Holly’s cheeks were tired from smiling by the time the last person made it through the reception line. “Most of the people here are going to wonder why we don’t eat, or do the cake-cutting thing.”
Micah glanced around. The guests stood around in clusters, waiting. Taking Holly by the hand, he headed for the buffet table. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. No one’s going to eat until we do.”
Holly frowned as Micah filled his plate. “What are you doing?” she whispered, conscious of the people who had lined up behind them. “You can’t eat that.”
“Not to worry. Saintcrow’s going to work a little vampire magic.”
“Ah.”
Holly followed Micah to the bride’s table. She didn’t miss the knowing look that passed between Micah and Saintcrow.
Later, as the waiters began to clear the tables, the band played Holly’s favorite song and Micah’s father invited the bride and groom onto the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.
“You look wonderful,” Micah said as he took her in his arms.
“So do you.” She glanced around the room, her gaze lingering on the exits. “Do you think he’s here?”
Micah closed his eyes and opened his senses. It took a moment to filter out the scents of perfume, flowers, cologne, and the food and drink from the buffet table. But Braga’s scent was there. Faint, but there.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” Holly asked.
“Yeah. Outside, I think. Not too close.” Micah looked around for Saintcrow, saw him dancing with Kadie on the other side of the room.
Feeling his gaze, Saintcrow looked up. He spoke a few words to Kadie, then circled the floor. “He’s here.”
“We know.”
“So, how do you want to play this?”
“I don’t think he’ll come inside.”
“Not if he’s smart.”
“Shh.” Holly tugged on Micah’s hand. “My mom’s headed this way.”
“It’s time to cut the cake,” Mrs. Parrish said, beaming at her daughter.
“We’ll be right there, Mom.”
“Don’t be long.”
Holly’s mother had no sooner moved away than Micah’s mother hurried toward them. “What’s wrong?”
“Ma . . .”
“Don’t ‘ma’ me, Micah Ravenwood. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
Micah glanced at Holly, who shrugged.
“There’s a man outside. He might cause a little trouble later.”
“A man?” Lena’s eyes narrowed. “You mean a vampire, don’t you?”
Micah nodded. “Just stay inside and try to see that no one leaves.”
Hand in hand, Micah and Holly approached the table holding the wedding cake. Holly forced a smile as friends and family snapped photos.
She cut a small piece of cake and offered it to Micah, who chewed it but didn’t swallow. She did likewise when he fed a piece to her. Then, while everyone was busy at the cake table, Holly grabbed a couple of napkins to hide the uneaten bites and tossed them in the trash.
Micah didn’t miss her nervous glance at the nearby exit.
“Come on,” Micah said. “It’s our big day. Don’t let him spoil it. Let’s dance.”
Holly put thoughts of Braga out of her mind as Micah drew her into his arms.
“Husband,” she murmured. “What a beautiful word.”
“Mrs. Micah Ravenwood sounds mighty good, too.”
She smiled up at him, thinking how much she loved him, how handsome he looked in his tux, and how anxious she was to get him out of it.
His laughter told her he was reading her mind, but she didn’t care. Pulling her closer, he asked, “How much longer do we have to stay?”
“I think we can leave any time.”
“So, what do we do?” Micah asked. “Just sneak out?”
“Or we could just dissolve into mist and disappear,” she said, giggling.
“I’m game if you are.”
“Probably not a good idea. Let’s go start our honeymoon.”
“We never decided where to go.”
“I don’t care, as long as we’re together,” Holly said. “Go tell your mom we’re leaving, and I’ll tell mine. Then we’ll sneak out and meet by the back door.”
“Sounds very James Bond, wife.” He twirled her around, kissed the tip of her nose, then escorted her off the dance floor.
Holly paused to speak to Micah’s brothers and sisters as she made her way through the crowd toward her parents. “Mom, Dad, Micah and I are leaving. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, darling,” Vivian said. “Where are you going on your honeymoon?”
“We haven’t decided.” Holly hugged her mother, then turned toward her father. “I’ll call you when we get back,” she promised.
“Holly, I’m sorry to intrude,” Kadie said, coming up behind her. “But . . . um . . . we’re not quite ready to go yet if it’s all right with you.”
Wondering what was going on, Holly said, “Sure, no problem.”
Holly’s father frowned. “Are they going with you on your honeymoon?”
“No. They’re . . . uh . . . they don’t have a car and we said we’d drop them at their hotel on our way out of town.” It was a lie, of course, but the only one she could think of.
Holly waved to Micah, who hurried toward her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” Holly hugged her parents again, then took Micah’s hand. “He’s here, isn’t he?” she whispered.
He nodded. “You stay here until it’s over.”
“Oh, no you don’t. I’m going with you.”
Micah glanced pointedly at her wedding gown. “You’re really not dressed for a fight, sunshine. Besides, I need you to stay in here with Kadie and make sure no one goes outside until I get back. Get my dad to stand at one of the doors, and you and Kadie guard the other one.”
Seeing the protest rising in her eyes, he kissed the tip of her nose and hurried out the door.
Saintcrow was waiting for him outside.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“I’ll handle this,” Saintcrow said. “It’s me he wants. You go back inside and look after your bride.”
