A Shade of Vampire 16: An End of Night (15 page)

I
woke
to the sound of Caleb’s light breathing next to me. I opened my eyes slowly, turning to face him on the pillow. He was still fast asleep.

Trying not to wake him, I gently lifted his right arm from over my waist and placed it down on the bed. Then I slid out from beneath the sheets and headed straight to the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, then took a shower and washed my hair. It was shocking how much gunk had managed to stick in it. The pool of water forming on the shower floor was a murky brown.

After I’d finished in the shower, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me before heading back into the bedroom to get dressed. I was about to open my closet when the digital alarm clock on the windowsill caught my attention.

11.34 AM.

But it wasn’t those blinking figures that made me stop. It was the date beneath them. I dropped my towel and picked up the clock, looking at it more closely in case I’d misread it.

I hadn’t.

Wow.
I’d completely lost track of time.

In just one day, it would be my birthday. My and Ben’s birthday.

I had not been aware of the date for a while now, since so many things had happened one after the other. I just could not believe an entire year had gone by since Ben and I had plotted our escape to Hawaii.

“Nice view…” Caleb spoke huskily from the bed.

He’d woken up. Propping up his head with one hand, he was leaning on his elbow as his brown eyes roamed me.

I smirked, motioning to pick up my towel from the floor, but he grabbed me before I had the chance.

Trailing his hands from beneath my shoulders down to the base of my spine, he gathered me to him. His legs entwined with mine as he ran his nose down the bridge of mine before tasting my lips.

“What are you looking so surprised about, beautiful?” he asked in a whisper.

“I didn’t realize how much time has passed… It’s my birthday tomorrow.”

He sat up. “You’ll be eighteen.”

Eighteen
. It seemed so old.

Thinking back on my seventeenth year, I realized it was basically just one long blur of shocks, confusion, kidnappings and… Caleb.

I also couldn’t believe that I was about to experience a birthday without Ben. It would be the first time we’d been apart on our birthday since the day we were born. A hollow feeling settled in at the base of my stomach.

I gulped.

I didn’t want to start getting teary in front of Caleb, so I changed the subject.

“When is your birthday?” I asked.

“Not for a while,” he said vaguely. “Let’s talk about yours first… I have an idea for what we could do to celebrate.”

I raised a brow.

He bent down close to me again, kissing my cheek and then whispering into my ear: “Let’s get married, Rose.”

I almost choked.

“Caleb… that would be the best birthday present. Ever.”

A
fter Rose responded
to my suggestion with passion, I got off her, picked up her towel from the floor and handed it to her.

“If we’re really going to have our wedding tomorrow, we’ve got to get a move on.” She finished towel-drying her hair and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “Let’s go see my parents.”

“I have something to do,” I said. She looked at me curiously, but didn’t question what this something was. “You go without me.”

“How long do you think you’ll be?” she asked. “Because we need to decide on details about the wedding.”

“Rose,” I said, “we could hold the wedding in a cave, and I wouldn’t care.” I gave her a smile. “Just make sure you show up.”

“Okay,” she said, grinning. “I’ll try to remember that part. My mom, Corrine and I will do all the planning.” She walked up to me and pulled my head down for another passionate kiss. “I’m going to be so busy, plus I’ll be spending the night at my parents’ place, we’re unlikely to see each other again before tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll see you at the aisle.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes,” she said.

Embracing one more time, we said goodbye and she left the room. I watched through the window as she left, chuckling as she raced down the mountain and sprinted into the woods at full speed.

Now, I had my own preparations to see to.

I took a quick shower, got dressed and left the cabin. I made my way down the mountain, whipping through the trees until I reached the Sanctuary. I listened at the door before knocking, wondering if Corrine and Ibrahim might still be sleeping. I heard voices coming from within so I went ahead and rapped on the door.

It was Corrine who answered. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she wore a short nightgown.

“Hi, Caleb. What brings you here?”

“Is Ibrahim around?” I asked.

“Yes. Why?” She looked at me curiously, and then a mischievous glint showed in her eyes. “Is this to do with Rose again?”

She knew me too well.

“Yes,” I said. “You know it’s her birthday in one day.”

“Oh, my gosh. No. I’ve been totally oblivious to the days passing. I-I can’t believe it’s come round again so soon!”

“Yes, well… I need Ibrahim’s help with something. It shouldn’t take up much of his time.”

“Okay,” she said. She turned around and called back through her home. “Ibrahim!”

A deep groan emanated from one of the chambers. “I’m sleeping.”

