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Chapter 18
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Aster:
Aster stepped out onto a beach. She remembered it from her childhood. Their last family holiday in South Africa. Her mother and brother were still alive. In the distance, the blue silhouette of Table Mountain rose up from the sea. She always wanted to come back here one day. To this beach, where the azure water was so clear you could see the seabed.
It was different here. She could feel the wind lift her skirt, the soft cotton candy sandy tickling her feet, taste the salty sea spray that misted her face, hear the seagulls squawking in the distance and the break of the waves on the shore.
But she was still alone.
For now, she didn’t mind. She waded into the ocean. The water was cold, just like she remembered, but it felt good. Maybe she was in heaven now. Maybe that’s the choice she made. But it didn’t feel like heaven. Just like all the other stops on her way, this place felt temporary too.
In the distance, she saw a w
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Declan: He heard her bones cracking and shifting back into place. It felt like the healing process took hours, but in reality, it took no more than thirty minutes. He winced and hissed softly when she dug her nails deeply into his forearm, but like a husband holding his wife’s hand during childbirth, he didn’t say a word. She was worse off than he thought she’d be – maybe because she was sick before he made her. When he saw her there on the ground, her body bent in all directions, the weird angle of her neck, the silent screams of utter despair, he felt his heart break into a million pieces, and for a moment, he wished he could take it all back. Declan was glad now that he decided to heal her before they attempted it, she wouldn’t have survived the process if he hadn’t. Breathing hard and sweating profusely, she relaxed against him. She was still crying softly, but her tears were drying up. He let her get it out of her system, the tra
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Aster: She didn’t think it would be this good. Nothing and no one could have prepared her for this: being a vampire. In books and movies, they called vampires the undead, but Aster had never felt so alive. The world looked and felt and smelled completely different. Despite the dark, she could see everything, and warm-blooded creatures stood out most starkly – they had a faint glow around them that kept distracting her, and every so often Declan had to fetch her as she wandered off the path to inspect a mouse or a bunny rabbit. She felt every blade of grass that tickled the soles of her feet, heard frogs singing far in the distance, and could even pick out individual frogs just by their sound. She stopped and inhaled the night air, taking in the scents that surrounded her: grass, wet soil, water, the late summer flowers, but also the rot of the compost heap at the bottom of the garden, and the decomposing corpse of an unfortunate bird.
His Vampire Bride Chapter 21
Declan: He could kick himself. He knew the moment they approached her room that Aster was unsettled, yet he pushed her anyway. It wasn’t until she started to freak out completely that he realised his mistake…he’d have to learn to listen the new instincts that awakened when she was reborn. Declan found two suitcases in the back of Aster’s vast closet and pulled them out. The cases clearly hadn’t been used in some time, but they looked to still be in good condition. While he gathered her clothes, his phone buzzed. Without looking at the caller I.D., he answered, “Yeah?” Holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, he kept going. “How are things there?” Rowan asked without a greeting. “It’s fine. She’s doing well.” “No brain damage or anything like that?” “No. Emotional though.” “That’s to be expected. Edward will be there in half an hour.” “Oh God,” Declan plopped on the unmade bed. The room really did
His Vampire Bride Chapter 22
Aster: Edward sat on his knees, slumped over, shoulders shaking, his head buried in his arms. At first Aster didn’t move … she had seen her father cry only once before – at her mother’s funeral, and that was so long ago now, that she could barely remember it. For some reason this display of emotion disgusted and angered her. Declan walked up to her, put his hand on her hip, bent low and whispered, “I don’t know why you feel the way you feel, but you need to talk to him.” His voice was barely audible. Her father didn’t even notice, but she heard him clear as bell. Aster nodded, and on shaky legs walked over to her father. For some reason, he repulsed her, and touching him made her skin crawl. Why? She wondered. She glanced at Declan. He gave her an encouraging nod. “Daddy,” she said. “Don’t cry. Look at me,” she lifted his head and the revulsion of seeing his face, wet with snot and tears made her gag softly, “I’m fine now.”
