“I do.”
“And do you, Catherine, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
Those lips opposite me curved into a smile.
“May we have the rings?”
Denise and Spade handed over the requested jewelry.
“Repeat after me, Crispin. With this ring, I thee wed.”
He copied the words as the red diamond slid onto my finger, accompanied by its new companion of a thin platinum band. Tears sprang to my eyes. Thank God for waterproof mascara.
“Catherine, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
I breathed the words out and placed a matching platinum band on his finger. When I looked up, I saw his eyes were also tinged in pink.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Bones wrapped his arms around me and slanted his mouth across mine. I pulled him closer, hearing the cheering applause from our guests. I was almost out of oxygen when he broke contact to smile down at me.
“I love you, Kitten. Or shall I call you Mrs. Russell?”
“Take your pick. I’ll answer to both.”
Bones kissed my hand, and then we proceeded back up the aisle together. Even the sound of my mother’s heartbroken sobbing couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
***
We went straight to the entrance of the tent to greet our guests as they filed back from the church. Right away I knew that I’d never remember all the names and also, I’d need another coat of my guaranteed all-day lipstick. These vampires and ghouls were heavily into the custom of kissing the bride.
After the sixth consecutive polite “May I?” before another unknown pulseless man planted his lips on mine, Bones threw up his hands.
“For the sake of not standing here all night, you may all kiss the bride. Just be warned that if you see her at a club and she kisses you, it generally means she’s about to kill you.”
Laughter broke out at that, but Don must be having a fit. He would hate having his operations be the butt of the joke.
Ian was next in the receiving line. Bones had invited him out of respect for Ian being his sire. I had thought that Ian would refuse, but that showed how much I underestimated him. Ian had the same English accent Bones did, and his chestnut hair was offset by vivid turquoise eyes. He was pretty, all right. Pretty frigging dangerous.
“Crispin, so happy you included me on your memorable occasion. It’s only fitting, isn’t it, since I was at your binding. And Cat, how devastating you look. Am I excluded from kissing the lovely bride after our former misunderstanding?”
He considered kidnapping my ex-fiancé and three of my friends to blackmail me into becoming his new toy a misunderstanding? I’d show him. “Not at all, Ian, step right up.”
When Ian leaned in, I grabbed him and pressed my mouth against his, even running my tongue inside and biting his lip. With the same abruptness, I pulled away, and my smile widened.
“Say hi to my father for me, Ian, and you can thank him again for trying to kill me instead of giving you my location like he was supposed to. Just think, if Max would’ve told you where I was, you would have found me before Bones did. Who knows how things might have turned out? Great to see you, you look swell.”
He also now looked pissed. “Quite,” Ian said testily as he walked away.
Bones gave me a sideways grin at my vindictiveness. “You might not want to show such enthusiasm with your kisses, pet. They’ll all be lining up for seconds.”
Don was next, but he settled for a kiss on the cheek. Then came the other two dozen members of my team, Tate being the last of them.
“Cat.” There was raw emotion in his eyes. “I’ve never seen you look lovelier.”
“Thank you.” My voice was quiet.
Tate sniffed. “Guess you feel I already cashed in my kiss ticket with her, hmmm, Crypt Keeper? Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to take advantage.”
Bones narrowed his eyes. “By all means. Since this will be your only opportunity, you shouldn’t waste it.”
There they went again. I leaned forward, and Tate’s lips caressed mine lingeringly. I pulled away first, and his eyes stayed closed for a fraction longer. Then they snapped back open.
“You lucky bastard,” he growled and walked away.
Bones watched him go with something akin to pity. “Poor sod just torments himself.”
Mencheres was next. “May I also kiss the renowned Red Reaper without my life being in danger?”
Oh, so he had a sense of humor. How valuable. I leaned in, and his lips brushed across mine for only an instant, yet it left them vibrating. His power was so palpable—now I knew how it must feel to kiss a power line.
