Night's Promise (26 page)

“The wedding’s set for a week from tonight,” Sheree told her father. “You and Mom will be there, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Brian Westerbrooke said. “I wouldn’t dare miss such a special occasion twice. Just give me the address and the time and we’ll be there with bells on.”

“Bells optional,” Sheree said, smiling, “tux required for walking the bride down the aisle. I don’t have the address for the church, so just meet me in front of the Marchand Hotel at eight o’clock Saturday night. Derek and I will pick you up.”

“Why all the mystery?” Brian asked.

“There’s no mystery. The church is in an out-of-the-way location. It’ll be easier for us to take you there. Derek’s already made reservations for you at the hotel.”

“Very well. I guess a little cloak-and-dagger journey is good now and then.” He chuckled softly. “We’ll see you Saturday night, pumpkin.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too.” He hesitated a moment, then said, “Sheree, I know you’re still upset with your mother, but how about doing your old man a favor and letting it go?”

“All right, Dad.”

“Great! She’s right here, anxious to talk to you.”

Sheree ran a hand through her hair as she waited for her mother to come on the line.

“Sheree, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“Is there anything you need for your new home?”

“No. I think we have everything we need.”

“Well, I’m sure I can come up with something. See you Saturday.”

Sheree blew out a sigh as she disconnected the call. Her mother always tried to smooth things over with presents—a beautiful porcelain doll when Meredith missed one of Sheree’s ballet recitals, a new bicycle when she missed a mother-daughter tea, a baby blue convertible when her mother missed a high school awards ceremony.

But none of that mattered now. The important thing was to make sure that everything went smoothly on Saturday, and that her parents had no reason to suspect their daughter, her husband, and her new in-laws were all vampires.

 

 

Sheree was a bundle of nerves as they drove to the Marchand to pick up her parents.

“Stop worrying,” Derek said. “We’ll all be on our best behavior, I promise.”

“How am I going to explain the fact that nobody eats?”

“You won’t have to. The family will fill plates and cast a glamour on your folks that will make them think we’re eating.”

“You can do that?”

“Easy as dissolving into mist.”

“Might be easy for you,” she replied sourly. “Ohmygosh!”

“What’s wrong?” Derek glanced around, wondering what had put such a stricken expression on her face.

“My father!”

“What about him?”

“He’s a camera bug. He’s going to want pictures. Tons of pictures.”

“What’s the problem? I promise to smile.”

“But . . . we don’t have reflections. Will we show up in the photos?”

Derek laughed softly. “Not to worry, love. Capturing our likeness was a problem in the old days, when film had silver in it, but with digital cameras, it’s no longer an issue.”

Relieved, Sheree slumped in her seat, only to bolt upright when the motel came into view. “Look! There they are!”

Derek pulled up to the curb and put the car in park.

Smiling, Sheree jumped out of the car and hugged her father and then her mother.

“Good to see you again, sir,” Derek said, shaking Mr. Westerbrooke’s hand. He complimented her mother on the dress she wore, and they were on their way.

“How far is it to the church?” Meredith asked.

“Not far,” Derek replied. “How was your flight?”

“A little bumpy,” Brian said. “Gave Mother quite a scare.”

“I can’t help it,” Meredith said, glancing out the window. “You know I don’t like to fly. How did you happen to pick this church, Sheree? It seems rather out of the way.”

“It’s a Cordova/Blackwood family tradition,” Sheree said. “They’ve been marrying here for years.”

“I was hoping you’d get married at St. Timothy’s, surrounded by our family and friends,” Meredith said, a hint of reproach in her voice.

“We can have a reception at home, if you like,” Sheree said.

Ever the diplomat, Brian said, “Of course. That’s a great idea.” He made small talk with Derek during the rest of the drive.

“Oh, my,” Meredith murmured, gazing out at the church and grounds as Derek parked the car. “It is lovely, isn’t it?”

Sheree nodded. Located in a secluded glade well off the main highway, surrounded by tall trees and shrubs, the building might have been transplanted from some medieval setting. Moonlight danced across the stained glass windows on either side of the door. The air was filled with the fragrant scent of evergreens; night birds and crickets serenaded them as Derek dropped Sheree and her mother off at a side door so Sheree could change into her wedding gown.

After escorting Sheree’s father into the vestibule, Derek walked toward the front of the church. His family was already there, half of them seated on the groom’s side, half on the bride’s. He frowned when he saw Edna and Pearl sitting in the back row. Damn, those two always meant trouble.

His mother smiled at him from the front row. Clad in a long green gown, she looked as beautiful as always. He paused to give her a hug before joining the priest and Logan, who were waiting for him in front of the altar.

Father Lanzoni was of medium height, with warm hazel eyes and wavy black hair going gray at the temples. He was one of the oldest vampires in existence, but, like the other vampires in the room, he was shielding his true nature from Sheree’s parents.

The priest smiled fondly at Derek. “Good evening, my son.”

“Father.” Derek shook the priest’s hand, and then Logan’s.

“Thank you for allowing me to officiate at your marriage,” the priest said.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said, smiling. “It’s always a happy time when I can join two people in love.”

Derek looked toward the vestibule as Vince escorted Sheree’s mother to her seat.

And then Sheree was there, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her as she walked down the aisle at her father’s side.

