Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (23 page)

“This is crazy! I don’t understand you
fucking vamps—I don’t even
know
her.” He cast a glance at
Taylor who had her arms wrapped around herself and was staring at
the floor.

“And Taylor’s been through a lot,” I put in.
“Why can’t she just hide out at my place until Roderick
leaves?”

“Your house would be the first place he would
look, darling. And he wouldn’t stop looking until he found her,”
Corbin said, but he was still staring at Victor. “Well?” he
asked.

“Ah, hell…” Victor rubbed the back of his
neck. “Damnit, Corbin, if I had known you were gonna pull this kind
of shit on me, I never would have asked you for a loan. This is the
weirdest fucking thing I’ve ever heard of.”

“It seems strange to me, too.” Taylor lifted
her head at last and looked at Corbin. “I understand that you want
to put me out of harm’s way, Master, but I want to be sure of
something before I do this.”

“You may speak,” Corbin nodded at her. “What
is your concern, Taylor?”

“I…” She took a deep breath. “I want to be
sure I’m not going from one awful situation to a worse one. What
Roderick did was…it was bad.” Her voice was trembling and I
squeezed her hand. She squeezed back and somehow seemed to find the
will to go on. “But how do I know that he…” She nodded at Victor.
“Won’t do the same or worse to me? At least…at least I know what to
expect with Roderick.”

“I believe Victor to be a decent man or I
would not have chosen him for you,” Corbin said quietly. “But I can
make him swear an oath not to harm you if it would make you feel
better.”

“Hey, I’m no fucking abuser,” Victor growled.
“I don’t hit women,
ever.”
He frowned. “And anyway, it’s not
like I agreed to this.”

“But you will,” Corbin told him. “Besides, my
friend, this is only a temporary arrangement. Three months are all
that is needed to satisfy the laws of ownership. After that you and
Taylor can go your separate ways.”

“Wait a minute,” I said.
“Ownership?
As in, he will legally own her? What kind of medieval laws are
these?”

“In fact, they
are
from medieval times
when a woman was considered little more than property,” Corbin
said. “But they have since been modified—in effect, Taylor and
Victor will own each other and no one may come between them. At
least until they separate after three months, which
should
hopefully be enough time for Roderick to forget her and move
on.”

“Three months, huh?” Victor frowned and
rubbed his chin. “Well, I guess that’s not as bad as ‘til death do
us part.” He shot a glance at Taylor. “Which it never would
because—” He stopped abruptly but Taylor finished for him.

“Because I’m already dead. Isn’t that what
you were going to say?” she demanded, lifting her chin.

“Well…yeah.” Victor rumbled. “Sorry, I just
don’t like fangers very much.”

Corbin raised an eyebrow at him. “You like
them well enough to borrow their money.”

“Point taken.” The big were sighed. “All
right, let’s get this over with.” He looked at Corbin. “But I don’t
have any place to put her right now. My house isn't finished
yet."

“Just binding her to you will keep her safe
enough,” Corbin assured him. “Though I do expect you to take her
off my hands as soon as you can.”

“Corbin—” I started to protest but Taylor
touched my arm lightly, stopping me.

“It’s all right,” she said, her voice shaking
only a little. “I’ll do it if it will keep Roderick away from me.”
She looked at Corbin. “But I want him to swear—to take an oath like
you said, Master. Especially if he’s going to be my ‘owner’.”

“You will be his owner too,” Corbin reminded
her.

Victor’s eyes turned molten gold. “And I told
you,
I don’t hit women.”

“Yes, but you also said you don’t like
‘fangers’.” Taylor’s blue eyes flashed. “If you’re rude enough to
call me names to my face, I don’t know what else you might or might
not do. I don’t know you.”

“I don’t know you, either, lady, but it looks
like that’s gonna change,” he growled. “Sure, I’ll swear not to
touch you. Believe me, that won’t be a problem. I don’t like the
undead in my bed.”

“And I don’t like fur on my sheets,” Taylor
shot right back. I could see the hurt in her eyes but she wasn’t
about to let the big bastard of a werewolf get the better of her. I
squeezed her hand again.

“Good for you,” I whispered.

