by Donya Lynne
“But . . .” Wasn’t this against some kind of vampire law or something? Bringing humans to the royal mansion?
“Ssshh. Don’t question, Sam. Just enjoy. My brother adores you and insisted they be here, so . . . go on.” She pulled away and gave Sam a nudge. “Take all the time you need to visit with them. Tell them anything you want, just know that before they leave, I’ll have to strip out anything they can’t take back into the human world, such as the location of Bain’s home.”
“What about the rest? The vampire stuff itself.”
A private smile tilted up the corners of Cordray’s perfectly painted lips. “We’ll see.” She motioned for the door leading from the bedroom into the hall. “I’ll be downstairs helping Josie get Aiden and Null ready. I’ll come back and check on you in a bit.”
Sam clutched Cordray’s hand, feeling like the floor was falling out from under her. “Cordray?”
The other female stopped and looked back at her, as feminine as Sam had ever seen her, which was saying something, because, until recently, there hadn’t been much about Cordray that was girly.
“Thank you,” she said.
Corday squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome. Now go.” She nodded toward her parents. “And be thankful I used waterproof makeup on you. Oh, and I’ll never be girly.” She winked.
Sam laughed as she let go of Cordray’s hand, but it was the manic kind of laugh that hinted at overwhelmed emotions that were about to come undone.
Cordray slipped out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her.
Sam stared after her for a moment, feeling the tears sting the backs of her eyes, and then rushed into her parents’ waiting arms, sobbing as they hugged her. “Mom . . . Dad . . . I’m so glad you’re here.”
“My little angel,” her father said, squeezing her before pulling back to drink in her face. “You’re so beautiful.”
Her mom sniffled and dabbed a tissue under her eyes as she nodded, then cupped Sam’s cheek. “We haven’t heard from you in so long we were beginning to worry, and then we heard you’re getting married! I’m so relieved, honey. So relieved that horrible man is finally out of your life. That horrible, horrible man.” Her mom seemed intent on not saying Steve’s name as she hugged her again, rocking her back and forth as if she were a child.
Nothing could ruin this day now that her parents were here and the man she loved more than anything in the whole world waited downstairs to give her all that she’d asked for and more.
Micah, Micah, Micah . . . how he always found ways to surprise her and make her smile. She hadn’t spoken of her parents in months, and yet Micah had known instinctively that her wedding day wouldn’t be complete without them.
“So, who’s this young man you’re marrying?” her mother said.
What a loaded question. “He’s the greatest, most incredible male in the world.” Figures that the one time she remembered Micah was a “male” and not just a “man” would be when she was talking to her human parents, who probably found her word choice odd.
“What’s he do?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
But she would try. She had Cordray’s blessing to tell her parents anything she wanted.
And as she began the retelling of all that had happened to her since January, she felt Steve’s specter slip further into the shadows.
Further into obscurity.
Right where he belonged.
Chapter 7
Cordray stopped in her room long enough to straighten her hair and makeup, and to turn a steam iron on the skirt of her dress, and then she hurried off to check on Aiden and Null, finding them in the downstairs bathroom.
Null waited outside, in the hall, roaring quietly like he was practicing for a part as a bear in a play for The Jungle Book.
Then she looked in the bathroom and nearly went into shock.
“What’s going on in here?” Cordray stared in horror at the purple, blue, and pink shimmering mess of glitter powder in the bathroom. It covered everything. The marble floor, the counter, the cabinets, even the toilet. Hell, it was in the toilet. No surface was spared. The air even sparkled.
But what sparkled most was little Aiden. Her plump cheeks, her hands, her hair, her dress, her tiny Mary Janes. There wasn’t a body part or piece of clothing that didn’t shimmer.
Josie was busily trying to wipe up what had spilled out of the small canisters now sitting half empty beside the sink. “It seems Aiden had a little trouble with the glitter.”
“A little?” Cordray’s gaze swept the toddler from foot to head, then from ceiling to floor in the bathroom. “There’s glitter on the ceiling, Jo.”
