Elsa stepped toward him. “Are you all right?”
“Don’t.” Greta pulled her back. “He’s still a berserker. You saw how vicious he was.”
“He was protecting us,” Elsa insisted. “He would never hurt us.”
Howard’s heart swelled. She still trusted him. Even though he’d been forced to kill in front of her.
She ran toward him. “Thank you, Howard.”
He took her hand in his. “Guardian of the Forest. I will protect you for as long as I live.”
She smiled, her eyes glimmering with tears. “Berserker, I will love you for as long as I live.” She touched his face. “With no regret.”
Epilogue
Five days later on Friday night, Elsa drove Greta and Ula to Dragon Nest Academy for the small party Shanna had planned.
“Oh my!” Greta peered out the window as they parked in front. “What a huge mansion!”
“It’s a school for special children,” Elsa explained.
“You mean berserkers?” Ula asked as she gawked at the impressive building.
“There are all kinds of children and adults here,” Elsa said. “As far as I can tell, they’re like one big happy family.”
Howard exited the front door and came down the stairs to welcome them. He looked dashing in a suit and tie. Ula kissed his cheek, and he grinned.
Greta shook his hand. “So you’re the head of security here?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be happy to take you on a tour later. But for now, we need to go to the party. It’s already started.” He took an aunt on each arm and led them along the front of the building.
Elsa walked alongside them, amused at how much he was buttering up her aunts.
He glanced at her and winked. “The party’s in the gymnasium. That’s the biggest room we have around here.”
“I thought it was going to be a small affair,” Elsa said.
He snorted. “When these guys party, everybody shows up.”
“And some of them are vampires?” Greta asked.
“Yes, ma’am. But they’re very friendly.”
Elsa bit her lip to keep from grinning. She and Howard had decided it was best to let her aunts know what kind of world she was marrying into. The women had taken it in stride, probably because they weren’t exactly normal themselves.
She gasped when they entered the gym. A crowd of people bustled about, talking and laughing. Colorful balloons floated along the high ceiling. She did a double take. Yes, that was Tino, floating in the air, laughing and batting the balloons around.
A buffet table ran the length of one wall. Round tables were set up, leaving an open area in the middle for dancing, and a stage had been erected at the end of the room. A band was warming up.
“We’re going to have live music?” Elsa raised her voice to be heard over the noise.
Howard nodded. “Those are the High Voltage Vamps. They play at all the parties.”
A wave of exclamations swept across the gym as everyone realized the guests of honor had arrived. They lined up to meet Elsa and her aunts.
Howard introduced one couple after another. Phil and Vanda. Austin and Darcy. Emma and Angus. The line went on and on.
“I’ll never remember all these people,” Elsa whispered to Howard.
“You will in time.”
“Welcome!” Shanna’s mother, Darlene, ran toward them and hugged Elsa. “I’m so excited for you. A wedding!” She turned to Greta and Ula. “Aren’t you excited?”
Ula nodded. “Ja. Howard is a good catch.”
Greta smiled. “I’m just relieved Elsa is safe now.”
Darlene nodded. “And you don’t have to guard her every day. Why, we could go shopping!”
“For yarn?” Greta’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Darlene grabbed Greta, and the two walked off to discuss knitting patterns.
“Hi!” Tino bounced up to them, a cookie in his hand.
Elsa hugged him. “I saw you on the ceiling.”
He laughed and looked at Aunt Ula. “You want to know where the cookies are?” He took her hand and led her toward the buffet.
More couples came to meet Elsa. Toni and Ian. Robby and Olivia. Phineas and Brynley. Connor and Marielle.
Elsa leaned close to Howard. “All those women are expecting?”
“Yes.” He gave her a sly look. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”
She snorted. As if she needed a pair of bear cubs. But if they turned out as cute as Jimmy and Jesse, that wouldn’t be bad. Not bad at all. She glanced at Howard, who was watching her with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “I could be persuaded.”
He grinned. “I can be very persuasive.”
She swatted his shoulder.
More people came by. She was shocked to meet the president’s daughter, and even more shocked that Abigail was married to a vampire.
Finally, Elsa was able to sit at a table with her aunts. Darlene joined them with her grandchildren, Tino and Sofia. Howard brought them all plates loaded with food.
“This food is so good!” Greta exclaimed as she bit into a crab cake. “We’re really getting tired of that diner in town.”
“You should live here!” Darlene exclaimed. “I’m sure we can find a room for you.”
Greta pressed a hand to her chest. “You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” Darlene waved a dismissive hand. “Elsa, you should live here, too.”
“Yeah,” Howard agreed. “I’ve got a room for her.”
Elsa snorted, and the ladies laughed.
“We’d better get her married fast,” Ula said.
“You could have the wedding here,” Darlene suggested.
Greta smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
“I will stay until the wedding,” Ula said. “But then I must get back to my island.” She turned to Elsa and Howard. “You must come see me often.”
“We’d love to.” Elsa squeezed her great-aunt’s hand.
