“We could try,” replied Wyatt. “Are you prepared to take the risks?”
Jared answered without missing a beat. “No.” Without moving his eyes from them, he spoke to me. “Sam, could you go with Sebastian to see the squad, let them know you’re safe. They’ve been worried about you.”
“Jared—”
“I warned these fuckers that I would find and destroy them.”
“Jared—”
Finally, he looked at me. “I need this.”
Yes, he really did, I realised. In doing what they had done, in putting me through pain, they had left him feeling helpless, powerless, and unable to help and protect the one person he most wanted to protect. And by having me teleported to them, they had put him through all those feelings once again. He had a score to settle. Just like Jude had needed to destroy Orrin to ease the rage and pain, he needed this now. And he needed to do it alone, just as she had.
I could have quite rightly pointed out that it was me who had been the true victim, and that I had some rage of my own, but I was willing to give him this. Besides, there was another score that needed settling, and I wanted to be the one to settle it. If I let him have the brothers, I could claim the right to punish Magda as I saw fit.
Giving him a nod, I left the room with Sebastian. But no matter how far away I got, I could still hear the screams.
(Jared)
I couldn’t stop staring at her. Didn’t want to. Not simply because of how beautiful she was, but because I’d never appreciated the sight of her as much as I did at that moment. I could see that it was annoying her, and I was pretty sure that she was going to hit me with her pillow soon if I didn’t stop. But after spending what felt like hours wondering if I’d ever see her again, I didn’t want to take my eyes off her. I wanted, needed, to drink in the sight of her.
Although coming inside her had felt like letting go of a lot of the stark fear I’d felt, it hadn’t been enough to reassure myself that she was back, here with me, and absolutely fine. The fact was, I had never had anything ‘good’ before, and I was petrified of losing what I never thought existed. Tonight had given me a tiny taste of what that would be like. Hell.
“Stop staring at me or I’ll poke you in the eyes.”
I smiled, running my hand through her hair. “Can’t help it. When Sebastian took me to the house where they were keeping you, it took everything I had not to charge inside. Even though I knew it was best that I didn’t risk exposing our presence to the brothers, all I wanted was to get to you.”
“You did.”
“How did you get your memories back?”
“I remembered Dexter first,” she admitted, which made me frown. I still had a love/hate relationship with that damn serpent. “They had a snake, and it was making me have flashbacks of Dexter, and then that led to me having flashbacks of the apartment, and of you.”
“So each memory triggered another?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“Is there any damage? I mean, do you have any blank spots, like some of the memories are still repressed?”
“I don’t think so. Antonio said that Ryder can take a look for me, if I like. I’ll think about it. Right now, all I’m bothered about is getting some sleep so that I’m awake for our ceremony.”
“You’re feeling up to having it tomorrow?” I scrutinised her face. “You have to be tired.”
“The ceremony is not being postponed – deal with it.” There was no room for negotiation in her tone, which made me smile.
“As long as you’re sure, that’s fine with me. What’s not fine with me is that Magda’s still alive.” I hadn’t known she was responsible for Sam’s disappearance until an hour ago.
“She’s in one of the containment cells. I want her alive when we Bind, Jared. You know this.”
“And then?”
“Then I kill her.”
“Good.” I would have insisted on having the honour if Sam hadn’t pointed out that I’d got to kill the brothers. I was pretty sure she’d planned it that way, though. Tricky bitch. Seeing that dawn was approaching, I groaned. “I have to go now, don’t I?”
“Yep.”
I snuggled closer to her. “I don’t want to.” It sounded a little petulant, but I didn’t care.
“I’m not going to disappear again. Orrin’s dead. The brothers are dead. Magda and Brook are locked up. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you pissed that the brothers couldn’t reverse the changes?”
“Yes, and no.” At my confused look, she explained, “Yes, because I don’t want to always be worrying that someone will find out about me. And no, because it’s nice to be able to wrestle you in bed. When you were stronger and faster than me, it didn’t work so well.”
Yeah, that was definitely a perk. But no perk could outweigh the huge problem that this would make her a target if the news somehow got out. People would come for her, wanting to either kill her or breed her. In any case, only one thing would happen – I’d burn shit down. I’d go to war if I had to, and I’d have every right to, because I’d be Bound to her.
“Don’t think I don’t know that you’re lying there planning deaths.”
“What can I say? I have weird hobbies.”
She just shook her head at me, smiling. “Another benefit of being more powerful is that vampires are no longer fretting over whether I can protect them. I would never have let you step down from Heir.”
“And I would never have Bound myself to anyone else. You’re mine, I’m yours, and that’s it.” I cuddled her closer, kissing her hair.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we give each other our Binding gifts now? It’ll lift the mood, and I’m impatient to do it anyway. It was annoying that I couldn’t spend money on you, but I figure you might like this.”
Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t for her to retrieve an A4 sized brown envelope from behind her bedside cabinet. Confused yet excited, I tore the seal open and pulled out a sheet of paper. I instantly laughed when I saw the heading.
