Today was a special day and definitely had everyone in good spirits. Lily and Yohan were to be married. The romance had been a little rocky in the beginning when Yohan had learned of his future bride’s former occupation.
It had taken some wise words from Elissa to convince the young man he would be stupid to not follow his heart just because people judged harshly. If true love was true love then one fought for it. Was patient. Loved with their entire being.
It was then that Yohan had realized the true nature of Elissa and Cassandra. He’d only thought they were overly affectionate up to that point.
The only thing left to reveal to the three people that meant the most to Elissa and Cassandra was the vampire’s immortality and the mortal’s future immortality.
For now, they were in town on a Saturday to watch as Lily and Yohan were joined together. Only a handful of people would be in attendance. The couple had made some friends in town as they both worked at the stables owned by their friends.
Elissa felt a little trepidation at setting foot in the little church. It wasn’t because they had never attended church. It was because she was a vampire. She had never tested the theory that immortals couldn’t survive in a religious building.
The vampire had yet to share this fear with Cassandra, though she knew her wife sensed something. How could she not? They were holding hands and were practically leaning on one another.
Cassandra noticed the subtle changes in Elissa. She could feel the tension in her wife’s body. They were already nearly to the church so Cassandra didn’t have a chance to ask.
Yohan was standing on the steps to the church. Most likely, Lily was waiting in the business they owned. It wouldn’t do for the bride to see the groom before the wedding.
“Ladies, thank you so much for coming.” Yohan was beaming. He shook each hand before allowing them to enter the church.
The moment Elissa stepped across the threshold, she felt it. There was a burning sensation. It wasn’t unlike what she used to feel when the suns’ rays used to scorch her and ultimately attempt to take away her existence.
“I have to leave.” Elissa didn’t wait to explain. Instead, she reluctantly pushed past those that were attempting to enter and take their seats.
Cassandra had felt it. It was like she had the worst sunburn in her life. “Emily, could you remain and represent us? I think Elissa isn’t feeling well. I want to check on her.”
“No Problem, Momma.” Emily took a step toward the entrance. She too wanted to see if her mom was all right, but had learned over the years the special bond that Elissa and Cassandra shared.
“Thank you.” Cassandra eased herself between the handful of people entering the church. She couldn’t see Elissa anywhere so she opened her heart.
It wasn’t long before Cassandra found her wife. She was sitting in the buggy. Without a word, the mortal took the seat next to her wife. “Want to tell me what happened?”
Elissa held out her hands. They were still bright red. “It was like I was standing in the sun. I couldn’t believe how badly it hurt. I…I’d forgotten. It’s been so long since you gifted me with your blood and it allowed me to be in the sun…”
When her wife trailed off, Cassandra took both of Elissa’s hands in her own. “I felt it too. I wasn’t certain what was happening. All I know is that it was the worst sunburn I’d ever felt in my life.”
“You have no idea.” Elissa shook her head. “I’ve had worse over the years, but that was shocking to my system.” She swallowed. “I hope I didn’t offend Yohan or ruin Lily’s day.”
“Nonsense. Emily is in there. I’ll go back. I’ll say you weren’t feeling good.” Elissa stiffened. “I know. You haven’t been sick a day Emily, Yohan or Lily can remember. There’s a first time for everything. You just recover here. Maybe have a snack if you must.”
Their eyes met. Elissa didn’t like to hunt during the day. She really didn’t like to feed anywhere near the town. While she could use her vampire speed to distance herself, she was concerned if she could calm the animal within.
“I’ll just wait it out.” Elissa could tell Cassandra wasn’t thrilled about doing nothing. But it was the vampire’s decision to suffer. It wouldn’t be only a couple hours and she would return to her normal grumpy self.
“All right. But if it gets too bad, you do what you have to. Promise.” Elissa squeezed Cassandra’s hand. “Good. Now I’ll go suffer through a wedding. After all, the last one I attended was quite boring.”