A waiter came by and gave all the adults at their table a glass of champagne. Sofia and Tino were given grape juice.
Elsa noticed that even the Undead were receiving champagne flutes. “What are the vampires drinking?”
“It’s called Bubbly Blood,” Howard explained. “Half blood, half champagne, for those special vampire occasions.” He grinned. “And this is one of them.”
“May I have your attention?” Roman spoke into the microphone on the dais, and the room grew quiet. “Thank you for coming. Tonight we welcome some new members to our family—Elsa, Greta, and Ula.” He lifted his glass. “Welcome.”
Everyone cheered and drank.
Elsa looked around with tears in her eyes. All her life, she’d hardly had any family, and now she would have a huge one.
“Congratulations to Howard and his lovely fiancée, Elsa,” Roman continued, and everyone drank.
“I have a toast.” A young male vampire stood. “Here’s to Howard and Elsa for defeating that rotten SOB, Rhett!”
Everyone cheered and drank some more.
“That’s Phineas,” Howard explained. “Rhett bit him, and now he’s part werewolf.”
“Oh, how sad,” Elsa murmured.
Howard smiled. “Not really. He’s married to a werewolf girl, so it all worked out.”
Shanna joined her husband on the dais, and he handed her the microphone. “I wanted to say a few words. As some of you know, I had a little trouble adjusting to being Undead. But after seeing Howard and Elsa struggle to be together, it reconfirmed in my heart how blessed we all are to have found each other. I couldn’t be happier.”
The crowd cheered for her, and Shanna’s face glistened with pink-tinted tears. Her husband kissed her cheek.
“I have some good news, too,” Shanna continued. “It nearly broke my heart to put our house for sale, but guess what? We’re selling it to Austin and Darcy!”
Everyone clapped. Austin and Darcy grinned and waved at Shanna.
“Austin will be the
new head of security at Romatech,” Shanna explained. “And Darcy is working at the Digital Vampire Network in Brooklyn. They’re moving into the house next week with their little boy and another baby on the way. And yes, Tino, they have invited you over to play.”
“Yay!” Tino levitated in the air, and everyone laughed.
Shanna smiled at Howard and Elsa. “You have to admit, I made a great matchmaker.”
Elsa leaned close to Howard and whispered, “Did you really have DVDs of me hidden under your bed?”
He nodded.
“And were you intending to admire me in secret forever?”
He smiled and took her hand. “I had already contacted your station to see where you would be working next. I just didn’t realize it would be down the road.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m so glad you were going to hunt me down.”
“And finally, let me congratulate the happy couple.” Shanna lifted her glass to Howard and Elsa. “May you have a long and happy life together.”
Everyone drank one last toast. Elsa joined them, although her heart sank. This was the only problem she could see in their future. Howard would live for hundreds of years, and she wouldn’t.
“Ja, a long and happy life.” Ula looked at her and smiled.
“That’s true,” Greta said. “Now that you’re no longer in danger, you can live as long as the other guardians.”
Elsa blinked. “What do you mean?”
Greta sipped some champagne. “Your mother was my younger sister, but I never told you that she was thirty years younger than me.”
Ula waved a hand. “You are still very young, Greta.”
Elsa turned to her great-aunt. “How old are you?”
“Four hundred and eighty-two. Or three?” Ula shrugged. “I lose count.”
Elsa’s mouth fell open.
Howard leaned toward her aunts. “Are you telling me Elsa could live for hundreds of years?”
Greta nodded. “It’s part of being a guardian.”
“Oh my gosh.” Elsa pressed a hand to her chest. “You never told me that.”
Ula shrugged. “We weren’t sure you would live very long. Not with the curse.”
“But the curse is gone now,” Greta added. “You can have a long and happy life.”
Elsa looked at Howard. “We can be together for centuries.”
His mouth twitched. “I guess I’d better treat you right.”
“I guess so.”
He leaned close. “How about a tour? I could show you my room.”
She snorted. “You’re an animal.”
“I’m wild about you.”
She glanced around the gym. Everyone was busy partying. “Let’s go.”
About the Author
KERRELYN SPARKS is the New York Times bestselling author of a series that mimics its sexy heroes by refusing to die. Now up to book thirteen, the Love at Stake series spreads laughter worldwide in thirteen different languages. In spite of a tendency to nibble on necks or howl at the moon, Kerrelyn’s vampire and shapeshifter heroes are still wonderfully romantic.
Please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com, where you can read excerpts, play vampire games, or join the forum. Kerrelyn loves hearing from readers, even those who howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Wild About You
Wanted: Undead or Alive
Sexiest Vampire Alive
Vampire Mine
Eat Prey Love
The Vampire and the Virgin
Forbidden Nights With a Vampire
Secret Life of a Vampire
All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire
The Undead Next Door
Be Still My Vampire Heart
Vamps and the City
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
Also Available
The Forbidden Lady
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Wild About You las-13 Page 28
