Dracula's Groom

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE: Look into the Light

Dracula

An hour and a half later, we arrived in Milan Italy. The jets engines idled for a moment before powering down as the flight attendant opened the door and thanked us for flying with them. Out on the tarmac, a private car with its own personal driver quickly whisked us away fifty miles north of Milan to the city of Brienno. A city unlike any other the world had ever seen before, sat prettily near the water's edge on Lake Como.

Stumbling uphill from the shoreline with its charming web of old streets and stairways, Brienno still managed to retain that Old World charm. Narrow streets lined with tiny homes and flower-filled balconies with brief glimpses of the lake below. The town rests on a narrow strip of land that is surrounded by Monte San Bernardo and Monte Briante. With its laid-back atmosphere, there's even evidence of pre-Roman civilization in the area.

As we head for the only church in town, a fine dusting of snow blankets the entire road, leaving a trail of swirling vortex in our wake. The slender bell tower of the church of San Vittore embodied the distinctive feature of the skyline. A Romanesque church by nature that was redone during the earliest sixteenth century in Baroque style with timeless stained glass windows and frescoes, only the bell tower has remained untouched.

Having normally been listed as a "stop-over" from one town to the next, Brienno sure is a magical place to get married. And that's why I decided to do our second-chance wedding here. Nathan had mentioned a while back that since he still wanted to get married, the wedding should be just us two, no one else. No celebration, no fancy band, no guests. Just a priest was all we needed to consummate our union as husband and husband.

Nathan slept soundly beside me with his head on my shoulder. I glanced down, and saw the faint outline of his baby bump that had been growing for months inside his stomach. His due date wasn't for another day or two. But the hour was fast approaching with every minute that seemed eager to bring our little one into this world. A harsh world that seemed threatened by my enemies as of late and god only knows what they could do to my family should they find them and capture them and perhaps even kill them.

The very thought of such a thing made my blood run cold and my fangs elongate.

A shift in motion told me that the car had come to a stop as I looked out the window. The church of San Vittore looked like something out of a Christmas card with fresh snow and a wreath that hanged on the door. A closer look showed lights on inside as a shadowy figure moved around before disappearing from view. I lightly nudged Nathan as he stirred, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"We're here already?" he asked, his voice groggy. 'Well, so much for a quick power nap."

"Trust me, babe, after tonight you can sleep all day. Sound good?"

"Very. Alright, let's go get married."

I grinned as I opened the door and stepped out into the frigid air, holding my hand out for Nathan to take. We climbed the small bit of steps together until we came face to face with the heavy wooden door. The metal knocker banged loudly as I hit it three times in a row. And soon enough, a lock was disengaged as the door eased back revealing a short, elderly man dressed in robes.

The priest smiled. "Welcome. Please, do come in. I've been expecting you."

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Father." Nathan replied.

"It's no trouble at all, really. I'm always happy to help those in need. Now shall we begin with the ceremony?"

"Yes," we said in unison.

Inside, the church was small, with four pews on either side making it a total of eight for the whole congregation. A large stained-glass window stood behind the altar showcasing the picture of a grassy field with warm golden sunlight. A closer look revealed a plague down below that said "Paradise". We followed the priest until he turned to face us with open arms as we turned to face each other.

"I've decided that I'm going to keep this short, since you guys tried to get married once already. And since you have the ring, Mr. Asher, you may now get ready to slip it on your partner's finger. "Nathan, do you take Nick to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"And do you Nick take Nathan to be your husband until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Excellent. Nick you may now slip the ring on Nathan's finger. After that, I pronounce you husband and husband, you may now kiss the groom."

Taking his hand in mine, I pulled out the ring box that contained my mother's original wedding ring and easily slipped it on his finger with a triumphant grin. And without warning, he pulled me in for a kiss that was completely out of this world. He took charge for once, and I loved that about him. Though it was short, the priest congratulated us as he blessed us to go in the care God's grace before escorting us out.

The storm had died down some and only a few flurries remained. As the door closed behind us, locking into place, I looked towards the horizon near the lake's edge and saw the first patch of sunlight streak across the water. The sun rose higher as the seconds passed, while noticing the edges of the buildings being engulfed by the early morning light. I reached for Nathan's hand but he wouldn't budge.

He somehow had become rooted into place. A slight sting blazed across my skin as smoke started to emerge. I was burning up, literally. With no time to waste, I scooped up Nathan in my arms and retreated deeper into the city. But it was Nathan whose voice of reason finally became known.

"Dracula. Wait! Stop! Put me down."

"No. You'll burn if you greet the sun."

He touched my face. "I'm not afraid. Please...let me show you what I mean. Trust me."

Setting him down on his own two feet, I watched from behind a darkened archway something I never thought was possible, even for me. With the sun now fully emerged, the entire city was greeted with a bright white light that almost blinded me if I hadn't shielded my eyes while still keeping an eye on Nathan. Taking a step forward, Nathan showed no fear as he embraced the light with his arms extended.

I should've been horrified or worse. But seeing him standing there out in the open under the path of the incoming sun was something that I couldn't believe to begin to understand. However, it suddenly became clear to me that Nathan had just become the first vampire in the history of the world to be able to walk around in broad daylight.

Author's Note: Hello, hello, hello everyone. I am terribly sorry for the serious lack in updates these past few weeks. But writer's block is complete hell and there were mornings where I would wake up and just not have the urge to sit at my laptop and write. So hopefully I'm back now *knock on wood* however, it might take me a little while to get into the swing of things after being away from my characters for so long. But enough about me rambling like I always do lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know it might sound odd or out of place in certain area's but hey at least its an update right? :) Oh! And as always please don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT & FOLLOW for more future updates. I love you all!!!