Clara put her hand on his knee and squeezed. It was still hard to believe that it had ever been injured. It had healed completely when he drank her blood, never once giving him another problem.
After he finished his second plate of food, he looked around, noticing that everyone else had barely dug into their own food.
The sound of a glass clanging caught his attention. Clara turned to him. "You know what that means." She kissed him.
Another glass made noise, and he kissed her.
Glasses sang from all around the room. Laughing, they gave each other a bunch of kisses.
Chapter 34
CLARA LOOKED AT William across the hall, sitting with his family, talking. She was wandering through the crowd, making conversation with everyone she came across, even though she didn't know a lot of them. The last thing she wanted was to be one of those rude brides that people always complained about these days, especially in circles like William's.
She turned around and found herself face to face with the Fergusons. She gave Jack and Janet both a big hug. "I can't thank you enough for everything. You guys have gone far above the call of duty as foreign exchange parents."
Janet gave her another hug, tears gleaming in her eyes. "You're more than just a foreign exchange student. That role ended a long time ago. You've given so much back to us as well, especially with all the trouble we've had with Alexis." She blinked several times, obviously trying to keep the tears from falling. "I wish she could have been here for you today. I know how close you two used to be."
Jack wrapped his arms around his wife. "Hopefully, she'll return one of these days." He turned to Clara. "Like she said, we're so glad we could be here for you today. You've been like a daughter to us, and if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Although we know you're in good hands."
They all looked over at William standing with his own family. Clara nodded. "That I am."
"Are you two still planning on moving to Boston in the fall?" Janet asked.
Clara nodded. "He's going to Harvard and then the plan is to come back here and he'll practice law in his dad's firm."
Janet put her hand on Clara's arm. "You're always so cold. Do you need a sweater?"
"No. I feel great."
She hugged Clara, sighing. "I never would have guessed that we would have had so many problems with Alexis. She was such a good girl before high school." She shook her head. "But somehow you always manage to step in when she's not here."
Clara smiled, ignoring her own pain from her cousin's absence. "I'm just glad to help. With my own family being gone, you guys have been wonderful to me. Not once have I felt like an orphan."
Tears spilled down Janet's face. She wrapped Clara in another hug. Clara had to hold back her own tears, not wanting to mess up her makeup. They still had to take pictures since she had insisted on William not seeing her in the dress until she walked down the aisle.
She was very much a modern girl, but some of her two-hundred-year-old roots never left. She had always dreamed of walking down the aisle, not seeing her groom in his tux nor him seeing her in her dress before. It had been as perfect as she had always hoped.
Janet stepped back, wiping her eyes. "We shouldn't keep you."
Looking uncomfortable, Jack gave her another hug. "You know how I hate everything emotional, but know that I agree with everything she said."
Clara smiled and gave him an enthusiastic hug. "I know you do."
Natalie ran up to them. "I know you guys are having a moment, but it's time for the first dance. That would be you and William." She stared at Clara, tugging on her arm.
Giving a little wave, Janet smiled. "Don't let us stop you. Dance with your husband."
Clara's ears danced at hearing William being called her husband. Would she ever get used to that?
Natalie dragged her across the room until they were standing in the cleared-out dance floor. Only a few tables remained along the edges of the room. Natalie waved at William, who was busy talking with his father. His mom saw her waving and got William's attention. He turned around and broke into a smile when he saw Clara.
Once again, Natalie waved him over and then she signaled to the DJ. Clara and William's favorite song played.
William looked at Clara, pulling her close. "How did Natalie know?"
"She pays attention to details."
"Are we supposed to slow dance to this?"
"I don't see how. Let's just have fun. This is our wedding, after all."
They danced, not taking their eyes off each other. Clara could hear their friends shouting, encouraging them to keep going. They obviously loved that Clara and William were having fun and not worrying too much about the traditions.
When that song was over, another of Clara's favorites played through the speakers. The wedding party came onto the dance floor, pulling the two apart. Clara danced with each of the groomsmen while William danced with the bridesmaids, although Clara was pretty sure that he didn't take his eyes off her the entire time.
The rest of the reception went by without a hitch, everything going perfectly. He kept asking when they would be able to leave. She poked him each time, knowing that he was just eager to have her to himself. She was looking forward to their honeymoon as well, but she wanted to enjoy the reception while it lasted.
They fed each other cake, both being careful not to smash it. Then they threw the garter and the bouquet, although Natalie had snuck out the real one and replaced the one that Clara threw with a duplicate. She was going to dry Clara's bouquet for her while she was on the honeymoon. Clara had been in charge of the same bait-and-switch for Natalie's wedding.
Almost as soon as the reception had started, Clara found herself standing next to William outside, watching a limo pull up. All the guests pulled out fancy, little bubble containers and blew bubbles as they made their way to their ride. The groomsmen ran out with the luggage, putting it in the trunk.
