Here Comes The Bride, Part 8

"Sure did, Sam. Go on, head back to Ming. Thanks," she led him to the door before joining Marcus in the living room. She bolted the front door shut and walked into the room to see they'd demolished the food, like she'd fully expected. Renee was still angry that Marcus had interrupted her feeding but didn't let the delivery driver see her annoyed. There was no need to ruin his fun.

He was still buzzed from Ming's special tea and her own vampiric post-feeding memories she'd pushed into his mind while his neck healed from her fang marks. Mandarin and More take out was definitely the best of the delivered local meals. Being disturbed by her fiance's bodyguard wasn't her idea of the perfect ending to a feeding. The two King's Feast meals she'd had delivered by Sam Chin should have fed ten humans but the two werewolves made the short work of it in the time she'd been with Sam in the kitchen. Werewolves ate much quicker than vampires apparently. She made a mental note to let the wedding planner account for the differences. Hearing that odd thought float in her head, she growled and went to see why she'd been so rudely interrupted.

Marcus had a cell phone screwed into his ear and said, "You know where Buddy and Jessie were heading?" He seemed to think she cared and she pretended that she did for the sake of form. Carlos was looking well sated on the couch and letting Marcus do all the talking. She really wondered if she was just marrying Carlos or if Marcus was part of the bargain. That struck a nasty chord in her stomach and she put it on her list to softly ask her Master. Marriage wasn't easy. All of this confusion wasn't helping her any and she wished she had a guidebook.

Pushing her concerns deep, she shrugged and said, "I figured over to a hotel to fuck like bunnies? Why?"

"Because Buddy didn't check in and his truck is still by the side of the freeway abandoned with pieces of the door in the truck's bed." Marcus listened a minute while holding up his forefinger. Carlos and Renee waited.

Marcus nodded to some question causing Renee to want to smack him. Last she checked, cell phones weren't able to see a nod. Unless Marcus had rocks in his head the person on the other side of the phone was ignorant of the head bobbing. She didn't bother to eavesdrop on the call because Marcus was done. A grunt bye, then he flipped his cell phone shut and said, "Well that may be where they were heading but unless they sprouted wings and flew they were snatched. His truck is beat up and still running."

"It's beat up because he slammed into Jessie's SUV for a few miles before we stopped, then I got out and confronted him. I tore the door off and he put it in the truck bed then I left them at the side of the road and took the SUV home." Marcus looked somewhat impressed by the notion that Renee had torn the door off. She continued, "Jessie was to come here to get her SUV but I don't know where they were headed afterwards. When I left them they were busy playing tonsil hockey. Maybe there's a nearby ditch they are busy screwing each other in?" She wasn't being vicious but honest. Jessie and Buddy were hot to fuck when she'd left them and given traffic, she could see them wandering off. The running truck wasn't good but then maybe Jessie hit an erotic werewolf spot and Buddy forgot to turn the truck off in his haze. She didn't know werewolves well enough to judge.

"They are missing. That's not good." Marcus looked to Carlos. Her fiance was still licking his fingers clean. That didn't impress either the vampire or the werewolf.

Noticing the silence, Carlos looked up with his sexy liquid eyes and dimpled saying, "What? They probably are in a bed making up." Last of the red hot lovers, he was clueless. Marcus met Renee's eyes and they both nodded.

It wasn't good. Carlos didn't realize what was going on and Marcus wasn't filling in the dots any more than Renee was. This didn't bode well for the marriage as far as Renee was concerned.

Loathing to ask, Renee nevertheless bit the bullet. "Who called?"

"It was Archer. Buddy was supposed to have gone on a quick personal errand then be back a half hour ago to take a shift." Renee knew that Archer was high up in the pack and in close contact with her Master about the wedding.

"Does Archer know about the rogue werewolves trying to kill you both earlier?" She asked.

"No. Buddy guards Archer's child six hours a day for the pack." Renee figured that was another bit already offered up in the werewolf's files she had yet to fully read, since Marcus didn't hesitate with the information. So werewolves could still breed. The child had to be one of the best secrets in the trade off. It gave her pause, but not enough to stop and question him further. She'd get back to the file as soon as all this mess died down.

"Let me try Jessie's cell." Renee found her number in the contacts list and clicked. The phone rang a half dozen times then went to a sugary sweet voice mail message. Keeping her tones even, she asked that Jessie call her when she got time.

Calmly she dialed her Master. It wasn't a call she wanted to make with an audience, but circumstances forced the move. Knowing fully well that Marcus and Carlos would overhear every word spoken she planned accordingly giving immediate codes to her Master alerting him to the listeners.

"Kenyon, darling, did you miss me? Or you too busy with all your pretty little toys?" The fact she used his name let him know she wasn't alone. And "toys" was code for not vampires. She made it plural letting him know more than one.

