My wedding is tomorrow and to be honest, I’m freaking out. This will be the second time I say vows I don’t mean, and the second time I’m forced to marry a night-dweller. I was able to turn my marriage to Darius into something good…something I want to be a part of, only he no longer wanted to be a part of it in the end. Would my marriage to Asher end the same way? Can I bring myself to love someone else when my heart still resides at Draven manor?
“You’ve been quiet lately,” Asher examines me closely.
“Just wondering if history will repeat itself.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning…I didn’t want to marry Darius, but I did and look how that turned out. How do I know this won’t turn out the same way?”
“You don’t,” he replies. It does nothing to put me at ease. I don’t think he’s even trying to at this point. Maybe I’m overreacting and he’s tired of catering to my paranoia. I’ve been on edge since coming back here. Its yet another reminder of the sacrifices I’ve been forced to make. Sacrifices I didn’t want to make, but didn’t really have a choice.
“That’s all you have to say to me?”
“If I thought saying more would put you at ease, I would, but it won’t. You’re worried history will repeat itself and I get it. I’d prefer actions over words, so yes…that’s all I have to say to you.”
He cuts his eyes at me, giving me a look reminiscent of looks I’ve received from Darius. It provokes an unwanted yet familiar attraction to this stranger soon to be my husband. Pulling my eyes away from his, I step back and put a little distance between us.
Cara sashays into the room with her new BFF Anya and they both crowd around me. “How are you feeling?” Cara asks.
“I don’t know how to feel,” I shrug. I glance over at Asher who is still unbothered by the fact that I’m in freak out mode. I’m not sure what I expect him to do, its not like he can show me the future. Maybe its like he said. Maybe he’ll just show me.
After taking several deep breaths I force myself to calm down. “Please get her out of the house and show her a good time before she burns a hole in the back of my head,” Asher instructs them.
“We’re way ahead of you brother,” Anya grins. She and Cara grab me by the wrists and practically drag me out of the house. I have no idea where we’re going but with these two, you never know…the sky is the limit.
We end up at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in one of their few remaining banquet halls. Inside there is nothing but half naked men, a stage with stripper poles, loud music, and a bunch of female faces I don’t even recognize. Anya and Cara seem to know everyone though.
“Is this the lucky girl Asher has chosen to settle down with?” A red head eyes me enviously, “She’s human.”
“My brother has always had a thing for humans, you know that.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m being forced into this marriage. I’m not marrying him by choice,” I explain.
“Weren’t you married to that brute Darius Draven? And you have to be convinced to marry Asher?” The red head frowns at me. “Be glad you got away from that headcase.”
“Ignore her. She’s just having pre-wedding jitters,” Anya explains, shooing me away.
What does she mean by headcase? I mean sure Darius had his complications, but he was far from a headcase…or maybe I was so blinded by my feelings for him that I made excuses for him. Its highly possible I have to admit.
The last place I want to be is here with night-dweller balls swinging in my face, but I’m too polite to tell Anya or Cara that. Instead, I slap a smile on my face and pretend to be enjoying the attention. They went through a lot of trouble to set this up for me, and they’re kind of the only friends I have.
By the end of the night all I can think about it taking a hot shower to remove all of the night-dweller sweat from my skin. My new personal servant Maya draws me a bath and sets out a nightgown for me to wear to bed.
Asher is nowhere to be found, but if I had my guess he’s probably out celebrating his last night of freedom. Tomorrow he and I will be married in an overly gaudy ceremony and then…then…I don’t even want to think about what comes next. I haven’t been with anyone since Darius and being with someone else still feels like a betrayal to me.
After bathing and putting on my nightgown, I try to fall asleep, but I can’t. My mind is going a mile a minute thinking of everything that’s about to transpire. I don’t start getting sleepy until the sun begins to peek out from behind my bedroom curtains. But by then it’s too late. Anya and Cara barge into my room to drag me out of bed. In no time flat I’m being stuffed into a dress, a stylist is tugging at my hair and a makeup artist is doing her best to make the bags under my eyes disappear. Meanwhile, my heart is trying to beat its way out of my chest. Everything is moving so fast.
I’m taken downstairs to a car that takes me to a cathedral. Cara, Anya and Eliza are with me and I don’t remember when Eliza even got here, but she’s all over me telling me how beautiful I am. I don’t feel beautiful…I feel like a zombie…like I’m on autopilot.
Once inside the cathedral, music begins and one by one Cara, Anya and Eliza all disappear. My father appears beside me, and the double doors in front of me open. Everything seems surreal, like its not really happening. Not even as I walk towards Asher who’s standing very eloquently at the end of the aisle. If he’s concerned about whether I’ll go through with this or not, it doesn’t show on his face. Instead he’s sporting a pleasant smile. He actually looks happy. That makes one of us. Still, I plaster a fake smile on my face and take my place across from him.
The ceremony begins but I can’t bring myself to look Asher in the eyes. This is a lie…all of it. My eyes roam across the room until they land on one couple in particular holding a baby. Darius and Aria are seated near the front row in full view and again Aria’s holding my son. Darius and I make eye contact and as a result I pull away from Asher. He doesn’t react. Instead, he gently grips my chin and turns my head away from Darius.
