She could hardly wrap her brain around what was going on, outside her little sphere of happiness today. Demons and other creatures plotting against humans. It made her feel sick. The hardest part was accepting that the woman she had called a friend was on the wrong side.
Jules wanted to go find her, to try and persuade her to join the right side. Nick shot that idea down very quickly, telling her it was too dangerous. Anita had made her choice. All the friendship and pleasantries had been nothing more than a cover, a lie. Jules was beside herself that she had never saw it. She tried telling herself it was because she was so alone at first, she wanted to see friendship and trust. She needed it.
Jules sucked in her breath as Jolice buttoned the back of her dress. “There, a perfect fit,” she declared proudly.
“Thank you so much, Jolice. I know things have been hectic, and we added even more pressure with this wedding. I just thought you should know how much we appreciate all you have done for us,” she told her.
A small tear formed in the corner of her brown eye. Her own hair was swept up into a loose bun. She was quite attractive, and it all seemed unfair for her. Jules knew as well as she did that she was trying to hide feelings for Michael, but it was no use bringing it up. She would never admit it out loud. Michael would leave us when this was over, and Jolice wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his chance at returning to heaven.
“Don’t be silly,” she told Jules, holding her hand. “I would do anything for you guys; you’re my family. That’s what family does. Now, let’s have a look at you,” she said, holding her at arm’s length. She eyed the dress and hair, speculating. When she was satisfied, she nodded in approval. “That ring is beautiful. Did Nick tell you where it came from?”
“No, but it is an antique. I can tell that much.”
“It belonged to Victor’s wife. I can’t believe Nick didn’t tell you.” Jules examined the ring on her left hand again. It was nothing more than a delicate gold band with a small diamond mounted in the center. It was beautiful, made more so to her by its history.
“Let’s get you married!” Jolice exclaimed, yanking her by the arm, interrupting her thoughts.
The day passed very quickly for Nick and before he knew it, it was time for him to get dressed. He wore the traditional black tuxedo Phoenix had picked out for him. He was wearing a similar suit, only with holes in the back to accommodate his wings. Michael wore a white tux, also allowing for wings.
He already knew what Rachel and Jolice were wearing. They got dressed early today. They both wore long, floor length pink gowns, with little sequins around the waist. Andrew and Jared wore suits. Andrew’s had a pink cummerbund and a pink rose in the front pocket. He was Jules’s best man. Nick was only slightly surprised by the small bouquet he held gingerly in front of him. And of course, Victor would stand by Nick as his best man.
And then, it was time. Michael stood at the altar, serene and peaceful, a gentle smile on his lips. Nick took his place beside Victor and waited.
And then, he saw her. She was a vision of pure beauty in a long white gown. Her hair was piled on her head in a loose bun, small delicate flowers surrounding it like a crown. The flowers in her hair and on the bodice of her dress were pink. The pink cummerbund made sense now. Andrew placed Jules’s hand in Nick’s and Michael began.
“Friends, family, we have gathered here in this place to join these two souls together,” Nick was watching Jules’s face while he spoke. He hardly heard the words his friend spoke because he was completely captivated by his bride. “In the presence of God,” he continued.
Everything was going smoothly until their unexpected visitors arrived.
Eleven demons shimmered in to crash the party. They looked like demons, not even bothering to conceal their true nature. Their faces were red with black eyes, and a slight crouch to their stance. They bared their teeth and pounced. The first crashed right into the gazebo, splitting one of the posts in two. Nick yanked Jules out of the way before it could fall on her. They were taken by surprise, and not by accident. That much Nick was sure of.
Nick lurched at another one of them, planting his foot in the center of his chest. He wrapped his arm around the demon’s head and jerked with all his strength. The demon’s head separated from his body with a crunch and it fell to the ground and erupted in flames. Shrill screeches filled the afternoon air. Another approached from behind and kicked Nick to the ground. He rolled over to face him, but it was gone.
