Page 101 of Bound By Blood

“Did Drake mention Nadiya?”

“She’s disappeared again.” Elena’s smile vanished as she looked at Zack. “You don’t think she’ll try something else, do you? Not after this?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t seem like the kind to give up. On the other hand, she’s lost three sons, and she no longer has Lucien to fight her battles.”

“Well, I’m not going to worry about her anymore,” Kaitlyn said. “I have a wedding to plan.”

Apparently the wordweddingpossessed some kind of magical properties, Zack mused. The smile returned to Elena’s face and the next thing Zack knew, the two women had their heads together, talking about dresses and veils, what kind of flowers to order for the church, and what kind of a bouquet Kaitlyn would carry. Flowers weren’t part of vampire weddings, but Kaitlyn and Elena had decided to overrule Drake’s objections and ignore coven tradition. Kaitlyn wanted flowers and a church wedding, and that’s what she was going to have.

Zack frowned. The last time he had been inside a church had been for Colette’s funeral. When he’d proposed to Kaitlyn, he hadn’t given any thought to where they would get married. He had foolishly assumed they would just fly to Vegas for the weekend, get married in one of the chapels, then take an extended honeymoon in Italy or France. He grunted softly. So much for that idea. It was obvious that Kaitlyn wanted a big wedding—long white dress, flowers, bridesmaids. He grimaced. A groom wearing a tuxedo. The whole nine yards.

Looking at the excitement in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, he figured it was a small price to pay to make her happy.

Until the next night, when he realized that, as long as Nadiya was still a threat, he was going to have to act as chaperon while the ladies went shopping.

Of course, every cloud had a silver lining, and this one came in the form of a blue Porsche Panamera 4S. The Sherrad family seemed to have a thing for Porsches, Zack mused. And this one was a beaut.

“I know you two want to gab,” Zack said as he opened the rear door for them and bowed them inside.

Moving around to the driver’s side, he slid behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. He grinned as the engine purred to life. The Panamera was a sweetheart of a ride, able to go from zero to sixty in four-point-eight seconds and reach a speed of a hundred and seventy-five miles. Although he was itching to put the car through its paces, now wasn’t the time, not when Kaitlyn and her mother were in the backseat.

He put the car in gear and headed down the mountain. The Porsche took the curves with ease; the low hum of the motor like music to his ears. He couldn’t help feeling a moment of regret when, all too soon, the city came into view.

At any other time, he would have dropped the women off and waited in the car, but recent events were too fresh in his mind. After parking the car, he escorted them to the bridal shop, then stood near the door, arms folded over his chest, while they picked out a dozen dresses for Kaitlyn to try on.

He opened his preternatural senses while he waited, grinned as he caught snatches of conversation from the dressing room.

“You look beautiful …”

“How about this one?”

“… need a smaller size …”

With a shake of his head, he stepped outside and glanced up and down the sidewalk. Only a few people were on the street, mostly couples coming from the direction of the movie theater. No scent of vampires, Romanian or any other kind. No hint of danger.

Returning to the shop, he took a seat on a chintz-covered sofa, and waited. And waited. Just when he thought he’d have to go in after them, Kaitlyn and her mother emerged from the dressing room.

Zack frowned when he saw they were both empty-handed. “No luck? Don’t tell me we have to do this again.”

“No.” Kaitlyn kissed him on the cheek. “I found the perfect dress. Well, it’ll be perfect with a little altering. The seamstress said it will be ready next week.”

“Wait until you see your bride in that gown,” Elena said, smiling. She’s gorgeous.”

“She’s already gorgeous,” Zack said, winking at Kaitlyn.

“I found a veil, too. And everything else I’ll need for the wedding.” She smiled at him, her cheeks turning pink. “And the wedding night.”

“Really?” he asked with a wicked grin. “Something black and slinky?”

“Zack!”

“Come on,” he said, laughing. “Let’s go home.”

The next week passed peacefully. The day after the battle, Andrei, Katiya, and their children returned to the Carpathian Fortress, along with Ciprian and Liam. By right of battle, the Italian Fortress and everything in it now belonged to Drake. Four days after Lucien’s defeat, Stefan and Liliana moved into the Italian Fortress, along with a number of Liliana’s daughters and their families. On the fifth day, nearly everyone who had once resided at the Carpathian Fortress had returned.

Three days later, Drake returned to Wolfram Castle. He hugged Kaitlyn, shook Zack’s hand, then swept Elena into his arms and carried her swiftly up the stairs to their bedroom.

“So,” Zack said, looking at Kaitlyn, “what do you want to do tonight?”

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