Corrine smirked and rolled her eyes. “No, you’re talking,” she shot back. “Get your butt out of bed. It’s important. You can go back to sleep later.”

I felt guilty as Ibrahim appeared at the door two minutes later. He wore pajamas, his hair was ruffled and he still had sleep in his eyes. Corrine squeezed his cheek before leaving the two of us alone.

“Hello, Caleb,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to disturb you—”

“It’s all right,” he said, stretching out and yawning. “What’s the matter?”

I began to explain what I had in mind, and by the end, the warlock was nodding.

“Sounds easy enough,” he said. “I can definitely help you with that. Come inside while I take a shower.”

He led me into their living room where I waited while Ibrahim got ready. Then the two of us left for one of the more remote parts of the island where we were least likely to be seen. Ibrahim helped me with what he could in the space of an hour, and after that, I was able to continue without him.

Darkness had fallen beyond The Shade’s boundary by the time I was satisfied with the result. I stopped by the ocean to splash my face with water before heading back to our cabin. I was expecting to find the place empty, since Rose had already informed me she wouldn’t be returning that night.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to find a dragon lurking in the shadows of our doorstep.

A
s I made
my way toward my parents’ penthouse, I couldn’t help but wonder what Caleb wanted to do. I could only assume that
something
was a surprise.

I knocked on the front door and my mother opened it after thirty seconds.

“Rose,” she said, giving me a huge smile, “you do realize that it’s your birthday tomorrow?”

Of course, Mom would remember my birthday even if the sky was falling.

“Yeah, I just realized this morning.”

She took my hand and pulled me inside. “How do you want to celebrate?”

“Not another trip to Hawaii, I hope,” my father said dryly, looking up from a pile of papers as he sat at the breakfast table.

“Not quite,” I said. Mention of that particular escapade made me wince. “Caleb and I want to get married.”

That knocked both of them speechless.

“Oh,” my mother said, her mouth hanging open.

My father dropped the piece of toast he was eating.

“What?” I said, amused by their reaction. “You already know Caleb and I are engaged.”

“Oh, I think it’s a good idea,” my mother said quickly. “It’s just… We weren’t expecting it to happen so soon.”

My father didn’t say anything as I took a seat at the table next to him. He just stared at me. Although he didn’t betray a lot of emotion in his expression, I could sense that he was crestfallen.

“Come on, Dad. You knew it was going to happen sometime.” I reached out and squeezed his arm. “And I promise, I will always be your little girl… even when I’m eighty years old.”

He rolled his eyes and I was relieved when he finally gave me a grin.

“And don’t ever forget it,” he said.

My mother looked up at the clock on the wall. “We’ve lost the morning already. That leaves us only the rest of the day to prepare for the wedding… That said, this island seems to have developed a tradition of last-minute weddings. We’ll pull it off.”

“Where are you going to hold it?” my father asked.

I paused. I hadn’t really given the location much thought until now. “How about in the forest? You know that clearing near Grandpa’s apartment—that would be large enough to fit a gazebo and as for the chairs and banquet table, we could position them among the trees. I think it would be beautiful.”

“I love that idea,” my mother replied. “And your dress, have you thought about it? I wish that you could have worn my wedding dress. It was so gorgeous.”

“What happened to it?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Honestly, this island has been through so much turmoil, it got lost at some point—perhaps when the Elders took over and many of the penthouses got destroyed.”

“Well, we’ll just have to design a new one,” I said.

I fetched a notepad and pen. My mother and I spent the next half hour sketching out ideas before we finally came up with the final design.

She beamed at me. “Let’s take this to Corrine… and then we need to start spreading the word to make sure more people than just your father and I show up.”

“
T
heon
?” I called up, stopping in my tracks and looking him over.

He bowed his head slightly, his amber-gold eyes fixed on me.

“What brings you here?” I asked, moving closer.

“I’d like to speak with you,” he said, his voice calm.

I climbed up the steps to the porch and stopped a few feet away from him. “I’m listening.”

“That one’s special,” he said.

There was a pause as I wondered what exactly his angle was. “Yes,” I said. “Rose is special.”

“There aren’t many like her.”

“There certainly aren’t,” I replied, holding his gaze steadily.
You’re preaching to the choir, dragon.

“I trust you will treat her right.”

I frowned at him. “I’m not sure I understand the purpose of your visit.”

Closing the small distance between us, he motioned to touch my shoulder but stopped, his hand hovering midair. “May I?”

I looked from his hand to his face. Then shrugged.

