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Chapter 21
Declan:
He could kick himself. He knew the moment they approached her room that Aster was unsettled, yet he pushed her anyway. It wasn’t until she started to freak out completely that he realised his mistake…he’d have to learn to listen the new instincts that awakened when she was reborn.
Declan found two suitcases in the back of Aster’s vast closet and pulled them out. The cases clearly hadn’t been used in some time, but they looked to still be in good condition. While he gathered her clothes, his phone buzzed. Without looking at the caller I.D., he answered, “Yeah?” Holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, he kept going.
“How are things there?” Rowan asked without a greeting.
“It’s fine. She’s doing well.”
“No brain damage or anything like that?”
“No. Emotional though.”
“That’s to be expected. Edward will be there in half an hour.”
“Oh God,” Declan plopped on the unmade bed. The room really did
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His Vampire Bride Chapter 22
Aster: Edward sat on his knees, slumped over, shoulders shaking, his head buried in his arms. At first Aster didn’t move … she had seen her father cry only once before – at her mother’s funeral, and that was so long ago now, that she could barely remember it. For some reason this display of emotion disgusted and angered her. Declan walked up to her, put his hand on her hip, bent low and whispered, “I don’t know why you feel the way you feel, but you need to talk to him.” His voice was barely audible. Her father didn’t even notice, but she heard him clear as bell. Aster nodded, and on shaky legs walked over to her father. For some reason, he repulsed her, and touching him made her skin crawl. Why? She wondered. She glanced at Declan. He gave her an encouraging nod. “Daddy,” she said. “Don’t cry. Look at me,” she lifted his head and the revulsion of seeing his face, wet with snot and tears made her gag softly, “I’m fine now.”
His Vampire Bride Chapter 23
Declan: Aster bristled with anger – it sparkled in the air like electricity. Declan stood closer, getting ready to stop her in case she lost her temper. Anger was the strongest of vampire emotions, and took the longest to get under control. It took him nearly a century to learn how to control his rage. He was angry with Edward too – if it were anyone else, Declan would have helped Aster to kill him, but the guilt would have eaten her alive. The second Aster lunged towards her father he came up behind her. He almost grabbed her, but at the last minute pulled back. He wanted Edward to learn a lesson – it would cut the argument about whether or not Aster had to stay down to one minute instead of an hour. Edward let out a yelp of surprise, then squealed as Aster sunk her fangs into his neck. She missed his vein by only a fraction, and very little blood pumped from the wound. He fought against her, trying to push her off him, screaming her name, b
His Vampire Bride Chapter 24
Aster: The weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. The more distance she put between her and her father, the better she felt. Maybe one day she’d be able to come back to this mansion, but right now she had no nostalgia about it at all. Her childhood was mostly lonely and sad. Her teen years were punctuated by a boyfriend or three that were only interested in her money, and the few friends she had were rich kids like her, and they all disappeared when it became too difficult to be her friend. Yes, Aster was happy to close the front door of Montgomery house behind her. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, sat on the balustrade encircling the veranda. He jumped up when he saw them, beaming at her. “Aster. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Joel, Declan's brother.” Before she could say a single word, he hugged her. “Oh," she said, a little taken aback by the unknown man's friendliness. "It’s nice to meet you too.” “How are
His Vampire Bride Chapter 25
Declan: Aster stood on the lawn, looking up at their manor, her mouth hanging open. Declan grinned at her. She hardly grew up poor, but Edward’s wealth, vast as it may have been, wasn’t a fraction of the wealth Declan’s family had built up over the centuries. “Wow,” she said, “just…wow. I thought we were rich.” “You are, it’s just that we’re…richer.” “How do you find your way around this place?” “It’s insane, right? Declan used to draw me maps,” Joel chuckled. “But you’ll get used to it.” “Wanna go inside?” Declan asked Aster. “Sure,” she said, still amazed and a little breathless. But before they could, Samuel and Matthew came flying out of the house. “Dammit,” Declan swore under his breath. He had no desire to see Matthew tonight – or any other night in the foreseeable future. “Aster,” the brothers exclaimed in unison, and went right for her. Declan took her hand in his, and she gave him a gra
His Vampire Bride Chapter 26
Aster: Aster looked up in surprise as Declan blurred by her and went into the manor house. Already irritated because he left without a word, she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t stop – it just amped up her annoyance. She turned to Joel, who just shrugged and looked as confused as she felt. Before either of them could speak though, Samuel stood next them. She gasped and jumped back at his sudden appearance. She wondered how long it would take her to get used to the other vampires. Samuel gave Matthew a pointed look, then turned to Joel. “Cyrus is here.” “No way,” Joel exclaimed, and a look of terror crossed his face. “Why?” Samuel shrugged. Aster’s eyes flitted between the brothers – the fear on everyone’s faces set her nerves on edge. “Okay. Who is Cyrus.” “He’s the council master,” Matthew said as if that explained everything. “You talk as if I should know who that is?” “The council master is the head vampire…k
His Vampire Bride Chapter 27
Declan: He had to slow his pace so Aster could keep up with him. It would take her a while until she’d gain enough strength to keep up with him. He could also tell that this very long night was starting to wear her out, and she was getting tired. They whizzed across the estate, stopping when they reached the edge of a forest that took up easily half of their estate. Deep in the forest was an old huntsman’s cabin, this is where he took her. It was far enough from the house so no one would overhear them, and the trees surrounding the cabin would muffle any sounds – just in case. All the bedrooms in the house were soundproofed as much as possible, but someone standing right outside his door would still hear every word. The cabin was dirty – no one had been here for years – but he didn’t plan on staying long. The minute he closed the squeaky door, Aster turned on him. “Where have you been?” “You’re angry.” “Damn right I’m angry. I
His Vampire Bride Chapter 28
Aster: The kiss they shared was brief, but it sparked a lust that clouded her mind, and shattered her inhibitions. She thought, she knew, that she could give herself to Declan without fear or shame. But before she could really do anything he groaned and pushed her away – holding her at arm’s length so she couldn’t close the gap between them. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked. “No,” he said in a gruff voice. “I just don’t want to start something we can’t finish.” “Why won’t we finish?” she asked, and tried to sidestep his solid arms so she could get closer to him. Something she’d never even have thought of doing before – now she felt brave and brazen enough to let him know exactly what she wanted. “We have plenty of time.” He smiled at her. “Several lifetimes in fact. Be patient.” Aster didn’t understand why he wanted to wait, and she knew he could see it on her face, or at the very least feel her confusion, but she had bee
His Vampire Bride Chapter 29
Declan: Declan caught her before she hit the floor. He swept her into his arms, carried her out of the cabin, then soared into the sky with the unconscious girl in his arms. Even after more than six hundred years, he still loved flying. His heart still dropped into his stomach every time he lifted off, waiting for that moment that he’d plummet to the ground, but it never happened. A few seconds later, he touched down outside the manor house. He walked into the foyer with Aster in his arms. His brothers weren’t there, and Rowan still shone in his absence – either still busy cashing in his favours with Edward, or in the donor room with Cyrus. Even the familiars were missing. It didn’t bother him too much; everyone would be expected to stay close by Cyrus so they could attend his every need. He zoomed through the quiet corridors, passing a few familiars on his way. They registered as he passed them. After years of serving vampires, none of
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