Page 4 of Night Wedding
She grinned. “Find a slinky dress, some heels, and a slow song.” She rubbed her hands together. “Simple.”
“I’ll think about it.” Although a part of me felt ridiculous as I pictured myself trying to seduce Diego that way, it was worth giving it a go. After all, how bad could it be?
“Okay, it’s getting hot around here.” She fanned herself and chuckled. “I’m going into the water to cool off.” She strolled towards the waves rolling in, nabbing the attention of countless gawkers.
Alone with my thoughts, I rolled onto my stomach and closed my eyes. Could I pull this off?
Sure. I could handle slowly swaying while I undressed, right? What could go wrong?
I smiled to myself, scrolling through my mental playlist for the perfect song.
Things were about to get spicier in Salem.
Diego
After I’d awoken late morning, I went downstairs. Lucas and Sebastian were playing a video game in the living room. Lucas’s gray cat, Shadow, was curled up beside him. Wide-eyed and dressed, they appeared like they’d been up for hours. Lucas had his blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore a black Metallica T-shirt. Sebastian wore black jeans that he probably ironed and a plaid button-down shirt. I was still in a pair of black pajama bottoms and a well-worn T-shirt from a Cure concert.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Sebastian said without looking away from the TV.
“Just waking up.” I rubbed sleep from my eyes. The adjustment from sleep was not my favorite part of the day, unless I had Nova in bed with me. Then I could press against her and warm my cold body against her warm flesh. She preferred to get up earlier in the day to get stuff done for work and whatnot.
“The life of a vampire,” Lucas noted in a light tone. “Up all night, sleep all day. Like a rock star.”
“If so, I might be shaking off a hangover rather than craving some Type O.” I headed into the kitchen and pulled out a pouch of blood from the fridge.
Once I finished drinking it, I returned to the living room and sat on the sofa. Shadow rose to four legs and nudged my hand for a chin rub before settling back down on the cushion.
“I’ve been thinking about something.” Thinking might not be the best word. More like mulling over or even obsessing at times when my nerves got all hyped.
“What?” Sebastian asked.
I tapped my lips and then voiced it. “Proposing to Nova.”
Lucas paused the game and dropped the controller on the coffee table. “Shut the front door. For real?”
“Yeah.” I fidgeted on the sofa. Ever since I’d started contemplating this idea, I’d wrestled between excitement and nerves. Anytime I tried to bring up our future, I’d get anxious and chicken out, changing the subject.
What if Nova said no? Sure, we’d been happily in love since the fall, but proposing to her was huge. I was a vampire, immortal, bound to darkness. Would I ruin her life by asking her to commit to the undead?
“Perfect. You and Nova are great together,” Sebastian said.
My lips twitched into a smile. “Thanks, man. You don’t think I’m making a mistake?”
I glanced away, gaze roaming over to the thick curtain-covered windows. The last time I’d been engaged, it had literally destroyed my life. The mortal one at least. Not to mention the scars on my soul I never thought would heal. That was until I’d met Nova.
“Nova isn’t Diana,” Sebastian replied with a decisive head shake. “You can’t compare them or the situation.”
That was for sure. My ex-fiancée had convinced me to become a vampire like her so we could be together forever. Forever equated to mere months in her book before she tired of me, leaving me a walking corpse with a broken heart.
I’d never do that to Nova. I’d never ask her to change for me. Even if I wanted to be with her, I couldn’t ask her to be cursed by darkness.
“You don’t think it’s a bad idea considering what I am?” I continued to pet Shadow to give me something to do with my hands. Shadow arched his back but didn’t jump off the sofa in protest.
“Nova’s an adult,” Sebastian said. “She knows what she wants.”
“And if she’s crazy enough to want you, that’s her choice,” Lucas added with a chuckle.
I grunted. “Thanks for the support.”