Annette was the last in line, and I turned to her almost in relief. “Thank God. My mouth is nearly numb. What’s that in your hands?”
She held out two glasses, one with whiskey and the other gin. “Thought you’d both appreciate a drink.”
I thanked her and finished my gin a single gulp.
“Better?” she queried. At my nod, she smiled silkily. “And now it is my turn to kiss the bride.”
With that, Annette laid her mouth on mine. I was so taken aback she had time to trace her tongue past my lips before I straightened, breaking the contact.
“Apologies if I offended you, Cat,” she said while not sounding sorry in the least. “You know my inclinations run in both directions, and you really do look lovely.” She turned to Bones. “You break my heart with how fair you are, Crispin. I shall always remember how you look tonight. I wish you joy, dear friend, from the bottom of my soul.”
Pink glazed her vision as she stared at him. He took her hand and gently kissed it, and I was reminded that they’d been together for over two hundred years. I couldn’t even imagine that length of time, but I was hoping I’d get the chance to find out.
“Go on and kiss her, Bones. Hell, she just French-kissed me, you might as well.”
He arched a brow. I nodded again firmly.
Annette blinked at this and then turned toward him as he cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her with all the tenderness of remembrance, and she had colored tears trailing down her cheeks when he stopped.
“My dear Annette, you have brightened many days for me. I can only assure you that I am truly happy now. I wish the same for you.”
She swiped at her eyes, regaining her composure. “We are not all as fortunate as you, Crispin. Now do come on, both of you. Your guests are waiting.”
“We’ll be in straightaway.”
Annette went inside and Bones took me in his arms, brushing the stray hairs away from my temple. I smiled up at him.
“Hi, Mr. Russell.”
He smiled back. “Hallo yourself, Mrs. Russell.”
We held each other wordlessly after that. I could have stood there forever.
***
After the cake, everyone cleared out of the church and the tents. It was almost midnight, the witching hour. The snow looked pristine settled on the ground in thick white blankets, cold air billowing out in the breaths of those who took them. Bones had me in front of him at the edge of the trees. He said there was one more surprise.
With a blast, fireworks shot into the night, exploding over the church in a dazzling display of colors and shapes. For several moments, I stared, then Bones picked me up and carried me rapidly into the woods, chuckling as I craned my neck to catch another glimpse of the artificially lit sky.
“We’re making our escape, Kitten, while they’re all distracted.”
The helicopter waited a mile away. I climbed inside and fired the propellers. Flying was a skill I’d learned years ago with Don, and helicopters were my favorite to operate. We were airborne and away from the still-exploding spectacle in minutes.
“Don’t fret
, luv. I know what you’re thinking. I left a check for twice the amount of what that church is worth. No one is getting ripped off. Couldn’t leave such an obvious scent trail for anyone to pick up on, now could I? It’ll burn to ashes. Less chance of people discovering exactly who was there.”
I glanced sideways at him as I flew the Bell Jet Ranger expertly. “You really do plan ahead, don’t you? That light show was magnificent. I almost wish I could have seen it all.”
“Go faster, pet, and I’ll show you what else I have planned.”
We were forty minutes away by air, a deliberate calculation. When we talked about where we wanted to go for the two weeks off for our honeymoon, I’d been adamant. I wanted to be alone, not in a hotel room or seeing sights which would occupy valuable time, but alone. He hadn’t needed persuading. We were spending one week at our Blue Ridge home and then one week at the Jackson Hole one. Both of us loved the mountains. The Blue Ridge location won the first round due to location. It was much, much closer than the Wyoming house from the church. Patience wasn’t one of my virtues now.
The chopper landed neatly on the helipad and was garaged out of sight. Bones picked me up and sprinted up the stairs of the sparsely furnished house that was my favorite of our homes. My cat was rudely locked out of the bedroom as Bones kicked the door closed behind him. The feline had a tendency to want attention at the most inopportune moments.