She knelt in front of Aiden, rubbing her fingers over the little girl’s face. It was no use. The multicolored-pastel shimmer wasn’t coming off without a thorough shower and about a month’s worth of scrubbing. “What did you do, Aiden?”
“I’m sowwy.” Tears dropped to her cheeks. “I just wanted to look pwetty.”
“Oh, sweetie, you’re pretty enough just as you are.” Cordray dusted her fingers through Aiden’s blond hair. They came out sparkling.
“I wanted to be a faiwy pwincess.” She wiped away her tears, smearing more sparkly powder on her face and eyelids. Now even her long blond eyelashes sparkled.
The wedding was set to start in less than forty-five minutes. Aiden was the flower girl. She couldn’t very well walk down the aisle tossing rose petals looking like a glitter bomb had gone off in her hand. Cordray grabbed a stack of washcloths and began wetting them down and streaking them over Aiden’s face, desperately trying to clean her up as Josie played backup.
“Oh, honey, you look like a Cullen.”
Josie stopped scrubbing and shot her a weird look. “A what?”
“A Cullen. You know, from Twilight.”
Josie broke out in a fit of giggles. “Oh my God, she does.” She laughed harder. “She’s a pastel Cullen.”
“What’s a Cullen?” Aiden asked in her little-girl voice.
“Just a character in a book, sweetie. A comical, sparkly character.”
But Cordray had to give the author props. She’d found a new take on an old trope. Authors usually depicted vampires either as evil creatures from hell who hunted humans and drained them of blood or as gruesome scientific experiments gone terribly wrong. Cordray was kind of impartial to The Lost Boys, though. The sexy-vamp vibe Kiefer Sutherland rocked in that movie was pretty close to the mark. Make him less of a bad guy who didn’t need to kill the humans he fed from, and you had a reasonable likeness to the real thing.
Cordray got back to scrubbing down Aiden’s arms for all the good it did. She felt like all she was doing was spreading the powder around, not actually removing it.
“Holy hell! It’s like Tinkerbell threw up in here!”
Cordray turned to find Micah staring into the bathroom like the walls were alive, his eyes wide, mouth gaping.
“Shouldn’t you be standing at the head of an aisle or practicing your vows or something?” she snapped.
“Cool out, Cruella. I was just on my way and thought I’d check to see how things were coming along in here first.” His gaze took a tour around the shimmering bathroom. “Let me guess, there was a bit of an accident with the glitter.”
She stood and took a step back. “Oh, you’re astute. Did your superior investigative skills give you that one?”
“Maybe.”
Aiden sniffled, and Cordray turned to see that the little girl was crying again. “Great, Micah, I’d just gotten her to stop crying.”
Risking the sanctity of his tuxedo, Micah entered the bathroom, pushed past her, and crouched in front of Aiden as Josie backed away to give him space. “Hey, now, why are you crying, cutie-pie? There’s no need to cry.”
All Cordray could envision was Micah’s tux getting covered in shimmering dust. “Micah, you’re going to get glitter all over your tux—”
He rudely thrust his open palm toward
her face. “Me and my tux are fine, C.” He withdrew his hand and wiped his thumb over Aiden’s cheeks, clearing away her tears. “So, what’s wrong, superstar. Talk to me. Why the tears?”
Aiden tucked her chin against her chest. “I’m sowwy.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For wooning your big day.”
“She means ruining,” Cordray said.
“I don’t need a translator, C.” Micah slashed her a back-off glance.
Cordray huffed and took a step back, crossing her arms. “Fine, whatever. It’s not my tux.”
But inside, Cordray was mortified. Cordray had told both Aiden and Null how special today was for Micah and Sam, and that she wanted them to be on their best behavior. Not that she’d ever worried about that before. The twins were usually well-behaved. But this mess? Wow. This could blow the whole deal.
Aiden blubbered and sniffled some more. Micah grabbed a tissue, dabbed away her tears, and wiped her nose. “This?” Micah tossed the tissue in the trash can and waved his hand around the room. “This is nothing.” He took Aiden’s tiny hands in his.
