Prime Vampires - I Hunger For You Part 13

"You look beautiful," Domini told her.

"Thank you."

It was Lady Anjelica who had found Mia's dress. Anjelica and Serisa showed up at the exclusive dress shop only moments after Domini had ushered her and Courtney inside-a subtle reminder that Mia was a prisoner. There'd been no chance to escape, but the shopping had been glorious. The dress finally chosen was long and slinky; the bias cut gave the dress an elegant but s.e.xy 1930s look. It made Mia feel rather like Jean Harlow.

Maybe she wasn't draped in virginal bridal white, but this was hardly a traditional marriage. "I guessuntil death do you part takes on new meaning when your're dealing with vampires," Mia whispered.

Domini nodded.

"What?" Courtney asked.

On the other side of the terrace, Serisa raised her hands and said, "Let the Bonded be brought together."

"You know, you didn't have to hit me," Tony said.

He was standing to Colin's left while they waited in the garden. Colin didn't glance his way; his attention was focused on the brightness on the terrace above.

"Yeah, but it was fun," he answered.

"You should thank Tony, instead of taking your resentment out on him," Alec said from his other side.

Though he would have preferred to have his own friends or his brother standing witness with him, Colin was grateful enough that his cousin and the Corvus Prime were with him. But he didn't want to hear their advice on women, even if this was the traditional time to offer it."Of course, if your friends were standing here," Tony picked up Colin's thoughts, "they'd be ragging you about settling for a mortal."

"And then you'd have to beat the c.r.a.p out of them," Alec added.

Would I? Colin wondered. He would, because his bondmate's honor was his honor, and a Prime's honor was everything. "I'm more old-fas.h.i.+oned than I thought."

"Good thing, too," Alec answered. "It means you'll do right by that girl, whether you want to or not."

"I'll take care of her."

"Like a person, not a pet," Tony insisted.

As Serisa said, "Let the Bonded be brought together," Colin took a sharp breath, all the dread of this moment suddenly forgotten.

Mia was up there.

He moved across the garden and up the marble stairs with swift urgency. He vaguely recalled that Alec had told him this part of the ceremony symbolized climbing from dark into light as he reached the candlelit terrace. But symbolism didn't matter, as long as Mia was up there waiting for him.

"You are so beautiful," Colin said as he and Mia met.

She was more beautiful than he remembered, even though he'd only seen her a few hours ago. Why hadn't he really noticed how beautiful she was before?

He reached for her. She swiftly gave her bouquet to Courtney and took his hands. He wanted to say more, but neither thoughts nor words would come, only emotions. He was so good at erecting psychic barriers, at compartmentalizing his feelings, but suddenly he had no barriers at all.

What good were barriers when they kept him apart from Mia?

She looked into his eyes, which were aglow with hope. She smiled. It was shy, tentative, but it set him on fire.

Colin drew Mia into his arms. Their bodies came together, and their lips touched. For that instant everything became clear, and he became whole. They became whole.

As if from a great distance he heard Lady Serisa say, "The Blessing of Fire is granted to Reynard Prime Colin and his lady Caramia."

Caramia. Mia.His Mia. What a beautiful name, Caramia. As lovely as any vampire name.

Caramia,he whispered into her mind.Caramia mine.

Colin,she answered.

The next thing Mia knew, they were facing Barak and the matris across the width of the silk-draped table. Courtney and Domini were standing on her other side; Alec and Tony flanked Colin. A gold cup was placed at the center of the table. It looked heavy and ancient, and was decorated with Egyptian symbols and filled with red liquid.

For the first time Mia felt a moment of panic. Was she going to have to drinkblood ? In public?Barak leaned forward and whispered, "It's all right. It's a sort of cinnamon drink; cold and hot, sweet and fiery, all at once."

"Kind of like magic Moutain Dew," Colin added.

Mia stifled a giggle as Serisa gave them a stern look. The Matri was obviously not going to allow any levity to mar this grave and solemn occasion.

Serisa reached out. "Give me your left hand," she directed Colin. "Your right," she told Mia. She entwined her fingers with theirs over the cup.

