Chapter 11. An hour later Bride made her way downstairs alone

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An hour later Bride made her way downstairs alone. Vane had " created" a very pretty dark emerald velvet dress for her to dine in. He had left her at Valerius's with Fury while he went to Sanctuary to see if one of the Were-Hunters there would either give him word of Fang or perhaps rescind his banishment long enough for him to check on his brother.

Bride smoothed her hair nervously as she came down the stairs. She wasn't sure what to expect from a vampire who hunted Daimons. Unlike Tabitha, she'd never met one before. And it would have helped if Otto hadn't departed the house shortly after Vane.

As she left the stairs, she noted the pasties were gone from the statues. She smiled in spite of herself.

She entered the elegant drawing room to find a tall, black-haired man standing with his back to her as he gazed out the bay windows into the rear courtyard. His stance was rigid, unyielding. He wore his hair pulled back into a perfect ponytail and was dressed in an obviously expensive, tailor-made black silk suit.

He cocked his head as if he sensed her presence.

As he turned around, she paused.

He was an incredibly handsome man. Black eyes stared out of a face that had been carefully sculpted by the right kind of genes. He had a long, aquiline nose and lips that were set in a firm line that was unyielding and harsh. He was, without a doubt, the most intense person Bride had ever met.

No wonder Otto gave him such a hard time. It was obvious this man had no sense of humor and took everything very seriously.

" You must be Bride, " he said in that odd Italian accent that Otto had pegged perfectly. " I am Valerius Magnus. Welcome to my home."

With his regal bearing, she felt a momentary impulse to curtsy before him.

" Thank you for letting us stay here."

He inclined his head with the stiff formality of royalty.

" Please, " he said, indicating a black velvet-covered armchair. " Be seated. Dinner will be placed promptly on the table in five minutes. I shall have a servant bring you your wine while we wait."

Bride had never been more self-conscious in her life than she was walking across the room to sit in that chair. This vampire did seem ancient and powerful.

Most of all, he was good manners and patrician breeding incarnate.

Valerius moved to an intercom where he pressed a button and did in fact, order her wine.

Once finished, he returned to her side. " I apologize that my house wasn't in order when you arrived."

She looked around the perfectly kept room. " How so? "

" The statuary, " he said with only a slight curling of his lip. " You may rest assured that Tony Manero has been properly castigated for his actions." She heard him mutter under his breath, " It's a pity that in this day and age it's illegal to beat your servants."

" Tony Manero? " she asked, amazed a man like Valerius would know the pop culture character from Saturday Night Fever.

" Otto, " he said disdainfully. " I still can't believe the Council sent him to me. I asked them for an Italian Squire, not an eye -talian."

Bride burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself. Oh, Valerius had a sense of humor all right. It was just a very dry one.

His face softened a degree at the sound of her laughter, and at that moment, Bride suspected Valerius wasn't as cold and formal as he appeared. That a secret part of him actually liked sharing laughter, but that his icy demeanor kept it all but alien from him.

Fury flashed into the room, just in front of them. Like her, he was still fidgeting with his clothes, which were a bit rumpled.

" Damn, " Fury said under his breath. " One day I'm going to master this shit if it kills me." He looked up and blushed as if he weren't aware he'd already arrived. " Sorry I'm late." He cleared his throat and straightened up.

Valerius arched a regal brow at the Were-Hunter.

" You must be Val, " Fury said, extending his hand.

" Valerius, " he corrected with an arctic glare. He looked with derision at Fury's hand and made no move to take it.

Fury lifted his arm and sniffed at his armpit. " What? I bathed." Shaking his head, Fury tucked both his hands into his pockets. " Otto's right. Someone needs to take that stick out of your ass and beat you with it."

Bride covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing at something Valerius obviously didn't find funny He might like to laugh, but not at himself.

" Excuse me? " Valerius growled, taking a step forward.

" Wine for the lady? "

Bride turned to see an older man dressed in a black coat and tie, entering with a crystal goblet of red wine for her.

Valerius seemed to get himself under control. " Thank you, Gilbert, " he said, reverting back to his pompous superiority.

The servant inclined his head. " Would your lordship care for another glass for your new guest? "

Bride could tell that Valerius would rather toss Fury out on his rump, but good manners dictated otherwise. " Yes. But bring it in a bowl."

The servant left to complete his new errand.

