Unbound (42 page)

They both reached with their free hands for the daggers on the table. Dani had no idea what was about to happen and frankly she was nervous. Both the bride and groom lowered their heads and pressed the blades to their lower lips, making the slightest of cuts. They put down the daggers. They lifted their faces and Dani saw the thin line of blood on their lips. They kissed for a long minute. They shared the very source of each other’s lives. They tasted the very essence of the others being.

She was transfixed by the intimate exchange. The couple broke apart and stared at each other in wonder and awe of the moment. The room erupted into cheers of happiness and laughter. Everyone began filing out into the lobby but the bride and groom never moved. They just stood there looking into each other’s eyes.

Dani was confused. In a hu
man wedding the bride and groom
leave first. Darren leaned down with a wrinkled forehead and asked, “Is this the first bonding you’ve attended?” She nodded in answer. He whispered as he led her toward the rear of the chapel with a hand on the small of her back, “This is a very powerful moment for the couple. They’ll need a few minutes alone before they can share their new mate with the rest of the party.”

Before she left the room, Dani turned to look at the couple one more time. They stood with their lips still just inches apart, gazed lovingly at each other as if the rest of the world no longer existed for them. There seemed to be nothing but the two of them and their eternal bond.

TWENTY~

The celebration after the bonding was much like you would expect at a human wedding reception. There was a cocktail hour in the lobby while the newly mated couple enjoyed some time alone. Dani was introduced to practically everyone that attended the ritual. Koren was so proud to show off her son’s girlfriend and the newly infamous ‘Angel of Wrath’, that was oh-so powerful, blah, blah, blah. Dani really hated the attention.  Darren had been sticking very close, seeming to assess everyone she encountered without being obvious about it. He looked like all the other very attractive, well-built vampires at the ritual. But she was sure most people knew who he was by their cautious reactions and unwillingness to get too close to him. He had a bad reputation for being short-tempered and overly aggressive. He didn’t seem to be enjoying his duties this evening given the wary looks he shot around the room and the exasperated sighs he released from time to time. She felt sorry for his misery and for ruining his evening with this babysitting duty. After ma
king a full circuit of the room she was trying, unsuccessfully,
to pry herself away from Koren. Darren took a moment to stare aimlessly out the window onto the beautifully moonlit grounds. Dani was reintr
oduced to several couples she’
d already spent time chatting with until she managed to back out of the group.

Someone grabbed her hand and pulled gently to turn her around. She expected it to be Darren but it was odd for him to take her hand. He had a way of leading her around by the small of her back but he had never taken her hand. To her surprise, she found Chase at the other end of her arm. She hadn’t seen him until now and Lord he was gorgeous in a dark suit. He flashed that devilish smile that made her look too long at his lips and remember the taste of sunshine and happiness.

“W...What are you doing here?” she stuttered.

He shifted his eyes toward Darren, who still had his back to her at the window about ten feet away. He winked and pulled her quietly out of the crowded room and into a darkened room that wasn’t being used for the event. It was quiet but for the faint sounds of the partygoers and kitchen staff busily preparing for the meal to come. He didn’t say anything at first. He just looked at her from below those long dark lashes, his ocean blue eyes lighting a flame in her core. Dani turned pink under the heat of his obviously appraising stare. Still holding her hand, he spun her around and pulled her into an embrace that lifted her feet up off the ground, her ankles crossed and feet dangling. A nervous giggle escaped and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He broke his silence with a barely audible whisper.

“I’ve missed you, Lovely. You’
re so beautiful. I just had to touch you. I needed to hold you. It’s been awful for me since you left.” He took a deep breath, nuzzling at her neck and sending chills down her spine. He seemed to enjoy having that effect on her and kissed the gooseflesh on her shoulder. “You smell like heaven, a vanilla and lavender heaven.”

“I didn’t see you at the ritual,” she stated stupidly. He put her feet back on the ground but did not back away.

“Elliot is a friend of mine. He was among the group of guys I grew up with. I spent a lot of time with Cayden, and his cousin was often around. I skipped the ceremony because,” he paused, looking like he hadn’t meant to really answer.

“What?” She prodded him.

“I didn’t think I could handle it. I knew you and Cayden were coming and I didn’t think I could watch the ritual and not think about you. Then I would have to see you with him,” his voice broke. The raw sound of it made her eyes sting. She had to get away from him. Why had she let him lead her away?

“I’m sorry, Chase. After your own ritual, this will all go away. Then I will be left to suffer alone. Don’t be offended when I don’t attend your wedding. Not that I was expecting an invitation anyway. I better get back before they call out the guard to look for me.” She pulled just out of his grasp. The door flew open and Darren swept her up in one arm and turned in a protective stance to scan the room, gun at the ready in the other hand.

“No need to pull a gun. We were just talking.” Chase stepped back, hands up in surrender.

Darren didn’t respond to him. He backed out of the room and sat Dani down several feet down the hall. Holstering his gun, he looked her over in an oddly possessive way and seemed to be checking for injury. By this time, Chase was watching from the doorway. Darren straightened her dress where it had ridden up a little from him snatching her up so abruptly, then tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She was shocked still when he took her chin in his hand and checked her face, for what she didn’t know. Then he took her hand and tugged her back toward the party.

“It is time for dinner. Let’s get seated and I will g
et you a drink.” H
e smiled and walked faster.

She looked over her shoulder at Chase, who was about as astounded as she was by such an unprofessional exchange. As if he touched her that way regularly. Chase followed them down the hall, making low growling noises.

