Life's Blood (The Cordelia Chronicles) (21 page)

Chaseyn had gone back to the Church on the Hill to see if he could find the man he’d spoken with the night before. We wanted him to help us arrange our wedding, and rather than holding it in the gothic church, we hoped he’d allow us to have it in his garden. But without Addie--my best friend, my maid of honor--there would be no wedding.

I ran down the flight of stairs at the end of the hall to the second floor and knocked hard and fast on Eli’s door. At least a minute had passed, and I was starting to worry. I began shouting his name as I pounded my fists against the hard wood. Finally, I heard an exhausted moan on the other side of the door followed by a loud thud and Eli cursing. He’d clearly stubbed his toe on something.

“What’s the emergency?” Eli asked when he opened the door hopping on one foot. He was naked except for a pair of boxer shorts, and the sight was nothing short of impressive. Sandy blond hair, blues eyes, and a faint dimple--so handsome. But even with his quarterback body and boy-next-door charm, he didn’t hold a candle to Chaseyn’s dark, brooding good looks and enigmatic personality.

“Addie’s gone,” I blurted. “I went to her room to see if she’d be my maid of honor, but she’s not there. I’m scared, Eli. I don’t know where she is, and I can’t stand knowing it’s our fault she might be wandering around Romania all on her own.”

“Whoa, back up a minute. Did you say maid of honor?”

“Yes, Chaseyn and I are going to get married, today, but that doesn’t really matter right now. We have to find Addie,” I said, my words coming out all in a rush on one breath.

“Married today. Now that’s news,” he said, lifting his foot so he could massage his swollen toe with his hand. “Why the rush?”

“Really, Eli? This is what you want to talk about right now. Listen to me. ADDIE. IS. GONE,” I shouted so loud people in the restaurant downstairs likely heard me, but I didn’t care. Eli was being an unreasonable jerk, and I was on the verge of wringing his neck.

“What’s the racket?” a voice moaned in the background.

Just then, I saw the blankets ruffle on the bed, and I realized Eli wasn’t alone. No wonder Eli didn’t care where Addie was right now. He’d been preoccupied.

“How could you do this?” I asked.

“Do what?”

“To Addie,” I whispered, pointing accusingly at the bed where a very long, very feminine, very bare leg now dangled over the side.

“Did someone say my name?” Addie asked as she popped out from under the fluffy duvet.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Addie threw back the blankets and padded barefoot across the hardwood floors, grabbing Eli’s sweater from the night before off the floor and pulling it over her head as she walked. Her hair was tousled, and it was clear she and Eli had made up overnight…and maybe into the morning.

“I couldn’t sleep last night--I kept having nightmares about a vampire coming in through my window and sucking me dry,” she said. “I didn’t want to disturb Chaseyn--and I wasn’t sure I could face you yet.”

I looked down to hide the shame in my eyes. “But you could face Eli?”

“At first, I wasn’t sure I could, but I didn’t know what else to do,” she said shyly. “We talked for a long time, and he explained that you were just trying to protect me.”

I nodded. That was the truth--I had only been trying to protect her from the unknown. Simply knowing vampires aren’t fictitious makes her a target--vampires are more than happy to eliminate a threat. Not to mention the fact that I knew Addie would never rest peacefully again if she had any idea about the dark creatures that could be lurking in the shadows. Her imagination ran wild as it was.

“Are we good?” I asked hopefully.

“We’re good,” Addie replied, wrapping her arms around me.

“And it’s clear you two are good,” a familiar voice said from behind me, strong arms wrapping around my waist in unison with the words.

I’d sensed Chaseyn’s presence a moment earlier when a cool breeze blew through the otherwise toasty corridor. At least, I had hoped it was him and not some other vampire. Chaseyn nodded toward the scantily clad couple standing across from us and chuckled. Addie’s eye were wide with what I assumed was embarrassment.

“Let’s give these two lovebirds a moment alone to get dressed,” he said to me.

