Take It Like a Vamp (17 page)

She smiled. “You’re always taking care of me. I’m fine right now. Trust me.”

He raised an eyebrow, but said no more. The very fact she spoke to him was enough for him to run into the sea praising the heavens.

“I have a lot more valko—whatever it is you are – questions, but I want to know about the Council, and why it is you want to get married so fast. You said it was tied to what you are.”

He took his gaze from her and stared out to the sea. “There’s only so much I can tell you about the Council. If I reveal too much before we are married, they’ll kill us. We’re here alone on the island, but they have ways of seeking out information. Even though this island is protected by magic, there’s no way of knowing for sure if they can hear us. I can tell you that it is made up of supernatural beings, from different sects around the world. At the moment, I am the leader, and I have been for the last two hundred years.”

She whistled. “That sounds like a big job.”

“It is. I’ve helped to reorganize and bring peace during my reign. But there are always those, like the ones who attacked you the other night, who wish for chaos and war.”

Man, did all of that shit make sense now. “Not much different than the human world.” She smirked. “Wait, so that wasp thingy was a real attack, not some fluke?”

“It wasn’t a wasp,” he said. “Alvinia has demons who spit venom.”

“Okay. That’s just gross. I met her at the charity party, but for some reason I can’t remember what she looks like. That night is still kind of a blur. Why does she have it out for you?”

He shrugged. “I think she believed she had a chance to be my betrothed.”

“Over my dead body,” Casey said.

“Well, that’s why we’ve had so much security, and why we had to leave Los Angeles so quickly. She’s after you, Casey. In her warped mind, if she gets rid of you then she can take your place.”

“Crap. Talk about crazy exes.”

She seemed so calm he checked her hands to make sure she was okay. They didn’t shake like they had the night before, but he watched her carefully.

“So do you really care for me? Or am I just the best candidate for the job? Compared to the alternative, I’m probably a saint to you. And for the record, if it gets you away from that woman, I’ll marry you no matter what you say. But I want the truth.”

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “My proposal to you is earnest. I know it might be difficult to believe, but I love you. I hope, over time you can come to love me too. Unfortunately, marriage is our only option. The timing of our union is difficult. One can only reign over the Council for two hundred years, before he must marry. The belief is that those who settle, with family, are more apt to desire peace. If I do not find a bride, one is chosen for me or I give up my position.”

“Yikes, that’s some heavy duty pressure.”

He nodded. “But that isn’t really the reason for my haste,” he said. “The truth is you’re mine, and I want the world to know. Making you my wife is the thing I desire most in the world. You are the center of that world now, and I want to make a life with you.”

“Damn you. I want to believe what you say, but none of this makes sense.” She sniffed.

He worried she might cry. He could handle almost anything except Casey’s tears. When those jerks she went out with hurt her feelings, he did whatever it took to make her stop. Now it was his fault.

“It’s the truth. But you don’t have to marry me now, or ever, if you don’t want to. I’ll understand. If I have to give up my seat on the Council, I will. I would do anything to be with you.” As he said the words, he knew it was the truth. For her, he would die.

“But you said if you gave up, humans could be in trouble.”

There was that. “There is that possibility if my successor is on Alvinia’s side,” he said honestly.

“That’s a lot of pressure, Nick. Marry you, or the human race could suffer.”

He growled in frustration. “Dammit, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. If you didn’t know about all of this crap, we could marry and I would know it was for the right reasons. I put you in an impossible situation. I’m sorry.” Jumping up he walked toward the house.

“Wait.” She ran up next to him. “Where are you going?”

“You can’t marry me, Casey. Not now. I’ll always wonder, and so will you.”

She jumped in front of him and stuck out her hand. “For someone who has been around so long, you sure can be an idiot,” she said angrily. “I’m a grown woman who can make decisions for herself, thank you very much. If I want to marry you, you can bet it’s because I want to. And I do, you stupid…man. But you have to propose to me again so we can do it right. I don’t want to have to tell anyone what happened tonight. We’re going to do this right tomorrow morning. You’re going to come up with some amazing idea and you’re going to propose to me. Then tomorrow night, we’re going to get married. Right here in this house with your security guys as our witnesses. Do you understand me?” She wagged a finger at him.

