, there were nearly a dozen vampires blocking the exits and a couple were feeding on still-warm humans.
Felipe snorted, a sound I completely did not expect. I looked up at him and he was shaking his head in disbelief. "You. I should've known. You always were ambitious, but I never thought you to be evil."
"I am not evil, Felipe. I am practical. Vampires are the smarter, stronger, better race. It is time we stop hiding from the humans."
He spat on the floor and lifted his hand. The other vampires started toward us. Felipe shoved me behind him, facing off against the man in the suit. I slipped in some blood and was thrown off balance, coming down hard on the wooden floor. A hand grabbed me from behind and I fought to free myself, but my limbs refused to work properly and my flailing did nothing to aid my cause.
I was dragged backward, kicking and screaming, toward an exit on the far side of the room. Several pairs of hands hoisted me into the air and my feet and hands were tied as a cloth was stuffed in my mouth.
I could see Felipe fighting the vampires that swarmed him, screaming my name. Jax and Benton had their hands full with more vampires than they could manage. Annie was lying on the floor, unconscious or dead, I did not know.
The man in the suit hefted Father Bellini over his shoulder and stalked toward me as his minions held Felipe at bay. He gave me a little grin as he walked past me and out the door. I screamed for Felipe through the gag until my captors shoved me into the back of a van, shutting the door on my freedom.
Chapter 4
The van was one of those that caterers often used and there were no windows. A heavy cloth blocked the view to the front seats and the overhead light cast a dim glow on my surroundings. There were no seats and three vampires sat on the floor by the door. All three of them had procured machine guns from somewhere and one had several stakes attached to a military-style vest. A big, black, lumpy bag was shoved in the corner behind one of the seats.
I used my elbows and brute strength to push myself into a seated position and leaned against the cold metal wall. I could feel blood dripping from my nose and it felt swollen. Father Bellini lay beside me, unmoving. His back was toward me and I watched it closely, feeling the seconds crawl by as I prayed any sign of life. After an eternity, his jacket moved almost imperceptibly and I heard a shuddering breath.
I closed my eyes in thanks and turned my attention toward my captors. All three of them were looking in my direction, but none of them would meet my eyes. Two were young, barely turned, and each displayed their own set of nervous ticks. The farthest from me was a dark-haired boy who couldn't have been more than eighteen. His left index finger tapped rapidly against the stock of his weapon until the man beside him growled and jabbed him in the side.
The boy closest to me may have been in his mid-20s, but he couldn't have been a vampire for very long. His cheeks were flushed as if he had just fed and I could see the stain of blood on his dark shirt. He was biting the inside of his lip and his eyes were darting back and forth between Bellini and I.
The man sitting between them had a professional feel to him. He had been through this before. He stared at me, his eyes focused firmly on the bridge of my nose as the fingers of one hand played along the stakes on his vest. Unlike the others, the movement wasn't due to fear or apprehension. He was very secure in his position and knew he had the upper hand. No, he wasn't afraid. He was hoping I would make a wrong move so he could whip out one of those stakes and plunge it into my heart. I determined to disappoint him as best I could and settled my stare on him, hoping to catch him off his guard the moment he met my eyes.
In the back of my mind, I tried to keep track of how many turns we made, but after the fifteenth, I could no longer remember which direction each had taken us and gave up. I was still focused on the fierce man when the cloth at the front of the van pulled aside and the mastermind in the black suit peered through. I turned my attention to him, narrowing my eyes until I could barely see through the rage swimming in my vision.
The man smiled what would have been an amicable smile in any other situation. "Oh, good. I was hoping you were behaving yourself and hadn't just killed my best warrior. I guess the rumors about you were untrue."
I kept my lips pressed together and said nothing, fighting to breath through the hatred that clenched my chest. My hands were behind me and I dug my nails into the metal. At the small tearing sounds, the man in the suit raised an eyebrow and nodded in my direction.
The only warning I had was when I saw the stock of my captor's gun inches from my head. I attempted to duck, but he was so close, I couldn't move in time. The impact sent me sprawling and I nearly landed atop
Father Bellini. The pain shot through my skull and within moments, my vision was starting to gray. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing and an image of Felipe until it dulled to a deep throb.
"Is she out?"
I felt a hand on my neck and fought the urge to bite it.
"Yes."
"Good. Keep her that way. The last thing we need is for Felipe's woman to free herself before he can come for her."
The other man laughed. "The knight in shining armor to the rescue. Too bad his fairy tale won't end with a happily ever after."
"Just make sure everything is ready when we get back to the hold."
"The sun will keep him away for awhile. We have time."
"Just be ready. He is a man who is quick to anger, and we have his wife and best friend. Do not assume to judge his actions before he has made them."
A snort was followed by a long silence, then the cloth dropped back into place. I could hear the two young vampires blow out the breaths they had been holding and readjust their positions. My head was pressed against Bellini's back and I focused on the sound of his heart beat. It was slow, but steady, and it became very soothing. I tuned into it, listening to the thu-thump thu-thump as the van picked up speed. I could only guess that we had merged onto a highway and wondered how on earth Felipe would find us. The driver had clearly taken many precautions against being followed too easily.
I also secretly hoped that Felipe would not come. I had no idea why they wanted to ensnare him in a trap such as this, but it couldn't be good. And Felipe was not one to back down from a challenge, especially where those he loved were involved. He would come; there was no doubt about that. The only questions were when, and what the outcome would be. I pushed it out of my mind and focused on Father Bellini. There was nothing I could do about Felipe, but perhaps I could help my mentor and friend.
Til Death (Jane #5) Page 2