Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (88 page)

“How you feeling, d
ear?”  Charles asked expectantly.

I quickly shot a look at Seth. “Better now. Thank you,” I croaked out, turning my gaze back towards Charles.

I rose from my chair then silently willed my feet to carry me towards Seth. I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before I followed Grace. She showed me the area where we would hold the ceremony. It was a bright room with large windows on all sides, allowing you to take in the expansive views that seemed to stretch on for miles. I imagined watching a sunrise or sunset in there was a breathtaking experience. The mix of flowers and plants that decorated the warm space gave off a wonderful myriad of smells that complimented each other.

Grace asked if I approved of the space since the only other option would be the gardens. I
assured her it was just perfect. Afterwards, she led me up the stairs to a small dressing room.

“My great-niece Valarie should have your dress all laid out,” she stated as she opened the door. “She
’s planning on taking over this place once Charles and I retire next year.”

Inside
, a pretty, petite young girl with mousy brown hair and glasses waited for us.

“Hi,” she said cheerily. “Your dress is really pretty.”

I didn’t know I had a dress, and this girl got to see it before I did. “Thank you,” I responded, not knowing what else to say.

I looked past her to see the white, one shoulder dress hanging on the closet door. Valarie and Grace got me into my dress th
en Valarie did my hair and makeup. The whole time she chatted away about the B&B and how she loved weddings. She was very friendly. I tried to let her enthusiasm seep into me, but it didn’t work. All I kept thinking was that I was about to be married and that I was not given a choice in the decision.

There was a light knock on the door before Charles walked in and asked if we were almost ready. Grace looked down at me
, and I nodded slightly before she responded to his question.

“Here come see
yourself.” Valarie said, happily tugging on my arm. “You are the most beautiful bride.” She beamed as she stood behind me.

I stared at myself in the full-
length mirror. The dress he had picked out was beautiful, and it fit me well. The chiffon fabric was soft, and I loved how it flowed. The waist was embroidered with sliver lace accented with crystals. They caught the light when I moved. Valarie had put my hair in an updo decorated with a tiara and rhinestone bobby pins. She overdid it on the makeup I felt, but I still told her she did a lovely job. Grace handed me my flowers, pink and white roses, then ushered me out of the room. Halfway down the hall, she told me to stop. She and Valarie hurried into the room, and moments later, I heard the wedding march song start. 

My feet wouldn
’t move. I felt nauseous; I was getting married without my parents, or Macy, without being asked. I was getting married to a man that had tortured and killed people, women, in his basement. I stood frozen until I saw Seth walking towards me. He had on a charcoal gray three-piece suit, a crisp white shirt, and an orange tie. My eyes focused on the tie.

“Something wrong?” he asked. Unable to find my voice
, I just shook my head. “Then stop delaying.”

Giving me gentle guidance, he led me towards the room. Grace pressed a remote
, and the music stopped. I handed Valarie my bouquet and worked very hard trying not to burst into tears.

“Have you prepared your own vows or will we be doing the standard ones?” Charles inquired.

“We’ve prepared our own.” Seth answered smoothly, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out two folded pieces of paper and two ring boxes.

He handed those to Grace
, and I took the piece of paper he held out to me but didn’t open it. Instead I turned my gaze towards Charles who smiled then began the ceremony. So many thoughts and feelings were running through me that I missed most of what Charles said.

“Calida, dear.
  Your vows.”

“Oh, sorry.”
  I unfolded the paper and began reading. “Today I pledge my love and devotion to you. I promise to be a loyal and faithful wife to you. I promise to love, honor, cherish and…” I stopped reading to quickly glance up at Seth. 

The intensity in his eyes as he waited for me to continue forced me to glance back at the paper.

I cleared my throat then continued. “I promise to love, honor, cherish, and obey you from this day forward until death do we part.”

Silent tears fell down my cheeks as I finished reading
‘my’ vows to him. Grace leaned forward and handed me a tissue before giving me the band to slide on his finger. I fumbled a bit, thanks to my shaking hands, but managed to secure it in place. Once it was on, Charles prompted Seth to read his vows.

“Calida
, from the moment you bumped into me, I knew you had to be mine. From this day forward, you will never leave my side. You are everything I want and need to keep me calm and grounded in this world. Today you become my wife until death do we part.”

Seth slid a ring onto my finger. I
t was a simple platinum band that matched the one he now wore, no sparkle or bling, very understated compared to the other pieces he had given me, not that it mattered. He didn’t let go of my hand; instead, he slid a second ring on. It was a large, blood-red, pear-shaped ruby with a diamonds outlining the stone. Seth brought my hand to his lips and kissed my ring finger. Charles said a few more words, but the only ones I heard were the ones that signaled the end of the ceremony and sealed my fate as Mrs. Seth Jokobi.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Seth stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist, before giving me our first kiss as husband and wife. Grace, Valarie, and Charles applauded as they threw rose petals. Posing for pictures was hard. Forcing the smile to my face, saying thank you in response to the congratulations they gave us, I did it all while dying on the inside. I’d always known I was mostly likely never going to be let free. I’d figured my life would be with him until he killed me, but being married to him, it seemed to make it worse somehow.

“You two are in the honeymoon suite,” Grace said, handing Seth the key. “Top of the stairs and the door is straight ahead at the end of the hall. The dining room will be set and ready in an hour.”