Clara and William stood up, standing half inside the limo and half outside through the sunroof. They waved at their friends and William's family until the club was out of sight.
William slid down inside the car, pulling Clara with him. He confirmed that the driver was taking them to the right hotel before closing the window between them and him. He turned to Clara. "I finally have you all to myself."
"That you do." She smiled, reaching for some champagne.
He grinned. "I like the way you think." He reached for the glasses.
She popped the cork and it flew across the length of the car, hitting a window and bouncing to the floor. They both laughed and then she poured the bubbly drink into their glasses. They drank, talked about the wedding, and watched the scenery outside.
The limo stopped as they were about to exit Delphic Cove. The town had built a wall surrounding itself over the year since the last attacks. After the bombings, there had been more attacks around the country, but they authorities had eventually discovered that they had been from the ground and not the air.
Delphic Cove had been one of the earliest towns to build a wall, and as a result, it was one of the places that had remained the most intact. There were a lot of places that had been leveled by the attacks. The places that hadn't been, followed the example of Delphic Cove and built protective walls.
The guards at the city entrance, walked up to the limo. He already had all the necessary paperwork, so they were able to exit without any issues.
Clara leaned her head against William's shoulder. "I wish we were moving back to England. They've managed to stay neutral and there's no destruction over there."
He kissed the top of her head. "I hear that Boston is in good shape too. It might even be better off than Delphic Cove, since they weren't hit in the original attacks."
"Well, maybe someday, we can get back to England."
"Maybe."
She sighed. It was a discussion they'd had multiple times. As much as he enjoyed it over there, he wanted to be back home, working with his dad. "A
s long as we're together. That's really all I could ask for. I can't believe you're my husband now. It feels so weird to say that."
He smiled. "I know what you mean, my wife."
Clara kissed him. "I like the sound of it, though."
"As do I." The scent of his love encircled her, and she knew without a doubt that he meant it.
"How long is the drive?"
He stretched, smiling. "You'll want to get comfortable."
"You still won't tell me where we're going?"
William shook his head. "It's a surprise. But I know you're going to love it."
"As long as you're there, I know I will."
He pulled her so close she could feel every curve of his body. They held their eye contact for a moment before she closed her eyes and kissed him like she had been wanting to since she saw him standing there in his tux when she stood at the end of the aisle. With her eyes closed and kissing him, she found the buttons on his shirt and began unbuttoning.
Chapter 35
CLARA LOOKED FROM the magnificent waterfall over to William. He looked especially handsome in the moonlight. Sitting at the bottom of Snoqualmie Falls, the stars shone brighter than usual, adding to the romance.
She took his hand and snuggled closer, wrinkling the blanket underneath them. "I'm so glad we decided to hike down here now, while everyone else is sleeping. It's almost magical."
"It is. Although, I thought it was just because I was with you."
"Oh, stop."
He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm serious."
She leaned her head against him. As she watched the water cascade down, she replayed the wedding in her mind. It didn't feel real yet. She had to pinch herself each time she thought about being married to William.
His heart picked up speed and the scent of nervousness wrapped around her. She sat up, looking around. Did he sense danger? She should be able to sense anything long before him. His eyes were full of concern.
"Are you okay? Not having second thoughts, I hope."
William took her hand. "Never."
The smell of his fear grew stronger and his heart sped up even more. She squeezed his hand. "Then what's wrong?"
"How do you always know?"
She shrugged. "I'm just in tune to you."
He appeared convinced, but didn't say anything. He looked over at the waterfall, giving off more nervousness.
Clara's mouth was going to start watering soon, but she was concerned enough about what was bothering him that it wasn't yet. She squeezed his hand and gave him space. Of course she wanted to know what he was thinking about, but she didn't want to push him.
She watched the water as it fell into the water below. The sounds were soothing, and she focused on those rather than whatever William didn't want to talk about. It reminded her of the woods she had grown up in. She and her sister, Samantha, had spent countless hours as children wandering through the forest, exploring and watching the waterfalls they found. None even came close to this one, but they did manage to find a lot over the years.
Being that they were vampire children, they were stronger and better able to protect themselves if and when trouble came, so their parents were glad to give the opportunity to get out and spread their wings.
The only times that Clara and Samantha really ever got along was when they came across water. There was something soothing about it. Their parents said it was because vampires descended from the Asrai, powerful and wise water faeries. The two girls would sit by a stream or waterfall for hours, just talking.
William sat up straight and took a deep breath, bringing Clara back to the present. She turned to look at him. He was still as worried as before, if not more. She bit her tongue to keep from asking if he was okay. Instead, she squeezed his hand again and told him that she loved him.
He took another deep breath and swallowed. He ran his free hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "Will you turn me into a vampire?"
"What?"
William looked away. "I knew you'd think I'm crazy."