His laughter was rich and amused. He found such conversations a challenge. Kenyon was the owner of Dark Whispers and trying to keep his territory at all costs. He had faced worse over the centuries, but lately he'd been under constant surveillance and made some enemies on the vampire council. That was why he had begun to become a stickler for keeping rules and taking time to punish his rogue vampires. He didn't used to be so controlling, and had lost some of his wilder vampires to territorial losses and a few brave foolish vampires who ran. Renee liked and respected her Master. She saw no reason to challenge his control but the whole wedding fiasco wasn't helping.

His playing vampire politics was well known but the dabbling with merging werewolves and vampires had stepped on a few toes. Renee waited for him to stop laughing.

"My precious, Renee. I always miss you. How was the shopping?" He acted like they hadn't spoken just an hour ago. He'd caught onto her hints and was answering in kind.

"Oh, you know me and malls. Afterwards I lost touch with Jessie. Can you call her Master and find out if she's picking up the SUV soon?" It was a subtle entwinement of fact and fiction.

"Sure thing, babe. I'll get back to you in a flash ok?" He was asking her if she needed him to come immediately or if she had it under control. If she wanted him to come she would reply that it wasn't okay and there'd be a team of vampire executioners at her home in minutes.

"No, that's fine. Call me as soon as you talk to Jessie's Master. I want the SUV out of my driveway before it leaks any more fluids that I'll never get out." Renee clicked off and turned to Marcus.

"Discreet enough for you?"

Marcus nodded and resumed pacing. "Kenyon Huston, I presume."

His face was tight. He knew she'd done something sneaky, but couldn't put a finger on it. Carlos was still oblivious. He'd also recognized Kenyon's name but not much else. He really was the crown prince it seemed -- he left all the details to his guard. Renee was finding out far too much about her intended.

Carlos was still supine on the sofa actually nodding off a bit. Renee wasn't starving anymore but she definitely wasn't topped off like her future hubby. He pissed Renee off when he dimpled at her and said, "Hey, can I crash in your bed?"

"Fuck no." It came out lightning fast, obviously not what she'd intended to say. Carlos crumpled slightly and Renee said, "I have a lovely guest suite that's more suited for you. Third door down the hallway -- help yourself to whatever you need there. There are soaps, towels and other basics in the closet next to the bathroom."

It nearly redeemed the quick curse word. Carlos let it go and wandered off, leaving Renee with the brooding werewolf. Marcus wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy like his friend. Renee was trying to be reasonable about everything but finding it more than a tad awkward. She didn't even want to get married. Now less than before that was for sure -- Carlos was sexy but didn't seem very smart.

Renee thought of her Master and wondered why the hell he was making her get married. Kenyon Huston had been a top vampire for decades and run the club Dark Whispers in various incarnations for the same amount of time. She still remembered his excitement at opening his first club. His long light brown hair was pulled back in a leather tie. Back then it fell halfway down his back. His shoulders seemed so broad and strong but looking at Marcus she could see werewolves definitely were more cut than vampires. Vampires tended to be thin and anemic looking over time, road-weary to a degree, bored by the social structure and rules. Marcus looked stronger than any human and some vampires. She could see how he got the rep of killing. He wore death proudly and it put a glint in his eye. Kenyon's eyes had gone vague and distracted lately. The life of a vampire was never easy but a Master had many more things to stress them.

Kenyon had been a strong player in the vampiric society while from everything Renee heard, Marcus worked on the edges. The smoothness of Kenyon's voice still sent pleasant shivers down Renee's spine. Thinking of her Master seemed to summon him. Her cell rang.

"Hello," she kept it light. Marcus perked up.

"Renee, my child. It seems that Jessie has not checked in with her family. She's missing," his soft, sexy voice pushed her to nod. She wanted to scream. She knew he was pulling her to come back to his club and spend some quality time with him. He was worried. That concerned her.

"Darling, why don't you come home and let me rub your shoulders? All this wedding fuss must be wearing you down. I'll order in some Greek." His voice was pure sex now and she felt the pull of her sire and wanted to scream out her frustration.

"I just had Chinese. Give me an hour and I'll call you back in case Jessie is walking here okay?" She bought herself some time as he agreed and hung up. The Greek take out was a definite temptation. Swarthy sexy Greek boys and girls with accents and tight bodies were on that take out menu. For all of Kenyon's attempts to be a fine upstanding vampire he still had his smutty side.

Marcus laughed, "You had Chinese and you want an hour to digest?"

Renee shook her head. "You're an ass, Marcus. You do know that, right?"

He grinned, flashing more tooth than she found comfortable.

"So we need to go check out the truck." He made it a statement.

Laughing she said, "Not going to happen. You have plenty of your own doggies to trail after any scents. I figure there aren't any; my going back to the site is stupid and a time waster so someone can come here and extract your prince. Am I right?"

Marcus wasn't laughing any more.

To be continued ...