He closed his hand over my shoulder. As we were practically the same height, his eyes were level with mine as they stared straight at me.

Of all the crazy experiences I’d had in my long life, this turned into one of the most bizarre. His pupils dilated and the amber of his irises became more brilliant. Although I had no intention of breaking eye contact, I had a strange feeling that I couldn’t have averted my gaze even if I had wanted to. The intensity of his stare felt like he was digging a hole right through my pupils and carving out a tunnel through to my soul.

But whatever he was trying to see in me, I wasn’t afraid. He could challenge me about my worthiness of Rose’s love, but I knew what I felt for her. I had nothing to hide. He could rip right through to my soul and he would see that I held nothing but devotion for that woman.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it felt like at least five minutes before his eyes dimmed to their former color and he let go of my shoulder. He stepped away from me, though he still held my gaze.

Silence fell between us as I looked back at him, unflinching.

“Well?” I said. “Did you see all that you wanted to see?”

“I saw more than enough,” he said quietly. “But, admittedly, it was not what I’d hoped to see… Vampire, you have a strong heart. Stronger than I’d thought. If there is anyone deserving of that woman other than a dragon, it is you.”

He stepped back further, moving toward the steps.

“I bow out, with respect.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode off down the mountain.

I remained staring in his direction long after he’d disappeared, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Still unsure of whether there was anything to draw from the experience, or perhaps even some reason to feel offended by it, I turned my back on the night and entered the cabin.

Whatever the case, even if nothing else, it would make a good tale to tell our children one day. That I had passed the test of the
artist of romance
, the dragon prince himself.

C
orrine was
over the moon to work on my dress. We spent the rest of the day fixing my outfit, making arrangements for the venue, and then organizing invitations. All throughout, I kept thinking back to what Caleb was doing, but I didn’t have much time to ponder.

I would’ve loved to go personally around the island to invite everyone, but instead Ashley, Becky, Abby and a few other classmates offered to do it. Rumors spread like wildfire among my peers, so I wasn’t worried about the message making its way around the island.

Once I had finished all the tasks that I needed to be directly involved in, my mother returned with me to the penthouse. I washed off the subtle makeup we had applied during the dress rehearsal, and then my mother took me to my room and tucked me into bed, as she used to do when I was a child.

“Sweet dreams, my darling,” she said, planting a kiss on my cheek.

“Good night, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She gave me a watery smile before retreating out of the room. As her footsteps disappeared, I could have sworn that I heard a sob.

I tossed and turned that night, trying to fall asleep. My mind was just so alert. I was thinking about all the things that we had discussed today, and how everything was going to go tomorrow. But more than anything, I was thinking of Ben. How he should be sleeping in his bed further along the corridor. How I would have barged into his dark room early in the morning to wish him a happy birthday. How my mother would have cooked us both our favorite breakfast.

How he would miss my wedding.

Perhaps that had been the cause of my mother’s sob.

T
he next morning
went by so fast I could barely believe it. Before I knew it, I was staring at myself in the mirror, dressed in a gorgeous white gown that covered my feet, my hair flowing down my shoulders in soft curls.

Although I hadn’t gotten much sleep, I was buzzing more than if I’d just shot myself up with ten cups of coffee.

Today’s the day Caleb’s going to make me his.

Everyone who’d been floating around the apartment helping with final preparations had now left for the venue. It was just my mother and I left in the apartment.

She approached behind me, running her hands down my arms and kissing my cheek.

“How are you feeling?”

“High,” I murmured.

She chuckled.

“Is that how you felt when you married Dad?”

“Something like that… Are you ready to leave?”

“I think so.”

I looped my arm through hers and we made our way out of the apartment, down the elevator and along the forest path. I could hear the chattering of a large crowd even from this distance. My palms began to grow sweaty—something I’d noticed a lot since I discovered my fire powers.

I suddenly had a horrible vision of my mascara melting from my body heat and dripping down my cheeks as I walked down the aisle.

“Is it usual to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong?”

“Yes,” my mother said, giggling. “You’re going to be fine, honey. Before you know it, it will all be over. Just enjoy it while it lasts.”

As we approached, I was taken aback by the sheer number of people who’d gathered for my wedding. I’d expected many to turn up, but not quite this many. For as far as I could see, chairs were spread out among the trees, all circling around the main gazebo that Corrine had set up. The gazebo was draped with light pink and white silk fabric and lined with roses, and it had been erected on a raised platform. Hanging back from the crowd, and standing on the path before us, were my father and my bridesmaids, Abby, Becky, Ariana and Ashley. The bridesmaids were dressed in matching lilac dresses.

