Blood and Hexes (After Darkness Falls #4) - May Sage Page 0,6

license. They'd gotten hitched. Without them. Without even telling anyone!

"They're out of Oldcrest!" Chloe shrieked, affronted. She turned to Levi, who was typing on his cell. Chloe pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You knew! You knew they were going to slip away and do this!"

Levi shrugged. "They let me know they were popping out to sign the papers today, yes. What was I supposed to say? Although you're a nine-hundred-year-old ancient and your mate can rip off heads without breaking a sweat, you cannot get married when you damn well want to? You know no one stops Alexius or Avani from doing what they want to."

"That's not the point!" Her voice was reaching an all-time high. "I can't believe they're getting married without us!"

"They didn't want to make a fuss. Avani grew up in the mortal world, and to her, marriage means something. Alexius wanted to give her that. But neither of them is the whole white dress, big party type."

"Oh, they will get a party, mark my words!" Chloe snarled, stalking to her mate, and grabbing him by the tie. "And if you think for one second that you and I are going to pop by the courthouse for a quick signature someday, you're mistaken. I want a tiara. I want an altar. I want a train, a flower girl, bridesmaids, bouquets, something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. And I will get it."

Mikar had seen Chloe take on Eirikr's daughter before the summer holiday, yet he didn't think he'd ever seen her look quite so menacing. Surprisingly, Levi didn't seem fazed. In fact, the man was amused. He tilted his head. "Oh? Are we getting married, now?”

Chloe let go of the tie and glared up at him. "No. I haven't said yes."

He grinned. "Yet."

Mikar shook his head. He understood what Chloe was doing: taking their relationship at a normal, human pace. They'd started dating just months ago. Regardless of the fact that Levi and she were one hundred percent sure that they were it for each other, and that only death could separate them, she clung to her human ways still. To her, moving in together and getting hitched were things adults did all in due time. Mikar wasn't sure how Levi managed to be patient and go at her pace, but he did.

"We'll see," the she-vamp replied, lifting her chin. "I can't believe you didn't let me know my friends were getting married today." Now she’d switched from angry to disappointed, maybe even sad.

Seeing his friend’s expression darken, edging toward panic, Mikar opted to jump to Levi's aid. "You would have wanted to tag along, and then we would have had to go with an escort. Which would have been exactly against Alexius's and Avani's wishes. Levi didn't want to ruin their day, that's all."

Chloe sighed, wordlessly admitting he was right. "Fine. But don't think I won't make you pay for it, nonetheless," she added, with another scowl at her mate, who just smiled.

"Counting on it."

"Mikar, can I get your help?" Chloe asked, furiously typing on her phone, and rushing out of the tower. "We don't have much time."

"What for?" he asked, following her. He was on duty as her guard until nightfall, so he would have trailed her no matter what.

"Throwing the Helsings a party worthy of their name."

So much for listening to the couple's wishes.

But Mikar was bored, and a party sounded great.

"Count me in."

Tales and Whispers

Diana returned to her seat of choice, on the horses' fountain, and watched the crowd part ways, sending her wary glances over their shoulders. Some of them might have thought about calling the cops on her, but if they did, the memory of what had happened to the phones she'd busted stopped them. That, or the way she’d kicked the three humans’ asses without breaking a sweat.

Not that calling the cops would have done any good. It might have gotten a run-of-the-mill vampire in trouble, sure. Sups didn't need to abide by human laws, but they also weren't supposed to hurt any regulars. While self-defense was a valid reason to bend the rules, more often than not, human authorities stood with human beings, no matter what they'd done, or attempted to do. They protected their own. When a sup crossed the line, the human authorities could either attempt to arrest and detain the sup—at their own risk—or call the huntsmen to do their dirty work. The fact that there was no human alive who could hope