Elissa swatted Cassandra on the bottom as she stepped back down. Their eyes met again. There was so much love radiating between them. It brought a smile to both their faces.
The vampire watched her soulmate walk back toward the church. Elissa made certain she was in the shaded part of the buggy before settling herself in for a rest. Her senses remaining fully intact.
About twenty minutes passed when Elissa’s senses began tingling. She pretended to remain asleep as she heard the footsteps. There were two men.
Elissa moved just as the weapon discharged. The vampire launched herself out of the buggy with an impressive summersault. She landed between the two men. Both had pistols, but they were trained on where she had been, not where she had landed.
Having intended only to enjoy a wedding, Elissa hadn’t brought her pistols or swords. She had placed a dagger in each boot. She had retrieved each as she had summersaulted. A blade was at each man’s throat.
“Mr. Armstrong.” Elissa shook her head in disgust. “I don’t know what you thought you were accomplishing by attempting to kill me.”
“With you gone, I could take over your ranch. After I took out the woman you associate with.” Mr. Armstrong’s hand shook as he held the pistol pointed at the ground.
“I forgot to tell you to drop your heavy looking pistols.” The two guns fell to the ground with barely a sound. “And you really are stupid.” By this time, the church was emptying to see what the gunshot had been about. “Even if you killed both Cassandra and myself, we have wills in place. There’s quite the succession of people who will inherit the ranch and the stables here in town.”
Sheriff Williams had his gun aimed at Mr. Armstrong and was closing the distance at a brisk pace. “I thought I told you to get out of town yesterday. After the ruckus you and your men made at the saloon, it would have been wise to do as told. Now I have you on attempted murder as well as the charges stemming from yesterday.”
Elissa waited until the two men were handcuffed before placing her daggers in their sheaths inside her boots. When she saw Lily and Yohan behind the crowd, she spoke from the heart. “I’m sorry I was ailing. If I’d been in the church, your ceremony wouldn’t have been interrupted.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s Mr. Armstrong that should be sorry.” Yohan held his bride tight. There were occasional shootings in town while they worked and after they retired to their separate rooms upstairs, but nothing that had caused them to become accustomed to it.
“Let’s just enjoy the rest of the afternoon. There’s a spread Cassandra and Elissa were amazing enough to spring for in the restaurant.” Lilly had been surprised, but not shocked, when Elissa had told her they intended to pay for a dinner after the wedding. It was their wedding present.
Cassandra waited until everyone had made their way to the restaurant. She was standing in front of her wife. “How are you doing?”
Elissa knew it wasn’t because she had been shot at once again. While that caused an edginess, it wasn’t the worst thing to happen to her. Cassandra was worried about the burns she had suffered after entering the church.
“I’m all right, all things considered.” Elissa held up her hands. They remained pink. It was more like the beginnings of a sunburn rather than a severe one. “Give me another half an hour and I should be fine. How bout you?”
Cassandra showed Elissa her hands. “I wasn’t actually physically burned. I just felt it. Like I feel things through our connection. I thought you were feelin
g better, but I had to make certain.”
“Always taking care of me.” Their roles hadn’t reversed. They had just become more equal over the last decade they’d shared together.
“For eternity.” Cassandra kissed her wife tenderly for several moments. She had to force herself to stop the kiss knowing they weren’t that far from prying eyes. “Should we at least make an appearance at the dinner?”
“I guess we should.” Elissa held out her arm. Cassandra placed her hand upon it. They slowly made their way into the restaurant.
There were more people than had been in the church. Of course, free food and drink brought people out. There was one thing Elissa heard grumbles about. There was no alcohol being served.
One thing good about Elissa having to feign being ill, no one questioned why she didn’t eat or drink anything. She continuously scanned the crowd. After having the surprise from Mr. Armstrong, she wanted to keep her senses on full alert.
Cassandra sat next to her. Emily was talking with one of the tellers from the bank. As a momma, she didn’t take her eyes from her daughter.