I gave them all a weak smile.

As soon as my father laid eyes on me, he choked up. I said hello, but he didn’t respond. He just nodded, his eyes sparkling. My mother, tears in her own eyes, took his hand and kissed his cheek before hugging me once more.

“Good luck,” she said. “I’ll see you on the other side…”

“Thanks,” I croaked.

Ariana handed me a delicate bouquet of roses. Then I turned to my father. He held out his arm for me to take and I clasped it tight.

“Thank you,” I whispered, “for being the best dad in the world.”

He looked down at me, then shook his head. “No, Rose,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Thank you. I couldn’t have wished for a braver, smarter, more beautiful daughter. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

I felt my own eyes well with tears.

“Dammit, Dad. You’re making me cry. My makeup is going to smudge.”

“You don’t need makeup anyway,” he muttered, turning to face the gazebo.

From where I was standing, I couldn’t yet see Caleb. We were standing a little aside from the aisle, so I couldn’t see straight down it, and there were too many people still taking their seats.

Once everyone had settled and the chattering had died down, my bridesmaids walked around me and picked up the hem of my dress. I exchanged a final glance with my father before lowering my veil.

“Here we go…” he whispered.

I gripped my father’s arm harder as we walked forward along the forest path and appeared at the end of the aisle. Straight ahead of me was the gazebo, under which stood Ibrahim—who usually took on the role of leading couples through the wedding ceremony—Micah, Caleb’s best man, and right in the center, the man himself. The love of my life. Caleb Achilles.

Wherever Caleb had gone, I could see that Corrine had managed to make sure he looked presentable in her eyes. He wore a gorgeous black tuxedo coupled with a crisp white shirt. His hair wasn’t slicked back—it hung naturally, touching the sides of his handsome face—which was the way I liked it. I could see the warmth in his eyes even through my veil and from this distance. They were positively sparkling as he stared at me.

My face flushed. Heck, my whole body heated up.

My feet felt shaky, and I was glad to have such a strong support as my father.

“Almost there, darling,” he whispered.

My heart racing, I barely noticed the guests. My eyes were fixed on the brown-eyed vampire who would soon own every part of me.

We neared closer and closer until we had arrived within five feet of him. Stretching out his arm and helping me up onto the platform, my father guided me toward Caleb and stepped back.

So close to Caleb now, I could make out every detail of his chiseled face. I felt grateful for the veil, because a stupid grin split my face as we locked eyes. It seemed to be contagious, because soon he was grinning too. Only he didn’t have a veil to hide behind.

I tried to rein myself in. At every wedding I’d attended, the bride always smiled gracefully, not grinned like a fool. I felt like such a dork. Still, I couldn’t help myself. Caleb just had that effect on me. He made me burst to life.

When it came time to exchange vows, my throat felt so dry I was sure that I’d sound like Lilith when I opened my mouth. I was glad that Caleb went first.

“Rose,” Caleb began. His expression was serious now as he looked deep into my eyes. “When you collided with my world, I was afraid that you might break. I put all my efforts into locking you away, trying to shelter and hide you from danger. With time, it became clear that my fears were unfounded. You revel in adversity—it only makes you stronger, braver… more beautiful in my eyes. I want to wake up to your smile every day for the rest of my existence. You, Rose, are the one, the only one, for me. And I’m honored that you’ve chosen me as the one for you.”

My grin had sure vanished by now. It was everything I could do to not let my emotions overwhelm me. The love I felt for this man was all-consuming. How could I even begin to articulate it?

“Caleb,” I said. “If someone had told me exactly one year ago that I’d be walking down the aisle by the age of eighteen, I’d have laughed in their face. No other man could have made this happen but you, Caleb. Anyone who knew me then will agree. From our first encounter, I was drawn to you in a way I didn’t even understand. But I knew that you were different than the company you kept. You didn’t belong in that dark castle. It was during the time I spent between those cold stone walls that you captured my heart. So much so that it didn’t matter when you returned me to The Shade. You still held me captive… Even though we haven’t known each other long, it feels like you know me better than I know myself. You know when to reel me in and when to let me go. When to comfort and when to challenge me. And now, even though we’ve dealt with the black witches… I hope we’ll find another crazy wave to ride together.”

Caleb chuckled, beaming down at me.

We exchanged rings and then Ibrahim gave permission to “kiss the bride”.

Caleb closed in on me, lifting my veil and reaching both hands behind my neck. Bending down to me, he pushed his lips against mine. He kissed me softly, slowly, allowing me to relish every second our lips touched. When he drew away, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Rose Achilles. That’s who I am now.

