The Dark King's Bride (18 page)

             
You know…It’s not too late.

             
Not too late for what?

             
It is not too late to get out of this place, and return back to your cottage home, Lily. I am sure that your mother is waiting for you there at this very moment in time, and willing to forgive you for running away earlier in the day.

             
Lily had all intention to answer back when she caught sight of something she never expected to find amongst the vampires in the seats on her wedding to their ruler: Marigold, her own mother, standing amongst them, and casting a loving, supportive smile in her direction.

             
Mother…My mother is here.
Her thoughts started to become more lightened and full of happiness and content the moment she witnessed her mother’s appearance on her special night.
She must approve of this after all, and that she wishes to see me married off to King Willows, and become his queen…If she is open to change, I am sure that my father is, and that there is no reason to leave.

             
It is not too late.
Her conscience desperately tried to talk her over to tis side once she mound her mother to be there, and it was losing its influence over her.
You can still back out, and leave right now with your mother to return to your life.

             
Lily moved her gaze from Marigold to where Daniel stood in an elegant but simple suit made out of black silk while his hair hung down around his face, smiling at her with a look of unconditional love and unbridled desire. It was seeing him waiting and longing for her arrival that prompt her final response to the rational part of her brain as she proceeded to erase the final space between him and herself.

             
This is my life…Daniel is the one that I have been wanting to take me away from my old one so that I might have a chance at something new and different…This is my home, and this…is where I belong.

*                            *                            *

              His body warmed at the sight of his bride walking to him in the beautiful gown that his personal seamstresses created by hand in a very little amount of time. Watching her moving to stand beside him before the priest, Daniel smiled towards her as he turned his own body to face hers, and put all of his attention on her.

             
She is so beautiful.
His thoughts soaked in all of Lily’s gorgeous curves that were hidden at the moment, but were accentuated by the flowing gown.
The dress is perfect for her, but it pales to her true radiance that drew me to her the moment I first caught sight of her .

             
Just wait until you get done with the marriage part of the ritual, Daniel.
The vampire part of his conscience tempted and teased him within the recesses of his mind.
You will be able to savor the sweet taste of her blood rolling down your throat from it flooding the inside of your mouth.

             
Daniel struggled to keep the beast from coming out too soon, and going ahead with taking the first step in transforming her into a vampire. His vampire canines were aching to be released from the tops of his mouth. Daniel managed to muster enough strength and willpower to ease the monster to the back of his mind.

             
I will know the pleasure of how she tastes when the ceremony reaches the point that I am to bind her to me for all time.
He spoke to the part of his soul wanting him to release it from his being with a firm, deep tone.
Until then…I don’t want you to bother me again or try to leave my body in an attempt to feed upon her before we reach the point in the ritual.

             
Daniel took Lily’s hands into his, and gazed upon her face that was hidden beneath the dark purple veil. Even though the covering gave her some concealment, his eyes locked on hers while a loving smile started to form across his face. He kept his attention on her while his senses picked up on the vibes from the priest for the night to be moving to speak up.

             
“Ladies and gentlemen…” The priest said, calmly, from where he stood in front of the pair, beginning the part of the wedding ritual for them and the entire room. “We are here this night to join together King Daniel Willows and Lily as husband and wife, and to welcome Lily as our new queen that will rule at Daniel’s side for all time.” Moving his eyes to his king’s face, his voice took on a more gentle tone to him. “King Daniel Willows, do you take Lily to be your wife, lover and queen for all of your days to come?”

             
“I do.” Daniel didn’t hesitate for a single moment in responding to the question that was asked of him. He wanted no one but Lily to be his queen. His eyes remained fixated on her while he picked up on the priest moving to her with his question.

             
“Lily, do you take, King Daniel Willows, to be your husband, lover and king for all of your days to come?”

             
His body tightened up out of nervousness to what her answer would be. He couldn’t help but feel a little dread due to a possibility of her turning down the question. Keeping his eyes on her hidden face, his listened to the sound of her soft, sweet voice coming out in a shaky sound.

             
“I…I do.”

             
The moment her words hit his ears all of the worry and concern left his entire body, leaving all of his unconditional love and desire for her behind. The smile widened a little more on his face as he kept eye contact with her.

             
“Now…It is the time to commence the beginning of Lily’s transformation from a mortal woman to being a member of our immortal nobility and royal court.”

             
Okay…Here I go.

             
Releasing a soft sigh, Daniel removed his hands from within hers, and moved them to the bottom of her veil. He gathered some of it into his hand, and lifted it over the top of her head, exposing her true angelic beauty to the whole room. The soft sound of his guests gasping in sight of such natural radiance that could only come from the angles brought a smile to his face. Daniel waited for the priest to remove the veil away from her and step back before he brushed some of her hair away from a side of her neck. The same hand moved to the back of her neck, and cradled it in a way to assist her in leaning her head back.