“Sure. I’m starving anyway, and we have a lot to talk about,” I said, the back of my head resting against his chest.

“We’ll be in the restaurant having breakfast,” Chaseyn told Eli and Addie.

Then, he guided me down the hall, his hand on the small of my back. I loved it when he did that--it felt a little bit protective, somewhat romantic, and a whole lot possessive. By no means did Chaseyn
own
me, but I liked the way he wanted the world to know I was his, and his alone.

Chaseyn had been up and about when I woke this morning, so I had yet to lay eyes upon him today. Even now, he trailed behind me a few steps. So, when we were at the end of the hall on the landing to the stairwell, I turned to face him quickly, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck. I gasped in shock when I saw his face.

Overnight, Chaseyn had visibly aged. His formerly flawless porcelain skin was now etched with lines along his forehead, and crow’s feet creased the corners of his eyes. His once jet-black hair was now laced with greys--not just the solitary streak above his right eye. He was still painfully beautiful, but I knew we were no longer facing the beginning of the end. No. Our story was coming to a close, and we had to act fast.

“Don’t, Cordelia,” Chaseyn said, pressing a finger against my lips. “Don’t say anything. We both know what’s happening. Let’s not dwell on it. Not today.”

“But--”

“But nothing,” he cut me off before I could protest. “Today, let’s focus on us. Our wedding. Do this for me, love. Please.”

All I could do was nod my agreement. I only hoped it was enough.

***

“I still can’t believe you’re going through with this,” Eli said when he’d joined Chaseyn and me in the restaurant.

It was a small space located a few steps below the main floor of the building. After walking past the reception desk, there was a domed area with stonewalls and a stone ceiling. No more than a handful of tables lined each side of the space, with a narrow aisle dividing the two rows. The kitchen was located at the far end of the room, and the delicious aroma of frying foods was wafting through the air.

Having grabbed whatever jeans and t-shirt were on the top of the pile in his duffle bag, Eli arrived moments after we did, so we all ordered our meals at the same time. There was a set menu with five options to choose from. If you asked me, it looked like two options written five different ways. Everything came with sausage, eggs, and bread--as much bread as you could eat. In fact the bread basket never became empty--they just kept bringing more.

While we sipped extremely strong coffee and waited for our meals, we filled Eli in on our middle-of-the-night revelation--that we had to get married right away. As much as it pained me to admit, it might be our only chance. Eli was having a difficult time absorbing the details, but it was hard to deny the obvious--that Chaseyn was very clearly running out of time.

“Not only are we going through with it, but the plans are all set,” Chaseyn said, puffing up his chest with pride.

“Really?” Eli and I asked in unison.

“But it’s only 9 a.m., and we just decided to do this a few hours ago,” I added.

The server arrived then with three steaming hot plates piled high with food. We all knew Addie wouldn’t arrive for at least another half hour while she meticulously styled her hair, so we dug into our food the minute it arrived. No point letting it get cold.

“I spoke with the minister and asked him if he could perform a small ceremony for us,” Chaseyn said. “I told him we wanted to hold it in the garden outside his home rather than the church, and he agreed.”

Of course, if Mina and Balthazar were going to join us, they wouldn’t be able to step foot inside the sanctuary. Places of worship were totally off limits for vampires who wanted to live to see another day. They would burst into flame upon entry. Besides, I thought the garden was much more to my taste.

“I can’t believe it was that easy,” I replied.

“I told him our situation,” Chaseyn said pointing to the lines on his face that had appeared overnight.

“So, you told him you’re a vampire,” Eli said excitedly but quietly, leaning across the table so no one else would hear.

“Of course not, idiot,” I said, but a lump formed in my throat, and I knew if I tried to explain Chaseyn had told the man he was dying, I would start to cry. In fact, if I looked closely, I was sure Chaseyn had acquired a few more greys even as we sat here, and I was overcome with a feeling of grief. I tried to shrug it off, but I knew evidence of my sadness was clear on my face. Eli must have noticed because he didn’t press the topic any further.

