by Strider, Jez
“I’m going home to have my dessert. This honeymoon has been delayed long enough.” It was a typical Marc response.
The heat in my cheeks told me I was blushing. It’s not that I’m modest, but when surrounded by family there are certain topics to avoid. I’d enjoyed the day, but I was ready to savor my marriage rewards.
Marc turned to look at me with an exasperated expression when we sat down in my car. At the same time we both burst out laughing. “So how was your wedding day? Everything you dreamed of?” He asked me as he shifted into drive, obviously in a hurry to get away from the restaurant.
“Absolutely. Much better than I could have dreamed.” I meant it, too. Aside from a few uneasy moments, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. “Life’s an adventure. I liked the whole excitement of the day and not knowing what was going to happen next.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, apparently. Nothing’s ever predictable with you.”
I slapped his arm playfully, then looked away to hide my grin. “Not funny.”
“How did Fate know you were pregnant?” He asked, after he had finished snickering at me.
It was impossible to know for sure until I had the chance to talk to her. “You know she’s gifted. Maybe it’s something to do with that.” I glanced at him. “Or maybe I have that glow about me that pregnant women get. What do you think?”
“I think she’s full of shit.” He smiled and I nodded. That was for sure. She could be a real troublemaker. Always drama. Of course, I’m sure my friends would say the same thing about me.
We were almost home. To our home. I looked at the mailbox when we pulled up and I thought about the Christmas cards that would arrive addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Hart. I’m not a feminist extremist, but I do have an independent streak. Somehow though, the sanctity of marriage changes me. It’s two people becoming one, sharing a greater identity. I didn’t feel like I was giving up anything, only gaining.
I unlocked the front door and turned the knob. One more second and I would have been inside, but I was pulled back firmly. “Hey!” I cried out.
“Nuh uh. Oh no, you don’t. We do this like in those movies you make me watch.” Marc turned me to the side and picked me up into his arms, carrying me over the threshold easily.
“You know, you’re much more romantic than I give you credit for. I thought you were asleep through all those films.” I expected him to set me down, but he didn’t stop and headed straight for my bedroom. He ignored our pets that were vying for attention and shut the door behind him when we were in the room.
He lay me down on the bed, unbuttoning his shirt with speed. “It’s a special day. Besides, it’s helps me get what I want.”
“Does it now?” Of course it did.
Our clothing was scattered all over the room in a matter of seconds. There was no more time for talk. His mouth was exploring every inch of my body. I reached up and pulled loose the small ponytail, freeing his hair and running my hands through the silky, midnight locks. I’d been many things in my life, but being this man’s wife was by far my favorite and it hadn’t even been a full day yet.
His touch was gentle as he glided his hand along my abdomen, up to my chest. He paused, content to stay with a handful of breast as he kissed my neck. We had started fresh and I could understand the appeal of waiting until marriage to make love. Though I could comprehend the desire, there was no way I could have waited. Marcus was too hot and delicious.
“I won’t hurt the baby, will I?” He whispered into my ear. So that was the hesitation I had sensed from him. His concern made me smile and he looked to me with intensity, waiting for the go ahead.
“Of course not.” And that was all it took. The honeymoon was officially underway.
The following day, high noon sunlight roused me from my slumber. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The digital clock on my nightstand confirmed that it was afternoon. I sat up in the bed slowly and rubbed my eyes. My perceptive feline, hearing my movement, had her paw underneath the bedroom door. She was trying to pull it open. Poor Lucia wasn’t accustomed to being locked out of my bedroom at night.
I glanced at Marcus. He was buried face down on his pillow, still in deep sleep. It was no wonder. We were both exhausted after the busy few days we’d had. I almost lay back down, but by that point my cat had begun meowing. “Fine...” I grumbled to myself, opening my closet and grabbing the first t-shirt I saw. When I pulled open the bedroom door, the cat charged in. You’d think she’d have calmed down after nine years, but she was as spunky as she’d been in her kitten days.