" Actually, " Fury said, " Bride, I can't really hang here with him looking at me like he's afraid I'm going to piss on his rugs or something. You want to join me for a burger? "

Yes, she did, but there was something about Valerius that said he was wounded by Fury's words. It didn't make sense. Yet there was definitely a degree of hurt hidden in those midnight eyes.

" I think I'll stay."

" Okay, your boredom." Fury flashed out of the room.

" You don't have to stay, Bride, " Valerius said quietly. " I'll call for the car and security if you wish to leave."

" No, it's okay, really."

She could have sworn that the air in the room went up at least thirty degrees. Better still, Valerius seemed to relax somewhat over the course of the next two hours. He actually became a bit human.

Bride discovered an extremely funny side to Valerius's views of the modern-day world. She got a full tour of the house and gardens as well as fascinating insights into how Roman royalty lived.

" So this was you? " she asked as they stood outside in his atrium. She was in front of a marble statue of a Roman general in full military regalia. There was no denying the similarity in the facial features between the statue and the man beside her.

" No, " he said, his tone chilly for the first time in hours. " He was my grandfather and he was the greatest general of his day." There was pride in his voice, but it was edged by something that sounded strangely close to shame.

" He beat back the Greeks and reclaimed Rome for our people. Indeed, he was the one who destroyed the Macedonian threat and who single-handedly annihilated the greatest Greek general who had ever lived… Kyrian of Thrace." Real hatred gleamed in his eyes, but she wasn't sure who it was meant for. His grandfather or Kyrian.

" You mean Kyrian Hunter? " she asked. " The guy with the minivan who lives a few blocks over? "

Valerius's eyes sparked at that. " He's driving a mini-van? " There was no mistaking the humor in his tone.

" Well, yeah. I saw it parked out in front of his house and I know from Tabitha that Amanda drives a Camry."

He didn't say anything else for a few minutes and Bride had no clue as to his mood.

So she gazed up at his grandfather, who commanded attention even centuries later. " You look a lot like him."

" I know and I was expected to follow in his grand footsteps."

" Did you? "

This time there was no mistaking the shame in his eyes before he averted his gaze from her. " When my grandfather died, there were parades for a full week of people who mourned his passage." He lifted his brandy up to his grandfather in a silent salute.

Still, she saw through his facade. " You didn't care for him? "

Valerius looked surprised by her words. " I begrudged him every breath he took, " he said quietly, then changed the subject to discuss his recent move from Washington, DC, to the den of iniquity that most people fondly called New Orleans.

As they headed back toward the house, Vane flashed in beside her.

Bride's heart wanned instantly at his presence.

" Sorry it took so long, " Vane said before he kissed her on the cheek. His scent surrounded her, making her heart pound at his presence. It was good to have him back with her.

" They let you see him? "

He nodded.

" Is he any better? " Valerius asked, surprising her with the depth of sincere concern that she heard in his voice. While they had dined, he had told her about the night the Daimons had attacked Vane's pack and how he, Acheron, Vane, and Fang had fought them off.

Most of all, Valerius had told her how the two wolves had reacted at the death of their beloved sister.

How the last sight he'd had of Vane was him carrying his sister's body away for burial.

" No, " Vane said with a sigh. " He's still comatose."

" My apologies." Valerius took a step back and inclined his head to them. " Since you are here now, I shall take my leave to attend my duties."

Valerius took three steps, then paused and turned back toward them. " By the way, Vane, you have a most charming mate. It would indeed be a pity for the world to lose such a treasure as she. My sword is ever yours to command and my house is here for you so long as she needs protection."

He turned with an imperious whirl and quickly left them alone.

Bride didn't know which of them was more stunned by Valerius's noble declaration.

" What did you do to him? " Vane asked her.

" Nothing. We just had dinner and toured the house and grounds."

He shook his head in disbelief. " See, you really are magic." He picked her hand up and placed a sweet kiss on her knuckles that made her stomach quiver. Placing her hand in the crook of his arm, " You look lovely tonight, " he said, then made a single long-stemmed rose appear out of nowhere.

Bride took it from him and smelled it. " If you're trying to seduce me, Vane, you're a bit late. At this point, I'm pretty much a sure thing for you."

He laughed. " In my world the only thing that I'm ever sure about is that someone is most likely lurking in the next shadow to try and kill me."

She stopped and frowned. " You're not kidding, are you? "

" I wish I were. It's what makes being with you so frightening to me. I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to lose you somehow."