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Declan: Aster bristled with anger – it sparkled in the air like electricity. Declan stood closer, getting ready to stop her in case she lost her temper. Anger was the strongest of vampire emotions, and took the longest to get under control. It took him nearly a century to learn how to control his rage. He was angry with Edward too – if it were anyone else, Declan would have helped Aster to kill him, but the guilt would have eaten her alive. The second Aster lunged towards her father he came up behind her. He almost grabbed her, but at the last minute pulled back. He wanted Edward to learn a lesson – it would cut the argument about whether or not Aster had to stay down to one minute instead of an hour. Edward let out a yelp of surprise, then squealed as Aster sunk her fangs into his neck. She missed his vein by only a fraction, and very little blood pumped from the wound. He fought against her, trying to push her off him, screaming her name, b
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Aster: The weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. The more distance she put between her and her father, the better she felt. Maybe one day she’d be able to come back to this mansion, but right now she had no nostalgia about it at all. Her childhood was mostly lonely and sad. Her teen years were punctuated by a boyfriend or three that were only interested in her money, and the few friends she had were rich kids like her, and they all disappeared when it became too difficult to be her friend. Yes, Aster was happy to close the front door of Montgomery house behind her. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, sat on the balustrade encircling the veranda. He jumped up when he saw them, beaming at her. “Aster. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Joel, Declan's brother.” Before she could say a single word, he hugged her. “Oh," she said, a little taken aback by the unknown man's friendliness. "It’s nice to meet you too.” “How are
His Vampire Bride Chapter 25
Declan: Aster stood on the lawn, looking up at their manor, her mouth hanging open. Declan grinned at her. She hardly grew up poor, but Edward’s wealth, vast as it may have been, wasn’t a fraction of the wealth Declan’s family had built up over the centuries. “Wow,” she said, “just…wow. I thought we were rich.” “You are, it’s just that we’re…richer.” “How do you find your way around this place?” “It’s insane, right? Declan used to draw me maps,” Joel chuckled. “But you’ll get used to it.” “Wanna go inside?” Declan asked Aster. “Sure,” she said, still amazed and a little breathless. But before they could, Samuel and Matthew came flying out of the house. “Dammit,” Declan swore under his breath. He had no desire to see Matthew tonight – or any other night in the foreseeable future. “Aster,” the brothers exclaimed in unison, and went right for her. Declan took her hand in his, and she gave him a gra
His Vampire Bride Chapter 26
Aster: Aster looked up in surprise as Declan blurred by her and went into the manor house. Already irritated because he left without a word, she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t stop – it just amped up her annoyance. She turned to Joel, who just shrugged and looked as confused as she felt. Before either of them could speak though, Samuel stood next them. She gasped and jumped back at his sudden appearance. She wondered how long it would take her to get used to the other vampires. Samuel gave Matthew a pointed look, then turned to Joel. “Cyrus is here.” “No way,” Joel exclaimed, and a look of terror crossed his face. “Why?” Samuel shrugged. Aster’s eyes flitted between the brothers – the fear on everyone’s faces set her nerves on edge. “Okay. Who is Cyrus.” “He’s the council master,” Matthew said as if that explained everything. “You talk as if I should know who that is?” “The council master is the head vampire…k
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His Vampire Bride Thank you
Dear readers, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read Declan and Aster's story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your support and love. It means the world to me, and I hope to see you all soon with the next one. Please feel free to leave a comment if you liked this story. I always love hearing from my readers. Remember: All writers love their readers, we would be nothing without you -- you are the engine that makes a writer's world go 'round. Much love, Celice
His Vampire Bride Epilogue
The old man sat on his balcony, looking at the beach bathed in the soft blue moonlight. It was a beautiful night, but a full moon, which meant all manner of creatures were about. Ever since that blasted vampire war fifty years ago, all sorts had been crawling out of the darkness, wouldn’t you know? It didn’t matter how many times that vampire, Rowan Watchamacallit, went on the news and every talk show known to man, just to keep telling the humans that they had nothing to fear, he knew better. He was old enough to remember that war, remembered the roving vampires that came through his town and tore his wife’s throat out. He didn’t forget and forgive that easily. The humans hadn’t been idle. They had been developing weapons that were strong enough to kill vampires. He had one. A gun that could take a vampire’s head off with one shot. It wasn’t technically speaking legal to kill vampires, but their bodies evaporated fairly quickly once the sun hit it, and no body, no ev
His Vampire Bride Chapter 104
Declan:He kissed her until the tension left her body, and the doubts she felt earlier released her. It was like that first time, when the world outside faded to dull insignificance, and all that mattered were the two of them, wrapped in each other’s arms, safe in their bubble.Declan didn’t understand what it was he felt the first time they had sex, but he understood it now. It was the completion of the bond. He could feel it as he pushed inside her. The way the bond united them, how it knitted them together, tying her soul to his and his to hers. The two halves becoming one. And it was stronger now than before. Much stronger.As she opened up under him, giving herself to him so completely that he didn’t even know where she began and he ended, he knew that this was forever. He would never, could never, break their bond. When her eyes filled with tears, and he felt the burden she had been carrying around lift from her shoulders
