Olde English is hard. Forgive if I say, or ever say, anything wrong :p.
Rosalie fixed the hem of my white gown, making it lay just so. Esme fixed my veil, which slightly blocked my vision from the rest of the room. Alice had already finished applying the finishing touches on my face and I radiated a kind blossom of shimmering light. Bella finished the buttons on the back of my gown, handing me my white slippers which I gracefully stepped into.
"Have a look…" Esme gently pressed me forward to the Suite's full length mirror. Rosalie took my arm, eyeing me for once with envy. I looked completely different from my first wedding. In my first wedding I had worn a traditional Italian wedding gown where giant skirts and poufy sleeves were the fashion. But today, I was complimented in a sleek, flowing gown that held a draped V neckline with a silver strap that twisted around another strap which the came down to an empire waist. From there, the material shot down like a cloud of mist. My hair, for once being calmly placed into a hold, was intricately placed into a messy abundance of curled hair.
"Thank you, everyone." I whispered into the dawning awe of the room.
A knock came to the door. Bella rushed to open it and I could hear her smile. It was Edward who came to tell me that everything was ready. He stood beside me in the mirror, a smirk playing across his lips. "Thank God he can't read minds." He chuckled to himself as he picked up one of my shaking hands. "You've been married once before but—I think you have the emotional status of a new bride."
We all laughed, me more nervously than before. This wasn't going to work. People we knew would see us, they would cry incest!
"Relax, Lilly. I highly doubt that anyone would notice you in Boston."
Carlisle appeared by my side as well, viewing me like a fine portrait. He smiled at Esme. "She looks lovely."
"We should hurry before she bursts into an explosion of nerves." Edward mumbled while Carlisle took my arm and led me from the hotel room.
I looked to Alice who raised her hand. "Everything is ready. I made sure that the church was vacated only for our family, that your room is prepared and your flight home is first class."
A meek smile crossed my lips. "Thank you."
I took one last glance in the mirror where my purple eyes no longer reflected back. They had disappeared along with the smallest amount of abnormal strength that I had retained since the fight a month ago. Instead, a pair of black haunting eyes peered back at me. No color, no honey, just pure black.
I wondered if what I was doing was right. But—seeming as I could never escape Corpus's grasp—there was no right and wrong. We simply existed together or not at all. Marriage was only the next step into binding us tighter together. It would be difficult to leave each other's side unless we were within a thirty mile limit. Yes, we tested it. And each day it got worse.
I feared that soon we would have to remain in the same room together or madness would reign if ever separated.
But for now, all I could do was follow the rules that God had set forth for us in our curse. There was no way out. This was my only option. But the problem wasn't that I loved Corpus—the problem was that maybe, quite possibly, I loved him too much.
Carlisle floated alongside me down the aisle with smiles placated onto our faces. Corpus looked dashing as usual in an all black tux with silver tie that matched the strap on my dress. He did not seem surprised by my looks, but I knew he was reveling in the fact that I was always his to look this way. Which I was bound to do as he was now the Editor and Chief of Bazaar magazine. And I was his cousin, a simple painter in the most urban parts of Seattle. But tonight, we would be joined together in holy matrimony and our fates would be sealed.
I took my destiny's hand—his cool and calm hand—as my knees began to shake. Once the ceremony was over, my family would depart and Corpus and I would be alone. In fact, when I flew back to Washington I would only be home to collect a few things I would desperately need and leave off towards my new flat in Seattle. These were the last moments of my independence, of my single status. And it wasn't as if I could say no. I didn't have that option like other brides. I had to marry him or things would only get worse.
The priest began to drone on about the holy sanction of marriage, but Corpus and I were too busy staring at each other to hear anything he said. He was feeling something entirely different than I was. His feeling was that of pure elation, pride, and excitement that we were finally going to remain together. Only could death part us—literally. And there was no chance that he would ever let me die again. Even if it was by my own will. I was to be his now, his Angel to do his biding. I couldn't even call him my Prince anymore because he wasn't mine. He was simply my King—my ruler.
Of course he would allow me to live a life that modern women led which entailed hanging out with friends, family, working, refusing to have children…
But what part of that would be fun when I was miserable without Corpus?
"Your vows." The priest nodded to Corpus.
Corpus murmured quickly in ancient Italian, befuddling the priest. I knew exactly what he said even if I couldn't quite catch all of it myself. "Bound by God this marriage I do uphold thee. Thy blood is yours and our souls are one." Simple, unaffectionate as were the times when the saying was created. But to us it meant something much more crucial. I repeated it just as swiftly in Italian knowing my family was confused. But how could they understand such a confusing thing as us. They wanted to believe life was simple without complication. But that was purely a façade. We were the definition of confusing.
"You may now kiss the bride." The Priest bowed his head as he finished.
Corpus tangled his fingers onto the back of my neck and pulled me into a polite kiss. Just enough to satisfy my family but not enough to disgust them. Edward was still having some problems with my husband.
The nerves all at once settled in as all of us made our way back down the aisle. It was night with few people on the street. Corpus's black inconspicuous town car waited for us outside and with fleeting kisses I said goodbye to my family. Corpus shook hands with all of the males and kissed the girls cheeks. And then, with a sickening realization on my part, I bowed into the car out of sight. Corpus shut my door, appearing in the front seat a moment later.
Off we drove, both of us heaving large sighs of relief. "I told you no one would recognize us in Boston."