She didn’t understand what she was saying. She was in shock.

“No, Casey. We aren’t going to get married. I refuse to pressure you into anything. I love you too much for that.”

His heart, something he thought he lost a long time ago, ached. Once again, he’d fucked it all up.

She raised her hands to the heavens. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you saying you don’t want to marry me? You’re taking
back
the proposal just because I didn’t like the way you did it? I mean, jeez. You ask me to marry you. You show me your fangs, and I’m sorry but that’s about romantic as sitting in a room full of frogs. And you know how I feel about them. Now, I’m telling you that you are going to do it right the next time. I’ve friggin’ dreamed about this day since I met you. Stupid, stupid man. Yes, it’s fast, but I’d rather sooner than later. I want all those Barbies to know you belong to me.”

She wanted him. And she was jealous of the Barbies. Perhaps she did care for him. She’d used the word love, but there was no way she meant it in the way he did. His was the kind of love that spanned centuries. His True stood before him, and there would never be another to take her place.

Waving her hands in front of his face to get his attention, she yelled, “Hello? Are you in there? No more Barbies, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He said as seriously as he could.

“Good, it’s about time you finally listened. Now I’m going to go into that enormous house of yours and see if I can find something to wear to my wedding.” She stomped off.

He’d never seen her so angry, but all he could do was laugh.

I guess I have a proposal and wedding to plan.

Chapter Eighteen

Casey gazed at herself in the full-length mirror. Was that really her? Linc stood behind her futzing with the back of the dress. He, along with her boss Justin and some of her friends from work, had flown overnight to be here in time for the wedding.

“My darling girl, you are a vision.” Aunt Teddie tapped a tissue to her eyes. She’d been crying since she arrived seven hours ago. Casey didn’t know how Nick had found her or got her here, but she didn’t care. Teddie was her only family and the one who would walk her down the aisle.

A wave of insecurity hit Casey as she took in the dress and veil. David had given her a crown of curls, and Nikki did her makeup. They were all here for the wedding. Everything was surreal.

“Am I insane?” she said the words out loud before she realized.

“Yes,” Aunt Teddie and Linc said at the same time.

They laughed.

Aunt Teddie, who was dressed in pink chiffon and her favorite blond Dolly Parton wig, waved her tissue. “I knew the moment you two met this would happen. I’ve been waiting months for you both to figure it out.” She sniffed. “When I left for India, I told him to take care of you. Obviously, he took that to heart. You’re perfect together.”

“Say the word and I’ll cancel the whole thing,” added Linc. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re marrying the wrong guy. I mean, my title is best man.” He winked at her.

“If only I’d met you first.” She twisted around and put her hand on his shoulders as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “I care for him,” she said as much to calm her nerves as anything. “And I know he cares for me.”

He professed love, but she believed he only said it so their marriage of convenience would feel real to her. She didn’t think it such a hardship to spend her life with one of the kindest men she’d ever met. And he certainly wasn’t hard to look at. Maybe she would have preferred to have someone who loved her the way a man and wife were supposed to, but that was all fairytales. This was reality. There were monsters in the world and her soon-to-be husband was one of them. But she loved him so much none of that mattered. She could never tell him how much she loved him. That would make him feel guilty and she wanted them to be the great friends they’d always been. Except with amazing side benefit. The sex. Well, hell, that would be worth just about anything.

“He’s a lucky asshole,” Linc said. “Girls like you don’t come along very often. It’s going to take me a while to get over this jealousy thing.”

Casey snorted. “Yes, I saw the redhead you were with. I can tell you’re
very
jealous about my picking Nick over you.”

“Drowning my sorrows, lovely girl. Drowning my sorrows.”

“Linc, my love. That dress is stunning,” Aunt Teddie said. “It’s as if it was made for her.”

He lifted the small veil they’d decided on, and pinned it into Casey’s curls. “It
was
made for her. She inspired it the first time I met her. I’d already done a mock up and picked out the material. My girls and I sewed it together on the trip over here.”

All of Nick’s friends had pitched in, as had Casey’s. The security guys and Justin were building something out on the beach. Bennett and the other girls helped with decorations, and set up the catering Nick had flown in. Bennett was her maid of honor.