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT
This agreement is made on this ____ day of ______, 200__, by and between Samantha Parker (herein referred to as “The Boss”) and Jared Michaels (herein referred to as “Slave in All Things”).
Both parties acknowledge that they have read and understand this agreement, and that they have not been subjected to any form of coercion, duress, or pressure − by orgasms, or otherwise.
The parties hereby agree as follows:
1. It is necessary for there to be a 100 mile radius between them and any ex-partners. Should this condition be violated, violence and death may be the result.
2. There will always be equal control of all remote controls presently used, and any that may be acquired in the future
3. “The Boss” will courteously fake orgasms if and when necessary
4. At all times, “Slave in All Things” will not tease “The Boss” endlessly with his tongue and fingers during foreplay
5. If “The Boss” discusses their sex life with others, she will always state that “Slave in All Things” has the stamina of a Trojan and an impressively sized dick
6. In the event that “Slave in All Things” needs to burp, fart, or spit, he will do this in a separate room from “The Boss”
7. Both parties acknowledge that it is important for “The Boss” to continue giving oral sex on a regular basis. Should she violate this condition, “Slave in All Things” has the right to tie her up and tease her mercilessly
8. “The Boss” understands that “Slave in All Things” will only pretend to listen to her if he is using his X-Box or laptop computer
9. “Slave in All Things” accepts that “The Boss” is always right, he is always at fault, and that it is not necessary for her to make sense during arguments
10. Both parties agree that “Slave in All Things” has the right to be protective and possessive, but he must not take this to extreme levels
11. “Slave in All Things” will always
put the toilet seat down after use, and use freshening spray if necessary
12. Should either party ogle or flirt with another, violent scenes that some may find disturbing will ultimately follow
Signed and dated this __________ day of _______________________, 20_____.
________________________________
Slave in All Thing's Signature
________________________________
The Boss's Signature
Laughing, I kissed her hard. I certainly hadn’t been expecting that, and I had to admit that I loved it. She knew my sense of humour well enough to know that I would. “Very creative. I’m holding you to those conditions, especially the seventh one, just so you know.”
“I haven’t signed it yet.”
“You will.” I gave her another hard kiss. “Right, now for my gift to you.” In vampire speed, I retrieved the folder I’d kept hidden in the living area, and returned to the bed. “Here.”
Taking the folder with an intrigued expression, she opened it. Just as I’d expected, the intrigue turned to confusion. “I don’t get it,” she admitted as she flicked through the printed sheets of different places around the world.
Smiling, I explained, “Well, like you, I was pissed that I couldn’t spend money on you, because I wanted to take you on a honeymoon-kind of thing. I know that’s not a tradition for vampires, but I still wanted to do it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a way around it unless I was prepared to break the rule of spending money − which would have made you mad at me. I don’t like it when you’re mad at me. I like it when you kiss me and do stuff for me and to me. So, instead, I made a plan of the places we could go to, places I knew you wanted to visit.”
“A plan? Sneaky way to do it.”
“First London, so I can see where you grew up, then Rome, Morocco, Rhodes, Egypt, and finally, California, so you can see where I grew up. What do you think?”
Her eyes lit up with excitement − just as I’d anticipated. It was sad to think that she had never once had a vacation in her entire life. “I think we should skip our after party and just go straight on this trip.”
I laughed. “No, we’re going to enjoy the entire night and celebrate it in this bed afterwards. Then we’ll have a brief sleep and go. And then I won’t have to share you for six weeks.” I took that mouth like I owned it, because I did, and because I needed to know that she accepted that. As if she sensed that, she went pliant for me the way she only ever did when I kissed her neck.
Pulling back, she licked her bottom lip – which made me chase after that mouth. Chuckling, she placed a hand on my chest to stop me. “You need to go. Fletcher isn’t going to let me sleep until dusk. He’ll be too eager to get me up and start getting me ready, so I need what sleep I can get.”
I was about to say that my staying there wouldn’t stop her from sleeping, but of course it would, because I’d have trouble leaving her alone. Releasing a long-suffering sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and gathered my clothes.
“Where will you be getting ready for the ceremony?”
“My old apartment. My suit and the stuff I need are already there, waiting.” Ready to leave, I hesitated. “Call Dexter and let him lie in bed with you.”
“Why would I do that?”
“It’ll make me feel better.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”
“Just do it, you stubborn bitch.” Smiling at the irritation on her face, I quickly smacked a kiss on her lips and teleported out of there – I wasn’t stupid.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
(Sam)
I’d had absolutely no idea about the pre-nuptial rituals for Binding ceremonies until Fletcher turned up at my apartment with half a dozen female Kejas. First I’d been covered in exotic-smelling oils and massaged from head to toe. Then there had been a spicy wrap, which I hadn’t been very fond of. Thirdly there had been a milk bath, which I had to admit I’d quite liked. And then my hands and feet had been painted with a strange, glistening ink; the intricate knot and vine patterns perfectly complimented my Swarovski Manicure and Pedicure.
