Page 76 of Hitched to the Vampire King

“Put this on,” Lucy ordered, thrusting today’s armor—lace and silk undergarments—at me.

I wrestled myself into the lingerie, then pulled on the silk robe Jaden offered me. Barely a second later, she plopped me down onto a chair and aimed a spotlight right at my face. I winced and shielded my eyes from the light, only for Jaden to smack my hand down and continue inspecting me.

Then she declared war on my face—at least, that was how it felt. She poked, prodded, and tweezed wherever necessary. Hair and makeup came next, followed soon after by some more taping of my boobs to keep them, in Lucy’s words, “perky.” Here I thought my twenty-eight turning twenty-nine-year-old boobs were plenty perky.

“We good?” Jaden asked when she finally stepped back, allowing Lucy’s critical eye a final sweep.

“Stunning. Now, let’s get that cute butt in the car.”

I rose from my chair, but apparently wasn’t moving fast enough.

Jaden practically shoved me toward the front door. “Time’s ticking. We have to go! We were supposed to be at the venue thirty minutes ago, and we need to get out of here before your groom wakes and sees you. It’s bad luck to see the bride on the wedding day!”

I snorted under my breath. Superstitions weren’t really my thing. I slipped on a pair of slippers and pulled my robe tighter around my middle—my dress was already waiting for me at the venue. At least it was summer, so I didn’t need any other layers.

The drive took us twenty minutes, and that was with Lucy speeding. I kept waiting for flashing red and blue lights to pull us over, but it seemed fate was on our side tonight.

The moment our tires kissed the venue’s parking lot, Jaden sprang into action, yanking me from the car with an urgency that had my heart racing and my feet tangling in my robe. Did they not realize that the wedding couldn’t start without me? We had time—but try tellingthemthat.

Lucy, Jaden, and an excited Annalise escorted me through the estate’s grandeur, a blur of lights and shadows, before shoving me inside the changing room.

Once again stationed in the middle of the room, I watched as Jaden approached my dress, which hung next to the bed. She touched the gown with such reverence I almost laughed. At least she had the decency to be gentle withsomething, even if that something wasn’t me. Considering the cost of the dress, I appreciated her care.

Working together, Lucy and Jaden helped me step into the gown, and then my heels. The fabric, embodying months of searching, hugged my form. Its design, boasting a sweetheart neckline combined with what the saleswoman had called a “sultry thigh split” that would show off my “great legs” and a chapel train, was perfect. When I’d mentioned that I was looking for something I could move around in and kick a little vampire ass if necessary, the saleswoman had paled. Guess she wasn’t used to slayers in her line of work.

Lucy and Jaden stepped back to admire me, both smiling victoriously.

“Absolutely stunning,” Jaden murmured, a sentiment echoed by Lucy’s eager nod. “It’s too bad you didn’t hire a photographer.”

I shrugged. It’d seemed silly to pay thousands of dollars for someone to snap photos when Gabriel wouldn’t show up in them. One of the cons of being a vampire.

“Let me take a few pictures of you,” Lucy said, pulling out her phone. “Trust me, you’ll want them later.”

I indulged them, our laughter mingling as they put me in a series of ridiculous poses.

A knock brought an end to our revelry, and all three of us glanced up to find Anna standing in the doorway, her smile a beacon of warmth and joy.

“Is it time?” I asked.

She nodded. “Gabriel is downstairs with Vlad. Are you ready?”

I pressed a hand to my stomach to settle my nerves. “Definitely. Let’s do this.”

Arms locked with Lucy’s and Jaden’s, we left the room and started for the stairs, Annalise trailing behind me. Every step down had my breath hitching and my heart racing. I knew this was just a drop in the bucket compared to the eternity I would spend with Gabriel. But my excitement was hard to contain. I couldn’t wait to see him standing at the end of the aisle, dressed in his tux.

Since I had no father, I’d asked both Lucy and Jaden to escort me down the aisle before taking their places as my bridesmaids. And little Annalise was, of course, the flower girl, a role she’d happily taken on.

Anna handed Annalise the basket of flower petals and kissed her forehead. “Have at it, sweetie.”

Giggling, Annalise ripped through the open door and danced down the aisle, showing off her new ballerina skills while tossing the petals about. She threw them with such exuberance that most ended up on people’s laps, but no one seemed to mind. Laughter rumbled through the crowd.

I tore my focus away from my niece, my gaze jumping right to Gabriel.

God, he looked like he’d stepped right out of a storybook. Dressed in a classy tux, I eagerly drank in the sight of him. He’d styled his tousled hair, keeping the hair out of his eyes, but just messy enough to look purposefully done. His usually stormy gray eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at me, his lips pulling back to reveal just the tips of his fangs.

“Okay, our turn,” Lucy whispered.

Together, the three of us walked down the aisle. I couldn’t believe this was my life right now. ThatIwas walking toward my soulmate, ready to promise myself to him. And I was more than ready.

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