As she thought of her, Bennett walked in. She gasped, throwing a hand against her chest. “Gorgeous. No wonder that crazy billionaire is in love with you,” she said. “That, and you have the soul of an angel.”

Casey fluttered her hands in front of her eyes. “Don’t make me cry,” she sniffed. “If Nikki has to redo my makeup again, she’ll kill me.”

Linc snorted. “You better get into your dress, it’s almost time,” he warned Bennett.

“Why do you think I’m here, tattoo boy?”

Linc’s eyes narrowed at her friend. “It’s hanging there.” He pointed to the rack of clothes he’d brought in every size. He wasn’t sure how many people he would have to dress, he’d told Casey, so he brought a bit of everything.

Bennett yanked off her top and shimmied out of her jeans.

“Uh, Bennett.”

Her friend glanced up, standing only in a pink thong and matching strapless bra. Her long tanned legs were stunning. David had pinned up her caramel curls into a loose chignon. “What?” she asked as she reached for the dress.

“Nothing. I just thought you might want some privacy.”

“Everyone here is either female or gay, so why does it matter?”

Linc chortled. “Why is it, if you are a male designer, everyone assumes you’re gay?” He pretended to be offended, but from the way he ogled Bennett he didn’t seem to mind.

The jaw-drop of her friend was priceless. “Oh—uh. Fuck. You’re too hot to be straight.”

Aunt Teddie nearly fell on the floor she was laughing so hard. Casey joined in and almost hyperventilated.

“Let me help you with that,” Linc offered as Bennett tried to zip up her dress.

When he stepped behind her, she mouthed “Oh, my Gawd,” and waved a hand in front of her face.

The music began. Casey’s heart ran a marathon in her chest.

This was it. She was marrying a man she loved. It didn’t matter how long she’d known him. Insecurities bubbled to the surface and her stomach roiled. Was she doing this for the right reasons? Did he really care for her, or was it some kind of power play?”

“Casey, breathe,” Linc encouraged her. “As much as I hate to admit it, that man loves you more than anything in the universe. He would die for you. Don’t doubt that for a second.”

She closed her eyes. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered. Nick had been willing to give up his life and power to keep her safe and happy. She needed to remember that. The only thing he asked of her is that they marry.

“Let’s do this,” she said bravely before gathering up her skirts and following Linc, Bennett and Teddie out the door.

…

Everyone stood, which meant Casey was on her way around the path leading up to the altar. Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been waiting all afternoon for someone to tell him that she’d changed her mind. He still hadn’t grasped the idea that despite everything they’d been through, she would legally be his in a matter of minutes.

When she stepped out of the tree-lined path, he sucked in a breath. Gorgeous. Angelic even. There were no words exquisite enough to express the beauty before his eyes. And she was his.

The dress showed off her curves without being too overt, and David and his team had enhanced her natural beauty. His heart ached with love for her.

The expression on her face was that of sheer terror, and he worried she might turn and go the other way. Then her eyes found his, and she gave him that shy smile, sending his heart into a crazy fast beat.

His Casey. He’d waited eight hundred years for his beloved, and she would soon be his wife.

Aunt Teddie put Casey’s hand in his and whispered, “You treat her right or you’re a dead man.” Then she blew a kiss at them.

Casey shook her head. “She’s over protective,” she whispered.

“I don’t blame her. You’re very special. I love you,” he said as he kissed her fingers.

“Thank you for that,” she whispered said as they turned to the minister. Their simple vows of loving each other forever were said as the sun set over the ocean. Every word meant so much to Nick. This was the first time he had ever wanted to give himself to another person. Casey had no idea about the depth of his feelings for her, but he would spend the rest of his life showing her. Some day she would love him. He’d waited this long, he could wait a little longer.

Hours later the reception was in full swing, but Nick worried about Casey. She was all smiles, and chatting with her friends from work. But under her makeup, her skin had grown pale. And twice she’d put her hand to her head as if she were dizzy.

“Make your excuses and get her to bed,” Jake ordered. “Before she passes out. This isn’t exactly what I mean when I gave the instructions for rest. Get her to your room, and I’ll meet you both there. I want to take her pulse and check her heartbeat.”

