Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2) (14 page)

"You're relieved," I stated. "Trust me."

O'Shea looked at me with an appraising eye, like he'd just seen something he should have noticed sooner. "Where's your sling?"

"Oh ... that ..." I hadn't really thought about what I was going to tell him and the rest of the guys about my miraculous overnight half-recovery. "I don't really need it."

O'Shea raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. "Trey, you can't be serious."

"I am serious," I said, going to fridge to get us each a bottle of water. I forced myself not to wince as I twisted the cap off of one and took a swig. "Just like I was serious about everything I said at the hospital. We're filming the video this week.” I lowered my voice and added, “We're following through with tomorrow's plan, too."

O'Shea noticed me glancing around for Aurora and added, "She said she was going upstairs to get changed." I set my water down on the granite counter top and looked at him. "Look, I get that you don't really need your arm for tomorrow's festivities, but you have to keep in mind the kind of damage you could do long term if you don't let yourself heal up."

"You're right," I said, hoping to appease him. "The last thing I would want is to ruin my shoulder. We have a record to take on the road, and I'm not going to do anything that would compromise my ability to do my job." I sighed, wishing I could find the words he needed to hear from me. "I'm being smart about this. I promise. You just have to trust me on that." Just then we heard Aurora coming down the stairs. All I could do was plead with him silently to go with me on this. O'Shea looked hesitant, but he finally nodded just before Aurora came into the kitchen.

"Is everything okay?" she asked as she went to the freezer.

"Fine," I told her, smiling.

She grabbed an ice pack and wrapped it in a thin kitchen towel before laying it on my shoulder. I held it in place with the other hand, and O’Shea gave me a smug smile.

"Glad to see someone's keeping tabs on you," he said.

"Someone has to," Aurora teased as she bent down and picked up Cowboy. "So boys, how do you feel about a movie night?" She asked. "I'll pop the popcorn." She grinned and I knew exactly what she was doing, and I loved her more for it. O'Shea was worried, but he'd feel better if he stayed long enough to realize that I was just fine. It wouldn't hurt that he'd get to watch Aurora dote over me for a few hours, too.

"What do you say?" I asked him.

O'Shea shrugged and said, "I could do a movie." I changed my clothes, and by the time I made it to my home theater, Aurora already had bowls of popcorn popped and cans of Root Beer for each of us. She put O'Shea in charge of picking the movie, and he was rummaging through my Blue Ray collection. "I'll never understand you guys and your strange fascination with Root Beer," he was saying to Aurora.

"You don't have to understand it," she replied, popping the top on her can. "But if you
diss
it, you can't have any."

"I see how it is," O'Shea teased. "I'm just not cool enough to be in on the joke." He put a movie in the player, and Aurora hit him with a piece of popcorn as he turned to sit down. "See, now you're just being wasteful," he said as he bent down and picked up the popcorn off the carpet where it had landed.

"
Ew
," Aurora said as he popped it into his mouth.

"What?" O’Shea looked all too innocent. "Ten second rule."

"You can't call it being wasteful if you're going to eat it anyway," she added, laughing.

I took my spot in the seat next to her and she popped open a can for me and set it in my cup holder.

"Thanks," I said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

Chapter 18

Aurora

THE BLINDFOLD WAS FREAKING me out. I was so used to having supernatural eyesight that let me see in the blackest of nights that the absolute darkness was unnerving, to say the least.

“We’re almost there,” Trey said, guiding me by the hand. “Just a little further.”

At least he didn’t ask me to wear the blindfold until we lost the Emissary who had been tailing us. They’d find us again. We were sure of it, but it was nice knowing we’d gotten rid of them, even if it was only temporarily. The knowledge that it would upset Damir when he found out was just icing on the proverbial cake.

I chewed my lip, trying not to complain. Instead, I focused on the scent of sea salt and the sound of waves rolling in the near distance. We were obviously at a beach, but what beach, I couldn’t say. Why we were here was an even bigger mystery. Trey had insisted on blindfolding me so it would be a surprise. It was like the whole thing had come out of nowhere. We’d spent the morning at The Waking Moon with
Kacie
getting the rest of my paintings online, and now I was wearing a blindfold and headed toward the ocean. I was getting used to the fact that things can shift that quickly with Trey. Our feet left pavement, and I felt sand giving way beneath my sandals as we continued forward.

“Okay, you can stop here,” Trey said, his footsteps halting. Then he turned me around so the surf was at my back and untied the blindfold. It took a second for my vision to adjust to the brightness of the early afternoon sun. I could tell from the view in front of me that we were at Clearwater Beach near Pier 60. Rather than answering the questions that had been swirling in my mind, it just created new ones. Maybe we were here for the music video, but the shoot wasn’t supposed to be for two more days. Maybe we were having a picnic? He’d sure gone to a lot of trouble to keep me blind for a picnic. “You Only Live Twice” had been released to radio stations and on iTunes today, so that was something to celebrate. Maybe it was a picnic after all. Trey stood in front of me, gazing at me with intense, clear, blue eyes. His heart was beating faster than it should have been. I was more confused than ever when he took my hands in his, clearing his throat.