“Did you think their ceremony was better than ours?” Cassandra turned to her wife. “I mean, I didn’t get to see it. And ours was the first I’d ever been to…”
The mortal squeezed Elissa’s thigh. Cassandra leaned in close to her wife. “There was nothing that can top the words we said to each other. The promises we made.”
Elissa couldn’t hide her smile. “And there’s nothing that could top that first time. Even though we keep trying nearly every day.”
The vampire nearly swallowed her tongue. Cassandra definitely was growing bolder with each passing year. It made the immortal wonder what her wife would be like when she was an immortal. When she was basically soulless just like Elissa.
Chapter 48
War. It changes everything. Even though thousands of miles distanced them from the violence, the affects could still be felt.
Being in Salem wasn’t always pleasant. Even though Lily and Yohan lived above the stables and had welcomed a baby boy, Cassandra and Elissa rarely made it to town.
There was the other reason that would bring them to town. Emily was being courted by the teller from the bank. Though there was talk he wanted to join The Union army and fight for what he thought was right.
Elissa was growing weary of the war. Most of their ranch hands had already left to fight in the war. While she and Cassandra could handle things, she didn’t like the state of the country she had come to think of as her home.
Cassandra in the two years since Lily and Yohan had been married had published two books. They didn’t bring much income. That wasn’t the point. Her name was on the spine of a book and she couldn’t be happier.
One way Cassandra could be happier was with The United States. The war had been waged now for just over a year. She was nearing her twenty-first birthday. She would wish for peace with everything she had.
“It’s peaceful.” Elissa and Cassandra sat on the back porch as they did most nights after the few remaining ranch hands and the mortal had eaten. “I wish the entire world could be like this.” The vampire knew that would never happen. But she could still wish for it.
“Yes, it is.” Cassandra leaned her head against her wife’s. “Do you realize that we’ll have been married for six years in a couple months?”
Elissa sighed. “I never thought I’d find anyone, human or immortal, that I’d want to spend my time with. And here you and I’ve been married for more than a half decade.”
“I’ve been thinking.” Elissa stiffened. Whenever her wife did thinking, something usually happened. It was a tossup whether it was positive or negative. “I know you love working with horses. But after I’m turned, we might not be able to remain here for too long.”
The vampire had been thinking along those lines. Already, they had been in Salem for over six years. There was no way to hide the fact Elissa hadn’t aged a moment.
“I’ve thought about it. I was thinking of leaving the ranch to Emily and her beau. If they don’t want it, maybe Lily and Yohan would like it.” Elissa felt the head upon her head nod. “We could move on. I don’t know to where just yet. I just don’t want to go East. I want to stay away from the fighting.”
“Money might be the only issue.” Cassandra felt Elissa stiffen. “I know after I’m turned we won’t require food. But there’s still clothing. You can make most of yours, but I don’t do leather justice like you.”
Elissa laughed at the image of Cassandra in leathers. The only reason the vampire had taken to wearing them was because of her need to feed. The meat, up until she’d left it at the orphanage, had gone to waste. The hide had made for good clothing and boots.
“I don’t think you’d look as good as me in leather.” Elissa felt the poke to her side. “Then again, you look amazing in or out of anything.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Nice save, vampire.” She chuckled. “I do like wearing trousers. I’m hoping that one day it becomes the style of women to wear pants. Wearing dresses is a pain. There’s only one real positive to it.”
The vampire leaned away from her wife. Azure eyes were questioning what could be so positive about having to wear a dress all the time.
Emerald eyes darkened. Still, Elissa was uncertain as to what her wife was referring to. Without any warning, Cassandra was straddling her wife.
Elissa swallowed hard. The scent of Cassandra’s arousal hit the vampire’s nose. An animalistic growl escaped her. “The only thing wrong with this picture is your bloomers. And that we are on the back porch.”
Though the ranch was only down to six ranch hands, anyone of them could approach the house at any time. It would be interesting to attempt to explain.
