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Here Comes The Undead Bride
Shadow
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“Oh, my God, she looks so beautiful,” Bloome breathed from beside me as she gripped my arm.
Dressed in a huge, frilly, lacy black dress, MyAnna joined her husband-to-be in front of the podium inside the Cobalt Room. Everyone was here—me, Bloome, Face, Phoenix, Venom, Kovah, and his wife Mara. Of course, the prospects Jewel, Dash, Fox, Paz, Ally were here too. Even the BSI—Agent Bishop, his very pregnant wife, Charity sat among the small crowd.
Face was officiating, as he’d gotten his ordained minister license online to officiate the ceremony.
After some beautiful vows, Face was smiling from ear to ear. “By the powers vested in me by the State of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss, and then bite, your bride.”
Vane, dressed more formal than I’d ever seen him in my life in a tuxedo, gently grabbed MyAnna’s mass of dark-brown curls and pulled her head back as he leaned way down to kiss her. After some soft kisses, he looked into her eyes, while using his other hand to rub along her face. “You ready, Mrs. Matson?”
She nodded and licked her lips. “Yes, Vane. I’m ready to be with you forever.”
He bit into her neck, took a few pulls of blood, which was admittedly making my dick hard as I watched, and then removed himself from her neck. Then, he rolled up his sleeve, bit into his own wrist, and dribbled blood into her open and waiting mouth. She gagged a little bit but took it like a champ. Blood dribbled down her chin, neck, and between her breasts. I was sure some got onto her dress.
“Well, I can see why her dress is black,” Bloome quipped, squeezing my hand as she whispered in my ear.
I smiled. “Definitely.”
We all applauded and whooped and hollered.
“Reception is here, help yourself to the treats at the end of the bar.”
There were ridiculous things like blood Jell-O shots infused with alcohol and bloody milkshake shots. And for the food eaters like Bloome, Kovah, Venom, Agent Bishop, and his wife, were regular finger foods and vegetable and meat and cheese platters.
As they all dug into the food and drinks, I went over and congratulated the couple. It would take three days before MyAnna became a vampire, and I knew she’d be falling into a very deep sleep within an hour or two.
“I’m so damn happy for you, brother,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “You finding love has inspired me to do the same.” I hugged Bloome closer into my side.
“Don’t let his size fool you, he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear,” Bloome said, jabbing me in the ribs.
I looked down at her. “Do not be giving up all my secrets, woman, or I’ll have to punish you for it.” I leaned down and nipped her bottom lip with my teeth.
“Oh, God. You two are grosser than us,” Viper said, rolling his eyes while biting back a smile.
I leaned down and hugged tiny MyAnna. “You have a good sleep, girl. It’s a wonderful three-day vacation. When you wake up, you’ll emerge a beautiful vampire. Hope you had a nice last meal,” I joked.
She smiled. “I did. Shrimp etouffee at Mulate’s. It was glorious.”
“Well, I hope that wasn’t today or else you’ll be barfing it up later,” I teased.
She looked at me in horror. “Are you serious?”
I laughed. “No, I’m not serious.”
Bloome smacked me in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Don’t scare the girl, you dick.” She looked at MyAnna. “I’m sorry. Sometimes he thinks he’s funny when he’s not.”
“Hey! I am funny.”
“Funny looking,” Phoenix said, coming up beside us. He looked at Bloome. “Are you sure you wanna be with this ugly fucker?”
She then smacked Phoenix in the chest. “Yes, I’m sure.” She pulled her hand away. “Please don’t set my hair on fire.”
He ignited a flame on his palm and said, “I would never. Now, this guy, I may set his fugly beard on fire just because.”
“I will stab you in your sleep if you even try,” I said, making a stabbing motion with my hand.
Phoenix closed his palm to extinguish the flame and grinned. “It’s not like that would be the first time that’s happened.”
Wow... this guy... he’d been through so much shit in his life. I thought being ninety years old had made me a little nuts. But I knew Phoenix was almost two hundred years old and wondered if I’d still be half sane by that point.
I shook my head, grabbed Bloome, and headed toward the food. “You need a woman,” I called over my shoulder to my auburn-haired vampire friend.
“No, I do-on’t,” he replied in a sing-song voice.
I took a couple of blood shots, while Bloome made a plate of food. We bid farewell to Viper and MyAnna as they left the Cobalt Room to begin her transition during sleep in the privacy of his apartment.
Between bites, Bloome said, “That was a nice ceremony. I hope you don’t think you’re ever going to turn me.”
