Blood Bond

here.

I wasn’t sure you’d be pleased at my coming.

Frey and I are in your debt, I reply. You are always welcome.

Chael looks puzzled by the exchange but I don’t give him time to ask about it. I address myself again to Vlad. You’ll have to fill Chael in on our adventure.

Vlad nods and laughs. He looks very handsome in a tailored suit, his hair pulled away from his face and secured at the back of his neck. He, too, has a woman on his arm, but this one doesn’t look happy to have been brought to such a commonplace event. As a human, she no doubt expected more excitement from her vampire date.

Your date looks bored.

He grimaces and shoots her a sideways frown. I made a mistake bringing her. She’s too young and inexperienced to appreciate the beauty of this occasion.

Young, yes. Inexperienced, I doubt it.

That brings a chuckle from both Chael and Vlad and a stern look from the date, who probably guesses that we are having a conversation and she is more than likely the topic.

“Allons, cher, je veux un peu de champagne,” she says through pouty lips, pulling on Vlad’s arm.

He bows an apology and moves toward the buffet and bar set among the trees.

I look around for Frey. He’s chatting with some of my parent’s friends. He had thrown a questioning look Vlad’s way when he spied him among the guests, but he remained with the little knot by the buffet table. I join him now, slipping my arm through his. He nibbles my earlobe, using the diversion to whisper, “Everything all right?”

His eyes are on Vlad and Chael, now chatting it up with Mom and Dad. Vlad’s date still looks like she wants to be anywhere but here, but the sour expression is hidden behind a glass of champagne so I doubt my exuberant parents notice.

“Everything is more than all right.” I tip my face toward his. “I’ve never been happier.”

Trish is suddenly at our side, John-John beside her. She holds a silver cake knife. “Come on, you two. It’s time to cut the cake!”

She takes my hand and John-John takes Frey’s and we’re pulled to the end of the buffet table where the magnificent wedding cake is on proud display. Someone clangs a fork against a glass and in a minute, we’re surrounded.

Trish hands me the knife. Now this is going to be tricky. If I so much as get a mouthful of cake, there will be serious repercussions. I cut two small pieces and offer one to Frey.

Luckily, Frey knows the drill. I go first, stuffing a forkful of cake in his mouth; well, mostly in his mouth. He grins and uses his fingers to scoop up the excess, wiping them on a napkin Trish holds out. Then he holds up his piece of cake, but instead of aiming for my mouth, he swivels suddenly, leans down and pushes it at John-John.

An excited, surprised squeal and John-John grabs his father’s hand, and the two are soon covered mouth to chin in chocolate cake and whipped cream frosting. The guests howl in laughter. It’s a perfect distraction and before anyone notices I haven’t had a bite of cake, I’m wiping my lips and smacking in feigned appreciation.

Well done.

I spy Vlad at the edge of the crowd, clapping his hands along with everyone else. Then more champagne is poured, the cake served, and I turn my attention to helping Frey and his son clean frosting off their clothes.

I sense the tenseness in the air before seeing David and Tracey approach. They are not holding hands. She tries to smile at me, but it falls a hundred kilowatts short of her usual high-beam grin. David is tight-lipped, shoulders bunched.

“Uh-oh,” I whisper to Frey. “Here comes trouble.” I hand him the napkin I was using to help John-John clean up. “You take Tracey, I’ll take David.” And I’m off to grab David’s arm, pulling him to the edge of the garden where we can have some privacy.

“What the fuck, Anna?” he snaps, rubbing his bicep.

I guess I grabbed him harder than I realized. But he’s not going to sidetrack me. “Fine way to talk to a bride,” I snap right back. “What did you do to Tracey?”

His face softens from aggravation to something that looks a lot like guilt. “I broke up with her.”

Now I wish I’d grabbed him harder. “You broke up with her? At my wedding? What the fuck, David?”

“Fine way for a bride to talk,” he growls right back. But now it’s guilt plainly stamped on his face. “I just couldn’t let her go on thinking we had a future. It wasn’t fair.”

“Jesus, David. Tell me it’s not because of Gloria.”

“It’s not because of Gloria.”

Too fast, and not at all convincing. “So all that bullshit you fed me about you and Gloria just being friends was just that? Bullshit?” I don’t give him time to respond. “You had sex with Tracey last night.”

His head jerks up. “How do you know that?”

“Because I heard you.”

Color floods up his face. “God. You could hear us?”

He’s embarrassed. Good. No sense letting him off the hook by telling him it was because of my super-acute sense of hearing. “Yes. So, you had sex with her last night and broke up with her this morning. Real classy, David.”

His jaw tightens. “We’re both adults. She wanted to have sex. So did I.”

“Last night. So did you just wake up this morning and think, today Anna is getting married. Good time to break up with Tracey.”

He looks down at his hands. “It wasn’t like that. Exactly.”

“I don’t even want to know what it was like. Exactly. John-John is more mature than you are.” But I soften my voice. “Can’t you make things right with Tracey?”

“How am I supposed to do that?” For the first time in our conversation, his eyes spark defensively. “Tracey knew all along I wasn’t prepared to get serious. I told her so. I told you so, remember? But with all the wedding preparations and watching you and Frey so crazy in love, it suddenly hit me that I wasn’t being fair to Tracey. She deserves someone who can give her what you have. It isn’t me.”

I take his arm and turn him to face Frey and Tracey still standing by the wedding cake. “Are you sure? Look at Tracey. She’s beautiful, smart, strong, sexy, and she cares about you.”

He looks at Tracey. The sadness tugging at her mouth and clouding her eyes makes my heart heavy. But the look quickly morphs into one of grim determination when she catches David’s eyes on her. She squares her shoulders and deliberately turns her back on him.

Tracey is a tough chick. A truth suddenly dawns on me with such clarity, I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. One of those “aha” moments you read about in books but seldom experience in real life.

This one hits me with the force of a sledgehammer. Maybe it’s because of my mother or what Frey and I just went through or maybe it’s because of the conversation I had with Vlad. Only one thing matters in this life. And it’s about time I stopped trying to force David into a relationship he doesn’t want because it’s a relationship I think he should.

I take a deep breath and plunge in. “I can’t force you to make things right with Tracey. And I’m about to utter words you never in your wildest dreams imagined I’d ever say.”

David’s face darkens. “What now?”

Are the words going to get caught in my throat? Choke me? Shit. Let’s get this over with. I look David square in the eyes. “If it’s really Gloria you love, don’t waste any more time. Go get her.”

I couldn’t have surprised David more if I’d declared my own undying love for him. His eyes widen, his mouth falls open.

I don’t wait for him to regain composure. I’m afraid if I do, I’ll take it all back. I rush on, “I think you’re going to regret it. Big-time. And please, don’t bring her around the office. I may lose control and shoot her. But I’ve learned something these last few weeks. Life is too short and love is too important to squander. I’m doing this for