“Wrap your legs around me.” Elissa placed both her hands beneath Cassandra’s bottom. “Now hold on and enjoy the ride.”
Cassandra happily wrapped her legs around Elissa’s waist. She closed the distance between them and began a sensuous kiss. Her tongue dominated her wife’s.
When Cassandra broke for air, she realized they were already in their bedroom. Elissa had kicked the door shut. They stared into one another’s eyes for the longest of moments.
“I love you. Anywhere you go, I go.” Cassandra kissed her wife tenderly. She moaned into Elissa’s mouth once she recaptured it for a long kiss.
“I love you.” Elissa sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve only lived in a handful of places. But none of them felt like home until I was with you. So yes, wherever you are, that’s home.”
The next kiss informed both they were done speaking with their voices. Kisses, touches, moans and tastes would speak for them.
Elissa reached behind her wife. Why were the tiny buttons in the back of the dress? It made it difficult to put on by one’s self. And it was frustrating to undo those blasted buttons when one wanted to hurry and see their wife naked.
Luckily, Elissa had long ago talked Cassandra out of wearing a corset. The vampire had to undo the buttons, pull Cassandra’s arms out of the sleeves and lift the dress over her head. All that was left would be the damn bloomers, along with the shoes adorning the petite feet.
“Up.” Elissa nearly growled when Cassandra rubbed against her stomach instead of merely raising her hips so that the vampire could pull the bloomers over her hips and down her body.
More tiny buttons were upon Cassandra’s shoes. One day someone would invent shoes that didn’t need so many blasted tiny buttons.
Naked. It was how Elissa loved to see her wife. Of course she knew that Cassandra wanted to see the same. Before her mortal could blink, the vampire had undressed and had Cassandra straddling her waist once again.
Elissa was in a playful mood tonight. She moved with speed. She was leaning against the backboard. Her wife was facing away from her. The vampire had her legs wrapped around a petite waist.
“I love the feel of your breasts pressed against my back.” Cassandra leaned into her lover’s touch.
She moaned when Elissa’s long arms reached around her and gently began massaging firm breasts.
“Not as much as I love feeling you pressed against my core.” Elissa was panting. It was one of those moments when the vampire thought it ironic she seemed to be breathing.
“I don’t know about that.” Cassandra leaned her head to the side. It gave Elissa the opportunity to begin kissing and nipping tender flesh.
“I know we bring out the best in one another.” Elissa nipped a convenient earlobe. She breathed into Cassandra’s ear. “Whether it’s when we make love or just life itself. You are so amazing to me.”
So much for not using their words. Cassandra felt Elissa’s hands begin to wander. She knew exactly where one would end up. She swallowed as teeth nibbled and a tongue stroked her earlobe.
Elissa leaned back more so that she had access to the golden curls. Instead of instantly entering Cassandra, she slowly ran her fingers through those blonde curls.
Cassandra’s hips began to move of their own volition. Still, Elissa’s finger would not move into the hot liquid she knew was just below the surface.
When Cassandra’s hips began to nearly buck wildly, Elissa decided it was time to slowly enter her wife. She continued to nibble and lick on an earlobe. She would concentrate on one then switch to the other.
The vampire’s left hand was squeezing Cassandra’s left breast. On occasion, she would rub her palm over the hardened nipple. When she began stroking her wife’s clit, Elissa began to pinch the nipple.
Elissa’s eyes closed as the firm backside was thrusting against her causing friction against her own growing need. There were a few times when the vampire had to contain the growl or the desire to bite the tender flesh of Cassandra’s neck.
One day soon Elissa would bite that flesh. She would do more than that. She would feed on Cassandra’s blood. At the same time, she would have her wife feed on her blood from her wrist.
The thought of turning Cassandra nearly had Elissa lose control. In fact, her fangs descended. Small punctures were made on the mortal’s neck.
Bonded Souls Page 30