After feeding our pets, I opened the front door to get the newspaper. There’d been no mention in the news of the happenings at Dante’s manor so far. I figured there never would be. It suited me just fine. Thinking of the events brought my hunger to my attention. My mouth ached where my fangs were retracted. I hadn’t fed. When I opened the fridge, I remembered all the blood had been taken by Dante’s goons. The need for businesses like the BDSM club and the jobs of those in the Vampire Society was beginning to become evident. There was no way I could even come close to getting enough nourishment by my old methods of acquiring blood. Feeding from Marcus wouldn’t be enough either. I enjoyed his taste most of all, but the impact on his health would be too great.
“You okay, babe?” A sleepy voice asked from behind me, followed by a yawn.
I’d still been staring into the nearly empty fridge. The food inside was mostly spoiled. It’d been a month since I had lived in my own home. Marcus must have used what little that wasn’t spoiled for breakfast the day before. I turned around to see him standing there in his boxers. His hair was a mess. The welcome sight distracted me from my hunger and I smiled reassuringly. “We don’t have much to eat.”
“Oh.” He went back into the bedroom, returning with his wallet. “I only have eleven dollars.” Our impromptu wedding had pushed aside the truth that we didn’t have much money and many debts. Mortgage, the clinic, car lease and electric, cell phone, and credit card bills to name a few.
We could weather vampire drama, but I knew one of the biggest reasons marriages failed was financial issues. “There’s a little room on my emergency credit card. Let me check the safe.” He followed me as I went into the bedroom, taking down the Venetian painting. I put in the code and opened the small safe. It took me a minute to find the emergency card because it was wedged between old photos. “Got it.” I held it up triumphantly.
Marcus gave a half-hearted smile. “I’m going to see if I can find a job today. I mean, I’m good at what I do. There’s sure to be someone that needs help.”
“Hey, it’ll all work out. I’ll reopen the clinic tomorrow, too.”
“Yeah, I know.” He nodded then walked out of the room. I followed, forgetting to shut the safe. It was a blow to Marc’s pride that he wasn’t supporting me. Some of his old fashioned mindsets I could do without. “I think I’ll get ready and start that job hunt.” He kissed my cheek as he walked by me to the bathroom.
I rummaged around in my kitchen cabinets. There were some strawberry toaster pastries. It wasn’t fancy, but I prepared them for us. I grabbed a couple of sodas to go along with the breakfast…or lunch, if you went by the time of day.
“Breakfast.” I called to my husband as he was getting ready for his job search. Hopefully, a bit of food would perk up his down mood.
As he was getting dressed, I peeked into the bedroom. He paused at the open safe and took out the photos, looking through them one by one. It was a small chronicle of my history. Some of the photos dated back to the early days of modern photography. Silently, I backed away, returning to my task in the kitchen. I had no reason for secrets anymore. He could look at anything in the safe.
He walked up to me in the kitchen and picked me up, sitting me on the counter before giving me a long kiss. His mouth lingered on my neck afterward. “I’m sorry. I just want to take care of my beautiful wife.” His hand reached out and he snatched one of the pastries. “That’s not so bad,
is it? My dad boned out when I was young. He didn’t take care of his family and I don’t want to be like him at all.”
I was about to respond, but he’d grabbed a soda and was heading for the door. “I’ll be back soon. I love you!” He smirked at me before closing the front door behind him.
“Well…then.” I said to myself, still sitting on the counter. My stomach growled, so I picked up the other toaster pastry and took a bite. Food would definitely not sate my real hunger. Curiosity gave me a brief distraction from my thirst for blood. I hopped off the counter and went to check the safe. It was still open and I noticed immediately one of the pictures was missing. Our first one together, one of the four from the photo booth, was gone. He’d taken it to replace the one lost in his old wallet when he was kidnapped. It reaffirmed to me that my past no longer mattered. Just the present and just our love.