Nick hurried to his bride. His arm slipped around her waist, and she leaned on him a little more heavily than usually. That was it. He scooped her up in his arms, and when she didn’t fight him, he nearly ran to the master suite.

“We didn’t throw the bouquet,” she said tiredly.

“It’s okay, love.”

She shook her head.

Nick sighed. “Where is it?” She pointed to the table where they sat for the dinner. Running to the table he picked it up.

“Hey,” he shouted. “It’s time to start the honeymoon,” he said suggestively. “So we’re tossing this thing and getting the hell out of here.”

Everyone laughed.

“You’re kind of brilliant,” she said.

“One of the many reasons you married me, Mrs. Christos.” God, he loved the way that sounded.

“You better throw it, I’m kind of done.” She yawned.

Tossing it behind him, he didn’t bother to turn and see who caught it. Casey grunted as she looked over his shoulder.

“Who caught it?”

“Nikki. And she looks like she wants to toss it to someone else.”

Nick smiled. “Casey, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“I promise, it just sort of hit me. I was fine, and then…” She waved her hand in the air. “I can’t believe you did all this and got all these people her on such short notice. It was the best wedding ever.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Don’t you understand yet? I would do anything for you. We can have another wedding back in the States if you want.”

“Nothing is ever going to top marrying you while looking out at that gorgeous sunset. Everything was so beautiful.”

Her eyes fluttered close.

She didn’t look well at all. How had she gone from blushing, gorgeous bride to passing out in his arms? “Casey. Wake up!”

Nick flew into the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. His hand shook as he brushed her hair away from her face. He knelt beside her. “Please, baby, for me. Wake up.”

Jake was there pushing him out of the way. “Let me do my job,” he said.

Linc came in behind him. Looked at Nick and then Casey. “What the hell?” Linc rushed to the side of the bed.

“Back up. Now,” Jake ordered. They did as he asked, but only moved a few inches away.

Nick’s heart lodged in his throat, blood tears he couldn’t shed burned his eyes.

“Her pulse is sluggish, but her breath sounds are good. Heart is strong. She hasn’t purged all the venom and with all the excitement it’s pulsing through her system.” The doctor glared at Nick.

Nick shoved a hand through his hair. “I should have given her the full dose of the antidote, but she’s human. I didn’t know how much she could take.”

“Hey,” his friend said softly. “She’s strong, she’s going to be okay. We just need to take better care of her.”

“
I
need to take better care of her,” Nick argued. “If anything happens to her—I can’t live without her, Linc.”

His friend patted him on the shoulder and guided him to the other side of the bed. “Sit here with her.”

Nick slid into the bed next to his wife. “I can have the plane ready in a half hour, should we take her to the hospital?” Nick asked Jake.

The doc shook his head. “Worst place in the world for someone to get rest is the hospital. I’ll start an IV in a minute. We’ll get these drugs into her fast, and she’ll be better by morning. But I mean it. She stays in bed for the next seventy-two hours, and then no work or heavy physical activity for at least a week. And Linc’s right, she’s tough. She’s been carrying this around in her, and she’d done just fine. We’ll get the poison out of her system and she’ll be good as new.”

Nick sighed with relief. She would be okay.

Alvinia had to die. That’s all there was to it.

“This is going to be one interesting honeymoon,” Linc laughed. “I wonder how Mrs. Christos is going to feel about no physical activity.”

The doc and Nick gave Linc the death stare.

“I think I’ll go check on the guests.” Linc backed out of the room and onto the terrace, holding his hands up in surrender.

“I’ll go get the supplies I need. While I’m gone, why don’t you change her into something more comfortable? Something with no sleeves would be best. And Nick?”

“Yes,” he said as he got out of the bed to search for the right clothes. “Sex is off the table for the next seventy-two hours. After that, you guys will have to take it easy. And obviously she isn’t the best judge of her limitations right now, so you’re going to have to be vigilant. She can’t handle—. You know she’s not strong enough for—Hell, you know what I’m saying. Watch her color, and if her breathing becomes labored, you call me immediately.”