Heart pounding with excitement, Sheree glanced quickly at her surroundings. As Mara had promised, it was a beautiful old church. The altar and the pews were carved from oak. Moonlight shone through the stained glass window above the altar. Candlelight filled the chapel with a warm golden glow, lighting the faces of the wooden statues, but it was Derek who drew her gaze and held it. The man had been born to wear a tux. It emphasized his broad shoulders and long legs, complemented the color of his hair and eyes.

Father Lanzoni smiled at Sheree and Derek, then lifted his gaze to their guests. “We are here tonight to celebrate the joining together of these young people. Who gives this woman in marriage?”

“Her mother and I do,” Brian said. Squeezing his daughter’s hand, he kissed her cheek, then placed her hand in Derek’s.

“My children,” the priest said, his voice low and yet filled with authority. “You have come here this night to exchange your vows in the presence of this company. The secret of a long and happy marriage rests with the two of you. You have only to remember to put your loved one first and your own desires second. Treat your loved one as you would be treated. Never forget the way you feel this night and I promise that the love and devotion you have for one another will grow stronger with each passing day.

“I will pronounce the words that bind you together legally, but the true joining must take place in your own hearts, your own souls.

“Sheree Westerbrooke, do you take Derek Blackwood, here present, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, for now and ever more?”

For now and for ever more, not until death do you part
. “I do.”

“Derek Blackwood, do you take Sheree Westerbrooke, here present, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, for now and ever more?”

“I do.”

“Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you, Derek and Sheree, husband and wife, lawfully and legally wed. Derek, you may kiss your bride.”

Very carefully, Derek lifted her veil, then drew her into his arms. “I love you, wife,” he murmured. “Are you still angry with me?”

“Not as much as I was. Kiss me.”

He kissed her gently at first, and then with greater passion, until the guests burst into applause.

Leaning forward, Father Lanzoni whispered, “Save some for later, my son.”

“Yes, later,” Derek promised, catching his bride’s gaze with his own.

 

 

Mara had laid out a feast fit for a king. In addition to salmon and lobster and all the trimmings, there was a beautiful cake and a champagne fountain, as well as several bottles of red wine. Sheree couldn’t help thinking all that food was a terrible extravagance, since only her parents and Abbey Marie were able to enjoy it.

The lights were low. Soft music played in the background.

Brian Westerbrooke mingled with the other guests, obviously impressed by Mara’s home in Northern California and the many expensive paintings and antiques, yet completely at ease with those around him.

Her mother was polite and friendly, if a little standoffish. Sheree wondered if, somehow, her mother sensed that the people she was mingling with weren’t people at all.

The Cordova men all toasted the bride and groom.

Edna and Pearl wished them well.

Kathy, Savannah, and Abbey welcomed her into the family.

Sheree spoke to everyone present, biding her time until Derek was deep in conversation with Roshan and Logan before she took Pearl aside.

“What is it, dear?” Pearl asked.

“I don’t want to be a vampire,” Sheree said, glancing left and right to make sure they were still alone. “Can you make more of your serum for me? Not the one you made for Derek, but the other one. The one you said worked on newly turned vampires.”

“Yes, of course, but are you sure that’s what you want?”

“I’m sure. Will you make me some?”

“Have you discussed this with Derek?”

“No, and I don’t want you to mention it to him or anyone else. Not even Edna.”

“I’ll have to think it over, dear. Derek . . .”

“He turned me without asking if it was what I wanted,” Sheree said. “I don’t need his permission to undo it.”

“It will take me a week or so,” Pearl said. “I’ll be in touch. Thank you for inviting us, but I think we’ll be going now.”

A week or two, Sheree thought. All she had to do now was keep Derek from finding out.

The party lasted until well past midnight. After changing out of her wedding gown, Sheree thanked Mara for everything, and then she and Derek drove her parents back to the Marchand. Her father had a meeting late the next afternoon and they were flying home in the morning.

“Don’t be strangers, you two,” her father said, giving her a hug.

“We won’t.”

Shaking Derek’s hand, her father said, “Take good care of my little girl.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sheree hugged her mother. “If you ever need to come home,” Meredith whispered, “don’t be too proud to do so.”

“Thanks, Mom. I love you, too.”

A last hug for her father and Sheree got into the car. She hated to see her parents leave but she was glad the evening was over. She’d been stressed out all night, afraid someone would do or say something that would arouse her parents’ suspicion.

“Stop worrying,” Derek said as he pulled away from the curb. “They didn’t suspect a thing.”

“I know, but I was worried when Mom remarked that everyone looked as if they’d stepped out of a fashion magazine. I could see her checking Kathy’s skin, looking for signs of a facelift. And I almost slipped up and introduced Vince as Rafe’s father instead of his brother. It would have been hard to explain they’re father and son, but look the same age.”

“All’s well that ends well,” Derek said, chuckling. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Yours or mine?”

He ran his hand along her thigh. “Mine is closer,” he purred, “and we are on our honeymoon.”

It was hard to remember she was angry with him when he was so near, when his scent, the mere touch of his hand, stirred her desire. Not willing to let that anger go, she thought about all she had lost when he turned her into a vampire. His being a vampire hadn’t been a problem. She had been willing to make adjustments in her own lifestyle to accommodate his. He preferred the night. He drank blood. She could accept those things. But, even though she was perfectly happy to have a husband who was a vampire, that didn’t mean she wanted to be one, too.

Jerking his hand from her thigh, he growled, “Would you rather I had let you die?”