Micah shook his head. “No way. After what he did to Holly, he’s mine.”
“You really think you can beat him?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna try. If I fail . . .” Micah shrugged. “Then he’s yours.”
“It’s your funeral.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Micah muttered, and willed himself to the back of the building.
Braga wasn’t hard to find. He stood in a pale shaft of moonlight, eyes narrowed, meaty hands balled into fists. He snorted when Micah rounded the end of the building. “Didn’t you get enough last time?”
“Let’s get on with it. Or are you gonna talk all night?”
Fangs bared, Braga shambled forward.
Micah took a deep breath. This was the man who had attacked Holly. His rage rose swiftly to the surface, strengthening his resolve as he gathered his power. When Braga struck, he was ready.
As before, it was a silent, bloody battle. Braga was bigger, physically, but Micah was faster, more flexible. He darted in and out, striking hard and fast, then dancing out of the way. Power flowed through him and with it a kind of exhilaration he had never known before. Braga had defeated him the last time. Tonight, the victory would be his.
Time lost all meaning as they came together again and again, claws and fangs rending flesh.
Micah slipped out of Braga’s grasp and the two men glared at each other across six feet of concrete stained with blood.
“You’re dead!” Braga hissed the words as he pounded his fists together.
Micah shook his head. “Not tonight.” He flexed his arms and shoulders, then flew at Braga, a wild cry erupting from his throat as his claws sank deep into Braga’s chest and ripped out the vampire’s heart.
Breathing hard, he s
tared at the body at his feet, then dropped the heart beside it.
A moment later, Saintcrow appeared beside him. “Hell of a fight.” He clapped Micah on the shoulder. “For a while there I wasn’t sure you’d survive.”
“You watched it?”
“Hell, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “We have another problem. Let’s get the girls and get out of here and I’ll tell you all about it.”
* * *
Holly knew something was wrong the minute she saw Saintcrow’s face. “Where’s Micah?”
“He’s fine. He’s waiting outside.”
“Is he all right?”
“Yeah, just a little bloody.”
“What about Braga?” Kadie asked.
“He’s dead.” Saintcrow looked at Holly. “We need to talk. Go tell your folks good-bye and let’s get out of here.”
* * *
“You what?” Holly stared at Saintcrow. “How could you?” They were in the back of the limo. Saintcrow had instructed the driver to just drive around for an hour.
“I found a young man in the alley, bleeding out. Apparently Braga waylaid him when he got out of his car, dragged him into the alley, and had a little snack. Turns out the kid is your cousin. Ethan?”
“And you turned him?” Holly shook her head. She couldn’t begin to imagine her cousin as a vampire.
Saintcrow shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”
“Where is he now?”
“I took him to Blair House and locked him inside.”
“But . . . you can’t just let him wake up tomorrow night with no idea what happened!” Holly exclaimed.
“I wouldn’t do that to him,” Saintcrow said. “I’ll be there when he wakes up.”
Holly nodded. Saintcrow’s sire had abandoned him. He knew all too well what it was like. “I don’t know what to say, what to think. He’s the most unlikely person in the world to be a vampire. Well, I guess I won’t be introducing him to Sofia now.”
“Why not?” Micah asked with a wry grin “My sister’s crazy about vampires.”
* * *
An hour later, the limo driver parked in front of the Ravenwood house. Micah retrieved their luggage while Kadie and Holly hugged.
Saintcrow slid out of the car. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a wad of cash that would have choked a horse. “Have a good time on me.”
“I can’t take all that!” Micah exclaimed. “There must be a couple thousand dollars there.”
“Consider it a wedding gift. See you when you get home.”
Holly and Kadie hugged one last time, and then the limo pulled away from the curb.
“I need to get out of these clothes,” Micah remarked, opening the front door. “How about you?”
“No way. I’ll only wear this dress once, and I’m not ready to take it off.”
“No?”
The look in his eyes sent a rush of heat spiraling through Holly. Batting her eyelashes at him, she said, “Maybe when we get to wherever we’re going.”
“Maybe?”
“Where are we going, Micah? We never decided.”
“Any place you want is fine with me, as long as they’ve got a big bed.”
“I’ve always wanted to see New York City,” Holly said. “Visit Times Square and the Empire State Building. Climb the Statue of Liberty. Go to a Broadway show. Shop at Bloomingdale’s.”
“I think I can arrange that.” He took her hand in his and pulled her close enough to kiss her without getting blood on her dress. “Don’t go away, sunshine. I’ll be back in a flash.”
* * *
Pulling away from the Ravenwood house, Kadie rested her head on Saintcrow’s shoulder. “So, what are you going to do about Holly’s cousin?”
“Keep him in Morgan’s Creek? Find him a live-in snack? We’ve got lots of empty houses.”
Kadie elbowed him in the ribs, hard. “You’re not going to start that all over again, Mr. Saintcrow.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “What was I thinking?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know. He’s Holly’s cousin. I couldn’t just let him die. He was too far gone for a doctor to do any good.” He shrugged. “What’s done is done.”
“You know he’s probably going to hate being a vampire.”
