While he continued to lean against the wall for support, I cleaned the rest of him, paying close attention to his fingers, ears and neck, anywhere where blood would pool, and be visible to someone else. When he was sparkly clean, I shut the water off and helped to dry him.
Looking half asleep on his feet, we crawled into our oversized bed, naked. His lukewarm from the shower body wrapped around me, and his head dropped down to rest in the crook of my neck. He sighed contently and buried himself further into me. I cradled his head, kissing him softly, before shutting off the lamp and closing my eyes.
Before sleep took me, I started replaying the evening, again marveling at what he’d done for me. As I smiled and stroked fingers down his back, I whispered, “Thank you.”
Thinking he was already asleep, I was a little surprised to hear him murmur, “You’re welcome,” into my skin.
I hugged him tighter and then a thought struck me. “When did you guys realise you’d have to do this?”
His body stiffened and I adjusted myself to look at him. Cautiously lifting his head to look at me, apprehension was clear on his face. I furrowed my brow at seeing it. He sighed a cool breath and then closed his eyes for a second, before meeting my gaze. “We’ve always known this would happen this weekend, Emma.” He shrugged. “We’ve been preparing, since you first said you wanted it here.”
Horror and guilt went straight though me. I pushed him away and brought my hands to my mouth. “Why didn’t anyone…?” I couldn’t even finish the thought, but Teren understood.
His hands came to my face, lowering mine. “We didn’t want you to worry about us. We knew we’d be fine…once it was over.”
I shook my head, tears forming again. “We could have gone somewhere else. We could have gotten married at a courthouse, Teren.”
He stopped my sputtering with his lips. When I was calmer, he muttered, “This is what you wanted, what you deserved to have. Our…problems were manageable.”
I stared at him, speechless. Then irritation flared in me, like it does sometimes, when I’m really worried. “You could have given me a heads up! I could have been told what would happen, instead of finding you covered in blood and not knowing why!” My tone got especially heated on the end as I replayed my fear.
He blanched and looked guilty again. “You’re right…I’m sorry.” He shook his head on his pillow, his fingers coming up to move a strand of hair behind my ear. “I just didn’t want to you to worry…and I honestly didn’t know it would be that bad. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
I hugged him tight after he said that, my temporary anger gone. “You did, Teren. You terrified me.”
He murmured that he was sorry again, his voice thick with the need to sleep, and I hugged him tightly, needing him close, even if he was slipping from consciousness. When I again was sure he was asleep, I playfully muttered, “I wonder why Halina got to be the lucky one? You guys draw straws or something?”
He chuckled in my arms, still awake. “No, she just wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it like us, so it wasn’t an option for her.” I pulled back, surprise in my face.
He looked over my expression, his eyes lighting the distance between us in the dark room. He shrugged. “The side affect of food is less severe for us than for her. Her full vampire body doesn’t react…as well.”
My mouth dropped open at that. As well? I didn’t think him spouting blood all over the bathroom floor was exactly “well”. It was worse for Halina? How much worse could it get? He sighed, taking in my stricken face, and shrugged again. “She probably would have lost it at the table.”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. Yes…that would have been worse.
Teren was still asleep when I woke up the next morning. He looked better, as I watched the sunlight flash on his dark hair. His face didn’t look so pale anymore and he didn’t have any circles under his eyes anymore. No sign of fatigue was with him at all as he slept beside me. I shifted on my side to watch him, suddenly realising that this was the last morning I’d wake up beside my boyfriend. Tomorrow morning, he’d be my husband.
He was a stone still sleeper: no fidgeting, no fussing, no snoring. Looking at him closer as he laid on his stomach, his head angled towards me, I realised he wasn’t even breathing. Curious, I put my hand in front of his face. Nope, nothing. No breath at all. It was eerie, and too reminiscent of when he’d died, and I pulled my hand away.
“What are you doing?” he muttered, his eyes still closed.
I laughed and ran a hand through his hair. A smile cracked his face, the still look finally leaving him as he woke up. “Just seeing if you were alive.” I giggled at my own joke and he peeked up at me, his pale eyes amused.
“Cute.”
I giggled again and sat up on my elbow. “I just never noticed that you don’t breathe when you sleep.” I shrugged. “It’s kind of creepy.”
He stirred, inhaling a deep breath, obviously just for show, and then stretched out before propping himself up on his elbow, facing me. “That is just what every man wants to hear on his wedding day.” He grinned crookedly at me and leaned in.
I obliged him, and leaned in to meet him, pressing my lips to his. His slight warmth from his shower last night had worn off, and he was cool again. I tried to not think about that awful moment, of finding him in a pool of his own blood, and I instead focused on the miraculous things he could do with his mouth. He scooted closer to me as I let my memories fade, until his cool body was along the length of mine under the sheets. His hand reached out to pull my elbow out from under me and I gasped as I fell back to the bed. He was on top of me in a flash, still kissing me intently, purposefully.
Gently pushing him back, I playfully muttered, “What do you think you’re doing?”
His hands slid over my body as his mouth shifted to my ear. “I really thought you’d have that figured out by now.”
I laughed huskily and pushed him away when his mouth drifted back to mine. “We can’t have sex before we get married, Teren.”
He pulled back, looking normal and healthy, and…incredulous. His hand rested on my stomach and he gently squeezed while cocking an eyebrow. “Really?” His voice matched his disbelieving eyes and I clearly got the implication – ‘what does it matter, if I’ve already knocked you up?’
I laughed and shifted my body out from under his. Standing, I stole the sheet and demurely wrapped it around myself. He frowned at me and made no move to shield his bare body with the remaining covers. I bit my lip as I took in the sight of him, but made my body stay where it was. “Yes, really. We may have done things backwards, but we’ll at least do the wedding night the right way.