I gulped down my fears and laughed quietly my white teeth sparkling in the moonlight. "At least for now."
"We'll be home in a few days, but for now we don't have to pretend."
"We're going to have to take a lot of vacations if that is to be the case."
"Don't worry, Angel, we shall."
Our hands were clasped together as we made our way into the hotel lobby where a tourist shot a picture of us. We must have looked like creatures from a medieval painting elegantly gliding past the lobby and towards the elevators. Some people clapped and some wished us luck, but we didn't hear any of it because our own little world would only allow us to see each other.
My body was on pins and needles. Did we have to go through with this? Sure, it was ritual but—we were immortal. There was no law demanding that we have sex. I mean, we were with each other for more than eternity, obviously. So, what was the rush?
But my body failed me. I was already buckling down to sit on the bed because just the sight of him shirtless made me swoon. He was glaring at me, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. Vampire was the only word that came to mind.
I was still in my wedding gown, unable to move because of my nervousness. My hands shook again with an unsettling sound and the chuckle that escaped from Corpus was more of a growl than anything.
"You're frightened." He didn't have to ask. He knew. "Petrified." He corrected himself. He stood in front of me, hoisting up my hand by the wrist and bringing it to his nose. Inhaling, his eyes lit up at the scent of my skin. "We don't have to do this."
"But we want to." I managed to whisper on dry lips.
With one finger under my chin, he brought me to a standing position. His long delicate fingers found the buttons on the back of my dress. They popped off, one by one, without the slightest means to argue. With both hands, Corpus removed the top of my gown, his eyes constantly on mine, as the dress slid off of me. We didn't have to do this—but we wanted to.
And I had no choice.
"What are you thinking about?" Corpus asked as the Pilot overhead stated that we would be landing at Port Angeles Airport in ten minutes.
"You know." I mouthed while watching the outside world pass so indifferently.
He forced me to look at him once more and laughed. "They're not going to find any cracks in the walls, trust me. I made sure that everything was as it was."
"And the neighbors?"
He rose and eyebrow, but nodded all the same. "I cannot guarantee their sanity."
"Maybe you should have bought a house in the country so as to not disturb our new neighbors."
"If Esme and Carlisle are able to perform such tasks without their children hearing, then I'm sure there will be no problem around humans—our neighbors."
I sighed with a disgruntled reverence. "I'm not sure they do."
"Oh they do, trust me, they do. And so do Alice and Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie, and soon Edward and Bella."
I raised a hand to stop him from proceeding. "I don't need to be thinking about it, thank you."
He sat back in the comfortable first class chair and began to hum a tune from our early existence. I rested my head on his chest, curling my fingers in his hair. With the smallest prayer on my lips, I shut my eyes and braced myself for the storms ahead.
The black shelves against my wall still contained all of my knickknacks, all of my simple little wonders of my previous life and hopes and dreams and desires. I had been home for three hours and could not move myself to take them from their resting places.
"Do you want me to come get you tomorrow?" Corpus's tone was strained; worry creeping into the particles of his voice.
"No, stay with me."
He sat down on my settee with a small sigh of anxiety. I smiled in spite of myself, raising my hand to pick up one of my statue figurines but it fell limply at my side—again. I moved on to my desk with all of my school papers. I was different then, so much more innocent and fresh to the world. In only half a year I had grown to fulfill the role of an ancient legend and wife. And to public's eyes, his niece. His quite devoted and overprotected niece.
"Lilly?" Alice's voice called from my doorway. "Greg's here to see you."
My eyebrows rose in shock. "Greg? As in Heath's best friend Greg?"
She nodded, her features grave. "He looks very upset."
I slid down the stairs, Corpus right behind me and outside to meet my visitor. He was dress in all black as if he had come from a funeral. His eyes were red, swollen, puffy, exhausted. I wanted to hug him.
He took one look at me and turned away disgusted. "I don't even know where to start." I knew he thought I wouldn't hear him mumble to himself, but he didn't know what I was. A monster.
His focus was now on me. "Heath's mother called me, surprisingly, and explained to me that Heath was dead. She sounded pretty distressed for a mother that didn't give a rat's about her son all his life."
Both Corpus and I glanced at each other
"Why didn't you tell me, Lilly? You were his—infatuation. You stood in front of me and said nothing."
"Greg, I'm so sorry. But I couldn't tell you because I didn't want other people to know."
"Save me your apologies. I may not understand exactly what happened in Italy, but I heard enough to know that you could have saved him."
How wrong he was, this young boy. There was no one I could save even if I wanted to. I was the Angel of Darkness, of death, of terror. I was meant to kill. I gulped nervously forgetting to use my "dazzling" powers on the human. I could simply be flamboyant, magnificently enchanting, but what good would that do? I knew the truth anyways and how it would make me feel later on. There was no sense in doing so. I stepped down to where he was and slowly raised my arms. This was probably more dangerous than anything I had ever done but I had to. I gave him a quick hug, faintly detecting the scent of his blood and the shiver that ran down his spine.
"I really am sorry, but there was nothing I or anyone could do."
He took a large step back towards his car, popping it open so he could make a quick get away. "You know, the funny thing is I think that someone could have. And I have a feeling he's not really dead."
I swallowed the awful taste in my mouth which I was sure was fright. Waving him off, I ran back to Corpus's arms where he gently rocked me.
"Come, Dark, let's go fetch your things."