“That would be a mistake,” Aden rumbled, and Christian noted the amused glances that some of the others gave him. There was a history there. Christian would have to find out what it was.
“Will she call if she needs help?” Duncan asked quietly.
“Eventually,” Raphael replied darkly. “I just hope it’s not too late.”
“Well, gentlemen,” Vincent said, standing from his place near the doors. “This has been fun, but I’ve got a wedding to attend, and a bride who’s waiting for me. So, welcome to the club, Christian. Now, let’s go party.”
“SHE LOOKS SO beautiful,” Natalie said, sniffing quietly. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue, and rested her head against Christian’s shoulder.
Christian lowered his chin to look down at her. “You don’t even know her,” he murmured.
As if that mattered. Lana Arnold was a bride. But even in a world where all brides were beautiful, she stood out. Her dress was in the romantic style, gorgeous ivory lace with wide, off-the-shoulder lace straps. It was fitted through the bodice and down to her knees, where it ended in a mermaid swirl that trailed into a short train. Her veil was mantilla style, sheer silk that flowed down to her knees, with a matching lace trim. The ivory color was beautiful against her mocha skin, and her hair beneath the veil was a flow of black silk that rivaled the veil for beauty.
But it wasn’t her beauty that brought tears to Natalie’s eyes. It was the glow of happiness she radiated as she started down the aisle on her father’s arm. She had eyes for no one but Vincent, and he had the same for her. If Natalie hadn’t known better, if she hadn’t known that Vincent was a tough-as-nails vampire lord, she might have thought she was seeing a sheen of tears in Vincent’s eyes, too.
A low chuckle rumbled from Christian’s chest as he shifted to put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head, and whispered, “You’re far more beautiful, mon amour.”
That did nothing for the state of her emotions. A new rush of tears welled, and Natalie opened a fresh pack of tissues. At this rate, she’d have no mascara left by the end of the evening. On her other side, Marc gave a suspicious cough that sounded a lot like laughter. She gave him a narrow glance, and his return look was one of wide-eyed innocence. She rolled her eyes. As if.
Up at the front of the room, the couple were exchanging their vows. It was short and sweet, just the way she liked it, and soon, the officiant was pronouncing them husband and wife. They exchanged a passionate kiss that brought everyone to their feet with cheers, then bells were ringing, and Natalie was crying all over again.
Christian hugged her against his chest. She could feel his body shaking with laughter, but she didn’t care. She was where she wanted to be, in his arms. And very soon, she’d be the one walking down the aisle on her father’s arm, with her Uncle Clovis presiding. Christian would have to meet her family before then, of course. But everything would be fine. As long as they were together, they’d always be fine.
“Je t’aime, Natalie,” Christian whispered. And that was all that mattered.
Epilogue
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
SOPHIA STARED at the picture, her hands shaking so much that the image blurred. She was furious, but she was also scared to death. They had Colin. She didn’t know how this had happened. Colin was deadly, a warrior from head to toe. He was invincible. She scolded herself, knowing that last one wasn’t true. No one was invincible, not even her. But Colin was never alone, never without vampire guards. So, how had they’d gotten to him?
The answer was as enraging as it was bitter. Someone had betrayed him, betrayed them both. Someone who was close enough to Colin that he’d trusted him. Trusted him enough to have dismissed his other guards and met alone with the traitor.
She studied the picture again, and her heart broke. They’d beaten him, at least. And probably done far worse things that she couldn’t see. There were horrible things a vampire could do to a human, terrible ways of torturing not just his body, but his mind. Her Colin was tough. He was a Navy SEAL, trained by the best to withstand torture, to resist attempts to get information out of him. But no one was invincible, she repeated to herself.
She put the awful picture down, and her hand hovered over the phone. She needed help, and didn’t know whom among her own people she could trust. If one was a traitor, couldn’t there be others? She needed to call Raphael. She could no longer pretend that the other vampire lords didn’t know something was wrong. They’d have missed her at the challenge launch in the South, and at the Council meeting in Mexico to welcome Christian Duvall as the new Southern lord. Hell, if nothing else, Cynthia Leighton had been calling Colin nonstop, and getting no response. She’d have brought her concerns to Raphael by now.
And wasn’t this exactly what their new and historic alliance had been crafted for? For when everything was on the line, and one of them needed help? There might be a price. But there was no price she wouldn’t pay to save Colin’s life and sanity.
It was Colin himself who worried her the most, however. He would never betray her. He’d die first.
And that was what terrified her. That he’d die before she got there.
She picked up the phone and called Raphael.
To be continued . . .