There was a familiar knock at the door. I immediately knew who it was. What is Antonio doing here? I asked myself with a sigh, wishing I could just pretend I wasn’t home. Unfortunately, hiding from a vampire isn’t easy. When I opened the door, he was standing there holding a cooler. It struck me as funny to see him in his fancy, expensive clothing holding a blue camping cooler. He gave a quick survey of my living room.
“Where is your fiancé?” Without waiting for my response, he walked into the house. Marcus had been gone for a couple of hours and I’d been putting up the groceries I’d just purchased.
“Job hunting.” I said, returning to my task of storing the food in the cabinets. “He’s my husband now, actually. We were married yesterday.” There was no point waiting to tell my former lover the news, so I just got to the point.
Antonio placed the container on the floor beside the refrigerator. Kneeling down, he flipped off the lid and began stocking the fridge with bottles containing a thick, red substance. He remained silent for a long moment. “Marcus has earned the right to be with you after the way he saved your life. I’m not going to cause any more trouble.”
I’d have been more appreciative of his support if my attention hadn’t been focused on the liquid I so desperately craved. “Hand me one of those.” My arm was already extended before I added. “Please.”
“I knew you’d need to feed, amore.” He shook his head negatively as he gave me one of the containers of blood. “The people of the Manor were ecstatic to donate blood for their Queen.”
Queen? No, thanks. I hated the foolishness and the myth that surrounded my existence. “How is everything going over there since Dante’s death?” I put the bottle to my lips and drank deeply of the crimson lifeblood. It was a relief to be able to consume blood donated by willing parties and I was thankful to the humans who chose to live and serve in the vampire manor. It seemed a weird way to live, but I tried not to judge. To each their own.
I caught Antonio’s gaze fixed intently on me and he immediately looked away. He bent to pick up the now empty cooler and was walking toward the front door. “It’s been a relatively smooth transition. I should go before your husband returns.”
“Wait.” I walked toward him. “Thank you for the blood. I’m glad after everything I can still count on you to look out for me.”
He gave a small nod. “Call me if you need more before the next delivery.”
It was apparent that he was in a hurry to leave and I certainly didn’t want Marc to come in and see him at our home. I had to ask what was weighing on my mind, though. “Taya…have you heard from her?”
“No, I’ve had some of my people looking and inquiring. It seems most likely that she went back home to the Philippines.”
“I hope so. She seemed to be in love with you.” I tried to gage his reaction, but as he often did, he kept his expression neutral. “Were you two a couple? I don’t mean to pry, but I would prefer the truth. I only know what she told me.”
The vampire looked irritated, but I didn’t care. He was always in my business. It was my turn to by nosey. “She tried to pickpocket from me during my travels in the Philippines. If I didn’t have such keen senses she would have succeeded. Father….” Antonio visibly cringed at the mention of our deceased maker. “Dante suggested we kill her for fun, but I told him I admired her beauty and skill in order to save her. It wasn’t a lie. I did appreciate her looks and talent.”
“A thief?” I was only occasionally taking a sip of the blood now. My thirst was nearly quenched. “I knew there was more to her than met the eye, but I didn’t expect a criminal.”
The smile on his face caught me off guard. “How can you be so naïve after all these years? Perhaps you just don’t know women as well as you do men.” He continued before I could reveal how insulted I was by the comment. “Taya is more than a thief. She’s adept at manipulation, specifically seduction. Her weapon of choice is her body but she is also adept with the knife. She’s kind of like the bad version of you.”
I felt like I was tangled in a web of lies. At least I trusted Antonio enough to accept what he told me as truth. And what did he mean by “bad version” of me? I wasn’t exactly a goody-goody.
“But you never fell in love with her despite your admiration?” I asked.
His smile faded somewhat, lingering to hide the sadness in his eyes. “She wasn’t you.” At that moment, I probably would have preferred a lie to his brutal honestly. The simple statement held much weight.
Awkward and deafening silence. Finally, I thought of something to say. “Do you think I have to worry about her coming after me?”
“No. For one thing, she knows I could never love her if she harmed you. Second, well, you’d sense her coming. She is just a human.”
