Beaming, Alissano handed the ring to Victor.
“Kiya Marie Alissano,” Victor said, slipping the ring on her finger, “with this outward symbol of my love, I plight thee my troth.”
Kay stared at the ring. It felt like a lead weight on her finger. She flinched when Victor put his arms around her, closed her eyes tightly when he kissed her.
There was more cheering. More applause.
When Kay opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Gideon standing in the doorway.
* * *
Chapter 21
Gideon’s first thought was that Kay was the unhappiest looking bride-to-be that he had ever seen. Of course, he hadn’t seen that many, but even vampires knew that brides were supposed to have some kind of inner glow. Whatever fire had once burned inside Kay, it had gone out. No surprise, he thought, glancing at the prospective groom. Victor Rinaldi was strutting around the room like the pompous ass he was, grinning as if he had just won the lottery which, in a way, he had. Being married to the daughter of the Shadow Pack’s Alpha probably carried a lot of weight within the werewolf community.
Gideon remained where he was as the guests moved into the dining room.
Smiling and nodding at those she passed, Kay made her way toward him.
“Looks like congratulations are in order,” Gideon remarked sourly. “Although I must say, I’ve seen brighter smiles on condemned prisoners.”
“They were probably a lot happier than I am,” she muttered glumly.
“I might have an answer to your problem.”
“Really? I’d love to hear it.”
Gideon took a deep breath. “You could marry me instead.”
Kay blinked up at him, wondering if she had heard him right.
Gideon rocked back on his heels. “Not such a good idea, I guess.”
“No. I mean, I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid I am.” Looking over Kay’s shoulder, he said, “We’ve got company.”
“Kiya,” Russell Alissano said, “you can talk to Mr. Marquet later. Your guests are waiting.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You’re welcome to join us for dinner, Mr. Marquet,” Alissano said, taking a possessive grip on his daughter’s arm.
Kay sent Gideon a pleading glance, then obediently accompanied her father into the dining room.
Gideon waited a moment; then, muttering, “What the hell,” he followed Kay and her father.
The dining room was papered in a rich dark red stripe. Long white tapers set in elegant gold wall sconces cast a warm golden glow over the room. A glance through the archway revealed four antique trestle tables laid with crisp damask cloths, delicate china and crystal flutes. These were arranged in a square in the center of the room. The buffet tables against the back wall held enough food to feed a small army. Or maybe just a pack of hungry werewolves, he thought, remembering Kay’s prodigious appetite.
A round table covered with crisp white linen stood in the center of the square formed by the other tables. Kay’s mother, Greta and Brett, and Victor were seated at this table. A tall austere man and a fair-haired woman sat at Rinaldi’s left. Victor’s parents, Gideon surmised, noting the resemblance between Victor and the couple.
The invited guests had already been seated. Assuming the entire pack had been invited to the party, Gideon counted twelve couples, three girls who were in their early twenties, and thirteen kids under the age of eighteen. The youngest was perhaps slightly more than a year old. Everyone applauded when Kay and her father entered the room. Bringing up the rear, Gideon took a seat at the far end of one of the long tables. Several of the men cast suspicious looks in his direction.
The Alpha raised his hands for silence. When the applause died down, he smiled expansively. “Once again, I wish to welcome you all here tonight on this joyous occasion. There will be dancing for the adults after dinner, and movies and games for our younger guests. But first, a toast.” Lifting his champagne glass, he said, “To my daughter, Kiya Marie, and my future son-in-law, Victor. I wish you both long life and happiness.”
Scattered shouts of “Hear, hear” rang out as men, women, and children raised their glasses.
When Victor leaned toward Kay and kissed her, it was all Gideon could do to keep from grabbing the man by the neck and ripping his heart out. The fact that Gideon could sense Kay’s revulsion at Victor’s touch only made it worse.
He had to get out of there before he did something stupid. Cussing under his breath, Gideon eased away from the table and left the house.
Outside, he stared up at the sky. Here, away from the lights of the city, the star-studded heavens stretched away into infinity. He rarely thought of the past, or dwelled on how many years he had lived as a vampire, or what he had lost when his mortality had been stolen from him.
Until now, mundane things like home and family had seemed insignificant when compared to what he had gained. He liked being a vampire. Living forever, never growing old and feeble, never getting sick, more than made up for whatever he had lost. He reveled in the incredible speed and power of his kind, the ability to read minds, change shape, dissolve into mist, will himself from one place to another. Who would give all that up for a few paltry years of humanity?
Gideon glanced back at the house, which was lit up like a Christmas tree. He could hear the musicians tuning up, the clink of silverware against china, the mingled sounds of conversation and laughter, the aromas of roast beef and fried chicken. With a shake of his head, he admitted he would happily give up the next five hundred years of immortality to spend one human lifetime with Kay.
And even as her name crossed his mind, she was hurrying toward him, throwing her arms around his neck.
He gathered her close, inhaling the fragrance of her hair and skin. The underlying scent of her blood called to him, clouding his senses. “How’d you get away from your guests?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I said I had to make a trip to the ladies’ room.” She looked up at him. “Gideon … ?”
“I know.” Lowering his head, he claimed her mouth with his.
She held nothing back as she returned his kisses, her arms tightening around him as if she would never let go.
“You never gave me an answer to my proposal,” he murmured between kisses. “Although I’m guessing it might be yes.”
“Yes,” she whispered, then shrieked as someone jerked her out of Gideon’s arms.
Before Gideon could react, two men wrestled him to the ground, holding him immobile while a third dropped a heavy silver chain across his chest.