Aiden seemed to shrink more into herself. “I just wanted to be a pwincess.”
“A fairy princess,” Josie added quietly from the side.
“A fairy princess?” Micah said, his voice filled with exaggerated excitement. “Why didn’t you say so? I think that sounds awesome.” He picked up the small canister of glitter powder and the makeup brush beside it, dabbing it in the powder.
Cordray nearly went into a meltdown. “Micah, no. You can’t—”
“Sure I can. It’s my wedding day. I can do whatever I want.”
“Actually, it’s Sam’s wedding day.”
The fiery look he gave her nearly burned her.
She held up her hands. “Fine. Have it your way. You’re the one marrying her, not me. It’s you who’ll feel her wrath.”
He rolled his eyes. “Her wrath? Please.” He turned away and went back to swirling the brush in the powder. “Don’t go thinking you know my bride better than I do, C. You’ll just end up looking foolish.” He snorted softly. “Make that more foolish.” He tapped off the excess powder and extended the brush toward Aiden’s face.
Josie went on full alert. “What are you doing?”
Micah swiped the brush across Aiden’s cheek, leaving a fresh deposit of pink shimmer on her tiny face. “If our little superstar is going to be a fairy princess, we’d better make her the best damn fairy princess that ever was, right?” He tapped Aiden’s slender forearm, then dipped the brush into the glitter again. “Hold out your arms there, superstar. Let’s make sure we don’t miss a spot.”
Aiden giggled and thrust her arms out in front of her, stamping her tiny feet.
Micah swished the brush down her arms and hands, then looked from Josie to Cordray as if daring them to stop him. “Am I right?” His eyes narrowed before he added, “You know I am.”
“Uh . . .” Josie stared white-faced at Cordray as Micah returned to dipping, dabbing, and brushing glitter all over Aiden, who giggled and pranced as Micah coated every inch of her with glitter dust. All Cordray and Josie could do was stare, speechless.
When Micah finished, Aiden shimmered from head to toe like a mythical being out of The Lord of the Rings. Flecks of glitter sparkled all over Micah’s tuxedo.
He set the canister and brush on the counter, stood, and dusted off his hands. “There.” He gave Cordray a proud smile. “She’s perfect.” He high-fived Aiden, told her he’d see her shortly, reminded her to twirl the way all fairies do in the mystical woods, and then turned and walked off like he owned the world, high-fiving Null—who was still roaring quietly—as he passed him.
Cordray exchanged glances with Josie while Aiden danced, twirled, and giggled in front of the full-length mirror, waving an imaginary wand, lost in her own little magical world.
“Sam’s going to kill us,” Josie said.
Cordray sighed, then grinned at how happy Aiden was. “Actually, I think she’ll love it.”
“You do?”
“Wouldn’t you?” She nodded toward little Aiden. “Look at how happy she is.” Cordray hadn’t seen the little girl this happy in a long time. “She’s kind of adorable.”
Josie caressed her swollen stomach and smiled. “You’re right. Sam’s going to love it. If nothing else, it’ll sure make the day memorable.”
She and Josie watched Aiden continue doing her fairy dance for a few more seconds, then Cordray leaned toward Josie and said quietly, “You know, I really hate to admit this, because you know how much I detest Micah, but that asshole is going to make a terrific father.”
Josie slowly nodded. “Yes, I do believe he will.”
And so would Trace.
Cordray caressed her flat stomach. Before long, she and Sam would look like Josie. A year from now, the halls of AKM would ring with gurgling, suckling young.
A new generation.
One little Aiden and Null would be a part of.
She continued watching Aiden dance and twirl, and for the first time in centuries, she was excited for the future.
Chapter 8
Sam held her mom’s trembling hand. She’d just unloaded the whole truth and nothing but the truth on her parents. She’d given them the condensed version, but she’d held nothing back.
“I’m fine, Mom. Really. Actually, I’m better than fine. I’ve never been happier. Please don’t be upset.”
