Talons (33 page)

“
Soon,” Vivvie said,
frowning slightly to realize they hadn’t set an official date. Too
many other details took precedence. “We have to go by the church’s
schedule. Within the month,” she said, realizing they hadn’t even
spoken to a minister. All of it seemed on her to take care of these
things. Eli was clueless about how to plan a wedding.

“
You’re going to make a
lovely bride, dear,” Ginny said and smiled as she helped her off
with the dress. “It looks like right in time to be a mother
too.”

Vivvie sat upon a bench in the shop,
her feet sore. She hadn’t been able to see her feet in a week. She
was shocked by how quickly she grew. She went from having a bump to
looking six months pregnant overnight.

Ginny pressed the gown in the back and
gathered all the other necessaries she purchased with Eli’s credit
card. She bought a veil, shoes, and Ginny insisted upon a costume
jewelry set.

Marsha would have wept to be denied
this moment. Vivvie was quite a bit less enthusiastic as she put
her purchases in the back of the Corvette. She was about to head
back to the compound when she passed a non-denominational church.
She smiled as she pulled in. The Lutheran in her balked, but also
knew God would understand.

An hour later she had a date set. The
deacon was quite pleased with the generous donation Eli made. She
beamed as she left until she realized the enormity of this step.
The tribe would have to behave for one hour for her wedding, if any
even attended.

The thought of her and Eli standing
before an empty church bothered her. Jericho was delighted to give
her away, but argued at wearing a tuxedo. Under Eli’s threatening
glare, he agreed.

She wanted it to be perfect. It was
enough it bore some semblance to what she imagined her wedding to
be. The cake was ordered, the flowers chosen, and she already
bought his ring.

Vivvie headed up to the compound with
determination. Even without her parents and friends, this was to be
her wedding day. She refused to allow it to be spoiled, even if no
guests were there.

Eli told her his people wouldn’t dare
offend him by refusing to attend, but Vivvie was aware of the
continued hostility she received from the tribe’s women. Knowing
she was to be their leader’s mate hadn’t gone over well.

Eli told her to be patient. He
encouraged her to take an interest in the tribe by helping at the
school. Vivvie volunteered three days a week around her classes.
She loved helping out, even if she was the butt of the children’s
pranks now.

Vivvie felt a sense of purpose each
day, and was glad Eli suggested it. Working with the children took
her mind off her own anxiety to become a mother. The teacher named
Lydia was a friend to Mara. She bit her tongue the first week at
the woman’s attitude, but after her helpful presence became
appreciated, Lydia no longer treated her with scorn. Lydia began to
get friendlier by the day, seeing how committed she was to her new
job.

Vivvie knew it would take time, but she
saw steps made when Lydia smiled to see her arrive each day. The
hostile looks grew to be less and less from the other women as well
when it was known she was breeding.

