Vampire Bride

Chapter 4: Part Two

Maxwell

Just the thought of The High Council in town puts me on the brink of insanity. The group of men that make up the council are considered elders. All of them are harsh, cold-hearted killers that are the oldest vampires alive, and I have a history that's not so pleasant with them. I reread the letter that was left for me several times, allowing memories from the past to fog my thoughts. The words that are written on the cream paper echo in my head.

Dearest Maxwell,

We're so delighted to hear you've found your bride. We're more than excited to meet her. To insure that you follow through and collect what's yours for the taking, one member requests your presence at Junction 22 tomorrow evening. We expect to be impressed.

Best wishes and happy drinking,

The High Council.

There's no doubt in my mind that Benjamin, the main enforcer of the council, wrote this heartless letter. Is he the member I'll be meeting at this Junction 22...I hope not. All I can think about is the repercussions I'll receive when they see how gently I'm handling Charlie. Once they see her disobedience, they'll force their upper hand, instructing me to change her against her will. Nobody ignores The High Council's rules. Nobody. If Charlie doesn't like my possession over her, then she definitely won't like the authority The High Council has over her as well as myself.

When they demand something of you, it's expected that you comply. It's known to every vampire that once you choose your bride or groom you must present him or her to the council. This person must be grateful for the life that's chosen for them. With my choice made, they now wait for me to present her.

If I had all the power in the world to keep Charlie's identity a secret, I would, but that's very unlikely to happen. The High Council knows everything and hiding things would just make it worse. However, I can keep The High Council a secret from Charlie. One more chance is all I'll give her to come around on her own. Otherwise I might have to force the situation along to a more pleasurable outcome. Sleep is the last thing on my mind, so I remain awake the rest of the night and following day. All I can do is wait until I'm to arrive at this restaurant to discuss Charlie.

When the sun finally falls the next day, I make my way to Junction 22. The hostess asks for my name and leads me to a table. To my surprise, a council member already waits.

The man stands at my arrival. "Maxwell, so nice to see you again." His eyes look around and disappointment shows on his face, making him appear older than he is. "Where's your bride?"

"So nice to see you again as well, Eugene. My bride won't be joining us tonight. Her presentation's not ready. If that's the only reason for you being here, I'm greatly sorry for your displeasure."

Eugene extends his hand, motioning me to sit down before he starts speaking. "Your apology is accepted tonight, but it will not be again. I'm stuck in this town until I meet her. Maxwell, I know you very well and I'm instructing you to not prolong this, we all remember what happened before. Anyhow, we can catch up."

Eugene is one of the more tolerable men of the council. He has helped me get past certain obstacles and lessened my punishments. Even though I'm pleased that it's him here sitting across from me, I can't help but to be saddened as well. Eugene is known for talking very bluntly of his bride, his very compliant bride in efforts of making others jealous. Jealousy is the last thing I need right now when my bride refuses to speak to me like I'm not some crazy stalker.

"I can assure you the relationship between her and I is well-defined. I have the power in this blood bond and hold no interest in anybody else's." The ruthless words that exit my mouth come out effortlessly. With the appearance of The High Council, my animal instincts kick in. I'm her superior and she needs to grow accustomed to that, but I also feel the need to nurture her as well. Unfortunately, my entire being understands more than I ever have that this bond is more important than mere human emotions.

My attention is brought elsewhere as a group of people scream 'surprise' at a couple that just entered the dining room. With my senses off kilter from being instructed to embrace the cold-blooded monster within, I didn't realize that Charlie is here.

She stands in black leather leggings and a strapless dark blue top in the farthest corner of the dining room. Occasionally, she gets lost in the crowd of people she's surrounded by, even though most of the individuals gather around a certain woman who's a distance away from her.

Uncontrollably, I grip the underside of the table, praying that Eugene doesn't notice my lack of attention toward whatever it is that he's saying. The last thing I want is to draw attention to her. If Eugene were to notice my attentiveness to a certain girl, he'll come to the understanding that she's my bride. For there is no other reason to obsess over an individual if they're not your human. The repercussions of flat out lying to a high council member will be far worse than the nonexistent relationship between Charlie and me.

"Is something wrong?" Eugene questions, his cold gray eyes searching my face.

The words snap me back into reality. "No, I just find the humans to be quite fascinating throwing celebrations in honor of their birth."

"There's a reason why we only need one human, because they're useless and easily disposable. There's no need to be greedy when there's that one female or male who's born for you. Now, tell me about this girl. Is she everything you expect in a living being?"

I think carefully about my response, picking my words well before speaking them. "Everything and more." That sums it up very well in my opinion. She's everything I want and more than I expected.

Unwillingly, my eyes travel across the room to see her. She mingles with people, showing a true smile of happiness on her face. All it does is make me more determined than ever to get her to smile at me like that. I will make it happen. One way or another, she'll be happy with me.