She placed a finger over his lips. " Don't talk like that. Have faith."

" All right, " he said, kissing her finger. " Tell me, what would you like to do tonight? "

She shrugged. " I don't care as long as I'm with you."

" You are easy, aren't you? "

" Shh, " she said, holding her finger up to her lips. " Don't let anyone else know."

He smiled. " Tell you what. I haven't eaten yet. Want to go grab some beignets and then take a carriage ride around the Garden District with me? "

Bride's eyes actually teared up at his offer. She'd lived in New Orleans all her life and had never taken a carriage ride before. They were terribly expensive. Her father had always thought they were a waste of money for someone who lived in New Orleans, and as a teenager, she couldn't afford the one hundred fifty dollars.

As for Taylor…

He'd been too concerned that someone would see him and laugh at a " respectable" anchorman doing something so childish.

" I would love to."

" Good." He leaned down and kissed her deeply.

When he pulled back, she found herself standing in the shadowed back area of the French Market, a few feet from the legendary Cafй Du Monde.

" Don't worry. No one saw us." He winked at her.

" You do have a motorcycle. I have seen it, right? "

" Yes. But Amanda and Grace said that you wouldn't want to ride with me while you're in a dress."

She looked down at the expensive green velvet. " Come to think of it, I'm not really dressed for beignets, either."

" Don't worry. I can promise you that you won't get a single powder stain on your dress."

" You can do that? "

He gave her a cocky grin. " Baby, there's not much I can't do."

" Then lead on, Sir Wolf."

Vane led her to a small table just to the side of the restaurant. As soon as they sat down a waiter came over to take their orders.

" I'll have an order of beignets and a chocolate milk, please, " Bride said.

" Four orders of beignets and a cafй au lait."

Bride gaped at him. " You're going to eat all that? "

" I told you I was hungry."

She shivered as the waiter left them. " I hope Arcadians don't get diabetes."

" We don't. We're strangely immune to everything but the common cold and a couple of weird diseases that are unique to my race."

" What kind of diseases? "

" Nothing you need to worry about. The worst is one that takes away our ability to use magic."

She shuddered at that and tried to imagine Vane without his powers. It would most likely kill him. " Is that what's wrong with your mother? She said she couldn't travel through time."

" No, that was my father's doing. After she castrated him and before his own powers dried up, he jerked a lot of her powers from her to make sure she didn't come back to kill him."

Bride closed her eyes in sympathetic pain. " Good grief, they had the relationship, huh? "

" Yeah. But honestly, it's my mother I feel sorriest for. My father had no business hurting her. He got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned. I just wish there was some way to make her whole again."

Bride took his hand into hers and held it tight. " I can't believe you can show compassion to her, considering what she was willing to do to you."

" It's only because I got to you in time, I assure you. Had they harmed one hair on your head, there wouldn't be one of them left standing right now."

A shiver went down her spine at the lethal tone in his voice. He meant that and she had no doubt he could kill someone.

She leaned back as the waiter returned with their order and placed it on the small, round table.

Bride stared at her three pastries warily.

" They won't bite you, " Vane teased. " Watch." He picked up a napkin and held it underneath the powdered beignet, then took a bite. True to his words, the powdered sugar didn't go flying like it normally did.

Deciding to trust him, she followed suit and quickly found that so long as Vane was with her, she could actually eat one of these without making a total mess of herself.

The thought actually made her giggle.

Bride ate two of hers and sipped her milk while Vane finished all of his.

" Are you not going to eat that? " he asked.

" I'm full." Then at his suspicious look, she added, " I swear. Valerius fed me a full five-course meal."

" Good for him. He better feed my woman."

Shaking her head at him, she pushed her beignet toward him. " Go ahead, I know you want it."

He didn't argue.

As soon as he had polished it off, he stood and helped her to her feet. He draped his arm around her shoulders and held her close as they strolled across the street to where the carriages were lined up along Decatur.

Vane led her to the first one and helped her up into the back. Bride settled herself in comfortably while he paid the female driver, then joined her.

He cradled her against his chest as the driver gently urged her mule, Caesar, onto the street, toward the Garden District.

" Are you two newlyweds? " Michaela, the driver, asked.

Vane looked at her.

" I guess we are, " Bride said. Not sure how else to answer Michaela's question.

" I thought so. You got that happy-in-love look about you. I can always spot it."