His Vampire Bride Chapter 103
Aster:Aster sat up, her head pounding and bladder throbbing. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the floor in the lobby with Declan, trying not to scream as her injuries healed. After that, nothing.Declan sat on the armchair, naked from the waist up, watching her with an amused smirk. It had been days since he was there when she woke. “Don’t you need to work?”“Don’t you need to pee?” he retorted.Shooting nasty glances his way, she went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower while she was there, and hoping that he would be gone by the time she was done. She was embarrassed by her actions the previous night, and she didn’t know how to look him in the eye.Wrapping a towel around herself, she went back to the bedroom, just to find that she wasn’t that lucky. Declan still sat where she had left him. “Blood’s on the bed,” he said a mischievous glint in
His Vampire Bride Chapter 102
Declan: Declan gasped, and dropped his pen. Aster very quickly cycled from jealous to angry to a soul-crushing sadness that threatened to eat her alive. Their connection was growing stronger – it would probably have been completely restored by now if they could spend some time together, but the logistics of Maximillian’s estate and the vampire council occupied him non-stop. She wasn’t in any danger, and she didn’t call out to him. Sighing, he blocked her out and pulled more paperwork towards him. There were hundreds of requests from sheriffs and smaller families in need of help, and Lucas wanted to help all of them. Saw it as his sacred duty as the new head of the most powerful family in the region. Declan had to keep reminding his cousin that the only reason they became the most powerful family, was because Maximillian knew when to say yes and when to say no. Lucas needed a lot of mentoring, and with no elders around to guide him, Declan did
His Vampire Bride Chapter 101
Aster:Aster strolled through the hotel, greeting the other vampires that not three weeks ago were so scared of her that they could barely look at her, but now finally treated her like family. Most of their allies had left, leaving the hotel mostly open, but the place was destroyed, because there had been simply too many people living in it.When they arrived in Slovakia, Declan asked her to take care of the humans, help as many of them get back home as she could, but a lot of them didn’t want to leave. Their homes weren’t destroyed; it wasn’t a war that was fought with bombs and guns, but many lost their families in vampire attacks. Others came to love their vampires masters, and simply refused to leave, even after their familiar oaths were broken.She walked from room to room, looking at the progress of the renovations and clean-up process. With a lot of the vampires gone, and because most of the humans were injured and traum
His Vampire Bride Chapter 100
Declan: Declan stood in the dark, overgrown garden, leaning against a tree, watching Aster where she lay flat on her back next to the stream, her hand dangling in the water. It had been two nights since the witch helped them reform their bond, but their connection wasn’t very strong yet. It was like a weak battery, waiting to be recharged, and he had no idea how long that would take. Still, all he could think about was her, which he took as a good sign. After a few minutes, he stepped out of the darkness and walked up to her, squatting by her side. “Hello, beautiful.” Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she gave him a dazzling smile. That smile soothed his aching heart more than she’d ever know. He leaned over and kissed her, feeling the spark trying to ignite the fire in his heart, but not quite getting there. “You still hate it inside the castle, huh?” “Yes,” she answered. “Too many ghosts.” “Don’t they just follow you?”
His Vampire Bride Chapter 99
Aster: Aster only had one thought running through her mind as she drifted off to sleep. I want him back. Even in her sleep, it was all she could think about, and as she slipped deeper into the darkness, she dreamed about Declan calling to her, telling her to come back to him. ** She hears him calling out to her. He’s somewhere out there in the darkness. “Come to me,” he pleads, “find me.” “Where are you?” she calls back. “I can’t see.” The place is too dark. The kind of darkness that grabs you and won’t let go. The kind of darkness she only experienced once before: in the in-between. “Aster!” Declan screams. “Find me. Come to me.” “I can’t see anything,” she sobs into the darkness. “Why can’t you come to me?” “I’m stuck. Please. Find me.” He sounds so desperately afraid. So lonely. In turn, Aster’s heart cries out to him. She wants to feel his strong, comforting arms around her.
His Vampire Bride Chapter 98
Declan: This wasn’t Declan’s first war, and it wouldn’t be his last. Every once in a while vampires would get in a strop and start killing each other. Maybe it was nature’s way of keeping their numbers down. This was the first war that easily killed half his family though, and he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. He lay on his side, staring at Aster, tracing the outline of her face with his fingers. Neither of them spoke, there was nothing to say. Words of comfort rang hollow, discussing the war so soon after it ended was too raw and excruciating, and he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. “I wish I could feel you,” he whispered. “Me too.” He gave her a tight smile and sighed. He didn’t know what hurt worse – the death of his family members, his mother and brother, or the broken bond. It all just blended together into one, big, brutal, open wound. For no reason, and without any conscious thought that he was about to d