“Aurora,” he began. “I know what you’ve risked to save me. You risked your world, your kind, even your life to warn me of the danger I’m in. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you chose me, above everyone else, to love. Every move you make is proof of that choice.” I opened my mouth to say something, but Trey dropped to one knee just then, stealing away my words and my breath. Thankfully, I could do without the breathing. “I want you to know that I choose you,” he continued without hesitation. “Aurora, I would die for you. Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing.” A nervous laugh escaped his lips. “Let me prove to you how much I want this. How much I want you. Forever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and not just because some savage vampires are out to get me. Whether I live a few days or a century, I want to spend every minute of it making you happy. If there was ever any doubt in your mind that this is what I would have chosen, I hope this will change it.” He pulled a box from his pocket and flipped the top open, revealing the diamond ring inside. “Aurora, will you make me the happiest mortal in the world, and marry me?”

A soft laugh escaped my lips, and I covered my mouth in surprise. This was the last thing I’d expected. Trey’s half-smile was nervous as he raised an eyebrow in anticipation. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Even more surprising was the next word that left my mouth.

“Yes,” I said, laughing again.

Trey let out a happy sigh of relief and got to his feet, pulling the ring from the box. He slipped the ring onto my finger, and I admired the way it sparkled in the sunlight. He bent down and kissed me, and I felt an explosion of nervous energy that burst and dissipated as his lips were on mine. I wasn’t sure which one of us it belonged to.

“I … I can’t believe this,” I said, grinning up at him. “If I were capable of dreaming, I’d be sure this was all a dream. It doesn’t feel real.”

“Oh, it’s real, all right,” Trey said. “In fact, I’m ready to walk down the aisle today, if you’re willing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him for a moment before deciding he might actually be serious. Trey gave me a cocky grin and put a hand on my shoulder, turning me slowly toward the ocean and the rest of the surprise he had waiting there for me.

A half a dozen tents were set up along the coast, ripples born of the breeze cascading along their white material. One of them was massive, framed by the smaller tents on two sides.

“What’s this?” I asked. I thought I knew the answer, but my brain wasn’t willing to process it until I heard the words from Trey’s lips.

“It’s a wedding,” Trey said, taking my hand in his. “Well, it will be, if you agree to do this with me.”

“How did you-” But he cut me off with a knowing grin that silenced me.

“Our lives are crazy,” he began. “Marriage is something I want for us. I knew we’d have a hard time planning a wedding, especially with everything that’s about to happen. This was the only way I could see to make it work.”

Since my change, I’d thought I’d never get married. Vampires are usually too preoccupied with other rituals to bother with weddings, but here I was, standing on a beach with the perfect man, and he wanted to marry me.

“What about the Emissary?” I asked. “We may have lost them for now but they’ll catch up to us again, and it might be sooner rather than later.”

“Let them,” Trey said. “I hired security today. They should come in handy, and not just for keeping the paparazzi at bay. If any of the Emissary show up, we’ll know about it.” I knew he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Emissary crashing our wedding than I was, but he wasn’t going to let it get to him.

“But I don’t even have a dress.” The idea of trying to shop for a wedding dress in just a few short hours nearly sent me into a panic.

“It’s okay,” Trey said, gently cupping my face with his hand. “I told you I’ve got it all worked out.”

I eyed him questioningly. “You ... you picked out a wedding dress for me?” Is it weird that I was relieved I wouldn’t have to go dress shopping?

“Not hardly,” Trey said lightly. “Besides, isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the dress or something?” Then Trey glanced over his shoulder at a woman who was fast approaching us. “Aurora, you remember Ashlee.”

“The music video lady,” I said as she reached us. But the sly grin on Ashlee’s face told me I was missing something.

“Actually,” she said. “I’m a wedding planner.”

My face must have shown my shock, because Trey chuckled and kissed my cheek in penance. “I wanted this to be a surprise,” he said. “You’re not an easy woman to surprise, in case you didn’t know.”

“So, is it safe to assume we’re having a wedding today?” Ashlee asked.

Instead of answering, Trey looked at me, waiting for confirmation. I gazed into his eyes, trying to gauge his feelings. He stared back at me, probably trying to do the same. I stepped closer, closing the space between us and lifted my palm to rest on his chest. His heart thrummed anxiously, and I knew just what to do.

“Kiss me,” I said to him.

His lips were on mine instantly, his hands on my waist. I embraced the sensations brought on by Trey’s emotions as they swirled around within me. He wanted this. It was clear now. Marriage was something he wanted for us, just like he’d said. There was nothing I could glimpse from the emotional link our kiss brought on that he hadn’t already told me during his proposal. I just needed to start listening. The real surprise came when I realized just how much I wanted the same things. If we did this, Trey would be my husband. He would be mine in every sense of the word, and I would be his. I wasn’t sure if I had all the qualities a man usually looks for in a wife, but I knew one thing for certain. I could love Trey with everything in me. The rest would work itself out. Trey’s heart was beating twice as hard now as the kiss ended. He leaned his forehead against mine, and I stared into his eyes, reassuring myself that this was all real.

“Let’s get married today,” I said, grinning like a schoolgirl. Trey gave me another quick kiss and then we turned to face Ashlee together.