Mia and Colin were already holding hands, and energy poured through her and from her, making her part of a psychic circle.

When Serisa spoke again, it was directly into her and Colin's minds.

Your yearning souls sought and found each other all uncaring of your conscious wills. Your minds must bend to the will of your joined souls. You fight the inevitable to your cost. To wound each other is to wound yourselves. Bend or break, but the bond will remain. Live in joy at what you have found, for the true and complete soul bonding is rare among vampire and mortal kind. Those who seek it do not always find it. You have not sought it, yet the treasure is yours. Guard it, nurture it. Guard and nurture each other.

"I will," Mia said, though she hadn't meant to speak.

After a hesitation, Colin also said, "I will."

Then Serisa placed their hands on either side of the gold cup. "Witness," she said to the others.

Alec, Tony, Courtney, and Domini all gravely responded, "I witness."

The metal beneath Mia's fingers suddenly began to grow warm. Then the liquid within the cup began to glow. She almost didn't believe what she was seeing, but she was completely fascinated.

Are we doing that?she asked Colin as the light continued to grow.

Yeah.He was as awed as she was.

The light and warmth spread into her, through her, through Colin, and back to her. This was magic, true magic, true completion.

When the moment was right, and they somehowknew it was right, they gently lifted the cup. Colin held it to Mia's lips for the first sip. She held a few drops on her tongue while she held the cup to Colin's lips, then Alec took the cup from them. She closed her eyes and let this magical potion take her.

It tasted exactly as Barak had described, and more. It tasted like the essence of love.

"Your souls merge, your blood entwines, forever claiming what you are to each other." Anjelica spoke for the first time. "Colin Foxe, Prime of House Athena of Clan Reynard, your Matri recognizes the undeniable truth of your Bonding. Caramia Luchese, mortal daughter of Catherine, your Clan welcomes a new daughter into our keeping. Kiss now, and let the Binding be sealed."

Colin took her in his arms, and when their lips met, she forgot everyone and everything but Colin, and that he tasted of love.

"Great party," Colin said to her, after one more Prime finished giving good wishes and advice and moved away.

Mia was well aware that her "bondmate" was getting tired of all the attention, but they'd been told it was their duty to stand here by the terrace steps and speak to the guests. Mia was still too full of excitement at finally learning about vampires to be bored. For example, she found it interesting that instead of a reception line, the vampires solemnly came up one by one for private conversations.

"Great party, indeed," she replied, gazing around at groups of people who were laughing and flirting with each other.

Couples kept disappearing down the garden stairs and into the house. There was a joyous air of s.e.xual tension in the atmosphere.

It was pretty obvious that people got laid a lot at vampire parties. These were highly sensual, s.e.xual beings, and quite comfortable with it.

"Maybe we should dance or something," she suggested to Colin, relis.h.i.+ng the idea of moving slowly with her body pressed against his. "The bride and groom can do that, right? It's a way for us to be left alone for a while."

A group of guests were playing cla.s.sical music on one side of the terrace; the vampire musicians were very talented. She supposed that they had plenty of time to develop their skill.

"They're playing a waltz," Colin said. "Do you know how to waltz?"

"No."

"Me, either. And we don't use terms likebride andgroom, " he explained. "Not for a bonding ceremony. We're mates, bondmates, bonded, but it's hard to translate into mortal terms. It's not gender-specific like husband and wife. It goes deeper than that."

She caught his sense of profound surprise that they shared this special vampire thing, and she nodded. "Me, too."

"We can't fight it," he said, responding to her understanding of him.

But did that mean that he wanted to fight it? Did she? Should they? Not right now; she was having too good a time. "Are you having a good time?"

He kissed her cheek. "Like I said, it's a great party."

Mia took another sip from a crystal flute and sighed. "This is the best champagne I've ever had."

"I'll get you another gla.s.s," Colin offered.

She put her hand on his sleeve when he turned toward the buffet table. "You know I never let myself have more than one gla.s.s of wine at a party."

He was still for a moment, then turned back to her with a puzzled look. "I do?" She nodded. He frowned. "I guess we don't know each other very well yet."