"No. No, it's nothing like that. I'm surprised, that's all. I didn't even know you were considering it."
He looked back at her, looking shy. "I want to be like you, and more than that, I want to be with you forever. I don't want to grow old while you stay young—not that I care what people think. I don't want to grow old if you're not. I always thought I would grow old with someone, but I like the idea of staying young forever with you."
"Do you know what's involved with becoming like me?"
"I drank your blood when I was poisoned, remember? It wasn't so bad. And besides, I see you. You manage to live a full life, walking around among humans, helping them, even."
She looked into his eyes, taking a deep breath of her own. "Young vampires have strong urges, William. The blood thirst can be overwhelming at times. You might have to be away from people for a while, at least until you can gain control."
"You'll be around to help me, and I can drink your blood, can't I?"
"Drinking vampire blood is more like dessert. We can't survive off it, and usually, only those involved romantically drink each other's blood. Most of the time, it isn't nearly as satisfying. It can add to the love experience, but it's not sustenance."
He nodded. "Still, with you at my side, we can make it work. I see how you treat me like I'm fine China—that you could break me with one wrong move. I want to be equal to you on every level. Not because I'm power-hungry, but because we're a team. We're together for life now, my life at least." His eyes were full of pain.
Clara could tell that he had put a lot of thought into this. She held both of his hands. "Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of forever with you. I want to make sure you really know what you're getting into. We haven't really spent much time with other vampires. You met my cousin a while back, but that's about it."
"What about that teacher she was dating? There's no way he's only human."
"No, he's not. He's a werewolf."
His eyes widened. "They exist too?"
She nodded.
"So they're not your enemy?"
"It's complicated, but long story short, he's the leader of peace-loving wolves, so as much as it annoys me, he's actually an ally."
"He irritates you?"
"Not personally. I never did like him just because of the werewolf thing, but I really had issues with him dating Alexis."
William nodded, looking as though he was taking it in. "Are there other mythical creatures too?"
"You would be surprised."
"Like what?"
"Everything you ever read about in faerie tales existed at one point. I've consulted faeries and witches. I've ridden unicorns and fought more creatures than I care to think about."
He sat a little taller. "It sounds exciting. So, will you let me join your world?"
"You're already in my world."
"You know what I mean. I want to become like you."
She looked into his eyes. They were practically begging her to say yes. "Don't you want to get your law degree and work with your father?"
"Can't I have both?"
"It'll take some time for you to adjust to the new life. I'll need to train you and help you. You'll have to trust me and listen to me, even if you don't think I make sense or am being fair."
"I trust you."
Clara sighed. "You might not when you're overwhelmed with the desire for blood."
"No, I definitely trust you, Clara. You've lived this life a long time. I'll listen to you, I promise."
"That's what you think now. Why don't you finish school, and I'll introduce you to more of my kind. We'll wait until you have more time to adjust to the lifestyle."
"We have the entire summer ahead of us. We're honeymooning. What better excuse is there for hiding away from the world for a little while? Will you do it? Will you turn me into a vampire?"
She stared at him, taking in the eagerness written over his face. The scent of nerv
ousness had been replaced with excitement. "You really want this."
"Yes."
"There's no turning back."
"I know."
She sat tall, looking deep into his eyes. "The transition process can be painful."
"I'm not scared, Clara. I can do this—and more than that, I want to. It'll make us closer."
Clara thought back to her own transition. The wild cravings had turned her into someone else for a while. She had been selfish, rude, conceited, and temperamental. Oh, the temper of a new vampire.
Every vampire going through their transition went through all of it. Some parents even sent their kids away because they didn't want to deal with them. Often other vampires would avoid a household that had a transitioning vampire.
It wasn't that long ago when she had helped Alexis through her transition period. The immaturity of it all was fresh on Clara's mind. But she had helped Alexis and even enjoyed it because she adored her favorite little cousin.
She loved William with every fiber of her being. If she could get Alexis through it, then she could do it for William. She had introduced him to herself and the reality of vampires.
"Will you do it?" he asked.
"If it's what you really want, then yes. I'll be there for you every moment, and we'll get through this together."
"Can you turn me right now?"
"This moment?"
He nodded.
"You're going to be unconscious, well dead, actually, for close to six hours. I think we'd be better off in the hotel room. Are you sure this is how you want to spend our wedding night?"
"Can you think of a better way to consummate our marriage?"
Clara imagined living their lives together as vampires and smiled. "Nothing could make me happier."
"Wait. What about sunlight?"
"No worries. The sun blessing runs through my blood and it will be passed onto you when I turn you with my blood."
"Is there another way?"
She nodded. "The easy way is with venom. Careless vampires have unknowingly turned their victims, leaving them to survive on their own devices. But that would only turn you into a common vampire. I want you to be royalty along with me."
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