Page 133 of Dark Reign of Forever

Lillian nodded. “Yes, I know. But promise you’ll be by the house soon? The place feels so empty these days.”

“Sure.” His cheer faltered a little. “Soon.” Or as soon as Warren would make an exception to his no-vampires-under-my-roof-ever rule. He shot another look at Estelle, both a question and a warning. “Is everything okay here?”

The vampiress was the picture of serenity as she made final adjustments to Evelyn’s hair. “Everything is beautiful, good sir.”

“Okay then. Fifteen minutes till show time.”

“The bride is ready,” Cassidy confirmed. She did a quick check-in with Dominique. “As is the groom.” At Lillian’s odd look, she added, “Well, I would hope.”

Fifteen minutes later, the groom was waiting at the arbor that had been set up in the backyard. That was as much as Cassidy saw before she started her walk down the grassy aisle. Two walls of people smiled at her and the other jewel-toned dresses floating past, even as they craned their necks for a first glimpse of the bride. The only one Cassidy had eyes for, however, was the best man. It was him she was moving toward, step by step, heartbeat by heartbeat. Everything and everyone else vanished. Only she and Dominique remained under the balmy night sky, coming together again as they had from the beginning, but also as they never had before. Here, now, amidst a sacred celebration of love, something shifted beneath her feet. Something…inevitable.

Je t’aime, Cassidy. Toujours et pour toujours.

And I love you, Dominique. Forever and ever,she repeated, feeling the words thrum in her blood like a vow.

She took her assigned place at the front, aware of nothing but the man standing at the groom’s side. Though both looked straight ahead, their minds twined together until they verged on fusing and leaving the immediate reality of the moment.There is time, Dominique said as he released his invisible embrace on her a little.Endless time.

Yes. Endless.

Appreciative murmurs rose when the bride appeared. Samantha was like a comet in the night, and Étienne indeed looked gobsmacked. Almost as startling was the virtual stranger escorting her down the aisle. It was the shoes that threw Cassidy most of all. She had never seen Serge wear them. But not only was he shod, he wore a tailored suit, sported not a smudge of grub on his clean-shaven face, and had styled his mop of wild curls into a semblance of civility. It was Serge 2.0.

His smitten gaze flickered toward the woman responsible for this miraculous transformation. Since arriving a month ago to pledge herself to the new Lord of Night, Estelle and the pirate had fallen hopelessly under each other’s spell. Over five decades his senior, she was worldly and sophisticated, and all the motivation Serge needed to at last embrace the twenty-first century.

The ceremony—conducted in both English and French by the minister flown in from St. Barth—held the assembled crowd of four-hundred-plus in rapt attention. More than a few eyes glistened with happy tears by the time the couple enjoyed their first kiss as husband and wife. Love swirled in the air like an intoxicating mist, and every vampire there wore an expression of bright-eyed euphoria. Hyper-aware of it all through Dominique, Cassidy’s head swam with it too, the effect resembling fine champagne fizzing in her blood.

Nothing, she decided, nothing at all could ruin her mood this night. Though she had to remind herself of this when she came face to face with her father, his new wife Iris by his side. The cynic in Cassidy noted again that, as his business partner’s widow, the woman had brought substantial assets into the relationship, allowing Gil Chandler to recover from the financial ruin of his last divorce. But tonight she saw what looked like genuine affection in the looks and small touches they exchanged. Though reluctant to admit it, she had to concede that her philandering coward of a father might have learned his lesson.

“Baby girl,” he greeted with an exuberant smack of a kiss to her cheek. “You look incredible.” After greeting Dominique as well, in an only slightly more restrained fashion, he continued with, “So? You two have been engaged for—what?—more than two years now? When are you making it official?”

Cassidy glanced at the platinum and sapphire band encircling her finger. Dominique had given it to her as a promise of his undying devotion and marriage if she wanted it. She hadn’t wanted it, not then and not now. At least not by any human standards. Different, deeper, and far more permanent bonds existed in the world they inhabited.

When she looked up at Dominique, a knowing smile lit his eyes. “Soon,” she said.

“Very soon,” he confirmed softly.

“Well, I’ll be,” Gil hooted. “I’m standing by to walk you down the aisle. You just say the word.” Lowering his voice a little, he continued, “But I hope you’ll forgive me if I can’t afford quite this kind of shindig.” His finger circled to encompass the inside of the reception tent. Chandeliers hung over the sea of chattering people, a four-piece band provided live entertainment, and dozens of servers bustled between the flower-festooned tables.

Cassidy laughed, surprisingly moved by the sincerity in his voice. As if it hadn’t been a decade since she had done it last, she leaned forward and pecked a kiss on his cheek. “No worries, Dad. We’ve got this covered.”

Gil beamed and clasped her hand in both of his. “But anything you need that I can give. Even the shirt off my back. I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know.”

“Love you, baby girl.” He turned away to shepherd Iris toward the next knot of people he wanted to mingle with—but not fast enough to hide the shimmer in his eyes.

Cassidy stared after the man she had sworn to hate for the rest of her life. Dominique cast a shield of invisibility about them, giving her time to collect herself. After a while, he said, “It truly is a night for miracles.”

And another one was on approach. Not only had Warren Striker arrived at the first notes of the bridal march, he now followed Jackson to a far corner of the tent—the same corner where Garrett had stationed himself to keep watch for misbehaving vampires. Isao moved to his new youngling’s side, clearly sensing the potential for emotional havoc about to unfold. And there was Leonidas trailing in his wake, watching the Striker patriarch with great interest. Jackson had volunteered as an official intermediary. Judging by his father’s stern face, a peace deal was by no means certain.

Dominique nuzzled at her ear. “Would you like to dance, my lady?”

She turned to place her hand in his. “Any time.”For all time.

On the dance floor, he took her into his arms and put her new ballroom dance skills to the test. To prepare for the wedding, Cassidy had taken classes. This was something she wouldn’t be able to do just by tuning into his head. For this, she had to be independent of him and literally think on her feet.

They began slowly, feeling their way around each other and the music with all the excitement of new discovery. Unlike her, he had learned these steps years ago in his human life, and they came back to him with ease. Her initial uncertainty soon gave way to her feet flying along, following his lead. She trusted in his timing and strength as he swung her through breathtaking dips and dizzying twirls. By the second dance, they were the couple everyone else watched and cheered.

“I think we’re stealing the bride and groom’s thunder,” she said, laughing and breathless at the end of a racy tango.

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