She settled her arm more snugly around his waist, leaning against him. Desire buzzed through her as it always did when he was near, and there was no frantic edge to it, no darker undercurrents. She was enjoying him, enjoying being with him, loving the antic.i.p.ation of making love to him.

"This feels good," she said.

"You smell good," he answered.

"It's the perfume. Turns out Serisa uses the same brand my grandmother did. When she spritzed it on me, all these childhood memories came flooding back. It was kind of like having her with me-though I doubt she would have approved of you."

He laughed. "What sane granny would?"

"What about your family?" she asked. "I know that Alec's a cousin, and that Anjelica's a great-aunt, right?" "Right."

"What about the rest of your family? Will they approve of me? Do you wish they were here?"

"We'll have another ceremony for your family," he said. "A mortal-style wedding."

He had evaded her question. "Will your mom and granny and brothers and sisters come?"

"I don't have a sister, but my mother and brother will welcome you into the Clan. Both my grandmothers are dead," he added.

"And don't say you're sorry, because Grandmother Genevieve was nearly six hundred years old when she pa.s.sed away. Even for a vampire, that's ancient."

Mia's mind boggled at this information. And it reminded her that her great-grandfather-who was ancient by mortal standards- had talked a lot about how wrong it was for something as monstrous as vampires to hold the secret to eternal life. It seemed that they weren't exactly immortal, but...

"Six hundred. Whoa. That's impressive."

"So was she. I'm told she was a tough old matri, but the old lady I remember was sweet, and loved to spoil kids."

Mia wondered just how vampires spoiled their children-and about vampire children, and about having vampire children.

"What about your other grandmother?" she asked, grasping for a focus before her mind completely boggled.

Anger and pain clouded Colin's expression. Mia didn't think he was going to answer, but after a moment he said, "I never knew Grandmother Antonia, my father's mother. She was captured by one of the tribes long before I was born. Those are the bad-guy vampires out of mortal legend," he told her. "They're as much our enemies as they are yours. They take our women when they can, as they did my grandmother. Like they tried to take you." His hold on her became suddenly tighter, more possessive and protective.

The tense moment was interrupted by the approach of another Prime. Mia hadn't yet seen a vampire who wasn't spectacularly handsome or beautiful, but this blond male also had an aura of sorrow and weariness about him that was almost palpable.

His smile was still charming, though, and there was a hint of goodwill in his hazel eyes when he looked at her. "I wish you joy, lady of Reynard. And you," he added, looking to Colin, "I wish you all the time in the world to enjoy what you have. Cherish each day." Then he kissed Mia's hand and walked away.

Colin looked after him with the sort of awe Mia had never expected to see from her c.o.c.ky SWAT cop. "I didn't think he'd be here," he murmured.

"Who is he?"

"David Berus, Clan Serpentes. The Viper himself."

"And that translates to a language I understand as...?"

"Bravest of the Brave, the most primal of the Primes. And the only one who's ever survived losing a bondmate. It drove him crazy for about fifty years. I hear that's why he volunteered to be the guinea pig when they first developed the daylight drugs. He didn't have anything to lose, so he let the scientists experiment on him. He was the first to walk in daylight-though I don't suppose seeing the sun made up for what he lost."

Music still floated across the terrace, the tune melancholy. It added to Mia's sense of sadness over what Colin told her about the other Prime's loss. "How did he lose her?" she asked. "I thought bonding was forever." To lose forever would be awful. "A band of Purists murdered her," Colin answered. "The evil fanatics cut off her head. David was on the other side of the world when it happened, probably saving mortal lives. The mortal hunters don't care what kind of vampires they kill, as long as they kill vampires."

The hatred he projected frightened Mia. How was she supposed to explain that she had set out to be a vampire hunter herself?

Domini had advised her to tell Colin about her family soon, and it sounded like good advice. But it probably wasn't the best subject to bring up to a vampire husband on one's wedding night. That it felt so very right to be married to this vampire was confusing enough.

"You know," she said, with a shaky smile, "I think I will let you get me that second gla.s.s of champagne."