She gave me a quick glance and tried to smile
but I could tell how much effort it was costing her. She was upset
and who could blame her? Basically, she was being forced to marry a
man she didn’t know—a man who was the sworn enemy of her own
people, if you could call vampires her people, that was.

“I’m glad we’re all in agreement.” Corbin
clapped his hands. “Very well, let’s adjourn to the back room for
the ceremony. I will be officiating.”

I look at him in surprise. “You’re an
ordained minister? Of what church?”

“The vampire religion is nondenominational.
Basically I am empowered to conduct binding ceremonies between
those of my kind and, well…whoever they wish to be bound to.”

I was pretty certain that Taylor and Victor
had no wish to be bound together but Corbin wasn’t giving them much
of a choice. And since Roderick was on his way, it really did look
like the only option.

With a sigh, I put my arm around Taylor’s
waist and we left the office together.

“If I would have known I was going to be your
maid of honor I would have worn something besides black,” I
whispered as we walked up the aisle—actually just the center of the
small room near the back of the club, which was usually rented out
for corporate functions.

“That’s all right—it’s not like it’s for
real,” Taylor whispered back, clearly trying to be brave. “I mean,
is it?”

“No, of course not. Not really,” I assured
her uneasily as we paced slowly forward.

Corbin had been thoughtful enough to have the
room decorated with white lilies and blood red roses. There was
even a small altar at the front with a padded bench, presumably
where the bride and groom would kneel across from each other.
Corbin stood beside the altar, waiting patiently and holding a
large, ornately carved golden chalice in his hands. The soft
strains of Pachelbel’s Canon piped in through the hidden speakers
completed the wedding feel of the place.

“At least the room looks nice even if I
am
dressed in black,” I said, trying to comfort her. “And
you look beautiful.”

“Fat lot of good it does me,” she muttered
back. “Marrying a guy who already hates me.”

“He’ll love you when he gets to know you,” I
said. “And if he doesn’t, screw him. You’ll be out of it in three
months.”

“Three months. Right.” She sighed unhappily.
We were almost to the end of the aisle where Corbin and Victor were
waiting. The were had put on a black suit coat, probably loaned to
him by Corbin, which was stretched tight across his massive
shoulders, and he was glaring at poor Taylor.

“Stop looking at her that way,” I snapped at
him. “She’s beautiful and perfect and you’re lucky to get her.
Besides, she’s saving you fifty thousand dollars, you ungrateful
bastard.”

“Addison…” Corbin gave me a warning look.
“Here at the altar of unity only words of love and devotion may be
spoken.”

“Fine,” I muttered. Giving Taylor’s arm one
last squeeze, I stood back. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right.” She gave me a grateful look
and then turned to face Corbin. “I am ready, Master.”

“Very well.” He nodded and cleared his
throat. “We are gathered here tonight to join this male and female
and give them in ownership one to another. If anyone can show just
cause why this should not be so, speak now or forever hold your
peace.”

He gave me a stern glance and I bit the
inside of my cheek. I had plenty of reasons why my poor friend
shouldn’t be handed over like chattel to a rude, ungrateful
werewolf but it was the only way to save her.

I kept silent.

“Good,” Corbin said after a pause. He looked
pleased. “Will the two of you kneel before me now and join
hands?”

Taylor knelt at once side of the padded alter
and Victor knelt opposite her. He was so much bigger than her that
even kneeling, he towered over my friend. Then they just looked at
each other.

“And
join hands,”
Corbin repeated,
frowning.

There was an awkward pause and then Victor
held out his hands stiffly. With a deep breath, Taylor took
them.

I saw a shiver run through her as their hands
met and clasped, causing my heart to go out to her. Poor thing,
after what Roderick had done to her, it was probably painful to
even touch a man—
any
man—let alone the big, hulking
werewolf.

“Very good,” Corbin said. “Now Victor, repeat
after me: I, Victor, do swear to take you, Taylor for my own. To
defend you from any who wish you harm, to nourish you both body and
soul, and to cherish you above all others for as long as our union
shall last.”