“Rose, you’re supposed to throw the bouquet,” Micah whispered behind me.

I was too entranced with my new husband to think about what I should be doing.
Husband… I can hardly believe—

“Throw the bouquet,” Becky bugged.

Okay, okay.

Closing my eyes, I raised the bouquet over my shoulder and threw it blindly into the crowd. It looked like it was heading straight for Mona, but Helina leapt into the air and caught it just in time.

“I think it’s time for a dance,” Caleb said, placing his hands either side of my waist and leading me down the steps to the ground.

Everyone who had been seated on the chairs within the clearing stood up, and the witches moved them further into the trees, in order to create space for a dance floor.

A group of witches set up with instruments in one corner. I noticed Shayla among them, beginning to play the piano.

As Caleb began leading me in a dance, I thought back to our first encounter.
Dancing
. That was where everything had started for Caleb and me. If he hadn’t arrived at that beach, and if Ben and I hadn’t gone partying with Kristal and Jake, I likely never would’ve met this man. I never could have dreamed that night that this man would end up becoming my life partner.
How strange it is, how people come together.

It was only now that I looked around more closely at the wedding attendees. I spotted Adelle and Eli standing at the edge of the dance floor, holding hands and talking. Micah and Kira had started dancing near us, and so had my grandfather and Kailyn. My mother and father were just about to join in along with Vivienne and Xavier.

“The ogres are here, too,” Caleb said. He indicated with his head to our right.

Brett and Bella were sitting on the ground with overflowing plates of food on their laps. Food hadn’t even been served yet, so I could only assume that they’d helped themselves. A smile spread across my face as I realized that they’d dressed up. Brett wore a large white shirt and—shock, horror—pants. I was so used to him wearing a loin cloth, I had to look twice to check I wasn’t seeing things. Bella on the other hand wore a long cream smock that reached beneath her knees. Though cross-legged on the ground, she was not sitting at the most strategic of angles. She was flashing her underwear to everyone who looked her way. Which was probably why nobody was looking her way.

Corrine must have attacked them both with a wardrobe.
Not the best choice of colors, though. Their smart-looking clothes were fast being soiled as they overfilled their mouths with wedding food.

At least they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

“Happy birthday, Rose!” Griffin called to me. He swerved next to us, dancing with Becky.

“Thank you.” I laughed, even as joy mixed with melancholy.

“Happy birthday, Rose,” Anna and Kyle called, also taking to the dance floor.

“Thank you,” I said again, giving them a smile.

I noticed Ariana in one of the seats looking after baby Kiev.

I continued looking around and greeting people. I was amazed at the turnout with such short notice. I couldn’t spot a single dragon anywhere, though. I guessed that they were still feeling sore that their prince couldn’t have me. Otherwise, the only familiar faces I couldn’t spot were Yuri and Claudia. It saddened me that they weren’t here, but I knew that I could count on them to be having fun in Paris.

We danced for about half an hour more, and then it was time to cut the cake. Corrine floated it into the center of the dance floor on a table and beckoned to Caleb and me to approach. Laced with white and light pink icing, it was a gorgeous cake. I felt almost bad cutting it. Holding the knife together, Caleb and I sliced a piece.

As was custom, Corrine insisted that we take the first bite. Unfortunately, Caleb couldn’t or it would make him feel sick. He picked up the piece of cake and dug a spoon into it, feeding me.

He smiled, watching my reaction. “Good?”

I nodded, licking my lips. It was delicious. We moved to a seat at the side of the dance floor and Caleb pulled me onto his lap. He spoon-fed me the rest of the cake, watching me with interest as I swallowed.

“Don’t you miss dessert?” I asked.

“You’re all the sugar I need.” He winked at me.

I reached my fingers through his hair and ruffled it, winking back.

After Corrine and Ibrahim had finished dishing out the entire cake to our guests, they began serving the main course.

The piece of cake Caleb had fed me was particularly large, and I wasn’t hungry for anything else, so Caleb and I entered the dance floor again while everyone was busy with lunch. I enjoyed having the area to ourselves. I draped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. I closed my eyes, blocking out the rest of the world, locking myself in our own little bubble.

When people finished eating many took to the dance floor again. The music sped up and became more lively. I enjoyed Caleb walking me through the different moves at various paces. I even tried a few moves of my own—something I didn’t usually do with him since he was so expert at leading me. As I did a little twirl, Caleb paused, looking at me with raised brow.