Asher takes my hands into his but I still can’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. I stare down at our hands and try my hardest not to return Darius’ gaze.
It isn’t until the ceremony is over and Asher and I take our first walk as husband and wife that I actually make eye contact with Asher. He offers me a sympathetic smile. Shouldn’t he be angry or something? He takes my hand into his as we wave to his family and friends then climb into a car that takes us to our reception location. It’s not too far from the cathedral, but the silence inside the car makes it seem as if we’ve been driving forever. Asher is shockingly silent. Normally he has a lot to say. It worries me a little that he’s so silent. It worries me enough that I can think of nothing else right now but finding out why he’s giving me the silent treatment.
Before I can pry we’re exiting the car and entering a large building with Victorian interior decoration. There’s gold trim along the walls and ceiling, Victorian paintings along the walls and ceilings, hanging glass chandeliers and vintage European furniture.
He’s not talking to me, but that doesn’t stop him from grabbing my hand and holding it so that we appear to be the happy new couple everyone is expecting us to be. At least one thing hasn’t changed. Asher is ignoring me much like Darius did the day we got married. Maybe it’s just what these Draven men do.
Asher and I are announced to our awaiting guests and then seated at the head table on a raised platform in the front of the room. Worried history is in fact repeating itself, I place my hand over Asher’s and he doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that I’m there. After a few moments he removes his hand from under mine. It’s a case of déjà vu. Darius did the exact same thing.
I’m starting to hyperventilate. I can’t be stuck in the same situation for the second time in a row. All I want is to live happily ever after for a change.
Air…I need air. I don’t bother alerting anyone to the fact that I need air, I just rise from my seat and make my way to the nearest balcony. Asher doesn’t even flinch when I rise from my seat. He doesn’t try to stop me either.
“Something wrong?” A voice that makes my heart skip beats asks.
I turn to face him and can’t believe my eyes. As if showing up to my wedding with the woman he chose over me holding our son wasn’t bad enough, he has the gall to show up to the reception?
“You’re here to torture me, is that it? Is that why you’re here? To torture me?”
“What’s wrong? You look panicked.”
“What’s wrong?” I scoff, “You pawned me off on Asher! And now, like you, he’s giving me the cold shoulder. I can’t handle being trapped in another loveless marriage Darius, I just can’t.”
“You want to fall in love with him?”
“I want to be happy,” I sighed. “I don’t want to be someone’s second choice. I want to be his only choice and now I’m not sure if he’s planning on giving me that.”
“I miss you,” Darius’ eyes bore into mine. This is so unfair...
He always did know what to say to me to disarm me when my walls go up. Tears coat my eyes. “I’m sure Aria’s doing a great job of helping you out with that,” I fold my arms across my chest. “Why are you doing this? Why are you saying these things to me? If your father catches you out here, he’ll…”
“My father went home. Besides, I wanted to talk to you the day you came to Draven manor, but with my father there, I couldn’t.”
“Just like you couldn’t keep your promises to me? Like the one where you promised not to break my heart? Darius, I can’t do this with you…I’m married to your cousin and tonight…tonight he’ll be expecting me to sleep with him to consummate our marriage.”
Darius winces at my words, but he doesn’t back down. I was hoping he’d go away. It’s his fault I’m stuck in yet another sham of a marriage and I don’t want to talk anymore.
“Bear his children and play the dutiful wife…but whatever you do, don’t fall in love with him,” Darius has the audacity to say.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I love you Giselle. If I hadn’t pawned you off on Asher you’d be a corpse right now,” Darius sighs.
“That’s sort of ironic because thanks to you, I feel like a corpse inside. You took our son from me Darius. You ripped my heart out and you took the only thing I had left.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I had no choice. My father threatened to take him away if I didn’t do what I did and rather than the both of us losing him I made the best choice I could,” he sulks.
Darius reaches up to touch my face and I flinch away from him. He isn’t deterred in the slightest, not that I expected he would be. He reaches out to touch me again. This time I don’t back away.
A simple touch from him does more damage to me emotionally than I can handle. My defenses come crashing down.
“I wish things could’ve been different between us, I really do.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Don’t fall for him Giselle. Wait for me.”
I scoff and shake my head. “For how long Darius? A month? A year? A decade?”
“I don’t know.”
“I can’t make any promises. I want to be happy…even if it isn’t with you.”
Caressing my cheekbone with his thumb, Darius pulls me into him and presses his lips against mine. It’s been a while since we’ve kissed. It’s everything I remember and more. He takes my breath away.
My eyes linger shut a moment before I open them again. If someone sees us and word gets back to Asher, he’d be well within his rights to make my life a living hell. As much as I don’t like it, I have to be loyal to Asher. I have to keep his best interests in mind because he holds my future…my happiness in his hands.
“I have to go,” I push past Darius and head back to my seat.
“What did my cousin have to say to you?” Asher asks. He’s not even looking in my direction and he still has a smile plastered on his face. I opt to tell the truth.