That had come out of left field. “No, I would never ask anyone to succumb to this curse.” I raised the Jell-O shot and slurped it down.
She piled a cracker high with meat and cheese and shoveled it into her mouth. “You know, there are immortality spells. I could do some research...”
My eyebrows hit my hairline. “Immortality spells? Now somebody tells me? Geez! I wouldn’t have become an actual vampire if I’d known I could have just gotten a spell to keep me young.”
She shook her head and smacked me on the arm. “You’re so full of shit. You already told me you never wanted this.”
I grinned at her. “You’re right. I didn’t. But it is what it is. Tell me more about this immortality spell.”
Honestly, that excited me. Gave me hope. I loved her so much I couldn’t let her go. I was willing to watch her grow old and die if I had to, and it would be worth a lifetime of unconditional love. The love I’d had for Saundra I thought was rare and one-of-a-kind. It wasn’t. Yes, I loved her and was devastated when she died. But it turned out I had enough room in my heart to love again.
Bloome had showed that to me. She’d come into my life. and I was never going to be the same. If I lost her, I would shatter. But loving her would have been worth it. I just hoped we could be together for many lifetimes. And if we couldn’t? That would be okay, too. Loving her for one lifetime would be worth every minute we lived it.
“I love you Bloome Walsh,” I said, smoothing back some curls.
The cracker paused at her lips. “Excuse me, that’s not my last name.”
“Yet,” I said with a grin. “But it will be one day. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Speaking of rings... you better have something epic if you ever propose. I have standards, you know.”
“Oh, I’m sure you do,” I replied, leaning down to kiss her softly on her full, pink lips.
She pulled away and whispered, “Actually I don’t. A plastic ring with one of those big, jeweled candy pieces would have me saying yes to you.”
I felt like if I grinned any harder, I might break my face. “Be with me. Forever. Please?” I asked.
“It’s already a done deal, Craig. My heart decided that weeks ago.”
“Mine, too,” I said.
THE END
PHOENIX is book 3 in the Nighthawks MC series.
Would you like to read Kovah’s story, and how he eventually met the Nighthawks? You can get his incredible story here.
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NIGHTHAWKS MC SERIES
Viper
Shadow
Phoenix
Venom
Face
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. is a USA Today bestselling author living in Colorado but wishes she was someplace warmer. She loves the SF 49ers and has a weakness for expensive shoes. She’s the author of over 50 novels and short stories that contain both fantasy and paranormal romance with kickass heroines and strong alphas. Having recently retired from a twenty-year career in federal law enforcement, she's looking forward to the next chapter in life.
She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and on her website, cjpinard.com.
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OTHER BOOKS BY C.J. PINARD:
Paranormal Fantasy:
Enchanted Immortals 1 FREE
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella
New Adult Contemporary Romance:
Patriotic Duty (Duty & Desire, #1)
Tour of Duty (Duty & Desire #2)
Playing the Field (Duty & Desire #3)
Romantic Suspense:
Antihero (Imperfect Heroes, Book 1) FREE
Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes, Book 2)
Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes, Book 3)
Beyond Love (Imperfect Heroes, Book 4)
Paranormal Romance:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O’Rourke) FREE
Soul Rebel (Death’s Kiss #1) FREE
Soul Redemption (Death’s Kiss #2)
Soul Release (Death’s Kiss #3)
Kovah: Soul Seeker (A Death’s Kiss Novel #4)
Lotus (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey Part I FREE
Watcher (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part II
Guardian (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part III
The Lunar Effect (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #1) FREE
The Lunar Curse (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #2)
The Lunar Secret (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #3)
The Lunar Magic (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #4)
The Lunar Promise (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #5)
The Lunar Light (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #6)
Viper (Nighthawks MC #1) FREE
Shadow (Nighthawks MC #2)
Phoenix (Nighthawks MC #3)
Venom (Nighthawks MC #4)
Face (Nighthawks MC #5)
Reverse Harem Fantasy:
Four Princes (Rothhaven Trilogy, #1) (FREE in KU)
Four Kings (Rothhaven Trilogy, #2)
Four Heirs (Rothhaven Trilogy, #3)
Curses & Charm (Larchwood Corrective Academy #1) (FREE in KU)
Magic & Monsters (Larchwood Corrective Academy #2)
Runes & Rituals (Larchwood Corrective Academy #3)
Secrets & Spells (Larchwood Corrective Academy #4)
Do you enjoy contemporary romance? You can also find billionaire romance under her alter ego/pen name, Carolyn Delaney’s website. Or go straight to Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/5evuhsy8
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