Page 1 of BuK
CHAPTER 1
BRIAR
Taking a moment for myself, I walk over to the open viewer of the pod we’re getting ready in, glancing down toward the communal tent where almost everyone is gathering for the wedding. It’s odd seeing everyone dressed in nice attire instead of their usual work coveralls. Their smiles and laughter have been well-earned, and until this moment, I hadn’t realized what a close-knit community we’d become before this wedding was announced. Now, suddenly everyone was pitching in, and it’s become a real team effort.
From the moment Victoria and Tyberius arrived on a shuttle, it’s been nuts. Victoria sashayed off that ramp like a living Morticia Adams, with her long, fabulous shiny black hair and pale skin, while Tyberius looked like her billionaire pimp, dressed just as beautifully as she was in his tailored three-piece suit and tie.Dashingis an understatement when you see them together. Better words are ‘otherworldly’ and ‘mystical’. And let’s not forget they’re also just a little bit scary, considering that they’re both real,livevampires.
I knew when Lacie told me she wanted an old-fashioned wedding, it would be interesting to recreate here, but I never imagined so many people would be eager to jump in and help us plan this special day for her and MeK.
At the very least, I was hoping ANDI might be able to assist me with designing a dress for her when I told him how important this was. What I didn’t expect was for him to say he had an idea — an idea that had him contacting Tyberius. Of course, I didn’t even know who he was talking about. When I told BuK about what was going on, he said that Tyberius was DaR’s dad and his grandfather. To say I was slightly confused and a little surprised when he walked off that shuttle is an understatement. BuK’s grandpa was not at all what I was expecting.
DaR is striking in a fierce, barbarian way; his presence is huge and commanding, while his father perfectly fits the vampire lore. Tall, dark, and handsome, it’s hard to look away from Tyberius’ perfection. I think it’s just as tough for the guys with Victoria because I swear I saw Owen trip over his own feet when she walked past him smiling earlier. Everything about the two of them is hypnotizing. Hell, at this point, if I got to look like that in the afterlife, someone bite me! I catch myself giggling at my own thoughts.
However, they’re not the only ones turning heads in awe. Apparently, the grandchildren, Keida and Danny also tagged along, as well as the most enormous wolf-like creature I’ve ever seen named Raven.
That damn wolf came racing down the ramp like a pup, and I saw Ricky raise his rifle, ready to take it out if necessary, until it ran right up to DaR, who started talking to her affectionately. The second Kiki, our kitten like Suet saw it, she was instantly wrapped around MeK’s neck, and if I hadn’t been half terrifiedmyself, I would’ve laughed. A whistle, which I assume came from Danny, is all it took for her to sit down at attention. After that, she sat there quietly, watching everyone around her. I thought that was pretty impressive, considering her size compared to ours. Not only was she huge, but her eyes glowed an eerie, bright blue. I’m not sure where she came from, but I’m sure glad she’s on our side. Suddenly, a voice brings me out of my thoughts, and I glance back.
“Are you trying to escape all the madness, Briar? If you are, then the door’s that way, girl. This is probably the only chance you’ll get for the rest of the evening if you don’t run now.”
I turn to see a smiling Keida approaching me, dressed in a stunning pink gown that combines low and high hemlines, highlighting her long, toned legs. The color would wash most of us out, but it only enhances her pale green skin, making it glow, while her bright, swirling pink eyes seem to perceive more than she admits.
“I’m fine, just needed a breather there for a second. We’ve spent so many months in build mode that I’m having a hard time winding down. Now, don’t get me wrong, Kira’s made sure we’ve had plenty of play days as she calls them, but we’ve been so focused on what task is next that I’m almost unfamiliar with what’s normal now. If there’s ever going to be a normal again.”
Keida giggles, “If you manage to figure out what normal is or even means, please let me know. In the meantime, we need to get you dressed so that I can do your hair.”
I’d overlooked the dark purple material draped over her arm until she mentioned getting dressed.
“Oh, I love that color. Is that one for me?”
“It is, and I almost stole it for myself since we’re similar in size, but the entire wedding party is outfitted in this dark purple, and you need to match. But it’s nice to meet someone else who’s as tiny as I am. My uncles love to tease me about how short I am, but we all know explosive personalities come in small packages.”
“No truer words have been spoken, and being teased appears to be a common theme throughout the universe. Although my body might be small, I make up for it in other ways, since my mouth has always been the biggest part of me!”
Keida laughs before handing me the dress, and I slip behind a dressing screen, quickly taking off my T-shirt and shorts before slipping it on over my head. I wiggle a little, and it magically flows to the floor. Smoothing the soft satin-like material, I’m impressed by how well it fits. After adjusting the small cap sleeves, I glance back at the long slit in the back.
“Wow, it’s super comfortable and not to mention beautiful, but it fits like it was made just for me. I wish I could keep it, even though it’s hard to imagine ever wearing it again.”
“Oh, it’s yours. Anything Mamaw Vic makes and personally gives to you is, in fact, a gift. When ANDI contacted Papaw Ty about the wedding, it was Vic who got everybody’s sizes from ANDI. She thought everyone here deserved some nice attire for the first wedding on Ethra, and she worked tirelessly preparing everything. I swear she checked that list a dozen times on the way here. She was so worried she was gonna leave someone out.”
“She’s really good at this, isn’t she? I’m envious. My dream back home was to open my own boutique. I was actually studying design and business in college before the world went crazy and threw us all out.”
“Seems like you two have more in common than you realize. You should see Mamaw Vic’s wardrobe. I could stand there for hours simply looking around; there are thousands of outfits in there. When I was little, she used to let me play dress-up, never once scolding me for tearing or staining anything. I remember there was an ancient dress from Earth that she brought with her. It was kept behind a sealed glass wall, which I just loved.
I constantly asked her if I could play with it, and though she never said no, she always found a way to distract me so I would pick something else. One birthday, I opened a box from her and Papaw, and inside it was the exact same dress in my size. I didn’t take it off until the seams on the sides busted. I wore it day and night, much to my mother’s horror since it started looking ragged pretty quickly. Danny, to this day, remains the best-dressed male around because of her. His closet is almost as large as hers, and I tease him all the time that it takes him longer to get dressed than it does me.”
“Is he their son? I just caught a glimpse of him when you all walked off the shuttle before he took off with Kira.”
“Danny is hard to explain; he’s human and then so much more at the same time. Events that happened in his youth changed his genetic makeup, and now he’s become something there’s no real name for, and no one really knows to what extent or if he will ever stop becomingmore. But to answer your question, in most ways he’s theirs ... but then no, at the same time. Although in their eyes, he’s their son.
We aren’t related by blood, but we’ve been together since we were young. I knew the moment he stepped off that ship that he was my future, and so far, that’s proven true. He’s my best friend, but there are moments I don’t know if I want to kiss him or ring his neck.”
Both of us laugh at the normalcy of that particular statement.
“Mamaw Vic should have Lacie ready by now, and the suspense is killing me about her gown. No matter how many times I asked her on the way here, she wouldn’t show me the dress. Went on and on about it being bad luck.”
“I thought it was just bad luck for the groom to see?”
“Me too! Come here and sit down. It shouldn’t take me long to do this. After all these years, I’ve become a pro, and I can’t wait to get my fingers in all this pretty, dark hair of yours.”