Jules had him by the throat, yanking him off her new husband. “How dare you!!” she snarled and curled her lips back from her teeth, sinking them into his flesh. She jerked her head back, ripping his throat out. She dropped his lifeless body to the ground, spitting a stream of obscenities that would have made a sailor blush.
But not Nick. He was in awe of the graceful predator that would be his wife. Her strength and skill were mind blowing. He was so enraptured by her that he forgot, only for a moment, about everything else. So much that he almost didn’t see the demon attacking Andrew. But he jumped to his feet and leapt to his aid. Nick grabbed under its arms and put both hands on its head, jerking to the side once, breaking its neck.
Jared had phased into the tiger, and was polishing off a demon of his own. They were all fighting. Phoenix had one demon in his grip, wrapping his fiery wings around it, incinerating the deplorable creature. Jules let out a feral snarl, ripping into the demon she held in her hands, tearing him apart. She was using nothing but brute strength and fury against the demons. The once peaceful, sunny day, was now filled with shrieks and snarls and blood.
Suddenly, a blinding white light surrounded them all. “Enough!” Michael’s voice boomed so loud that it reverberated in the air and in Nick’s chest. He had his angel wings spread wide, reaching out behind him and to his sides and light was emanating from every part of him. The few remaining demons and the corpses of the others, charred where they were, reducing them to nothing more than piles of ash.
“And the path of the wicked shall perish,” Michael quoted from Psalm one.
It was quiet. The kind of eerie quite that actually sounded quite loud. Nick made a quick assessment to make sure everyone was accounted for. His eyes caught Jules and he noticed her tattered dress. Her hair was a mess, but she was alive. He rushed to her side.
“Thank God you are ok!” he shouted as he made his way to her. He wrapped her in his arms and breathed in her scent. When he finally caught his breath, he leaned back from her and smiled. “You are one dangerous individual. And to think, I thought I would protect you, not the other way around! You’ve got quite a temper!”
“They ruined my wedding,” she said sharply, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Is everyone all right?” Victor asked. “Does anyone need help?”
“I think everyone is ok,” Andrew said, stumbling toward us. He appeared to be in one piece, but he was staggering and held his arm over his abdomen. Jared breathed a sigh of relief. But then, Andrew stumbled and fell to the ground.
Everyone was at his side in a flash, Jared first. Andrew had a large wound in his abdomen, and it was bleeding. A lot. “Oh God! Oh God!” Jared was yelling.
“Let me through!” Phoenix shouted, pushing his way through the crowd of his family. He placed his fingers on Andrew’s neck, checking his pulse. He looked at Jared, then at the rest of us and shook his head. “We are too late,” he whispered.
“No!” Jared shouted. “We stayed to help you! You promised he would be safe! You fix him!” he jabbed a finger at Phoenix.
“I don’t know if I can,” Phoenix cried.
“TRY! NOW!”
Phoenix gathered Andrew in his arms and spread his fiery wings. They both rose a few feet from the ground. Phoenix looked into each of their eyes, his own eyes filling with tears. Then he wrapped his wings around himself and Andrew, obscuring Andrew from view. Nobody even breathed.
The flames surrounding Phoenix and Andrew grew brighter, stronger. After a very long tw
o minutes, they gently fell back to earth. Phoenix opened his wings and laid Andrew at Jared’s feet. He and Jules crouched down to Andrew’s side.
He was breathing.
They all let out a collective sigh of relief. “Thank you,” Jared said sincerely to Phoenix, lifting Andrew’s head and cradling it in his arms. Phoenix looked exhausted and had a long grey streak in his otherwise sleek black hair.
Jules ran to Phoenix, throwing her arms around his neck. When she pulled back from him, she let her fingers run down the newly grey streak. “Why?” she asked.
“It is not easy to bring someone back from the brink of death. Another second and he would have been lost to us forever. But don’t worry, it is worth it.” Although Phoenix was smiling, he was obviously wiped out.
“I think it makes you look sophisticated, very attractive,” Jolice said with a wink.