“I know. Dammit!” He blew out an exasperated sigh. “What do you say we go grab a bite before heading home? I’m thinking we’ll need all of our strength when Cousin Ethan wakes up tomorrow night.”
* * *
It took less than ten minutes for Micah to shower and dress in clean clothes.
“Much better,” Holly said as he came down the stairs.
“Ready?” Micah asked.
When she nodded, he picked up their suitcases, then took her hand in his. The next thing Holly knew, they were in front of the Crowne Plaza.
“You said you wanted to see Times Square,” Micah said, grinning. “Here we are.”
“I hope they have a vacancy.”
“Honey, thanks to Saintcrow’s generosity, we can afford the best room in the place.”
Holly didn’t know if the suite they were given was the best or not, but at over eight hundred dollars a night, she decided the view of Times Square, the king-sized bed, enormous TV, and spacious bathroom almost made it worth the price.
Micah had no sooner put their suitcases down than there was a knock at the door.
When he opened it, a bellboy handed him a large gift basket containing a bottle of chilled champagne and a pair of crystal flutes.
“Compliments of the Crowne Plaza,” the young man said. “And congratulations.”
Micah smiled as he accepted the basket, then handed the bellboy a crisp hundred-dollar bill.
“Thank you, sir! If there’s anything else you need . . .”
“We’ll call you,” Micah said. “Until then, would you please make sure we aren’t disturbed?”
“Yessir!” the bellboy said with a knowing wink. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Micah closed the door, then placed the basket on the table beside the sofa.
“So, Mrs. Ravenwood, here we are, alone at last.”
Holly nodded as a flush of anticipation warmed her cheeks.
“Are you ready to get out of that dress yet?” he asked, his voice a low growl of impatience.
“Would you like to help me?” she asked with a coy wink.
“Is that a trick question?”
“Micah, I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice!”
Moving behind her, he kissed his way down her bare back to the first silk-covered button. He unfastened it slowly, his tongue stroking her skin, undoing one after another until the gown pooled at Holly’s feet, leaving her clad in nothing but a lacy white bra and bikini panties.
“One of us is overdressed,” Holly said as she slid his jacket over his shoulders and tossed it on a chair. In no time at all, she had him stripped to his briefs.
Murmuring, “I married a hussy,” he swung her into his arms and carried her to bed. He made short work of her bra and panties, tossed his briefs on the floor, then wrapped her in his arms.
“I love you, Micah. I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”
“No more than I love you.” He kissed her brow, the tip of her nose. “I didn’t want to fall in love again,” he admitted. “After Shirley, I vowed the next time I fell in love, it would be with a vampire.” He laughed softly as he nipped her earlobe. “And what do you know? I did.”
“And I’m so glad.”
His hands moved over her, working their familiar magic. They had made love before, but never like this, she thought as she surrendered to his touch. He was hers now, forever hers, as she was his.
She explored his hard, muscular body as if it were the first time, reveling in his kisses, caressing him as he caressed her, taking and giving, pledging her love with every touch, every word, until the sun stole the s
tars from the sky. With a last lingering kiss, she slipped into oblivion.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Saintcrow woke an hour before the setting of the sun. Pulling on a pair of jeans, he left his lair and walked up the hill to Blair House. He paused at the door, his gaze sweeping the neat rows of homes in the town below. All but Shirley’s were starting to show signs of neglect—gardens filled with dead flowers, lawns that needed mowing, weeds that needed pulling. Perhaps he should just bulldoze the lot of them. Maybe level the whole damn town. Except for meeting Kadie, he had no good memories of this place. It often surprised him that the spirits of those who had died here rested in peace. Or maybe they didn’t. Kadie claimed to have felt something cold and clammy near the graveyard. Micah believed he’d seen Shirley’s ghost.
Saintcrow blew out a sigh. Hell, he thought as he removed the wards from the front door of the old mansion. Anything was possible.
* * *
Ethan woke in a dark room with no recollection of how he’d gotten there or where he was. Pain clawed at his vitals, threatening to rip his insides to shreds. His body felt strange, alien. Empty. Not the way it did when he was hungry. But kind of hollow, like the Tin Man.
He sat up, his gaze sweeping the room, which was empty save for the bed beneath him. There were cracks in the ceiling. The paint was peeling around the door.
Ethan frowned. How could he see minor things like that in the dark?
He ran his hand over the blanket, feeling every stitch, the tightness of the weave.
How was that possible? And how could the colors look so vibrant when the room was pitch black?
Where the hell was he? Had he been kidnapped?
He heard footsteps outside the door. Friend or foe? He scrambled to his feet, determined not to let his fear show.
A tall man stood in the doorway. His hair was inky black, his eyes like deep pools of ebony. A thin white scar ran from the outer corner of his left eye and down his cheek until it disappeared under his shirt collar.
“What am I doing here?” Ethan demanded. “If you don’t let me go, I’ll have you arrested for assault and kidnapping.”
“Yeah? I’d like to see you try.”
“I’ll be leaving now.”
“You think so?”
Ethan took a step toward the door. Then, seeing the warning in the man’s eyes, he changed his mind. “What do you want with me?”