“I know we were hoping to be on the road after breakfast, but we’ll need to leave later tonight,” Chaseyn said to change the subject. “There are a few things I need to get in order before the service to make it legal, but I don’t want you to spend your day worrying about those details.”

The only details I was worried about were the ones involving the ingredients we needed to make the antidote to Chaseyn’s illness. I wondered how we were ever going to get everything we needed in time, especially if we were spending an extra day in Sighisoara. We needed to cover more ground more quickly, not take time out for unnecessary luxuries.

“I know what you’re thinking, love, and I’ve got it covered,” Chaseyn added. “I had the man at the local apothecary call one of his contacts in Bistritza to set aside what we need.”

“But it will be late when we arrive. His store will be closed,” I said.

“When we reach the edge of town, the man will meet us at his store--even if it’s after hours, so don’t worry,” Chaseyn explained. “Just promise me you‘ll stop worrying for one day”

“Alright,” I agreed reluctantly. “One day. But now that Addie knows the truth, we can drive a little faster, right?”

Chaseyn nodded his agreement. He went on to tell us how he’d also planned the entire day for us while he took care of business--literally.

“I’ve arranged for a private tour for the three of you this morning so you don’t have to miss out on seeing the sights in Sighisoara. It’s such a beautiful place, you should take it all in. I’ll run some errands, and then meet you at the altar,” Chaseyn smiled. “Which reminds me…Eli, would you do me the honor of being my best man?”

“Seriously? Of course, man,” Eli said, and the two of them stood to do one of those masculine embraces where they half hug and slap each other on the shoulders. “Wait until I tell Addie.”

“What’s going on here?” Addie asked as she entered the room. She looked nothing short of perfect with her long blond hair curled in symmetrical ringlets so they framed her face and flowed past her shoulders.

“I’m going to be Chaseyn’s best man,” Eli said, his face beaming with pride.

“That’s great, Eli,” she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze as she slid into the seat beside him. “I guess that means you two have set a date.”

“We sure have,” Chaseyn said proudly. “Today.”

Addie had just taken a huge gulp of coffee, and she spit it out all down the front of her white shirt when she heard the news. Now she’d have to go change before we went out for the day, and who knows how long that could take.

“I totally did the same thing when they told me,” Eli laughed, handing her his napkin.

“Are you guys nuts?” she asked. “Today. Really?”

“Really, Addie,” I assured.

“I can’t wait any longer, Addie,” Chaseyn explained, and I was thankful he didn’t make me explain the reason behind our rushed nuptials. He went on to tell her why he was reluctant to wait, and it was all I could do to fight back the tears.

“Now we’ll both be in the wedding party…oh, sorry, Lia. I hope I’m not talking out of turn, but I assume Addie will be your maid of honor. I mean it’s not like you have any other options in Romania,” Eli said.

Truth be told, I didn’t have any other options any place in the world. If we’d been back home, I might have considered asking Amanda to be in the wedding party too, but then, Eli was Chaseyn’s only friend, so I wasn’t sure who else he would ask--maybe James or Balthazar. That seemed a bit of a stretch.

“Well then, we’ve got a lot to do to get ready,” she said, resigning herself to the fact the wedding was going to happen whether or not she approved.

I wanted to remind her it wasn’t that long ago she had been planning a teen wedding with her former flame, Rob. But I decided to be the bigger person--a role I played all too often in our relationship. Instead, Chaseyn left to handle whatever errands he needed to run, and Eli and I waited patiently for Addie while she changed into a clean shirt. Chaseyn had warned Addie she only had a few minutes before our tour guide arrived, so she’d been off like a bolt of lightning without finishing her meal.

“I’ll see you at five sharp,” Chaseyn said, planting a kiss on my forehead as he stood to leave. “I’ll be the one waiting at the altar with a huge smile on my face.”