|
“YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL,” Dad said, eyes getting a little
moist as he stepped into the room to greet us. But he was
smiling, too. “Both of you!”
I saw that he took note of my bandage and the cloth that
I was clutching in my hand, and a shadow crossed his face. I
knew that, having traveled to Romania with Mom when she’d
studied vampire culture, he would be familiar with the
marriage rituals. And I had a feeling that, while he was always
open-minded, he still didn’t like seeing his own child bleed.
But he didn’t say a word.
Like Mom, he was letting go.
“You look pretty spiffy yourself, Mr. Packwood,” Mindy
noted.
I checked out Dad’s appearance, too, appraising him from
head to toe. When I got to the tips of his polished shoes, I
raised my face to his and heard the surprise in my voice as I
asked, “Dad?”
I’d expected my father to dress up for my wedding, but
the tux he wore appeared custom fitted, not like some rental
dragged from Pennsylvania in a garment bag. It rested
perfectly on his shoulders and the pants broke just where they
should, at the tops of those gleaming shoes. He’d donned a
bow tie, too, tied so neatly, it looked like somebody had
checked it with a level.
In short, my dad seemed pretty regal himself.
“It is my daughter’s wedding,” he reminded me, clearly
understanding my shock. “Of course I’m wearing a tuxedo!”
Then he grinned and noted, “Although I’ll admit that it’s a
very nice tuxedo, commissioned by Lucius, who apparently
has some sort of issue with rented clothes.”
I started laughing as Dad added, mimicking Lucius, “ ‘I
have come to understand your passion for recycling, Ned, but
I must draw the line at pants. Especially at my marriage!’ ”
“Sounds like Lukey,” Mindy agreed.
Then my father held out his arm for me, elbow crooked,
and offered, “Shall we? Your guests—and your groom—await
the princess!”
Although the gesture was also kind of teasing—a fancy
flourish to go with his suit—we both got serious. In a
heartbeat, all the laughter stopped.
Mindy sensed the mood change, too, and wordlessly
stepped behind me as I took Dad’s arm. I waited while she
gathered up my train so it wouldn’t drag along the floor when
we walked.
It’s really time, Jess.
“Dad,” I said quietly as we stepped toward the door, “do
you know where we’re going? This castle is like a maze!” I
didn’t want my father to give away Lucius’s surprise location—
not when I’d waited so long in suspense—but I was honestly
worried about getting lost.
 |
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”
Then he reached out to open the door, and I got the full
view of something I’d only glimpsed as my father had slipped
into the room.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” I gasped, stopping short.
Or maybe Mindy said that. Maybe we both did.
The entire corridor was lined with hundreds of flickering
votive candles in small leaded-glass holders. They were each
about a footstep apart, the only light in the otherwise dark
hallway.
Taking a deep breath, I squeezed Dad’s arm, signaling
that we should go, so the three of us began to follow that
glowing trail.
We walked in silence for what seemed like a long time,
heading into parts of the castle that I swore I couldn’t recall
seeing before. Or maybe Lucius had shown me these places,
and I couldn’t remember them. Everything looked different
that night.
My heart, which had slowed when I’d become a full
vampire, beat harder with each step. Yet I was getting strangely
calm, too.
Lucius—my future—is waiting at the end of this path. This
is the moment our parents planned for when they signed that
scroll, eighteen years ago.
Ahead of us, I saw a bend in the corridor that was so sharp
that for a second it looked like Mindy, my father, and I were
headed toward a dead end. When we made the turn, I felt a
warm breeze on my face and smelled fresh air scented with
flowers. A few yards away, the candles stopped at a curved
archway cut into the stone wall.
I stole a look at Dad’s face and saw that he was smiling
again, like he knew what I was about to see.
As we stepped under the arch, Mindy released the hem of
my gown, letting it fall to the floor, while I pressed my hand
against my chest, forgetting that I might stain my dress with
blood from my palm, because my groom . . .
He had definitely outdone himself for me.
Continue to Chapter 18...
|
