Wedding Bells & Cinnamon Rolls

4 - The Master Vampires' Invitation

It was a small sound that woke Corbin up. Any human who had sharp enough ears would have dismissed the noise as the room settling, but Corbin heard something entirely different. Easing out of bed, he grabbed his boxers off the floor, slipped them on, and quietly left the room. Autumn slept, blissfully unaware that something was amiss.

Corbin stalked through the suite, every sense on high alert. He was generally non-confrontational, but if anyone came after his family or staff with ill intentions, they were going to regret their life choices. He started by the window, flicking the curtains aside to check for anyone playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek, but found no one. As he turned towards the terrace, a large object on the piano caught his attention.

That wasn't there before ...

Corbin walked around the piano and leaned down to inspect the item. It was a massive bouquet of roses, tulips, and lilies, stuffed into the back of a white wicker basket that was practically overflowing with chocolate, wine, cheese, crackers, and fresh fruit.

What's this ...? Corbin reached out and plucked two cards from the arrangement. The first one, a small ivory index card, simply read "Congratulations". The second one was sealed in a red envelope labeled "Invitation".

"Corbin?"

Corbin looked up, his finger stuck in the corner of the red envelope, ready to rip it open. Autumn stood in the open bedroom door, tying a thin hotel bathrobe around her waist.

"How the hell did that get in here?" she exclaimed, padding across the room to stand beside him. She reached out and plucked a bright red apple from the basket and turned it around in her hands as if that would provide some clue. But Corbin already had a good idea of who sent the basket; the black wax seal gave it away.

"They have their ways," he replied, cracking the seal. Bits of dried black wax bounced off the piano and onto the floor.

"Who?" Autumn asked, then she took a small step back, realization dawning in her eyes. "Is this from your master?"

"Yes," Corbin answered, drawing out a single sheet of heavy cardstock.

"May I?"

Corbin passed the note to his wife, having already read the first two lines. His lips pressed into a thin line, thoughts racing.

Autumn walked over to one of the table lamps and flicked it on. " 'Your presence has been requested by the Council. A car will be waiting for you at the hotel at 7:00 AM and bring you to the Colosseum.' Corbin," she whispered, eyes widening, "what does this mean? Are they turning me into a servant today?"

Servants were humans who had nearly the same abilities as vampires: strength, speed, and immortality, but without the craving for blood and the ability to heal. Any time a vampire wanted to make a servant, the request had to be approved by one's master. Corbin had put Autumn's application in at the same time he informed his master of his intention to marry her. He did the same thing for Jordyn, should his daughter desire it.

"No, I don't think so," Corbin told her, randomly poking through the basket. The reason he knew that was because regular vampires were allowed to change humans into servants. But he couldn't tell Autumn that yet.

Autumn looked up at him. "Then what is it?"

"I don't know." Corbin grit his teeth, wracking his brain for a logical reason for this summons, but nothing came to mind. His master was thousands of years old—who knew how an ancient being processed the world?

Shaking her head, Autumn took a deep breath and put the card down on the table. Corbin looked at her pale, drawn face and went to put his arms around her. "We should go back to bed and try to get some sleep," he suggested, pressing his lips to her hair.