Kidnapped By A Vampire

Chapter 60

ARABELLA

"Valentina it's fine really." I say as she paces the room muttering under her breath.

"He should be here. He's your friend and he's going to miss the most important day of your life." I can't say I'm surprised he isn't here. He loved me and I doubt he's want to see me bonded to someone else for eternity. We already had the ceremony awhile back, but this one was so our family and friends could be here. Really just his family who I'm completely freaking out about meeting. I hadn't thought much about them and he hadn't mentioned them.

"Technically she's already bonded." Peter says pointing to the tattoo. I was wearing a dress that hung low on my shoulders so it could be seen. Theo said this would just strengthen our bond. I didn't care if it didn't do anything. It seemed more real now that we were confessing our love in front of others. I loved our small ceremony, but this felt right. Not like we were hiding it. I reach up and touch his mark on me.

"Yes, but this time all my friends are here." All except Xavier. They were all a little hurt they weren't there the first time. I guess I didn't know how much they all cared for me. I guess me trying to push them away had done nothing to deter them.

"Mom, you'll see her after the ceremony." Theo's voice drifts through the closed door.

"Are you going to see her now? I knew it. Why can't I meet her now? I have to see the girl that made you settle down after so long." Her voice was soft but there was a type of motherly scolding to it. The mix of emotions in me make me have to sit down. I wonder if my parents would have liked him. Would I have told them he was a vampire?

"Moooom." He groans.

"Fine, make me wait like everyone else. It's not like I'm your mother or anything." She huffs and walks away. A moment later there's a knock on the door before he steps inside. My friends shoot me smiles before they leave to give us some privacy.

"Your mom sounds nice." I say standing. He rolls his eyes and holds a present out to me.

"Here." I take it unsure of what to think. I don't know that he's ever gotten me anything. "Open it." He says trying to stop himself from smiling. I pull off the wrapping paper and collapse back into the chair.

"How did you?" I run my fingers over the photo. It's framed in a beautiful black frame.

"I may have taken some of your things before they cleaned out your house...I'm sorry they can't be here, but I've got a chair saved for them in the front." I throw my arms around him trying not to cry. Valentina would kill me if I messed up my make up.

"Thank you."

-----

The ceremony was similar to the first one, but when this one was finished the tattoos seemed to be glowing brighter than ever. I did my best not to look into the crowd. My side was pathetically empty compared to Theo's.

"I'm sorry but they're never going to leave you alone." He leans down to whisper in my ear as a couple approaches us. "If you freeze them, we can sneak away." I shake my head at them.

"I actually want to meet them." He groans.

"So this is the famous Arabella we've heard so much about. Not that Theodore would ever tell us anything." She shoots him a disapproving look. "He meets a girl, nothing. We go into an all out war, nothing." Theo steps behind me putting some space between him and his mom.

"I'm a grown man. I don't need to call my mother to tell her about everything." He shoves me towards her at the look she gives him. Is he using me as a shield? I can't help but smile. After all the things he's been through he's scared of his mother. He attention turns to me as she looks me over. Satisfied that she's distracted Theo steps next to me wrapping an arm around his waist.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see a blur coming at us. They're moving so fast it looks like they'll barrel into us. Are we being attacked here? I thought we were done with the fighting. Why can't we just have one nice day? The blur is a few feet away and none of the others have noticed them. I freeze time and pull the knife out of the folds in my dress. I didn't like to admit I only felt safe when I had some kind of weapon on me. I let me and the other vampire unfreeze. He stops moving confused and I spin around holding the knife to his neck.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm Theo's brother." My grip on time slips.

"What?" It takes a moment for Theo and his parents to notice us. Theo sighs walking around and loosening the knife from my grip.

"It's okay, he's my brother." He whispers to me. "What were you doing?" He directs this question at his brother. I'm embarrassed to find we've gotten the attention of everyone around us. I can't believe I pulled a knife on his brother.

"Well I was going to tackle you, but..." He trails off looking at me. Theo laughs. I jump in surprise. I've never heard him laugh like that. "You were so distracted I would have gotten you this time too." I shrink behind Theo burying my face in his back when his brother looks at me. "How did you do that?"

"Bella had powers." Theo states. Theo's mom pulls me out from behind Theo and into a hug.

"My poor dear. We'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think they were true." She pulls Theo into the hug. Does everyone know about the torture. I can't stop the images that flash through my mind. She jumps away from us. "What was that?" She holds her side where I had been stabbed.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean..." I'm just messing up everything. This isn't the way I thought meeting his family would go. I can't take all their stares. I freeze time again and dash through the building until I find an empty room. I just need a few minutes to compose myself before I go back.

"Hey." I let out a yelp and spin around. How is someone moving around while time was frozen. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." It's the guy that was standing next to Theo's mother. "I'm Henry, Theodore's father. That's a nifty little trick you can do." So he's unaffected by my powers. I don't even know what to say. "I heard you protected Theo through all this. Thank you. He can be reckless sometimes. When this all started his mother feared we would never see him again. Then we got wind of this human..." He smiled sounding impressed.

"I didn't do much."

"Joey and Alexander are good friends of our family." So that's who's been feeding them information. "No one here it going to hurt you, and if anyone is bothering you let me know and I'll get you away." I'm surprised at how nice he is. "Let's get back."

-----

"When did you talk to my dad?" Theo asks as we head back to his apartment.

"What do you mean?" I don't want to admit to him that I froze time to run away.

"He's been bailing you out all day while I was left there to suffer." He pouts.

"Maybe he noticed I was uncomfortable." He shakes his head.

"It's not like him to be so...caring." I didn't get that impression after talking to him. He seemed like a perfectly normal dad to me.

"You didn't tell me your full name was Theodore."

"Please don't call me that." He says getting out of the car and walking around the other side to open my door. Holding me bridal style he carries me up to our apartment.