“Thank you,” he answered politely before giving me another quick kiss.

We walked hand-in-
hand back up the staircase, and I needed Seth to give me that direction since I was still trying to process what was happening. Seth bent down to pick me up so he could carry me across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him. 

He didn
’t set me down until we got to the bed, and I had no doubt he was eager to consummate our union. His mouth was on mine, moving and exploring as if it was the first time. This was my wedding day. It should have been the happiest day of my life, but I fought to hold back tears as my new husband undressed me. His hands touched my body, always knowing how to coax a response out of it, bringing me to climax quickly. His lips claimed mine again, and I was vaguely aware that he was still fully clothed.

“Go shower. We have dinner plans soon.” I looked at him
, shocked, expecting him to take things further. “I don’t want our first time as husband and wife to be a quickie,” he stated, answering my unspoken question.

When I got out of the shower
, I gave a quick check to make sure my eyes weren’t too puffy from the crying. Seth was dressed in the same thing he’d worn for our wedding and sat on the loveseat waiting for me. A dress was laid out on the bed along with the underwear he’d picked out. The dress was a beautiful sapphire blue color that matched perfectly to the jewelry pieces he had given me when we arrived. I wanted to get dressed away from his prying eyes, but that wasn’t an option. I knew that if I left to get dressed in the bathroom he would not be pleased, and keeping him calm was always my goal.

“Thank you for the dress. It looks lovely.”

“I’m sure it will look much better once it’s on you.”

Turning my back to him slightly, I
removed the towel, letting it flutter to the floor. I picked up the silk panties, stepping into them slowly. The fabric was cool against my heated skin and light as a feather, almost as if I wasn’t wearing anything at all. After I stepped into the strapless dress, I heard him leave the loveseat as I attempted to zip it up.

“Let me help. Although it
’ll be much more fun unzipping it,” he commented, giving me a light kiss on the back of my shoulder.

“Is there any particular way you want my hair?”
I asked, fighting down the urge I had to vomit.

“No, surprise me.”

I slipped away from him to go finish getting ready. This is not how I imagined this day going when I woke up. I took my time blow drying and styling my hair, not that it mattered how long I stalled. No amount of delay was going to change the fact I was about to step out of the bathroom to go have a wedding night dinner with my new husband.

“You look stunning as always,” Seth commented when I reentered the room.

“Thank you. Sorry I took so long. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long for a table.”

Seth gave me a soft kiss on the lips then smiled at me. “You can take all the time you need. We won
’t have any wait. The whole place is ours for the weekend.”

“You rented out the entire B&B?”

“Yes,” he replied, opening the door.

Seth placed his hand on the small of my back as I walked out of the room.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Grace and Charles were waiting for us.

“Right this way
, Mr. and Mrs. Jokobi,” Charles said with a smile.

I cringed inwardly at being called Mrs. Jokobi. I knew it wasn
’t official until I did the paperwork to have my name changed, something I’m sure Seth would take care of for me, but being addressed by it was still hard to hear.

The dining room was decorated in rich burgundy, gold, and green tones. It wasn
’t a large room, but it held a formal yet romantic feel to it, especially with it being lit by candlelight. There was a small cake and a bouquet of roses sitting on the serving buffet, and only one table was set for dinner. Seth pulled out my chair, and I obediently sat, biting the inside of my lip as I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, knowing I had to make it through this meal somehow. Seth opened the bottle of champagne and poured us both a glass. I reached for mine, drinking most of it in one gulp.

“It
’s your wedding day, yet I haven’t seen a genuine smile from you,” he said casually, taking his seat across from me.

His tone was light, but his look let me know he wasn
’t pleased with my demeanor.

“I
’m sorry. It’s all just a shock. I wasn’t expecting to be…” I stopped talking as the owners came in with our first course.

I smiled politely and thanked them, not surprised that he would have already picked out the meal.

“You were saying?” he prompted, refilling my glass.

“Nothing, really.
This is all just a surprise to me. The wedding and…everything, it’s just all a surprise.”

I knew from the look he gave me that he was unhappy with my attitude, and I didn
’t want to make it worse. I looked down at my salad, not really having an appetite but took a bite anyway.

“Tell me what
’s bothering you?”

“Nothing,” I replied, taking another drink.

“Don’t lie to me. I can see it on your face.”

I heard the strain in his voice. I knew that I needed to do a better job or the delicate facade of the happy couple would crumble quickly.

“It’s just been a lot to take in today,” I answered softly.

***

Calida finished her second glass of champagne and was reaching for the bottle to refill. Grace came to collect our salad plates followed by Charles with our main course. She smiled and thanked them politely.

“Dance with me?”

“There isn’t any music, and our food will get cold.”

“It doesn
’t matter; I want to dance with my wife.”

Calida took my out
stretched hand, and I pulled her into my arms. She followed my lead as our bodies swayed.

“You made a beautiful bride.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, tell me what
’s wrong.” I tightened my grip around her waist, letting her know lying was not an option.

“It doesn
’t matter,” she replied, keeping her eyes focused on my chest.

I tilted her chin up so I could look at her face. I could see her struggling to keep
the tears at bay.

“Of course it matters,” I replied.

She pulled away from me, walking back to the table to finish off her drink.

“Maybe you should lay off the alcohol,” I stated as she poured another refill.

Sighing heavily, she put her glass down, picking up the water instead.