“He told me he loves me and asked me not to fall in love with you.”
Shaking his head, Asher laughs. “He’s got some balls, I’ll give him that,” Asher scoffs, “And what did you say in response?”
“I told him I couldn’t make any promises. That I want to be happy, even if it isn’t with him.”
Asher finally returns my gaze. He places his hand over mine and lets out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that. I knew when he accepted my invitation he wouldn’t be able to resist, but I was also curious as to whether I could trust you or not,” he confides.
“I still love him, but my loyalties lie with you now.”
A smile. His lips curl up into a smile as he leans closer to me and the two of us share a kiss, a gentle one. Asher laces his fingers with mine and suddenly he’s no longer ignoring me. That’s why he was distancing himself from me. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. I can’t exactly say I blame him.
“Thank you.”
Frowning I ask, “For what?”
“Giving us a chance…giving me a chance.”
“Don’t give me too much credit. I kind of didn’t have a choice. I’d rather try and make this work than go through what I went through with Darius.”
“And you won’t have to,” he promises me.
So far, Asher has taken a laid back approach when it comes to our marriage. He doesn’t have any crazy demands for me, I’m not confined to specific rooms, and he himself is an open book. He lets me come and go as I please, he lets me make my own decisions, and so far he hasn’t pressured me into anything either. He’s making it really hard to not like him.
For the rest of the night I do my best to ignore Darius and keep my focus on Asher. It’s the hand I’ve been dealt. Asher’s family seems to be buying it and surprisingly so does my family. No one seems to be aware of the growing conflict inside my heart…no one but me.
I don’t want the ceremony to end because I dread being alone with Asher. What if I can’t go through with it? What if I break down in tears? It’s the last thing I’d want to happen and now I’m a nervous wreck. But like most things I dread, my night comes to an end faster than I’m ready for. Asher has our wedding gifts loaded into several cars and then taken back to our home. Our home…I’m going to have to get used to that.
Meanwhile, our car takes us straight to the airport. I have no idea where we are going. I was never privy to those details. We board another Draven private jet and spend over ten hours on a plane before it finally descends. Bora-Bora…I’ve always wanted to visit but my father and Elizabeth felt bringing me here would be more trouble than it was worth because I was blind.
Speaking of blindness, my vision is starting to fade. It’s been too long since I had my daily dose of Darius’ blood. I imagine I’ll be completely blind by the end of the day tomorrow.
“I need blood,” I whisper to Asher.
“Blood? For what?” He asks, puzzled.
It quickly dawns on me that he has no idea about my natural state of blindness. Darius and his father always hid that side of me from the world. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, I divulge my little secret to Asher for the first time. “Asher, I’m legally blind in both eyes, but by ingesting night-dweller blood I can restore my sight.”
Asher reels back, “OH.” He’s surprised by my confession. His eyes search the room and then he begins to pull his sleeve back. “Drink.” He bites into his flesh drawing blood and holds his wrist up to my lips. I hesitate. Drinking Darius’ blood gave me unwanted nightmares and sexual dreams about him. But what choice do I have?
Gently I take his wrist in my hands and began to drink his blood. It tastes different than Darius’. It’s still rich, but it has more of a citrus kick to it. Slowly my vision begins to repair itself.
Our car comes to a stop in a wooded area. There are trees all around us, dirt and gravel roads, insects I’ve never seen before in my life, and you can vaguely hear the sound of water in the distance. It sounds like there’s a waterfall.
Our luggage is unloaded and placed on a series of all terrain vehicles. Asher motions for me to climb on behind him and I wrap my arms around his waist as tightly as I can. We take a short ride on a dirt path that ends at a private residence nestled in the middle of literally nowhere. The place looks empty at first but as we park in front a full staff emerges to greet us. Asher speaks to the staff in their native tongue, they nod, and then they began to break off in different directions grabbing our luggage.
We’re escorted inside and shown to our bedroom. My nerves shoot straight through the roof. Asher notices my apprehension and chuckles to himself. “Are all humans this afraid of intimacy?” He asks.
“I’m not afraid of intimacy.”
“Whenever I get within an inch of you, you go rigid,” he points out.
“It’s not the intimacy, its…”
Understanding flashes in his eyes and I can’t tell if he’s bothered by it or offended. “I forgot about the human attachment to those you sleep with,” he replies, amused. “We night-dweller’s do not have such an attachment.”
“So I’ve been told. Darius would make fun of me because of it.”
Asher laughs, “That sounds like him. Although I must admit that I find it equally amusing the way you people work.”
“We get attached…its what we do,” I shrug, “And sleeping with you…it will feel like a betrayal to everything I feel for Darius.”
“With time it won’t feel that way,” was all he said in response. He’s just as unfeeling as his cousin when it comes to matters of the human heart.
“You know, I’m kind of tired,” I feign a yawn.
“Get some rest,” Asher nods his head towards the bed.
Before he changes his mind, I slip into my nightgown and climb into bed. It’s the only thing I could think of that would stall him. At least for now anyways.
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