             
“I love you, Lily.” He whispered to her as his face moved in the direction of her slender throat. Bringing his mouth a few inches from the soft flesh of her neck, he listened to the sound of her voice escaping from her mouth in a whisper just as soft and sincere as his was.

             
“I love you too, Daniel.”

             
With the words he sought to hear from her echoing in the background, his fangs extended from the top row of his teeth as the emerald green pools in his eyes took on a crimson shade to them. Daniel drew in one more breath of air before his mouth moved to allow his fangs to sink into her fair complexion, and taste her intoxicating blood.

Chapter Twenty-One

             
The tips of his razor sharp fangs started to press against her soft skin when a loud sound similar to that of something heavy ramming against a gate caught his attention. He lifted his head up, and looked in the direction of where his bride had entered the room just a few minutes ago.

             
Forcing the front door of the castle wide open, a large group of mortal men, ranging from their mid-twenties to their late fifties, rushed in the direction of the opened entrance leading into the ballroom with swords at their hips and lit torches in their hands. A familiar face emerged from the mob as it moved more into sight: Radcliff.

             
That bastard…
Daniel growled in his mind from finding Lily’s father heading a group of men with their intentions being very clear from their body language and the items they had brought in there.
How dare he storm in here on the most special day in the several centuries I have been alive, and try to ruin everything for me!

             
A low, animalistic growl escaped out of the small opening of his mouth as he started to straighten both Lily and himself into a standing position. Once he had moved himself in front of his bride’s body, Daniel narrowed his gaze in the direction of where Radcliff stood with his men while the guests in the room had went on alert at the sight of the party crashers.

             
“What is the meaning of this?!” Daniel asked. His voice bellowed out in a loud roar of a tone. With his fangs still in clear sight with his crimson eyes, he let all the rage he held inside of him out in his voice. “What is your reason for storming here during my wedding?!”

             
“My reason for this is very simple…” Drawing his sword out of its sheath, Radcliff pointed it in his direction while his firm voice made his declaration very clear to the rest of the vampires in the room. “I am here to take your head, King Willows, and save my daughter before you can rob her of her innocence!’

             
I believe it is time to tell him about his daughter not being a little girl anymore.

             
The whisperings of the vampire part of his conscience caused a devil-like smirk to wash across the strong features of his face while he spoke in a dark tone to match his new expression.

             
“I am afraid to inform you, Radcliff, but you have no valid reason visible in that statement.”

             
“Of course I do! You are only trying to change my words around!’

             
“What you have stated is nothing more than wishful thinking.” Easing himself down the aisle a few steps, Daniel kept his eye contact on Lily’s father while his voice got more mischievous. “For you see…Lily is no longer a child, but a woman who has had only a taste of what I plan to give her night after night as my lover, wife and queen.”

             
Keeping his focus on him, he found pleasure in watching Radcliff go into shock upon hearing him bring to light about his time with his daughter. His eyes watched his head start to bow in sadness while he stood tall and strong in the face of the group that had come there to destroy not only himself, but the very woman who had come to mean the world to him in more ways than one.

             
Now that you have done a number on his fighting spirit and brought him to the edge of despair…It is time to finish the job, and cut him down once and for all.

             
Keeping the smirk on his face, Daniel brought his body to a stopping point within three feet of Radcliff’s frame while he spoke to him in a low, darker tone.

             
“As for cutting my head off…That is impossible for you to do if you can’t even cut a piece of pie without the aid of your wife or daughter.”

             
His senses picked up on Lily’s father’s rage fixing to boil over from inside of his body and what it would cause to happen towards him next. Quickly, Daniel did a backward flip just as Radcliff made a slash towards him. He landed in a squatted position before his body slowly stood up, moving in the fashion of a snake slithering to its destination. The expression on his face changed to resemble that of a wolf about to strike while he kept the same sound in his voice towards his opponent.

             
“You have just made a grave mistake…”

*                            *                            *

              Frozen before the altar of where she was to marry Daniel, Lily couldn’t help herself but watch the scene unfolding between the man that brought her into this world and the man that wanted to bring her into a whole new, exciting, pleasurable world. Her eyes could tell that a fight was fixing to break out between not only them, but the mortal men and the vampire guests, and it would all be over her.

             
I have to do something to keep the fight from breaking out amongst all these people, and innocent lives from getting changed in drastic ways.

             
Lily proceeded to move towards where Daniel stood about five feet away from her when a crescendo of glass breaking echoed, loudly, all the way around the room. The sound was loud and sudden enough to catch her by surprise and sent her down to the floor with the other vampire guests. On the floor, her arms were over her head, shielding her ears, for a few moments before they started to relax and move away from her head.