Bride closed her eyes as she inhaled the warm, masculine scent of Vane and considered just how much she would love to gobble him up. She could hear his heart pounding underneath her cheek while the mule's hooves clip-clopped through the French Quarter. Music would occasionally drift out of the buildings and cars they passed: jazz, zydeco, rock, and even a country tune every now and again.

The air held just the hint of a chill to it, otherwise the night was extremely pleasant. Her hometown had never looked more lovely to her. And when she passed the street to her shop, she smiled as she remembered seeing Vane there for the first time.

In some ways it seemed like an eternity ago.

Vane leaned his head down so that his cheek rested on the top of her hair while he cupped her face with his hand.

They didn't speak while the driver pointed out landmarks and buildings.

Vane couldn't breathe as he held Bride. Caressing her skin was like stroking satin. She was so precious to him. He felt as if he had been reborn the day he first saw her with that touch of sadness in her eyes at Sunshine's art stand.

He didn't want to think about a future without her.

While visiting Fang, he had told his brother everything about Bride. He'd hoped that it might bring Fang out of his stupor.

It hadn't.

If anything, it seemed to depress his brother more.

How he wished he knew some way to reach Fang. A part of him felt guilty that Bride made him happy while his brother was so miserable.

But he didn't want to go back to the way he'd been before he'd found her. For the first time in his life, he didn't have to hide himself from his lover. It was so incredible to be completely honest about who and what he was.

She didn't judge him or hate him for things that weren't his fault. She accepted him and that was the greatest miracle of all.

All too soon, the carriage returned to Decatur. Vane got out first, then helped Bride down. He tipped the driver, then took her hand and led her toward the St. Louis Cathedral. " Would you like to go dancing? "

Bride bit her lip at his offer. She hadn't gone dancing in years. " I would love to."

" Do you have a favorite club? "

She shook her head.

" Hmmm, I can't take you to Sanctuary, I'm still kind of banished from it for attacking one of my pack mates. Ash and Simi like to go dancing at someplace called the Dungeon, but knowing their taste in music and clubs, I doubt either one of us would be comfortable there. Nick Gautier hangs at Temptations… Then again, knowing Nick, I have a feeling it's probably not a good place for you, either."

" No, " she said with a laugh at the mention of one of New Orleans's more renowned gentlemen's clubs. " We could try the Tricou House on Bourbon. Tabitha goes there a lot after work. Of course, she's there looking for vampires to stake, but she says they have great music and food."

" Okay, sounds like a destination."

As they walked down Pиre Antoine Alley, Vane began to slow his pace.

Bride frowned as he pulled away from her and put her behind him.

" What's the…" Her voice trailed off as she saw what appeared to be four blond men with an attractive brunette. At first she thought one of the men was making out with the woman in one of the alcoves, until the other three men saw Vane and cursed.

" Back off, Were-Hunter, " one of the men snarled. His sinister gaze went to Bride. " You have too much to lose by fighting us."

" Let her go, " Vane said in a deadly voice.

They didn't.

" Stay here, " Vane ordered her before he threw his hand out and sent two of the vampires flying.

Before he could move, something bright flashed in the alleyway. Bride held her hand up to shield her eyes as Vane made an inhuman cry.

" Grab his mate, " someone said.

She was still bunded by the flash. Someone grabbed her roughly. Knowing Vane would never handle her that way, she gave a vicious kick that contacted with flesh.

The vampire crumpled as he cupped himself.

Another one came at her. Just as she was sure he had her, he disintegrated. The other two ran toward a shadow and then they too were gone.

Bride braced herself to fight the approaching shadow until she realized it was Valerius.

" Are you all right? " he asked her.

She nodded as her sight cleared enough so that she could look for Vane. He was a few feet from the woman, who appeared to be unconscious.

Bride froze as she saw him. He was flashing back and forth from a naked human to wolf and back again.

Horrified, she couldn't move.

Valerius ran to him, pulling out his cell phone. " Acheron, I have a Code Red with Vane at Pere Antoine Alley. He was hit by something elec—"

Acheron appeared instantly beside her. " You okay, Bride? " he asked.

She nodded.

Ash flashed from her side to Vane's. He took Vane's head into his hands, and with another bright flash, Vane turned human. Arching his back, Vane cried out as if some horrendous pain were ripping through him.

" Easy, " Ash said while Valerius checked on the woman.

Bride ran to Vane, who lay on his back, completely naked now. There were tears in his eyes.