Victor looked rather uncomfortable but he
repeated the words, only stumbling a little over the “cherish” part
of the ceremony. Then it was Taylor’s turn to repeat the vows,
which she did, looking Victor in the eyes the whole time although
she was as pale as a sheet of paper.

Corbin turned back to Victor once more. “Do
you, Victor, take Taylor as your spouse? Do you swear to honor and
treasure her and to never raise a hand to her in anger? Do you
promise to never beat or abuse her sexually, physically, or
emotionally?”

He nodded briefly. “I do.”

Corbin turned to Taylor and repeated the
vows, minus the sexual or physical abuse part. I guess he figured
he didn’t have to worry about Taylor beating or raping the huge
were, though vamps are as strong as weres and often stronger. But
looking at my best friend and her huge new husband, I was pretty
sure he would have the upper hand in any physical confrontation
they got into. Not that there had better be any confrontations
after the oath Corbin had made him swear.

So far it had been a surprisingly human
wedding ceremony. I was just thinking that it could almost have
been lifted from any church in town, when Corbin raised the chalice
he was holding.

“And now we must bind the two of you with
blood,” he said, abruptly ruining the lovely illusion of a nice,
normal wedding. He held the chalice out to Victor first. “I hold
before you the Chalice of Union. Open your vein and shed your blood
to form the bond.”

Without hesitation, Victor raised his wrist
to his mouth and bit down hard. The sound of his teeth breaking
through the skin of his wrist made me wince. Apparently were teeth
were as sharp as vamp fangs.

Victor held his bleeding wrist over the
golden lip of the cup, pumping his hand to make the blood flow. I
saw Taylor watching the thick stream of blood gushing into the cup
with a hungry look in her eyes and reminded myself to say something
to Corbin about it. She couldn’t live on bagged blood forever—she
needed it live, right from the vein if she was going to stay
healthy.

When Corbin passed the chalice to her, she
bit her wrist and held it out. Nothing but a sluggish dribble came
from the self-inflicted wounds. She pumped her hand just as Victor
had, opening and closing her fist until three or four drops fell
into the chalice. Finally, Corbin nodded and withdrew the cup.

“I add now, the blood of the mother goddess,
she who birthed us all to darkness in the beginning,” he said,
producing a small crystal vial of liquid so dark it was almost
black and adding it to the blood already in the chalice. “It is she
who binds you together and she whom you must answer to if you break
the sacred vows you have taken here tonight. Do both of you
understand?”

Taylor nodded and Victor muttered a gruff,
“Yes.”

Corbin nodded again. “Good, then drink of
each other and become one.”

He handed the chalice to Victor first who
took a small sip and handed it back. Corbin then gave it to
Taylor.

At first it looked like she was going to do
the same thing Victor had, taking only a small, polite drink. But
once the blood passed her lips, it seemed like she lost control.
She tilted the cup and drank thirstily, draining it dry. Then she
lowered it slowly, a look of shame on her face.

“Sorry,” she murmured, passing the chalice
back to Corbin.

“It’s all right,” Corbin murmured, looking at
me rather than her. “There is no shame in drinking deeply of your
beloved.”

For some reason I felt myself blushing. I
dropped my eyes and looked away. Though the vampire ceremony was a
little strange, I had to admit it was still beautiful. Or would
have been if the people getting married really wanted to marry each
other.

There was a silence and then Corbin lifted
the now empty chalice high.

“By your blood and the will of the goddess, I
pronounce you bound together. Let the knot woven by she who made us
all never be sundered.”

I wondered if there was going to be a “kiss
the bride” part but Victor was already up and moving almost as soon
as Corbin stopped talking.

“I have to go,” he told Corbin with a frown.
“Things to do.”

Corbin frowned. “And your bride?”

Victor shot a quick look at Taylor who was
still kneeling at the altar. “I told you, I can’t take her tonight.
I’m getting my place ready—I’ll come back when it’s done.”

“See that you find accommodations for your
lovely new wife sooner rather than later.” Corbin’s voice was a
warning growl. “Taylor is your responsibility now. I expect you to
live up to your end of our bargain.”

“I’ll come for her as soon as I damn well
can,” Victor snarled back. “Now can I go or not?”