Page 12 of Blood and Magic
Sol and Orion held hands and cheered as the crowd erupted into applause. They led the procession down the aisle toward the house for pictures. Guin had been paired up with a tall guy named Moose with long brown hair. She wrapped her arm around his elbow and walked ahead. As I walked toward Van, I steeled myself, staring up at him with a parched throat and muscles trembling with nerves.
He held out an arm to me, I slipped my hand through his elbow, and together we strolled toward the house while Sol’s guests cheered. But under my palm, Van’s muscles were tensed like a coiled snake, like any second he might burst out of my hold and reprimand me for daring to touch him.
This was not the same guy who’d worked for our father years ago. That guy had an easy laugh and smile for everyone. He teased and joked around. He’d been more alive than anyone else I’d ever met. This guy seemed like he’d lived through every war known to humankind.
Once inside, the wedding planner tried to corral us toward the staircase for pictures, but Sol and Orion wanted a moment to themselves.
“Which means it’s time for shots,” shouted one of Orion’s groomsmen, Lycan. Like the other Bastards, he was tall and muscular and had striking blue eyes that pierced anything they landed on. He had short blond hair several shades lighter than Van’s, and despite my preference for lighter-toned men, he didn’t hold nearly the same fascination.
“Don’t get too rowdy, Lycan,” Kodiak said, straightening his jacket as he followed us inside.
“Don’t be a party pooper,” Guin said, nodding toward the parlor. “A quick nip to take the edge off never hurt anyone.”
“She’s got a point, Prez,” Lycan said before turning his attention to Van and me. “You two in?”
“Sure,” I managed to squeak before clearing my throat and glancing at my escort. “Van?”
He pursed his lips and let out a heavy sigh. “Sure.”
Lycan lined up the glasses while Guin smiled and poured whiskey into each, ensuring we all had one before raising hers high in the air.
“Cheers to the happy couple,” she said, “and the people who support them along the way.”
“Cheers!” we shouted in unison before slinging back the liquor. It burned on the way down, but not nearly as badly as Van’s chilly attitude.
Of course, what did I honestly expect? It wasn’t like we were friends when he worked here. Hell, he probably didn’t even remember me, and the sentiment plucked at some self-deprecating guitar string in my heart. Of course, he didn’t remember me. I was a little girl, barely out of pigtails. He’d been a man. Why would he have taken any notice of his girlfriend’s slash friend with benefits’ little sister?
“Come, come!” the wedding planner called, gesturing toward the foyer. I’d been just about to step in that direction when a hand wrapped around my bicep, stopping me. The touch rattled through my nerve endings, sending strange vibrations along my marrow and into my gut. I’d never felt anything like it, almost like he could reach inside me and pull out my insides.
I stared into his big brown eyes, marveling at the specks of gold around the rims. They sparkled in the late afternoon light, and a piece of hair fell on his forehead, making me itch to push it out of his face. When he said nothing, I raised my eyebrows and feigned impatience.
“Yes?”
“It’s Vermillion now,” he said.
“Excuse me?” I didn’t understand what he was talking about.
“My name,” he explained. “I haven’t gone by Van since…well, it’s been a while. Most people call me Mill.”
Perhaps I expected him to say something more profound, maybe an explanation about why he seemed so pissed to see me. Did he not think I’d be at my sister’s wedding? Why did I care? I was a silly girl with a stupid unrequited crush, and he was just a Bastard.
“Got it,” I said, trying to leave again. He tightened his grip on me.
“You look…” He stopped and grimaced, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “It’s good to see you, Maeve.”
I ignored the rush of relief that he did, in fact, remember me, and thought it was good to see me. Instead, I forced a tight grin and mocked his tone. “It’s Mae.”
“Mae,” he purred as if testing the sound on his tongue. “I like Maeve better.”
“Why?” I didn’t understand why he had an opinion about my name. It had been nearly seventeen years since we’d seen each other.
He smiled for the first time that day, and it lit up his face, taking years off his features. But before he could explain, a loud screeching echoed through the atmosphere.
“Maeve! Vermillion!” The wedding planner skirted around the corner and balked at us. “Come on!”
“We’d better go.” He didn’t let go of me, just loosened his grip so he could walk us back to the group, his hand wrapped around my arm, softly guiding me like he was afraid of letting me go.
When we arrived in the foyer, Guin’s eyes shifted between us, but she didn’t say anything. I cut my attention to Sol and Orion, who looked so disgustingly adorable together, I almost couldn’t stand it.