“Thanks Jolice, but you don’t have to do that; we all have our battle scars, in one way or another, don’t we?” Phoenix truly didn’t seem to mind it.
“I’m serious!” she rebuffed. “I really do like it.”
“Hey, don’t we have a wedding to do?” Andrew interrupted. He was on his feet.
“You don’t have to do that, Andrew. I understand.” Jules told him.
“Nonsense, I feel great!” He turned to Phoenix, “Really man, wow. Thank you most sincerely. I owe you my life.”
“No thanks needed my friend. Just doing my job.” Phoenix smiled at him.
After picking up most of the rubble caused by the fight, they continued the ceremony at a less than perfect altar.
“Ok, now, where were we?” Michael asked. “Oh yeah, who gives this woman?”
“I do, on behalf of her family that could not be here today,” Andrew said, and stepped to her side. He held Jules’s hand and kissed her on the cheek. Then, as per tradition, placed her hand in Nick’s once again.
Michael continued with the ceremony, quoting from the bible often, “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not boastful...” And when it came to their parts, Nick thought he wouldn’t be able to remember what he was supposed to say.
“Do you, Nicolas, take this woman to be your wife for all eternity, to love in the face of God, forevermore?”
“I do,” he said with absolute confidence.
“And do you, Julia, take this man to be your husband for all eternity, to love in the face of God, forevermore?”
“I do,” her voice rang out, beautiful and confident.
“Then without further ado,” Michael waved his right arm out in a circular pattern, “I now pronounce you husband and wife! Kiss her man!”
And he did. Gently at first, but more fervently as the kiss went on. The whole world disappeared, and it was only the two of them. Nick felt like he was walking on air. When he heard a gasp, he pulled away, only to learn that he was floating on air. Literally! His feet were about two feet off the ground. Jules noticed too, and let go of him. He dropped to the ground, but she remained afloat.
“Whoa, when did you learn to do that?” Jared wondered.
“I didn’t know I could!” Jules bubbled. Then she dropped to the earth.
CHAPTER THIRTY
They all stood there a moment, dumbstruck. There was much to discuss, but no one could make the first words come out. No one had ever known a vampire to be able to levitate. But Jules could. They all saw it with their own eyes. It was Jules that spoke first.
“That demon, the second one, he could float,” she whispered. Then, her expression changed. Her face lit up like a kid at Christmas. “Jared, Nick, Victor, please come over here,” she was already headed out into a clear spot in the yard.
They were confused, but did as she asked.
She lined them up side by side and stood in front of Victor first. “Tell me about your gift,” she stated plainly.
“Well, I try not to use it, as it can be quite dangerous. I can bend the will of others,” he explained, “but I don’t like to.”
Jules held his hand for a moment and closed her eyes. Nick was watching, wondering what could be going through her head right now. But what she did next made him understand.
“Andrew, do the chicken dance,” she ordered, and to everyone’s amazement, he did! The whole time he was looking at her like she was crazy, but he was doing it. His arms flapped at his side and his body was dancing!
“Ok, you can stop,” she laughed, dropping Father’s hand.
A collective gasp escaped the family. Rachel had her hand over her mouth in shock, and Michael and Phoenix were just staring with wide eyes. And Andrew, well he looked kind of pissed.
Jules stood in front of Nick next. He started to tell her about his gift, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. “I know what you can do,” she said, and his mouth snapped shut. She looked into his eyes, holding both of his hands. All at once he felt apprehensive, and exited at the same time. When she saw his expression change Jules pursed her lips and looked as if she was concentrating very hard.
Then Nick had the sudden urge to cry. He fought the emotion until he realized what was going on. Jules had tapped his gift, just like Victor’s. So he let a tear streak down his cheek. Then, he was overwhelmed with joy. He couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that escaped him. He could feel the stares of those around him, but he couldn’t manage to care. When the fit of laughter was under control, Jules’s eyes narrowed and she smiled mischievously. A wave of raw desire swept through him and his whole body jerked at the sensation.
