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Chapter 55
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Aster:
She was just putting away the last of her dresses, when she felt it. Like the last time she felt such intense grief from Declan, she wasn’t prepared, but this time she knew they weren’t her feelings and she handled it better. Breathing deeply, she sat on the bed and waited for him to put up his defences like he did the last time, but it didn’t happen, and as time wore on, it became worse.
Aster couldn’t just sit there. Not again. What if he came back, and decided to shut her out like last time? She couldn’t go through that again. She decided to give it another five minutes, watching the old clock on the mantelpiece. It was the longest five minutes of her life. At exactly five minutes past twelve, she got up.
She didn’t notice the vampire sitting outside the bedroom, nor did she hear him when he cleared his throat and called after her. She was one hundred percent focused on Declan. His grief like a honing beacon, all she had to do was f
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His Vampire Bride Chapter 56
Aster Part 2: She waited quietly while Declan lit the torch. He took her by the elbow and steered her through the maze. Aster had no idea how he found his way around so quickly, she’d get lost in five minutes flat. “We have to hurry.” “Okay,” she said, trying her best to keep up with Declan. He was going just a little too fast for her, and she was already growing tired. “What’s the rush?” “Cyrus would have felt Justice die. He has hundreds of sons, so chances are he won’t care – especially about one as young as the kid, but just in case…we need to get Eros and Rowan and get the fuck out of here.” A little bit of curiosity plucked through the fear. “So fathers and sons share a bond like you do with me?” He looked over his shoulder at her, a little exasperated that she dared ask questions now. “I only ask, because you never have time to tell me anything. I know nothing about this life.” He softened a little. “Yes, we share a bon
His Vampire Bride Chapter 57
Declan:Declan was bone tired. The thought of facing this night filled him with dread. He didn’t want to get up and spend another night in the sky, flying to the next safe house – which was in Scotland. From there he planned on doubling back to England, Germany and Norway. While they were in the air, they were untouchable, but once they were on land they became vulnerableAster lay on her side, as always with her fist tucked in under her chin, but this morning when she went to sleep, she was on her back, which meant she woke up again during the day. Sighing, he flung his arm over his face and swallowed against the nagging thirst. He could handle it for a few days, even a few weeks, but Aster couldn’t, and he knew that he’d have to get up soon to go hunting.He was still trying to motivate himself to get out of bed, when Eros banged the door open. Declan made a mental note to educate the ancient on twenty-first century eti
His Vampire Bride Chapter 58
Aster: Aster woke slowly, the springs from the worn out mattress poking her everywhere. Sighing, she battled upright. She was thirstier and more tired than usual, but attributed it to the previous night’s excitement. “There’s blood on the nightstand,” Declan said. She turned her head to look at the glass bottle filled with blood. “Where--” she cleared her throat, and abandoned the effort it took to speak. She managed only a few sips before giving up on it. “I know, it’s disgusting, but you have to finish it.” “Where did it come from?” “Eros.” “Do I even wanna know?” “Probably not.” Declan sat in the windowsill, one foot resting on a rickety old wooden chair, throwing a ball from one hand to the other. “So we need to talk.” “Well, of course we do. I wonder what a day without drama would be like.” “Your father is safe. I spoke to Melena.” She hadn’t even given considered her fathe
His Vampire Bride Chapter 59
Declan: The moment Eros knocked Aster out Declan stopped feeling her. It was like she had died. Every instinct wanted him to rush to her, get her away from Eros, but his common sense told him that his intuition was lying to him…that he needed to trust that their clan elder knew what he was doing. Feeling useless, Declan puttered around in the cottage, looking for suitable clothing for Eros. The few garments he found were so old that they crumbled to dust when he pulled it out of the closets. They hadn’t needed their safe houses for some time, and they didn’t maintain the place – a bad oversight on their part, but no one could foresee what happened. Whether Cyrus truly believed they were on their side or not stopped mattering the moment he killed Joel. Even if Declan hadn’t killed Justice, this is the way things would have turned out – their clan scattered to the four corners until they could reunite. He glanced out the front doo
His Vampire Bride Chapter 60
Declan – part 2:It was rare, but it did happen from time to time that a vampire would betray their own clan, and that is exactly what he thought Eros did, and since it didn’t really matter either which way what he said at that point, he asked the ancient if that was what he had done. Looking offended, the vampire shook his head. “Feel her vibrations. She is healed. This should not be happening.”“Get out,” Declan said.“Let me try--”“No. Leave.” He had an idea what might be happening, but he lacked the motivation and Latin vocabulary to explain it to Eros. “I know what to do. Please leave.”“If you attempt--”“Get. Out.”Nodding woefully, Eros left, even closing the door behind him. Declan stretched out next to Aster on the uncomfortable bed. Lying on his side, he cupped her face, gently caressing her soft skin with his t
His Vampire Bride Chapter 61
Aster: She was stuck, with no idea how to get out. For just one split second, before he dragged her into the light, she glanced over her shoulder, hoping to get one last glimpse of her mother and brother. When she looked back Declan was gone and so was the beach. Aster stood rooted, a thin trickle of fear running through her. She was stuck in a dream with no idea how to get out. She had nowhere to go, because there wasn’t anywhere to go. She was trapped in nothingness. She tried to conjure up the lost beach, but now that she knew it was nothing but a hallucination, it was impossible. Her brain wouldn’t believe it, so she couldn’t make it happen. Her world was nothing but deafening silence and the bright light. It was peaceful for a while, but then she slowly started to lose her mind. With nothing to do, no one to talk to….Declan was right – with or without the beach, she would have lost her shit eventually. Punching at the void, she screamed
His Vampire Bride Chapter 62
Declan: “No way,” Katelynn said her eyes big with shock. “Oh my God--” Declan was about to bash Kate’s skull against the wall when Aster spoke. “How?” She shook her head and pointed to her throat. He came in here to feed her, as he did every other night, when he caught Katelynn standing over her with a raised sword. For a moment, he let the rage he’d been feeling for years now take over, he’d have killed Kate with his bare hands, was about to do just that, when Aster woke. He unceremoniously dropped Kate, and rushed over to the cot where Aster lay – for the first time in years, he could feel all her emotions…it was unsettling, he had gotten used to feeling only glimmers from her, and in the last year or so he cut himself off from her completely. All he felt from her was despair, and it made it impossible for him to function. “Get out,” he told Kate. “Go tell your husband what you did.” “Declan, I…I wanted to do it for you. I w
His Vampire Bride Chapter 63
Aster:Aster looked around the little room, a small frown on her face. Her bed stood against the wall in the corner. Next to that was an uncomfortable looking steel chair. The rough walls were painted an uninspiring white, but like the dungeon at the old estate, this place was damp and slightly mouldy. At least they tried to keep it clean. There was no accumulated dirt or dust that she could see.Against the opposite wall was a small dresser and another door. She opened the top drawer of the dresser first – nothing but a few t-shirts and leggings, exactly like the ones she had on. The door led to a small bathroom with a shower, basin, and toilet.That was it. There were no windows, no carpet, or even an area rug -- the floors were nothing more than smooth, grey stone. Even the cot that had been her bed for seven years had nothing but a simple, white sheet on it.Sighing, she sat back down, running her hands over the fabric. It remin
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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