Bones set me down to light the candles that were conveniently arrayed. I had just begun to kick off my shoes when he stopped me.
“Don’t.” His voice was soft but resonating. He finished with the candles a moment later and returned, running his hands up my arms. Green flame spilled out of his eyes.
“Don’t take anything off, not yet. I want you just like this, with everything you have on now. You’ve never looked more stunning, and I want to be inside you while you’re wearing that beautiful dress. All night I’ve been wondering what you’ve got on under it. Let’s see, shall we?”
He knelt at my feet, hands sliding up my legs underneath the skirt of the dress. An approving noise left his throat.
“Silk stockings, hmmm? Lovely. And garters as well. Ah, what’s this? Is that a corset, pet? Blimey, I haven’t felt one of those in almost a century. Authentic replica, except for these. How terribly thoughtful of you, Mrs. Russell. These snap buttons would have come in right handy back when these things were all the rage.”
“Glad you like it.” Breathlessly.
His fingers had been busy. I sucked in a sharp gasp when he flipped my skirt up enough to cover him as he explored inside. The aforementioned buttons came free with a decisive pop as he unsnapped them. I backed up toward the bed in two unsteady steps when his mouth glided up my thigh.
“Say my name. I want to hear it when I taste you,” he entreated into the red curls between my legs.
“Bones,” I sighed.
He gave an inhaled breath at the center of me underneath my skirt.
“The other one. Just this once, call me by my other name.”
The mattress was behind me. I scooted onto it to support my trembling knees. In a gesture of blatant desire I hadn’t shown before, I spread my legs and pressed his head between them while groaning out the name I never called him.
“Crispin…”
An oral assault from lips, tongue, and teeth began on my flesh. He didn’t bite me in the way he had previously but used his fangs as instruments of pressure without breaking my delicate skin.
When I felt near the edge of release I rolled away suddenly, panting. “Not against your mouth. I want to come when you’re inside me.”
He rose up from his knees, emerald eyes burning into mine. I stilled his hands with a quavering smile when he went to shrug off his coat.
“You were right. Keep them on. And then call me by my real name when you come.”
Bones crawled up the bed toward me, fully clothed. I shivered as I drew down his zipper to grasp the hard flesh it concealed. He leaned back against the pillows, lifting the skirt of the dress as I straddled him. His mouth smothered my cry as I impaled myself on him.
The fabric of his pants rubbed my flesh. He murmured a warning about the zipper and undid his trousers, easing them out from under me without taking them down past his thighs. I rested my hands on the lacey neck of his shirt, fingering the silver threads braided in his waistcoat. His back arched with each rocking motion of my hips.
“You’re so bloody beautiful,” I rasped as the intensity built.
He laughed into my neck. “That’s my line, luv. Tell me if you like this, Kitten. I think you will…”
His thumb sought out and found the top of my cleft, pressing erotic circles into the jumping knot of flesh with each movement I made. My hands clenched in the material of his coat.
“Stop that, I can’t— I can’t…” Every flick of his thumb caused me to jerk back uncontrollably with ecstasy. “I can’t concentrate,” I finished.
He let out an amused noise. “You’re not supposed to. Still thinking? Let’s put a stop to that.”
He increased the pressure, causing me to grind in frenzied rapture on top of him. The climax burst inside me in tremors that felt like they might tear a muscle. Bones rolled me over and buried his head in my cleavage as I shook.
“That’s better,” he groaned into my skin. His fingers began to undo the buttons of my dress.
“Didn’t you…?” I asked raggedly.
He shifted up to kiss me, sucking on my tongue and thrusting strongly within me.
“Not yet. Told you, I have a plan. For each time you come, I’ll remove a piece of your clothing. Once you’re naked I’ll let myself go. We still have the corset, stockings, shoes, garters and your veil to work through. A man should have goals, don’t you agree?”
