Sixteen…

Sixteen: Till Death…

Two weeks passed.

Aubrey and Shawn’s wedding was held on an overcast evening.

Aubrey was ecstatic when he proposed just a week earlier, even though she knew their wedding wouldn’t be a real one. They had no preacher to conduct the ceremony, and no marriage license. However, it was nice to know they’d be married in their hearts and a ceremony was a nice touch.

“I vow to love you for eternity,” they said in unison.  

 Riley was their only guest. Aubrey did not expect Lucius, or especially Vaclav to attend.

All My Life by K-Ci & JoJo played on the stereo. It was Aubrey’s all-time favorite song.

(song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXvMT_mVbqw)

“Thank you for forgiving me,” Shawn said. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

Hand-in-hand, they turned.

Aubrey froze when she saw Vaclav.

Then she gazed at him with pity.

His expression wasn’t so easy to read. His eyes were wide, he almost looked annoyed and his ‘smile’ seemed forced. 

Either way, she became lost in the music.

 

She looked at Vaclav for the second time, the music resounding in her ears… their eyes met, but something odd happened. Aubrey felt it deeply within her bones.

Aubrey shoved that feeling aside, burying it.

That night, she joined Vaclav in the piano room.

“Are you okay with this?” she asked. “It’s not as though I really need your permission or anything to marry Shawn, but I can’t help but feel guilty.”

Instead of answering, he continued to play a tune she didn’t recognize.

“V—Vaclav?”

                                                          …

His fingers slammed against the keys, creating a god-awful sound.

Aubrey jolted.

Vaclav jumped to his feet, stood within inches from her.

His face softened as he said, “sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Really? she thought.

“I just want to know if you’re okay with this,” she repeated.

“But like you said, you don’t need my permission.”

“I want to know that you’re okay with this!” she snapped.

“I’ll always have feelings for you; but yes, I’m okay with this,” he said with a little too much confidence.

He leaned over and whispered: “Perhaps a small part of me will grow within you, and you won’t forget me so easily.”

She didn’t see the grin on his face.

                                                            …

A few hours later, Shawn and Aubrey fixed up a bedroom in the basement. Then they relaxed in bed.

“I know about you and Vaclav,” Shawn mentioned.

“What? You do?”

“Yeah. I see it in the way he looks at you. Vaclav was your angel, right?”

She nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’m not mad or anything; at least not at you. But I think Vaclav’s a prick for using me to lure you here,” he said.

“You knew about that too?”

“Let’s just say the vampirism sharpens perception, and hearing as well. After I came here to live, he talked over his plans with one of the others. I could hear them way up on the second level from here in the basement. Clear as day.”

“So… you’re not even jealous of Vaclav?”

“Hell yeah I am,” he chuckled. “But what can I do? Kill him?”

“He’s the leader of this world,” Shawn continued. “I can’t touch him and he knows it. It would be a good way to lose my head.”

“But that’s okay. I have you, and he doesn’t.”

“Right?” he asked after a moment’s silence.

She smiled and said, “right.” Then she questioned: “can you read minds?”

“No. I think only Riley can do that. Why?”

“No reason,” she replied.

The next evening, Aubrey left the basement and headed for the dining area.

Her appetite returning with a vengeance, Aubrey ate straight out of the ice cream carton.

She ate until it was half-way empty. Even the adjacent glass of blood didn’t hamper her appetite.

Riley sauntered into the room.

“Vaclav is upstairs. He wants to talk to you,” she said.

Puzzled, Aubrey nodded and rose from the table.

Quietly, Aubrey entered the room. Vaclav sat in a chair staring out the window.

“Um… I’m here,” she said, her heart racing.

She watched him as he stood, his back to her. Then he turned around.

His face and eyes looked eerie in the dimness. For an eternity, he stared at her.

Suddenly, he bent over to retrieve something from the floor.

The object looked like a tiny drawstring bag, and he carried it over to her.

“I want you to wear this necklace,” he said opening the bag. A golden chain emerged between his fingers. “Turn around,” he added. “I’ll put it on you.”

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“The amulet will protect you from vampires,” he replied.

“It’s been in my family for over a hundred years. My brother was an alchemist, and he fashioned it to work against rogues and those of the Shadow Clan. This was the only one made, since my brother died from pneumonia not long afterward.”

He brushed her hair to the side and draped the chain around her neck.

“Now you’ll be safe; no matter where you go. Just make sure you always wear it,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said gazing down at the shimmering talisman.

Back in her bedroom, however, Aubrey couldn’t chance Shawn seeing it. She gingerly placed it in a jewelry box.

She was afraid of what Shawn may think; yet felt guilty for hiding it after Vaclav entrusted it to her.

Over the next few days, Aubrey awoke feeling sick.

Was it possibly withdrawal again? She doubted it. Maybe it had to do with the magical talisman Vaclav gave her.

Whatever it is, it sucks.

Aubrey vomited in the toilet. Afterward, she puked again.

I’m going to kill Vaclav if it’s that talisman! she thought.

*retch*

*gag*

She leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath.

It was time to look. Did she pass the test?

                                                            …

“Oh, my God.”

So it wasn’t the talisman, nor rebound withdrawal. It was a baby.

Shame overcame her, like a gust of bitter wind.

After having sex with two vampires over two weeks earlier, she had no clue who the father was.

                                                           ****

Thanks for reading! ♥ Chapter 17 coming in just a couple days. 🙂   Also, in essence, Aubrey’s baby DID come from a ‘talisman’. Either from Vaclav’s or Shawn’s ‘talisman’. 😛  Indeed, I’m being disgusting again… but I couldn’t resist. Oh, and Vaclav won’t be wearing the ‘Santa Claus’ suit in the next chapter, LOL. XD