Strangely enough, I feel a blush creep up my neck. “What?”
“I saw that,” he says. “It’s like we . . . watched. Us. Together.”
My eyes widen. “You saw that?”
Eli’s deep laugh cracks the night. “Yeah. I damn sure did.”
My mouth goes dry at the memory. “Maybe we can negotiate the celibacy.”
Lacing his fingers through mine, Eli pulls me to the water. “I don’t think so, Poe. You called it. Now let’s go free up all the folks you mind-whammied.” He kisses me one last time. “We’ve got a wedding to plan.”
Even as we both dive into the chilled Atlantic water, my mind can’t wrap around the fact that Eli is okay, he recognizes me, and we’ll be getting married in a handful of weeks. As we swim together through the darkness, I realize Eli is more than my fiancé. Way more than the best sex I’ve ever had or ever will have.
He’s my other half. My mate.
For as long as I live.
Epilogue
NUPTIALS
Unorthodox doesn’t even cover it.
And I say this with all the love and affection I have in my heart.
This is one fucked-up life I have.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m staring out of my balcony, over River Street and at the Savannah River. It’s been weeks since I awoke on the little barrier island with Noah, and then zapped him and, Jesus, even old Preacher Man, into a zombielike state, all so I could get my fiancé alone. Just to see if he’d remember me.
Oh, remember he did.
I almost beat the hell out of him. He wasn’t so gentle with me, either. I kinda dug it, too.
In the distance, the clop-clop of a horse pulling a carriage makes his way through the moss-draped oaks of Savannah’s historic district. The brine off the river is refreshing, slightly pungent. Perfect. The sun is shining. There’s a slight chill in the air. And not a mosquito in sight. How perfect is that?
Today’s April seventh. My wedding day. I can barely wrap my brain around it.
And I’m marrying a two-hundred-plus-year-old vampire.
That’s not as hard to grasp as one might think.
“Oh. My. God!” My door flies open, and my best friend, Nyx, rushes into my apartment. I’ve set the living room up as a getting-ready bridal suite, with a long full-length oak mirror in one corner. I’m standing in front of it now, and Nyx sashays up behind me. She slips her arms around my middle and hugs my bare back.
“You are beautiful, Riley!” she exclaims, looking over my shoulder at my reflection in the mirror. “I’ve missed you so much. I was so scared you wouldn’t come home.”
I smile at Nyxinnia Foster. She and Josie, Eli’s little sister, are my bridesmaids, and we’d gone shopping together. I’d let them choose their dresses, and they’d done a jam-up job.
Fuchsia silk, above the knee, with a haltered top, and a narrow black velvet strip just under the breast. Solid black wedge shoes. Black velvet chokers. Their bouquets are faded green hydrangea and calla lily. Both have their hair down and swept to the side with a black velvet clip. “You look beautiful yourself, Ms. Foster.”
Nyx slips her hand over my shoulder and wiggles her ring finger, where a beautiful platinum engagement ring holds a fairly impressive cluster of sparkling diamonds. She grins. “Not Foster for long,” she sighs. “We’ll actually be sisters, Ri. Isn’t that exciting?”
Eli’s brother, Luc, had asked Nyx to marry him. She’d said yes.
I couldn’t be happier.
I pull her gently to me and kiss her cheek. “Always sisters.”
A tap at the door sounds, and we both jump, then burst into giggles. Phin and Luc both stick their heads in the door. “Everybody decent?”
“Never!” Nyx and I both holler out.
“Yeah, well, that’s a— Whoa.” Phin lets out a low whistle. “Damn.”
I laugh. “Perv.” My gaze moves to Eli’s other brother, Luc.
His eyes are bugged out as he inspects Nyx. “You two are the most gorgeous creatures I’ve ever seen. In. My. Life.” He walks over to Nyx and pulls her into a quick embrace and a kiss, then moves over to me. “Sister, I am speechless,” he says, and studies me. “Eli is going to freak. You’re breathtaking.”
“I hope so,” I say, and I’m surprised to find myself nervous.
“I’m freaking,” Phin says with a grin.
“Bro, watch it—that’s my sister you’re freaking over,” my brother says, entering. His eyes light up when he sees me, and he hurries over to pull me into a gentle hug. “Mom would’ve loved being here, you know? You look amazing. But . . . this feels so weird, Ri,” he says against my hair. “You, getting married? Almost like I’m losing you or something.”
I pull back and look at my baby brother. “I’ll always be here,” I assure him. “Always together, me and you. I promise. Despite Rhine and the Ness Boys asking you to join them in Inverness.”
Seth grins. “I haven’t said no to that yet.”
I return the smile. After what had gone down in Inverness, Rhine had asked Seth to join the Ness Boys. As in live there, with them at the Crachan, to keep Inverness and the Highlands safe. After Carrine’s reign of terror, there’s no telling how many newbloods are roaming the glen. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Seth accepted, too, no matter that he’s hesitating. Might be good for him, although he’d probably have to take Eli’s little sister, Josie. Now that I think about it, she’d also be quite an asset to the Ness Boys. Knowing Rhine, it’s probably his master cunning scheme of getting me back to Scotland. “I know you haven’t, but if you do, it’s totally okay.” I step back and admire. “You guys look fabuloso,” I say. The guys are decked out in black tuxes and Luc and Phin each sport a fuchsia bow tie. Luc’s dark blond hair brushes his tux collar. Phin’s dark blond buzz cut makes him look simply badass. Both have blue eyes that sparkle. My brother? When did he grow up into such a handsome guy?
“Heard all that,” Phin says, reading my mind. He looks at Seth. “She thinks you’re cute.”
I mock-glare at Phin.
Luc looks down at Nyx. “Ready, love?”
“Maybe I should wed Riley, instead of Eli,” Phin says, rubbing his jaw with a knuckle. He winks at me. “He’s so damn old.”
I shake my head. “Please take him out of here,” I tell Nyx.
She gives me a kiss on the cheek and links her arms between both brothers. “See ya out there,” Nyx says sweetly. “I can’t wait! Come on, Seth Poe. You, too.”
My brother gives me a sweet, wide smile. Words aren’t needed. I’ll always remember that smile of his, on this day. My wedding day.
Just as they step out the door, Noah walks in. He looks at me, and I grin.
“God Almighty, woman. You just killed me,” he says, and walks to me. “No, wait. I’m dying now.” He places a hand over his heart. “I’m serious, Ri. It actually hurts.”
“Cut it out,” I say, and twirl in a circle. “Too much?” I ask.
“Are you kidding?” he says, and shakes his head as he studies me from head to toe. “Dupré, that lucky fuck. He better thank me later that I didn’t bite him a little longer.”
“Noah!” I exclaim.
His mercury eyes dance with merriment. “Kidding. Sort of.”
He walks over to me and stares at me through the mirror. “You’re beautiful, Riley Poe.”
I look at my reflection. I admit, I do feel like an inked and slightly unconventional version of Cinderella. My hair is a messy updo, with fuchsia tendrils swirling down toward my collarbone. My dress is pretty simple, A-line, antique white, with a layer of fine lace overlay, strapless, backless—almost obscenely so. I turn in the mirror, inspecting my inked dragon that goes up my back and down my arm.