MARRIED TO THE VAMPIRE(ONHOLD)

Chapter 1.4

Claudia shook her head to clear the weird notion from her brain.

Still she did not regard her.

Of course it may be difficult for her to cast her a friendly glance.

She must be nervous. As she was. No, not nervous, but expectant . So far things were going far better than she'd expected. She was gorgeous.
That, at least, took the sting out of this humiliating event.

As the officiant began to speak, Claudia could not focus on the dry words.

She is gorgeous.
Her body is killer.
And those lips and eyes!
Not to mention breasts i could suckle at for hours.
But what's with the hair?

Feeling something she'd not experienced in years- a fine sheen of perspiration- Claudia forced herself to listen and not play the fool by missing a prompt. Such determination lasted a few seconds.

So this was what the werewolves would sacrifice to gain peace? Claudia exhaled. A tilt of her head caught the flutter of her thick lashes as she looked over the black roses now clenched to her breast. A fine prize, she. For a werewolf. But for a vampire?

"And in joining together a marriage recognized by the United Nations of the Light and Dark, the two of you seal a pact, a promise of peace between the werewolves and vampires," the officiant recited.

No priest for this ceremony. Claudia did not put stock in the human religions , though she did believe in the existence of a God. She wasn't sure what the werewolves believed in. Didn't matter.

"Will you , Edouarda Claudia Saint-Pierre, take this woman as your legal wife, protect and secure her, honor and provide for her, love and cherish her?" Sounded reasonable enough. Though the love and cherishing part may prove a challenge. Hell, she'd no intention of submitting to either.

Claudia smiled at her bride, who did not look her way, and said, "I will."

The officiant nodded, and asked the same of the princess Blu Adagio Masterson.

Claudia wasn't sure why the word obey was not included in her vows. Should be in there. Without question , i was the leader and master of the household. How modern times had distorted the positions of power between a leader and a woman. She still struggled with it.

When prompted for a reply, the princess suddenly looked at Claudia. Soft gray eyes widened at sight of her. Red lips parted. Such white teeth, bright as the diamonds at her neck. She searched for something. Did her eyes water, perhaps to tear? Glancing over her shoulder, she sought the masses. Did she look for a means to escape? For one strong soul to step forward and rescue her from what she surely felt a horrific fate?

Until now , Claudia had not considered her personal sacrifice. The wolves branded vampires with the vile invective longtooth. She could be no different. It must appall her equally as it did her to enter this marriage. "Princess?" the officiant prompted.

Give your answer, she persuaded calmly.
Do not make a fool of me or you will regret it for generations to come.

Turning her gaze to Claudia's, her bright eyes told her Claudia's persuasion had not permeated her thoughts. Vampires never could persuade wolves- or any paranormal, for that matter. Claudia wasn't sure why she'd even tried it. Now was no time to institute her magic, either. Not when a couple witches from the Council were in attendance.

Her gaze slid down Claudia's neck, skipping along the jet buttons of his Armani suit, and averted to her faery at her side. The faery nodded encouragement. When the princess took Claudia's hand in hers, the heat of her flesh startled her. Like her, her skin was a little moist. She was nervous, too. With the slightest twitch, one side of her red lips curled, she silently promised him she was in for the ride. "I will," she declared boldly.

A rousing hoot from the crowd could not have come from a wolf, Claudia decided. But the resulting applause was immediately hushed.

Claudia nodded acknowledgment to her. The werewolf's smile slid from her red lips, and she dropped her hand. Contact had been so brief, she wondered if it had even happened.

"You've the rings?" the officiant prompted. Claudia drew the ring from his pocket, sized especially for his new wife. She held it up for the crowd to see. Subtle whispers clattered through the room. All knew the meaning of the gift.

She slid it onto Blu's finger. Blu? For a woman with green hair? And who wore body-revealing silk and clutched black roses on her wedding day? What in hell was she stepping into?

"Titanium for strength," the officiant announced, describing the ring.

"And in the glass chamber, witch's blood. A sign of the vampires' willingness to cede to the werewolves."

And a deadly weapon, Claudia thought as she let go of the ring. Witch's blood from before the Protection spell had been lifted. Which meant one splash to a vampire's flesh would burn the average vampire alive, reducing her to ash.

Of course , the werewolves had overlooked a pertinent detail regarding Claudia Saint-Pierre. Though she wouldn't dismiss the blood could have its damaging effects on her. Or perhaps not. Might it actually aid her?

She couldn't risk finding out. Her bride plucked a ring from the petals of her bouquet and held it high for all to see, before taking Claudia's hand. She fumbled with the bouquet, not sure how to hold it and put the ring on at the same time.

Finally, done with it, she tossed the bundled roses out to the crowd. She offered Claudia a had -to-do-it smirk and shrug, and slid the ring onto her thumb.

A perfect fit.

"Titanium for strength," the officiant again announced. "And filled with liquid silver to show the werewolves' willingness to cede to the vampires. I now pronounce you lady and lady Saint -Pierre. Please kiss your bride, Lady Saint-Pierre, and begin the path to peace."

Quite a profound demand: Begin the path to peace. It was all on her shoulders now. Hers, as well. But she merely had to stand there, shifting on her feet and sneering those glossy lips, defying her to dare kiss her. She would not, no matter that her lips were thick and soft and wouldn't they be the most exquisite to kiss? She could prick them and suck the blood for an evening treat. Claudia leaned in and, keeping her head tilted before the crowd, brushed her cheek with a kiss. Her shoulder-length hair concealed their connection. No one would know if she'd kissed her mouth, save she and she.

She.

Her new wife. A wife who flinched as her lips brushed her skin. How dare she? She was no better than her. She had walked the aisle, willingly entering into the marriage.

There were certain expectations to be upheld. And she would not allow her to dodge them.

Gripping Blu's bare shoulder, Claudia pulled her to her and captured her soft lips against her mouth.

She mumbled a protest. She kissed her harder. The kiss was not at all distasteful, as she had imagined . Much better than most kisses, actually. And her efforts to push her away only fired her desire to pull her closer. To mark her before all, so they would know she was hers.

Only when her fangs descended, and she feared accidentally cutting her, did she relent. Yet she could use this moment. And she did. Fangs bared, and wicked smile growing, Claudia turned in triumph to the cheering crowd.