The dining hall was decorated similarly to the chapel with arches of trees and white cloth covering ever
y
surface. The striking difference was the lighting
. This room was bathed in red. It was a
sharp contrast to the winter white of the chapel. The red light washed everyone and everything in a beautifully sensual glow. Darren pulled out her chair and she sat next to Koren.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten off to, sweetheart.” Darren went to the bar. Chase was watching him disdainfully from the doorway.

“I was talking to Chase in the hall.” She saw no sense in lying. Gage’s head came around like a whip.

“I hadn’t seen Chase. I didn’t think he was going to attend,” he scowled.

“He told me Elliot, Cayden and he had grown up together. He was happy to come celebrate his friend’s joyous day with him.”

“He will be celebrating his own joy soon from what I have heard,” Koren added. “He will be bonded to Griffin’s daughter. That’ll be a happy day for both houses,” she prattled. Gage watched Dani for a reaction to this comment. She was careful not to give him one. He was well aware of the distance between Cayden and Chase due to her presence and she hated it. These guys were lifelong friends and inseparable companions until she came between them. She’d often thought of stepping away from this entire circle of people so they could return to their normal lives. She’d made such a terrible mess of thi
ngs. She’d come between friends
and an engaged couple. She disrupt
ed the warriors who had to baby
sit her constantly. She felt totally responsible for what happened to JR. That sweet boy was hurt because people were trying to get to her. If she disappeared, they would all be better off.

Darren returned to the table with two glasses of red wine. Good thing, because she needed a drink. She put the glass to her lips and was shocked when the delicious red liquid exploded in her mouth.

“This has blood in it?” she sputtered.

“It does, so take it easy. The mixture of the blood and wine go to your head. Would you prefer I get you something else?”

“No. It’s good. I just didn’t expect it.” She blushed. Blood made her hot and giddy. Maybe
it made her
too hot for this gathering but one glass wouldn’t hurt.

“Please forgive me. I forget you’re not familiar with our customs. Did anyone explain the ritual to you beforehand?” he inquired.

“No, I don’t know much about it but I am curious about the process. Cayden was going to explain some things to me tonight.”

Music was beginning to play and couples were shuffling out to the floor. It was beautiful instrumental music that somehow sounded classical and modern at the same time. Gage rose from his seat, and with an elegant bow, he extended his hand to his mate who took it with a joyful smile of pleasure. Darren explained that the first dance was meant for the mated pairs at the celebration. They take the floor before the newly mated couple. It’s supposed to bring luck and wisdom to the couple when they take the floor and absorb all the residual energy and joy left by the experienced mates. The amazing sight of all the tenderness and love on the floor by so many couples warmed the rest of the room. Dani wish
ed
the human race were so lucky to mate for life and love to the end, the way vampires did. Darren was writing on a small slip of paper. She noticed the papers and a pencil at
the center of the table when they
sat down.

“What is that?” she asked. He grinned and looked at her from the corner of his eye, dropping the paper in a box being carried around by the bride’s mother.

“It’s another tradition I’m surprised Cayden didn’t inform you of beforehand. All the single men and women write the name of another single person they would like to dance with on the paper along with their own. No one will know which one requested the dance except the couple and often times they have both requested each other. You must dance with everyone who writes down your name. It’s bad luck for the new couple if you refuse. It isn’t free though. You must pay for the privilege of the dance and all the money goes to the new mates. So you are doing a great service to them and bringing them blessings of prosperity. The female’s mother collects the requests and the male’s mother will come around with a list of people in order of the amount they paid to dance with you. The male and female that bring in the most money for the new mates will dance the second dance along with the “bride and groom” and then everyone else is invited to join the couple on the floor. Many beautiful maidens have gone to a bonding ceremony single and left having met their
future mate
due to this time honored tradition.”

“Humans have a similar tradition except you pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride or groom. The maid of honor, another human tradition, wears an apron and people drop money into the apron before dancing with the bride or groom for a minute. It usually only lasts a couple of songs and people line up for a dance that is symbolically supposed to bring wealth and prosperity to the marriage.” He was smiling at her. “Does that amuse you, warrior?”

“You amuse me. You speak so lovingly of the race we are all taught to think of as beneath us. I believe we could learn from your sense of tolerance and community. You make a lovely ambassador for the human race.” He touched her cheek making her turn a little pink. He had no idea how much of a true ambassador she was. “There is no way anyone will get to dance with the “bride or groom.” He repeated her terminology. “They will be inseparable for weeks to come, too wrapped up in the building of the bond to be away from each other.” He changed the subject when he noticed her discomfort.

Dani went to refill her drink and enjoy the lovely warm glow of the room and the happy faces on the dance floor. Darren didn’t follow her and she was grateful until a dozen pairs of eyes burned through her. She was stopped several times by people politely inquiring about her mating status. That must be vamp for marital status. She finished one glass of wine while speaking with a lady who was shamelessly promoting her son, who sat at a nearby table with his head, hung in shame and embarrassment. She took a third glass minus the blood.

At the table, Koren was laughing and shaking her head, “Cayden is really going to wish he’d come tonight. People wouldn’t be nearly so bold if he were here.” She giggled again.

“What do you mean?” Dani was lost again. Not to mention a little buzzed.

Darren chimed in scowling, “I have a feeling your dance card filled up quickly. Every guy in the room is dying to spin you around the floor and tell you of the wonderful attributes and talents that would make them the perfect mate for you. I believe the “bride and groom” will be in your debt for the donations they’ll receive on your behalf. Maybe they will name a child after you.” His tone was laced with arsenic and his eyes swept the room.