“You are seriously one dangerous individual,” he huffed at her, his breath coming in short, quick bursts.
“Just checking,” she said, a bit smug. She did, however, release him from the emotions she was sending his way. It was so strange, having his gift turned on himself. He could understand why most people didn’t care for it.
A roar of laughter erupted from all around him. “I’m so pleased my humiliation is humorous to you!” he exclaimed sarcastically to everyone.
“A copier!” Jared exclaimed.
“A what?” Nick asked.
“A copier,” he explained, “She can copy the gifts of others. The demon’s levitation, Victor’s will, and your emotional thing, it is quite a formidable gift. Not to mention her truth thing!”
“What truth thing?” Jules asked.
“Haven’t you noticed? Everyone is always truthful to you. I tried to lie when we first met, but I couldn’t. Not that I didn’t want to, I could not do it. I tried, but when I opened my mouth to speak, the truth came rolling off my tongue like it had a mind of its own. Now, try me, see if you can shift!” Jared was bouncing up and down slightly, trying to hold his excitement at bay.
Jules held his hands and asked, “How?”
“Just concentrate on one person or animal, your body should take care of the rest,” he told her
Jules did what he said. The edges of her form blurred a little, and then stopped. Nothing happened. She was disappointed.
“Try again,” Jared whispered to her.
She did, and this time, her image changed. She was an exact copy of Jared, looking back at him. Applause and cheers went up from everyone.
“I don’t think I can do the animal thing,” she said. “I tried your tiger and got nowhere, but when I tried you, well, I guess it worked!”
“She is not actually changing her body,” Victor pointed out. “She is willing you to believe she has. She does not possess the magic needed to shape shift.”
“That is one helluva Jedi mind trick,” Phoenix proclaimed.
Jules became very tired after all the excitement, and Nick took her inside to rest. The day was passing by quickly, and it was now early evening. The others would stay and discuss strategy. After all, they were attacked today, and when none of the demons reported back to whoever sent them, it would be known that they had failed miserably.
Jules and Nick went upstairs to her room. There was something he needed to do and he had waited too damned long to do it. Of course, Nick s
cooped her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold and up the stairs.
Nick laid her on the bed and stretched out beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips gently to hers. He took her bottom lip gently between his teeth and pulled back on it slightly, eliciting a moan from her. It was a heady, throaty sound that caused electricity to zing in his veins. When she pulled back for air, he continued kissing her jaw and the long lines of her neck. He flipped them over so that he was on top of her. When he kissed her collar bones and down the center of her chest, she raked her nails down the back of his shirt, effectively shredding it. He slipped out of it in one simple gesture, not allowing his lips to leave her skin. She knotted her fingers in his hair and pulled him back to her mouth, running her other hand down his chest.
Nick wanted to feel her perfect, smooth skin against his own. He felt like he was on fire. Every touch of her skin sent fiery waves of electricity through him. He only made one small tug against her tattered dress when she smiled and stood up. The next sound was that of fabric tearing under their hands. Their clothes lay in a shredded pile on the floor. He finally had her in front of him, naked, and waiting to be his. Nick caressed her shoulders and down her arms, committing the feel of her skin to his memory. He could smell her arousal already and it was driving him insane. He had waited so long for her and he wanted to make their first time together something special that she would remember for the rest of her life.
That wasn’t going to happen so long as his body was having other ideas. The beast in him roared and demanded that he take her right then and there. He brought his mouth down to hers and kissed her hard. His tongue darted into her mouth and he was overwhelmed by her sweet taste. He finally let her breathe, only to kiss the column of her neck. “Nick,” she sighed and held his head to her. Nick could hear her pulse pounding under her skin and his fangs ached to taste her sweet blood.
He slipped his hand down her belly and cupped her sex. She arched into his touch and he was rewarded with wetness surrounding his fingers. He played his fingers in and out of her folds until she was bucking against his hand. “Nick please,” she begged. He pushed two fingers inside her and curled them. “Oh my god!” she breathed as he manipulated her g-spot with ease.
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