Page 37 of My Big Fat Vampire Wedding
Was it too much?
She opened her mouth to ask, but the words caught in her throat as his eyes met hers, dark and focused, like the entire world had fallen away, save for the two of them.
“You …” His voice came out low, husky, before he cleared his throat and straightened up. “It suits you.”
It suited her?
Pandora almost laughed. Nothing had ever felt less natural on her skin. But the intensity in his gaze made the laugh freeze in her throat.
“Is it too tight?” she managed to murmur.
To that, Victor’s lips twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close.
“No,” he said, before his eyes did one final sweep.
“Too tight? With that figure? No,” Lucy said as Victor excused himself back into the dressing room.
Twenty minutes later, they had paid and were back atLuna Bean, each changing into their outfits for the night. Victor was left waiting for Lucy to fuss with Pandora’s make-up for a while.
Pandora was thankful for anything to distract her from her own nerves, and Lucy’s bubbly, incessant talking made it possible to get through the hour-long wait, before it was finally time for Victor and Pandora to make their way toward the Tube.
“Demons walk among us!” A voice carried across the platform as they waited for the train.
Pandora grumbled under her breath, “Not now.”
“What was that?” Victor asked, looking down at her.
“Oh, nothing,” she said, willing the train to pull up before the unwelcome orator noticed her again.
“They wear the skin of humans and they feed on your souls!”
Victor cast the man a sympathetic glance and Pandora saw him slide his hand into his back pocket, likely reaching for some spare change.
Until the man suddenly rushed toward them, making Victor straighten. “Demon! I see you! She will feed on your soul and drag you down to hell with her.”
“Hey.” Victor stepped forward, moving himself between the man and Pandora. “No, you need to step back,” he said, pulling himself up to full height.
“Repent now, before she devours your soul!”
“Back off.” Victor took another step toward the man.
“Victor, it’s OK,” she said, grabbing the back of Victor’s shirt, trying to pull him back.
“It’s not OK. He was in your face.”
Pandora couldn’t help but be charmed by his protectiveness.
When the man came back once again, Victor’s arm went around her, ushering her into the train car once it stopped and its doors opened.
“Don’t follow her,” he said to the man, who was on a mission to warn the world about her true nature. Then Victor stood between her and the man until the doors closed.
Pandora almost didn’t want to speak, didn’t want to do anything that would make Victor realize his arm was still draped protectively around her and release her. But as the silence stretched between them, she felt she had to be the one to break it.
“It’s sad that he has nowhere else to go,” she said, meaning that. Sure, he might be trying to out her and he wasn’t as crazy as society likely thought he was, but no one should be living on the streets or in the tunnels. Especially as the weather was getting cold.
“It is.” Victor glanced down at her.
“Thank you for getting between us,” she said.
