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Brother?
THE WORD CAUGHT me completely off-guard, and I
had a flash of betrayal, certain that Lucius had kept a huge
secret from me. He didn’t have a brother . . .
I was stunned, too, by our new guest’s appearance as he
sauntered into our midst, making a beeline for Lucius.
The rest of us were in formal attire. Even Dad, who
usually wore decrepit T-shirts that advocated for causes no
one had thought about in ten years, was in a suit. But the guy
who was strolling the length of the room, grinning like he
didn’t realize he was making a scene, wore a pair of grubby
board shorts and a yellow T-shirt that advertised a Venice
Beach surf shop.
As he passed by the table, the candlelight reflected off
glossy, long brown hair, which was cinched into a loose
ponytail with what looked like an old leather shoelace. Hair
that was maybe too glossy, as if it needed a wash.
I also noticed a familiar sound as he walked, and glanced
down at his feet, where I discovered a pair of black rubber...
Flip-flops?
I rose from my seat and turned to Lucius, wanting some
sort of explanation and half expecting my impeccably
mannered vampire prince to be very displeased. If this really
was his brother, the late arrival and the sloppy clothes were
disrespectful.
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But when I saw Lucius’s face, I realized that he wasn’t
angry.
On the contrary, he was grinning from ear to ear, setting
down his glass and pushing aside his chair in order to step
toward the newcomer.
What the . . . ?
I looked at my parents and Mindy, who all seemed
confused, and I was embarrassed to do little more than offer
them a baffled shrug.
Awkwardly, I spun back to Lucius just in time to see him
extend a handshake to the guy he’d called brother, who in
turn clasped my future husband’s hand before pulling him
into the same kind of back-slapping embrace that Lucius had
shared with my dad.
It wasn’t until Lucius grabbed the stranger by the shoulders
and spun him to face us that I could see they shared nearly
identical smiles, the gleaming white teeth of Vladescu nobility.
It was almost as if I was thinking the words that Lucius spoke
as he announced, still smiling, “This surf bum who dares to
join us—late, and in such inappropriate attire—is, I am
almost ashamed to admit, my best man.”
I sank back down onto my seat, still not quite believing
my eyes.
This . . . this . . . was the legendary Raniero Vladescu
Lovatu?
Continue to Chapter 7...
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