Jericho said the attitudes changed when
he made it known the children she carried had Eli’s strange genes.
None of the women dared to mock her now. It was a small thing, but
enough to be encouraging.

~~~~

Jericho drove her to the church in his
revamped 1960 Chevelle, gazing at her worriedly.

“
Stop worrying, I can feel
every bit of your stress, you know?” he grumbled, looking quite
handsome in the black tuxedo.

Vivvie smiled, feeling close to tears.
She woke up alone on her wedding day. Eli disappeared on a
mysterious errand and the compound was quiet and looked deserted
when they left. Ginny agreed to do her hair for her at the
church.

“
I’m sorry, I just never saw
myself getting married like this,” she said with a small
smile.

Jericho smiled and said nothing,
looking distinctly pleased to be giving her away.

Vivvie was rushed into the back door of
the church where Ginny waited with her hot rollers and curling
irons, beaming at her. It took the edge off her worry.

As she sat and endured the woman’s
doing her hair, her keen hearing and smell picked up the scent of
guests arriving. Tears crept to her eyes to know some would show
up, if only for Eli. Ginny helped her dress and put on her veil,
smiling at her in the mirror when she was ready.

Vivvie held the small bouquet of pink
roses with a sniffle, thinking of her parents and missing them at
this moment more than she could have imagined. Jericho knocked upon
the door, looking more stressed than her.

“
It’s time,” he said and
smiled at her appearance. “You look beautiful, Vivvie.”

“
Tell me Eli hasn’t eaten
the organist yet?” she whispered and Jericho chuckled.

“
Let’s just hurry this thing
up. He looks like he’s ready to if she plays that same song
again.”

Vivvie allowed Ginny to adjust her veil
over her upswept hair and she took Jericho’s arm, smiling despite
the lump in her throat.

The doors to the church were opened,
the ivory runner thrown down. Jericho guided her to the doors and
she gasped as she saw the church was full. It looked like every
member of the compound arrived.

The organist began the first notes to
the wedding march and every head swiveled to see her walking
towards them. Vivvie saw nothing but Eli, looking impossibly
handsome in the tuxedo, standing with the deacon with glowing blue
eyes.

It was a good thing she had Jericho to
support her because she felt her knees turning to jelly as they
approached the pulpit. Jericho handed her off to Eli with a smile
and slipped into the front pew during the blessedly short
vows.

Eli repeated each vow without error,
but Vivvie stumbled over hers, still stunned it was happening at
all. When he slid the gold band upon her finger she felt tears
rise. She slid his ring onto his long finger and was pleased by his
humbled expression when they were declared husband and wife. He
drew back her veil and kissed her, his blue eyes filled with warmth
as they met hers. As they left the pulpit and made for the entrance
his people rose, eyes down as they passed.

When they were in his car headed back
to the compound, Eli looked over at her with a grin. “And you
thought nobody would come?” he taunted and reached out to cover her
hands in her lap. “Give them time, Vivvie. The fact they came at
all should relieve your mind.”

It did, and when they arrived at Cat’s
Corner later for their reception, she was in awe of how it was
decorated. Everything looked like a real wedding reception. The
tables were covered with white linen. Balloons and streamers were
hung everywhere. Flowers adorned every table. A buffet was put out,
and their cake sat in the corner.

Vivvie received respectful, if not
warm, well wishes from tribal members. Eli set a precedent by
marrying her in the human tradition. None doubted their Chief’s
choice or feelings in regard to the Newbreed they all
tolerated.

Eli gazed at her with a smug expression
as he seated her at the bridal table. He picked up her hand and
gazed at the two carat round diamond surrounded by emeralds. In the
end, he designed her ring with a jeweler, unhappy with every ring
he saw the last month.

“
So what does this piece of
metal and mineral do exactly?” he said frowning down at it. “Now
that we’re married, does it have some great power?”

“
No, it just looks pretty,”
Vivvie told him in amusement and smiled at his slight
grimace.

“
All of that for something
that just looks pretty?” Eli mused and shook his head. “Humans are
idiots. Aren’t you glad you’re not one anymore?”

“
I’m still one at heart, so
go easy on my ancestors, pal!” she reminded him with narrowed
eyes.

Eli smirked. “I like the wedding night
well enough, wife. That is about all I like about this tradition of
yours. You realize that eight hundred dollar cake in the corner
will still be there by the end of the night?”

“
It’s made of liver pate. I
would say it will be gone,” Vivvie countered and smiled at his
furious expression. “Why do you think it cost eight hundred
dollars?”

“
Can you please not tell me
how much you spent?” Eli asked with a pained look at the cake that
would be licked clean from the table by the end of the
night.

“
You don’t get married every
day, Eli,” she reminded him with a happy smile. “That is the whole
point of it.”

Eli sighed and brought her hand to his
lips, smiling. “This wedding night I heard about certainly bears
repeating. I’m in favor of that. Every night should be like
that.”

Vivvie rolled her eyes. “It figures you
would like that part the best.”

Eli smiled and his eyes glowed. “I’m
going to like this marriage thing. In the vows it said you have to
obey me.”

Vivvie shook her head. “Leave it to you
to have latched onto that one word alone, out of all of them, to
hold over my head.”

Eli’s eyes met hers, glowing with
adoration. “I love you Vivian Leigh Collins.”

Vivvie felt tears in her eyes. “I
wondered when you would get around to those words.”

“
It’s how I feel, Vivvie,”
Eli said with a solemn look in his eyes. “I want no other but
you.”

Vivvie was out of her chair and in his
lap, covering his face with kisses, her arms wrapped around his
neck in response. “I love you, Eli. Tomorrow I’ll forget my former
life. My place is here with you, for every soul we have to
share.”

Eli looked relieved at that. “I can’t
promise you it will be like those awful stories Jericho made me
read this last month, Vivvie. I’m bound to disappoint you
there.”

Vivvie looked surprised Eli read up on
how to be a proper husband to her. She was touched. “We take every
day that comes, Eli. That is universal. We just have more time to
get it right.”

“
I thought I already did
everything right?” Eli asked and smiled arrogantly.

Vivvie was about to give him a list of
things he could work on when the DJ got their attention, announcing
the bridal dance. When she and Eli danced before the tribe as man
and wife it was a moment she would never forget.

Jericho soon cut in and soon she was
passed to every male in the tribe under Eli’s watchful stare. The
females looked put out to see Eli’s eyes lingering on his new mate,
grumbling about it later as they watched him dote upon
her.

The party was in full swing when Eli
pulled his bride away, carrying her all the way to their rooms, his
blue eyes filled with tenderness as he carried her over the
threshold.

Vivvie smiled as her handsome husband
carried her into the bedroom, sighing as she saw the rose petals,
candles and soft music that he arranged for them. He helped her
with her gown and retreated to take off the rented
tuxedo.

Vivvie put on the negligee and stared
at her rounded abdomen in wonder. Her children still hadn’t seen
fit to speak to her, even if they chatted up Eli every chance they
got. He said it would change when they were born. She felt left
out, no matter how he assured her his own mother wasn’t privy to
his conversations with his father.

When Eli joined her, Vivvie had no
doubt he meant every word he said to her about his feelings. He was
devoted and tender, mindful of her advancing condition as he eased
her onto the bed, his lips adoring. Later, when the candles glow
fluttered away he held her tightly, his hand over her abdomen
possessively, smiling as he listened to their children.

“
What are they saying now?”
she asked him in fascination as his head lay upon her belly. She
was in awe of them and their consistent demands for vanilla shakes
from McDonalds, despite Jericho’s warnings to limit
them.

“
They say they love you
too,” he whispered, his hand linking hers, a tender smile on his
face.

Ty looked at the online photo album of
Eli and Vivian’s wedding moodily several days later. He struggled
with the feelings Eli predicted. Seeing how happy they looked in
the pictures only reminded Ty of what he gave up, and that it was
very much too late. His last soul ached to see Vivian’s happiness
in every photo.

“
Who would have thought Eli
would mate a Newbreed?” Mara said over his shoulder in
disgust.

Ty said nothing at her spiteful words.
He barely tolerated Mara anymore. If not for the fact she was
Ryken’s spy and very much important to catching him, Ty would have
killed her already. Mara was helping Ryken by stealing funds from
the account Eli set up for the new compound.

Mara slipped away when she thought he
slept to meet the man at the fence line. The man was unknown to
them, and one of them, which made his work in Florida critical now.
Ryken found a hidden sect of creatures like them. There were many
of them, even as ignorant and undisciplined as they were, they were
dangerous and feral.