The sound of Marcus’ motorcycle filled me with dread. I knew he’d be angry to find Antonio in our home. Even if I wanted to hide the fact he’d visited, his expensive car was visible and I didn’t know how to explain the blood. I wasn’t going to lie to Marc anyway. I’d agreed to no more secrets and I was sticking to the deal no matter the consequences.
“I wish you would have stopped by when he was home….” I told Antonio as I prepared myself for the worst.
I’d had enough of doors being busted down, so I opened the front door to greet my husband. “Hey, honey….” I said sweetly as I walked out onto the porch and greeted him with a hug and kiss on the cheek. He wrapped his arm around my waist, but I knew he was glaring over my shoulder at our guest.
“You should have told me we were expecting a visitor.” Marcus said through clenched teeth. He was prone to overacting, so I was surprised at his restraint. No cursing or punching…yet.
To my relief, Antonio spoke up. “I was just leaving. With everything that happened, I assumed Evelina would need nourishment.” Marc looked to me, then to the nearly empty container of blood as I released him from the hug.
Marcus shook his head. “Shit, I didn’t even think about it with the wedding and all. You should have said something.” He frowned at me, but I could tell the anger at seeing my ex was fading. “Thanks, man. I’m still getting used to this vamp stuff.” It couldn’t have been easy for him to thank the vampire.
Were they really getting along? I did a double-take.
Antonio gave a small bow. “Congratulations on your nuptials.” Without another word he walked to his car and drove off.
“Can’t leave you alone at all, can I?” Marc asked me as he walked into the house.
I let out an exaggerated sigh to express my frustration as I followed.
Our meal was almost ready. Marc had walked directly to the living room and plopped down heavily onto the sofa, turning on the television. It was hard to tell how angry he was so I gave him space while I cooked. He was an all American eater, so I figured a hamburger might help draw him out of his funk. If food didn’t work, I’d have to resort to the pleasures of plan B. I offered him the plate with my most endearing smile. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to take it.
“Thanks.” He said simply as I grabbed my own serving and sat down beside him.
�
�I understand you being mad.” It was true. I did. He was calmer about the whole ordeal than I would have been if the scene were reversed.
After taking a few bites, he turned his head slightly to look at me. “I’m not mad at you. I’m the one who said it was the past. It’s easy to say all that, but to control the emotions it stirs up. Yeah, not so easy. It sucks more than that damn vampire does.”
“I married you because I love you. You’re very patient. I don’t know how you do it.” He gave a shrug as I spoke. “I mean, if any of your old girlfriends show up, I’m beating the crap out of them. And…I know you’ve had quite a few lovers.”
This made him laugh. “Yeah, I have. Lucky for you, I got it all out of my system.”
It was a relief for the mood in the house to lighten a bit. “Mmhmm. So how did the job hunt go?”
“I talked to this friend of mine. He just lost one of his mechanics so he said I could have the position.” He reached out and took my hand. His eyes were fixed on my engagement ring. “We still need to get our wedding bands.”
“We’ll get them. The material items aren’t important. We have each other.” I smiled and he nodded, but seemed unconvinced.
When we finished our meal, he slipped his arm around me and we cuddled on the couch. It was bliss to mindlessly watch television. Our dog slept on the rug at our feet. The cat curled into the opposing corner of the sofa and fell asleep. Our little family was content and complete.
The real honeymoon would have to wait until we brought our finances under control. I was somewhat disheartened as I drove to the veterinary clinic early the following morning. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the job, but I could have used a little more time to enjoy newlywed bliss. More specifically at a resort in Hawaii.
I drove by Fate sitting on the sidewalk. She waved and I parked around back. The girl had finally talked her mother into letting her take the G.E.D. It was hard to tell if she was tired of school or, if it was as she had told Ashley, too hard to concentrate with the ghosts tormenting her. I noticed her ever changing hair now had long blonde extensions. She jogged toward me excitedly as I came around the front of the building to unlock the door.