Her mom blinked, looking at Sam’s dad, then back at Sam as she covered her neck with her free hand. “Are you . . .?” Her blond eyebrows—so much like Sam’s—scrunched slightly as she peered at Sam’s mouth like she was looking for fangs. “You’re not a vampire now, are you?” Her throat seemed to close around the word vampire.
“No, Mom. Remember what I said about davalas? I’m what’s called a davala.”
Sam had known it would be hard for her parents to hear the truth, but she’d wanted to tell them, even if Cordray planned to erase some or even all of their memories.
Her mom sighed and blinked several times as if she were slowly coming to terms with all Sam had told her.
During the last thirty minutes, she’d told her parents everything about the past five months. How she’d almost died from a dreck bite, how Micah had saved her by giving her his venom and turning her into his davala, how there was a secret war waging between vampires and drecks and that there was a contingency of vampire warriors in Chicago and elsewhere fighting to keep humanity safe. They hadn’t believed her at first, but as she continued spilling the details, they slowly realized she wasn’t joking. That all this was real.
“Davala.” Her father tried the word out on his tongue. “Tell me what that is again?”
“A davala is sort of like the vampire equivalent of a wife, but only when the female was once human.”
Her mom sniffled as if hearing the words once human hurt her.
“Oh, Mom, don’t cry.” She scooted closer and embraced her. “I’m happy. I’m really happy. I’m safe from my ex, Micah loves me, I’m pregnant.” That was the first thing she’d told her parents. She’d figured starting out with joyful news would cushion the blow of finding out she was no longer human and was marrying a vampire. “I honestly couldn’t want anything more.”
Her mom hugged her back, crying softly. “I know, I know. I’m just . . . oh, honey, it’s like I don’t know whether to be excited that you’re getting married and that you’re finally going to make me a grandma or if I should be scared about everything you’ve just told us. This is all just so . . .”
“Strange,” her dad offered.
She and her mom looked up at him.
“It’s strange,” he said again. But he was smiling. It was a small, tight smile, but Sam would take it. “You always were different, Samantha. We always knew you would grow up to be special. Now look at you. If this isn’t special, I don’t know what is.”
It was more of an approval than Sam could have hoped for.
“Oh, Dad.” Tears welled in her eyes as she pushed off the bed and threw herself into her father’s arms. “I love you. I love you both so much.” She inhaled and filled her nose with the scent of Irish Spring, the only soap she could remember her dad ever using. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“We’ve missed you too.” His strength as he hugged her close and tucked his cheek against the top of her head buoyed her optimism. “Your mom and I love you. We just want you to be happy, especially after what you went through with—” He caught himself before saying Steve’s name. “You know.”
“Yeah, Dad, I know.” She withdrew from his grasp and blinked away her tears before they could do too much damage to her makeup, waterproof or not. “And, really, I’ve never been happier.”
Her mom stood and took her by the hands, holding out her arms so she could look at her. All of her. Tears still dampened her mom’s eyes and cheeks, but she was finally smiling.
“You look happy, honey.” Her smile brightened. “Come here.”
Sam allowed herself to be pulled into her mother’s embrace, a little girl again. A little girl who needed the love and reassurance of her parents. She’d had to be strong for so long, even with Micah, but with her mom and dad she could just be Samantha, the daughter. She could surrender her control and shed the armor she wore every day and just be.
Her mom seemed to grow taller and more confident as she rubbed and patted Sam’s back. “If you’re happy, I’m happy, honey.” She held her at arm’s length, chin up, jaw firm. “Steve was a human, and he treated you like shit.” It was the first time any of them had said Steve’s name or used profanity during this entire conversation, but it was just like her mom to be the one to open closed doors. “Micah is a vampire and treats you well . . . with respect.” She took a deep breath and blew it out like she was putting a period at the end of a sentence. “So if it’s a vampire that makes you happy, then I say it’s a vampire you should marry.”
Laughter bubbled up through Sam’s throat. A crazy kind of laughter. The kind borne of emotions that had been dragged up and down the full spectrum of happiness and excitement for the better part of the evening.