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Chapter 5
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Aster:
Aster sat in the recliner where her gaggle of nurses had taken turns spending the night over the past nine months and watched Declan sleep. He lay where he fell, legs dangling off the bed. She tried to move him on the bed, but it was impossible to shift the solid block of a man. All she could do was cover him with a blanket and hope he was comfortable.
Earlier, she had snuck through the empty mansion to the kitchen. She was hungry in a way she hadn’t been for months. The last few weeks were especially bad, and eating had become mostly mechanical – and since everything she ate tasted like dust, everyone had to force her to eat.
Now she sat with a tray of food next to her – mostly items that were ‘grab and run’ food, as her father called it: cheese, fruit, crackers, cold cuts. Everything tasted delicious, and she had to stop herself from tearing into the food like an animal.
The mansion was quiet and empty. Presumably, her father
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Declan: Declan struggled to open his eyes. It was daytime, and the light stabbed him like millions of tiny needles, burrowing under his skin. Something, someone, repeatedly punched him in the chest though he barely felt the blows, and somewhere, far away, he heard a girl screaming and crying incoherently. It took his foggy mind several minutes to register where he was. He tried to force his eyes open. Being awake during the day was difficult. Painful. He didn’t want to do it, but Aster was in full-blown panic mode; and why wouldn’t she be? She thought he was dead. Summoning all his strength, Declan somehow managed to open his eyes, and struggled upright. The room was too bright, and the whole place looked like it was hazed in a mist of red. “Aster,” he said, but the word came out as a barely audible croak. He tried again, but she was so frantic that she didn’t hear him. Groaning loudly, he willed his muscles to move. Somehow, he manag
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Aster: Aster sat in shock on the floor next to Declan, unable to move. He still had that same deathly pale-grey complexion, and from what she could tell, he wasn’t breathing. At last, the fear ebbed away, but it lingered under the surface. She got up, went to her closet and fetched a blanket and pillow – she didn’t know if he felt discomfort or cold in his current state, but sticking the cushion under his head and covering him up was the least she could do. She lay on her bed and watched the corpse on her floor until she fell asleep sometime in the middle of the day, while still praying that Declan would be all right. ** In her dream, she’s a little girl again. Healthy and carefree, running through the fairy garden that her daddy built just for her. Jumping from rock to rock, she peeks under every bush, and behind every tree, looking for hidden secrets. The fairy garden made mommy very mad. She yelled at daddy, but litt
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Declan: Declan woke right after Aster left the room. He listened to her padding down the hallway to the shower, heard the rattle of the old pipes as she opened the taps, and then soft singing while she readied to take her shower. He enjoyed the moment; could even see himself wake up just like this every night. For a few minutes, he allowed himself to think about it. The what if of the future, unencumbered by Rowan, Katelynn, his brothers…just him and Aster, living their own little life somewhere far away. It wasn’t at all an unpleasant fantasy. But then he remembered that he barely knew anything about her, and there was still a good woman out there whose heart he'd have to break – and he still didn’t know what his father had planned. Sighing, he got up from the floor. His body still ached, and while it wasn’t as bad as before, he knew that if he didn’t get some nourishment, he’d be in tremendous pain and half dead by the time he had
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Aster: The next few hours passed in somewhat of a blur. Declan came back just as Aster sat down to what she had to admit was an exquisite meal. While the two men watched, she wolfed down the stew Rowan had prepared for her, and even decided on a second bowl. This one went down a little slower, and by the time she was done eating, she regretted her gluttony. “Feel better?” Declan asked, a small smile on his lips. He looked fantastic. For a guy who looked like death warmed over twice mere hours ago, he now appeared rested, healthy, and was oh-so-hot in his tight jeans and black t-shirt. The clothes folded around him as if they were painted on, showing off his perfectly toned body, broad shoulders, and narrow hips. Now that the pain of dying didn’t cloud her mind and vision, she could really appreciate how truly good-looking he was. “It’s time.” Rowan said out of nowhere. “I know.” Declan replied softly. She saw him crumble befor
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Declan: It was a beautiful night. The full moon bathed the garden in a white, ghostly glow, and the hidden lights twinkled in the dark giving the grounds a magical, fairy tale appearance. Like the mansion, the garden was absolutely devoid of any human life, but he heard animals all around them. Frogs croaking in the ponds, rabbits hopping through the grass, birds chirring softly in their sleep. Declan stopped, and turned to Aster, “Take me to your favourite place.” “Why?” Now that she felt better, he had the feeling she won’t submit so easily to him. Unlike the previous night, she now questioned everything. “If you are in a place you love, you’ll fight harder to come back.” “I don’t understand what that means. Tell me what it means.” He glanced at the moon, then at his watch. They had precious few hours left. “I’ll tell you on the way.” She nodded. “This way.” They walked side-by-
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Aster: Aster’s mind spun in two hundred different directions. She didn’t really believe anything Declan had been telling her, and for a crazy minute she thought that she had been wrong all along, that he was there to kill her. It’s just as well, she thought, then I don’t have to go through the whole getting sicker by the day thing all over again. But at the same time, she was sure she was wrong. He was his gentle self … until he turned her head to the side. She heard a faint clicking sound, and when she tried to twist her head to see what the sound was, he kept her firmly in place – her face turned away from him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered close to her ear. She was about to ask him why, then, out of nowhere, a blinding pain shot through her neck. She gasped, closed her eyes, and bit into her lower lip, trying to stifle a scream – she had screamed quite enough in the last twenty-four hours, and she didn’t want to give him the
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Declan: The screams. The screams were the worst. And he couldn’t drown them out. Nor should he have…this was why a vampire felt like he was being cut to the core every time he made a vampire. It was a reminder that what he was doing was no trivial matter. He heard as her bones snapped one-by-one, and still the death grip wouldn’t let go and give her release. He remembered the day of his rebirth like it was yesterday, but he couldn’t remember the pain. Rowan always compared it to childbirth … over time, the mother forgets how much it hurts, and the baby doesn’t remember at all, but Declan was sure he’d never forget this moment. It went on for hours and hours, and there was nothing he could do to ease her suffering. She was lost in the world of darkness and pain, and she’d have to fight her own way out. Finally, mercifully, it ended. She collapsed to the ground like a broken ragdoll. Staring at him with big open eyes. Blood ooze
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Aster: Aster opened her eyes. She was wrapped in a blanket of complete darkness. At first, panic threatened to overwhelm her, but then she remembered. I’m dead. This is death. She sat in the dark, trying to remember how she died, but couldn’t recall anything. There was nothing really, no memories of who she were, what her life was like – nothing. It was a complete blank The darkness was complete. She could it feel pressing in on her. Arms outstretched, Aster turned in a slow circle, and touched nothing but emptiness. She wasn’t sure if she made a complete 360 turn, but slowly she started shuffling forward, keeping her arms outstretched in case she met a wall. Something unpleasant curled around her feet, like tendrils of slime. She inhaled, realised she couldn’t, and remembered she was dead – dead people didn’t breathe. “Hello?” she cried out. Her voice echoed in the darkness. Apparently, dead people did have vocal chords. She
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?”
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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.
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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
