Page 129 of Fanged Embrace
Maxine, perfectly in character, had once again left me blindsided. Considering our history and how often she’d left me stunned and speechless with her antics in the past, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise at all that she would indirectly propose to me while we were walking down the aisle at someone else's wedding. It was actually incredibly on brand for her.
Thankfully, I made it to the end of the aisle without exploding.
We took our places on the side of the altar while Ethan guided Addison along behind us. He pecked a small, parting kiss to her cheek before slipping off to the side, and Addison stepped up to stand before Hunter, already sniveling before either of them had spoken a word.
It was beautiful, it was touching, but Maxine had thrown a wrench in my concentration and I fought to keep myself from flushing a brighter shade of red than the one I was currently presenting. Maxine herself was grinning like the Cheshire cat, and when she met my eyes I had to look away because it did nothing to help soothe the blushing.
Internally, my head was spinning, and my heart was soaring becauseof course. Of course I’d marry her. I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I could also fucking kick her for daring to bring it up when we were supposed to be celebrating someone else tying the knot. But whatever, fine. Either way, the answer was yes. The answer was always going to be yes—and she obviously knew that considering the smug smile stretched wide on her face.
I swiftly looked away and made a mental note to force her to re-propose on a date that wasn’t already taken.
By the time I’d come down from the unexpected high, Hunter and Addison had reached their vows. I watchedHunter’s eyes widen when Addison pulled out what looked like a stained receipt paper, recognition flickering there before they began to water in earnest. Addison’s vows were eloquent, heart-wrenching declarations of love, and Hunter’s weren’t too bad either. By the time they were done there was not a dry eye on that rooftop, save for the twins who were too busy tormenting Ursula to really pay attention to the monumental moment happening up at the altar.
Caden dashed a hand across his face, bulky shoulder bending slightly like he was appalled to be caught bawling in public. Ethan watched from the sidelines with his bottom lip clenched between his teeth, fighting back emotion while two of his dearest friends tie the knot.
In the crowd, I spotted River and Laurie, both of them watching with tender smiles on their faces and their hands tightly clasped. Dylan and Amara were seated near the front—Amara openly grinning in delight and Dylan discreetly scrubbing a finger under her eye, catching what I was sure she’d argue was definitelynota teardrop. Jordan and Sky looked on proudly from the back row, and Sky dipped her head to rest tenderly on the redhead’s shoulder.
Even my grandfather—who scored a complimentary invite because everybody adored him, obviously—was blowing on a hanky like it was his own children up there getting married.
When the vows were finished, Hunter and Addison stood beaming, both of them smiling like someone who’d just been promised the world—or just got everything they ever wanted. Everything they could possibly wish for.
They kissed gently and everybody cheered, and even the twins joined in, whooping and clapping, excited by the sudden commotion. I met Maxine’s eyes and she smiled back at me. The sight of it sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach, my heart thumping wild and lively in my chest. I was happy for Hunter and Addison, thrilled that they got their happily everafter, but in that moment, there was only one thought crossing my mind.
I looked at Maxine, matching her smile, and I couldn’t wait to marry that annoying, beautiful,wonderfulwoman.
Dylan
The reception was lovely up until a point; until the crowds and the chatter proved a little too overwhelming. After speeches and laughter and plenty of clinking drinks, I slipped away to the balcony, watching the festivities from the sidelines.
A quiet presence sidled up beside me, and I didn’t need to turn to know it was Amara. I could feel her presence like a sixth sense. My internal compass pointed directly toward her, no matter where I was or how far she was from me. I knew her by the beat of her heart and her slight intake of breath. I knew her by scent, by touch, by something deeper.
She stepped into my line of sight with a smile that told me she understood the sudden departure. She knew me too. Better than anyone, sometimes better than I knew myself. She knew me by the shape of my shadows, by the brush of my hand on her cheek.
I leaned an elbow on the railing, looking down at her while she reached out to adjust the flower pinned to my suit. Tiny white petals, from a cluster of plants we’d grown together, tended to delicately in our rooftop garden. The garden was in full bloom now, flourishing wild and unruly, spilling over the edge of the roof. There were so many plants up there, you could barely see the floor. But we liked it that way.
We spent hours up there, huddled together under drooping branches and swaying leaves. Amara had perfected her sketching there, outlining every flower and leaf with infinite care. Every last page of her latest sketchbook was filled, everycorner taken up—an entire garden rendered in charcoal. There were a few sketches of me in there too.
It was staggering to look back on how things used to be, before Amara kicked down the door of my previous life. These days it was impossible to imagine my garden without her in it. I couldn’t picture a life without her, or comprehend how I’d gotten by so long on my own.
There was a time where I’d drawn down the shutters of my life and kept the world and everyone in it at arm’s length. Now the windows were wide open, and it was all because of Amara. She blew into my life like a fresh breeze. Breathed new air into my lungs.
“It’s strange.” I signed the words as I spoke them, and Amara watched me with warm, wide eyes. “Of all the ways I pictured my life going—this wasn’t it. But now that I’m here, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Amara’s mouth curled into a smile, coy and teasing as she sounded the words out. “I can’t believe there was a time when I considered you my enemy. I should have known from the start that something was up—nobody had ever pissed me off quite like you did.”
I exhaled a laugh, shaking my head as I drew her closer. When she wrapped her arms around my waist I tilted her chin up, sliding a thumb between her lips to feel the prick of her fangs. She’d finally managed to keep them under control, but they were still sharper than most—needle-thin razors that she turned on me occasionally when I dared to wake her from a nap.
Vampirism suited her, and now that she’d learned to control her transformations she was a formidable fighter when she wanted to be. She was fast too, and when her wings sprouted from her back they might have been smaller than most, but that only made her speedier. I’d watched her zip through tight spaces like it was nothing. Sometimes she’d sailfrom one end of the apartment to the other without her feet ever touching the ground.
Even after all our time together, she never ceased to amaze.
Amara gently removed my fingers from her mouth and rolled her eyes at my massive, cheesy grin. It was a proud smile that seemed to appear easier than ever these days, so much so that it had become something of a joke with the rest of our crew. Everybody knew that the quickest way to coax me into cracking a smile was to bring up Amara. So I’d become predictable, and softer. But I didn’t mind all that much.
With Amara’s fingers laced with mine, I leaned my head down and kissed her, a slow, secret collision of lips in that quiet corner—which didn’t stay quiet for long.
Footsteps and the clink of glasses announced company, and Maxine sashayed over in a glaring pink dress with Leah in tow. Ursula trailed behind them, already commandeering two flutes from a passing server.
“Okay, lovebirds,” Maxine drawled as she came to a halt in front of us. “Enough lurking. It’s very cute what you’ve got going here, but this is supposed to be a celebration. Come party with us.”