Ash ran his hand over him, and a T-shirt and jeans appeared on his body. Still, Vane didn't move.

" It'll take him a few seconds more to get his bearings, " Ash explained to her. He looked to the Roman general. " How's the human, Valerius? "

" She's alive. You take care of Vane and I'll get her to a hospital." Valerius picked her up from the street, cradled her in his arms, and headed toward Royal.

Bride sank to her knees and lifted Vane's head into her lap. His birthmark was back on his face, and his entire body was tense and trembling.

" What happened to him? " she asked Ash.

" The Daimons must have had—and I hate to use the stupid word—a phaser."

" Like in Star Trek? "

" Sort of. It's a Sentinel weapon that was developed for the Katagaria. Stronger than a taser, it sends a vicious jolt of electricity through the intended victim. Whenever a Were-Hunter from either division gets shocked, their magic goes berserk and they lose all control of themselves. They can't even hold on to a form. If they get hit with a strong enough jolt, they literally fall out of their bodies and become noncorporeal beings like a ghost."

Vane took her hand in his.

Bride stared down at him and offered him a tentative smile.

" You all right, wolf? " Ash asked him.

Vane was still shaking. " What the hell was that thing set for? "

" Kill would be my guess. But luckily it didn't work."

Ash helped him up slowly.

Vane staggered and would have fallen had Ash not caught him.

" Easy, wolf." Ash reached out and touched Bride, then flashed them into their bedroom at Valerius's.

Worried about Vane, Bride stood back while Ash helped him into the bed. Vane collapsed as soon as Ash released him.

" What can I do to help him? " she asked Ash.

" Nothing really. It'll take time for the electricity to stop bouncing around his cells. Don't move him too much since it tends to make them motion sick in this condition."

" Okay." She let out a relieved breath. " I'm just glad his mother didn't have something like this."

" I'm sure they had it. But knowing Vane, I doubt they had time to use it on him. Weres know to expect phasers from their own kind. It's rare that Daimons use them."

He looked back at Vane. " I should have warned you about that. Since there are so many Weres in New Orleans, the Daimons here are a little more savvy than the rest."

" You suck, Ash, " Vane said in a ragged tone.

" And on that note, I'll leave the two of you alone and go back to my patrol. Peace."

As soon as Ash vanished, Bride sat on the edge of the bed, beside Vane.

It was rather strange to see him with the birthmark on his face. She touched it with her hand.

" Did I scare you? " he asked.

" A little, " she answered honestly. " But those creatures scared me a lot more. Are they always like that? "

He nodded.

" Dear God, Vane, you live in a very scary world."

" I know."

Bride sat there in silence as various scenarios of how this night could have turned out played through her head. After the way Vane had saved her in the past, she had thought he was impervious to anything.

Now she found out he had a very real, and very dangerous, Achilles' heel.

" How bad a shock does it have to be to do this to you? " she asked. " I mean, will static electricity do it? "

" It won't cause me to change forms, but it's not comfortable. The main thing we have to avoid are shocks from outlets, or any other manmade power sources, and lightning. Some batteries have enough power to change us."

" And it renders you incapacitated? "

He nodded.

Bride closed her eyes as a new fear went through her. This was terrifying since the people who were after him knew exactly what it would take to kill him.

And if they bonded, it would kill her, too.

What if she and Vane had kids one day and this happened? What if Valerius hadn't come along when he did?

Or worse, what if the cops or someone else had seen Vane changing forms like that? They would both be arrested and taken who knew where to be studied and cut up. She'd seen enough episodes of The X-Files to know the government didn't take kindly to weirdos in their midst.

" I'm sorry we didn't get to go dancing, " Vane said quietly.

Bride ran her hand over his arm comfortingly. " Don't think about it."

However, she couldn't help but think about what had happened tonight.

Did she really want to be a part of his world, where people wielded magic as if it were nothing? Where they popped in and out of rooms, buildings, and such? She would be a human surrounded by…

She was terrified of the thought. " Vane? Will our children be like you or like me? "

" Were-Hunter genes are stronger and usually dominant. I just don't know if our children will be Katagaria or Arcadian."

That scared her even more. " So you're essentially telling me I might birth puppies? "

He looked away.

Bride got up as that thought went through her mind. Puppies. Not children. Puppies.

Granted, she knew people who thought of their animals as children. Her parents did, but this…

This required a lot more thought before she committed herself.