Oh, I agreed. “I will be… ah, yes, right there… happy… to assist you.”
Bones didn’t cheat by biting me into submission, he took the long way around my clothing. Two hours later I was finally naked and drenched in sweat. He surged on top of me, alternating between kissing my face and my breasts. I’d raked bloody scratches into his back that healed just in time to be re-inflicted.
“Kitten,” he moaned. “I’m going to pour myself into you now.”
“Yes,” I urged, twisting under him.
A jagged chuckle. “Not just that, luv. Something new. I’ve been saving this for tonight. Put your hands on my shoulders, like that. Now. Look in my eyes, Kitten, don’t close yours. That’s right, look straight into them…”
God, they began to really glow. Not just gleam, but sparkle and spin with a thousand tiny lights. I watched, fascinated, and gradually became aware that his skin started to shimmer as well. It was as if a light had been switched on that leaked out of his pores and through his eyes. A humming energy built up inside him. This was similar to what happened when he levitated, but stronger. And I couldn’t look away from his eyes; they started to suck me in…
I fell forward into the spinning wheels of emerald in his gaze, lost. Bones seemed to grow and expand all around me until I didn’t feel the bed underneath me, or my arms, legs, or anything of me. There was nothing but him, and I felt everything he did.
My body was hard, masculine, pulseless. The skin covering me was cool and rippled with lean sinews, and I was sizzled by the hot flesh of the woman underneath me. Her heartbeat drummed in my ears frantically, loud cries searing my mind as I thrust harder inside her. The sweet, musky scent of her filled my nose and flavored my mouth, arousing me to move faster, each stroke causing her to clench internal muscles around me. Wet ridges of scorching flesh welcomed each penetration, crunching in anticipation and tension. I loved the viselike grip she held me in and wanted to drink her and feel her blood inside me.
The hunger curled in my throat. I licked her neck, rolling her pulse underneath my tongue. She clutched me closer, screaming now, yes, yes, yes, her muscles compressing me in a scalding rush of liquid which ripped my control from me. I sank my fangs i
nto her throat, blood splashing into my mouth, so warm, luscious, empowering me. Revitalizing me, running to every nerve in my body in an instant. Another deep pull that was better than the first. Ah, so close now.
Her red hair clung in wet strands to her face, green eyes huge and glowing. I still felt the squeezing of her body around me, but with less force. Her heartbeat slowed a trifle as her hands flexed on my shoulders with aftershocks. Roughly I gathered her into my arms, holding her hips hard against mine and plunging repeatedly into her hot, narrow depths. Over and over, each cleaving motion inciting more, yes, oh Christ, so good, a little more…
My skin exploded, molten sensation poured over me and through me, wracking me with shudders that shattered me. I shouted out her real name hoarsely as I came, just like she’d asked me to.
“Catherine…!”
***
“What do you think, Kitten? Did you like that?”
What did I think? Every part of me was shaking. So many thoughts raced through my mind, I couldn’t pick one fast enough before it was replaced. Add that to the aftereffects of a near-simultaneous orgasm with myself, and Play-Doh was more coherent than I was.
“Is it… like that… every time?” was all I came up with.
He lay spooned behind me, a sheet tangled around us. I’d started to get the chills as soon as I was mentally back in my body.
“Close enough, yes. You should take a trip inside me after I bite you between your legs. Whatever you are feeling then, trust me, I am feeling more. It’s like shagging a volcano that just erupted. Perhaps now you won’t wonder if I’m satisfied with you in bed. You have your answer.”
“How? I mean, how did you do that?” I peered around my shoulder to look at him as he smiled at me.
“You know a vampire can steal the mind of a human with their eyes. Well, pet, that is what I did with you. Only I didn’t steal, you see, because you’re too strong for that. It doesn’t work by force with you since you have nosferatu blood in your veins. But I could ask, and you could choose to surrender your will to me. That’s what I did, Kitten. I asked. You accepted.”