While waiting for the weird paint to dry – which hadn’t taken long – I sat very still as my hair was slightly curled and then put into some kind of elaborate hairdo, leaving tendrils hanging here and there. I wasn’t a very patient person, so I got kind of restless. At least I hadn’t had to continue to sit there as they applied make-up. If the natural allure that came with vampirism hadn’t cancelled out the need for it, my new Keja allure would have.
Following all that, I was helped into lacy, raunchy underwear that Fletcher had chosen. The bloke knew no boundaries! Lastly, my dress and shoes were carefully slipped on and fastened.
“Go on, have a look,” urged Fletcher, giving me a gentle shove toward the mirror.
Hesitant – I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was all the anticipation – I walked toward the mirror. My reflection startled the living shit out of me. It wasn’t that I didn’t look like me. I did. But I’d never really thought of myself as girly. Never been one of those kids who dressed up like a princess or played ‘weddings’. As such, I’d never seen myself look elegant and ‘voguish’ as Fletcher kept saying.
“I am a genius,” declared Fletcher.
“No humility in you, is there.”
“Radiant and elegant, but also sexy without being distasteful. Happy?”
“I will be when it’s time to go.”
“Then you’ll be delighted to hear that they’re ready when you are,” announced Norm as he entered. He smiled affectionately. “Oh look at you!”
“Gorgeous, isn’t she,” said Fletcher.
Norm kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “Jared looks hot as hell, by the way.” That made me more eager to see him.
Fletcher offered me his arm. “Ready?”
Taking a deep breath, I threaded my arm through his and allowed him to lead me out of the bedroom. The female Kejas all showered me with compliments – all of which made me uncomfortable as I simply wasn’t used to them – and wished me good luck. I was going to need it if I had any hope of not tripping in these high-heeled shoes.
Somehow I managed to make it down the stairs without breaking my neck – that might have been a lot to do with having Fletcher on one side of me and Norm on the other. I got a bit of a shock when I stepped out of my apartment building to find all the residents of The Hollow gathered around, smiling. Although most of them wouldn’t be at the ceremony itself, they would be attending the after party.
Feeling awkward about all the attention, I merely waved and returned their smiles as I walked through the path between the hordes. When we finally made it through the front door of Antonio’s mansion, we found him and his guards waiting. Vampires didn’t do the whole ‘giving the bride away’ thing, but for him to escort me to Jared would be a symbol that he approved of, and blessed, the Binding. He gave me a fatherly smile. “Sam, you look—”
“Don’t do it. The compliments are making me uncomfortable.” He didn’t look surprised by my words. I kissed Fletcher on the cheek. “Thanks for everything, you camp sod.”
Fletcher laughed delightedly. “You’re welcome, luv. Now go make him faint.”
Winking at me, Norm followed Fletcher as they hurried down the hallway.
Antonio sighed, shaking his head. “You look almost as edgy as Jared. I will say to you what I have been saying to him for the past few hours. Relax. This is your Binding. Enjoy it.”
“All right Yoda, enough with the wise words; let’s do this.”
Arm in arm, we walked down the hallway and took a right turn when we reached the open doors that led to the bat pool. As we stepped out into the warm night, I gasped. A trail of pink and red rose petals, bordered with tiki torches, marked the walkway to the floral arch on the beach up ahead. Standing there with the Prelate − who was basically a vampire minister − was Jared looking striking, enticing, and absolutely edible in a white open-necked
shirt and a tan linen suit.
On either side of the walkway, the guests rose from the chairs that had been adorned in white ruffled covers and aqua bows. All of the guests – even Moaning Marcia – smiled. I could hear all the whispered compliments even from here, and was glad when soft music began to play and drown them out.
When Antonio and I came to the fringe of the beach, I removed my high-heeled shoes and kicked them aside. They wouldn’t get me very far on sand. I was so focused on Jared that I almost didn’t notice the huge object near the walkway. Realising what it was, I gaped. “The Tower of London.” The seven-foot high sand sculpture was so unbelievably detailed, it was absolutely amazing.
“I thought you might like to have a bit of ‘home’ at your ceremony.” Antonio swept a hand, gesturing for me to look around.
When I did, I gasped again. Dotted around the walkway and bordering the chairs were several sand sculptures of London monuments. Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, the 02 Arena, the Royal Albert Hall, Globe Theatre, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Eros Statue.
“A friend of mine has an affinity to sand,” Antonio told me. “He is very difficult to track down, as he is very much a loner. But eventually I managed to find him and I had him create these especially for you. Think of them as my Binding gift to you.”
Surprising him a little, I hugged him. He might be a big, bad, powerful vampire, but he was all squishy on the inside. “Thank you. I love them.”
Locking eyes with Jared, I began to cover the distance left between us. On the way, I caught sight of my squad. They each gave me a beaming grin, and then opened their jackets. Pinned to each of their shirts was a sign that said ‘Run’. Squashing my amused smile, I rolled my eyes at their immaturity. Of course Jared hadn’t missed their little joke and he shot them all a playful scowl that they appeared to find hilarious.