Part 25 (2/2)

”You know, darling,” Sebastian said. ”This is kind of normal for us.”

”What do you mean?”

”I mean-” He waved his injured hand in the direction of the wreckage and our friends, and then he laughed softly. ”I hope you're not expecting a settled life with me.”

I had to laugh too, although another sob caught in my throat. ”Oh, Sebastian,” I said, laying my head against his shoulder. ”I never defeated the curse. Tereza won.” Sebastian kissed the top of my head softly. ”Not by a long shot,” he whispered. ”We're still together.”

I pulled my head up to look him in the eye. ”We are, aren't we?”

He flashed me a soft smile. ”To me, that's what's important.”

I kissed him, full on the mouth. ”You're right,” I said once I pulled away. ”That is all that matters.”

As we were sitting there, my mother came up to me. Unexpectedly, she came down beside me and gave me a big, giant hug. I could feel her arms shaking a little, and I wrapped mine around her and squeezed as tightly as I had when I was four. Into my ear, she said, ”You should wear whatever makes you happy. I'm just glad you're okay.”

”I love you too, Mom,” I said.

The police showed up a few minutes later. While the minister talked to the two uniforms, Izzy and I organized people to help board up the broken windows.

The officer who took my statement seemed pretty unconvinced, despite having heard the story six times already. He had curly black hair cut almost military short, and his face had a lot of rough edges like he'd been a professional boxer in his younger days.

”So you didn't see these, uh, priests come cras.h.i.+ng through the windows?”

I'd seen the one come through the doors, but not the first a.s.sault. I shook my head. ”I was downstairs with my dad.”

”Uh-huh,” he said and raised his eyebrows like I just told him that I liked to snort marshmallows up my nose.

Eventually, after dutifully writing it all down, they left.

The minister thanked us for helping clean things up, but she told us she still had to call the insurance company and things like that. As we left, I apologized profusely, and Sebastian quietly made arrangements for a ”donation” to help cover the costs.

The wedding party stood around outside in the cold, dark night, wondering what to do.

So I invited everyone back to the farm, and we picked up takeout on the way. Someone, it might have been Smitty, raided a liquor store and bought enough wine and beer for everyone.

We had an impromptu post-rehearsal dinner, casual-style.

Chinese noodles and beer can cure a lot of ills, as can silly stories told by a man with an Australian accent. It didn 't take long before the house rang with laughter. Even Benjamin didn't complain about all the company for once. Barney came out and had her pick of laps. After soliciting scratches from nearly everyone present, she chose my dad to snooze on, of course. He 'd had one beer and fallen asleep in the armchair closest to the fireplace.

Sebastian disappeared upstairs to change out of his b.l.o.o.d.y s.h.i.+rt. I followed after to check up on him. Someone hooted, like we were off to do some hanky-panky. Much laughter and good-natured teasing ensued.

Upstairs, I found him struggling with his clothes.

”I lost blood,” Sebastian noted, as I helped him out of his jacket. The shaft had made an ugly hole in his hand, but I could tell it was already healing. Still, I thought it could use some Bacitracin or something. Given how fast Sebastian recovered, I worried that infection could set in even as the wound closed.

”You can have some of mine,” I offered when I came back from the bathroom with the salve. ”Blood, I mean.”

Sebastian sat on the bed. He smiled at me a bit wickedly. ”I thought you a.s.sured your friends your intentions were honorable.”

”They are,” I said, handing him the tube of disinfectant. ”The entire wedding party is downstairs. We can't have s.e.x.”

He squeezed out a handful of goo and slapped it over the puncture haphazardly, like it was suntan lotion or something. ”Why not? It'd be naughty.”

I blushed a little as I helped smear some on the back of his hand. ”Very, and kind of rude. They're expecting us back.”

”At least let me nibble somewhere fun,” Sebastian insisted, putting his hands on my waist and leaning up to nuzzle my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Pleasure instantly stiffened my nipples. I playfully pushed him away. ”Sebastian,” I complained, though not too hard. He slid his hands under my sweater. ”C'mon,” he said. ”Let's make this fun.”

Well, he had a point. He had to bite me somewhere, so it might as well be somewhere pleasurable. I pulled my sweater over my head. ”Okay,” I said. ”But make it quick.”

His legs straddled me as I stood next to the bed. Pulling me close, his teeth nipped at the lacy edges of my bra.

I was just getting into it when I heard the screams from the living room.

I rushed down the stairs, pulling my sweater over my head as I went. Tereza stood in the middle of the room. My friends had formed a loose, wary circle around her.

”I'd really been hoping for torpor,” I muttered.

”Me too,” Sebastian agreed, flexing his wounded hand.

Tereza looked up at Sebastian imploringly. Her eyes seemed brighter than usual, less clouded by insanity or whatever it was that kept her constantly leaping for my throat. Curious, I tapped into my magical vision. Even without going deep into a trance, I could discern the edges of Athena's s.h.i.+eld. My protection spell still guarded her.

”I'm cold,” she said with a tremor in her voice. She glanced wildly at the faces of the people around her. ”Sebastian? Where am I?”

Everyone looked at Sebastian. How do you tell someone she's been dead for a hundred and fifty years?

”Come sit by the fire,” he said. Coming down the stairs, he steered her toward a nearby chair.

”Yeah, have the blanket,” William offered the afghan he'd wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl.

”I'll put the kettle on,” Smitty offered, heading to the kitchen.

”Isn't that the crazy lady from the restaurant?” my dad said, waking up with a start. Barney jumped from his lap with a hiss. She bolted up the stairs. Her claws clattered on the hardwood. Izzy, Marlena, and my mother huddled together on the opposite side of the room and whispered to each other. Larry and Walter watched from the couch with eyes like dinner plates. Sebastian deposited Tereza in the overstuffed chair. William draped the blanket over Tereza's knees. She smiled at him kindly and pulled it up over her arms. Sebastian knelt beside her but looked at me when he said, ”The sleep has done you some good.”

I nodded, considering. Maybe given time for the healing factor to do its magic, Tereza could become more stable, less bloodthirsty. Perhaps she needed a little Sleeping Beauty time, vampire style.

Matyas came to crouch beside his mother. ”Miri dye, do you recognize me?”

”Of course, my darling boy.” She laughed, taking his face in her hands. She kissed his cheek. ”Oh, Matyas! You're so hot.”

He wrapped her hands in his and looked her in the eye. ”No, Mama, you're cold.”

”Isn't she dead?” William wondered out loud.

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