A Blaze of Sun (A Shade of Vampire #5)(69)

“So you think Aiden is convincing her not to go ahead with this?”

“He’s Reuben, one of the most powerful hunters of all time. Aiden wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t at least try.” She heaved a sigh before tapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.” She clicked her tongue over the roof of her mouth and nodded. “Looks like everything is all set up here. I’m gonna go get dressed. Hopefully, by the time I’m done, Aiden and Sofia’s father-daughter drama is over.”

As Ashley walked away, I found myself wanting to ease my nerves so I walked over to the grand piano and began playing the first tune that came to mind. Every note brought back memories of Sofia… The first night she spent with me in the Music Room of my penthouse, the look on her face when she showed me the Sun Room, the surprise in her eyes when I asked her to marry me.

“So this is it, huh?” a gentle, familiar voice spoke up. I looked up to find Vivienne leaning against the piano, a smile on her lovely face. “My brother is finally getting hitched.” She took the seat on the bench beside me. “Took you long enough.”

“You made this possible, Vivienne. You brought Sofia back to me so many times.”

A smile crossed her face as she nodded. “You two were meant to be together. It’s funny that it took hundreds of years before you finally found your soul mate, Derek. I just wish Dad and Lucas were here to be a part of it.”

I paused and stared at her. Neither my father or brother would’ve wanted me to marry Sofia. But she’d always seen the goodness in them and I wasn’t about to ruin that. So I just nodded before grinning at how clueless my sister was. “You’re going to find yours too.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier, looking rather debonair in his gray suit, coming into the venue. I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face. “Truth be told, Vivienne, I think you’ve already found him. You’re just too blind to realize it.”

Even with her being the Seer of The Shade, my sister was far from being all-knowing, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

“What do you mean?” she asked me in bewilderment.

I chuckled and shook my head. “You’ll realize soon enough, Vivienne.”

I knew she was about to pry but a foreboding form suddenly caught my attention. Aiden was approaching us. I knew I should’ve talked to him during the past three days, but I intentionally avoided him. I didn’t want him to try to talk me out of marrying Sofia. I didn’t want to go into the whole thing with apprehensions circling my mind. It seemed Sofia felt the same way, but then here he was… This was inevitable.

“May I have a word with you, Derek?” he asked just before he took the final step toward the piano, drumming his fingers over its surface.

Vivienne, eager to get out of the tense situation, nodded her head. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

“Aiden.” I bowed my head slightly, never before feeling more tense around a human than I did with him.

“It seems you’ve been avoiding me.”

I coughed. I knew there was no use in denying the truth. “I have… I meant to ask for your blessing, Aiden, but I was afraid you wouldn’t give it… I love Sofia. I will do everything in my power to protect her and to make her happy.”

He chuckled wryly. “I fear that I’m not at all confident in your ability to protect my daughter, Derek. Even as the most powerful vampire, you’ve gotten her in all sorts of trouble. What makes you think you can protect her as a human – assuming that the cure even works?”

I swallowed hard. I had no idea what to say to that. It was true. Sofia’s life had been terribly endangered ever since she had met me.

Aiden then grinned and smacked me right over the shoulder. “But get that horrified, guilty look off your face, Novak. It doesn’t suit the king of the vampires to look that way. I don’t think any man can protect her completely – even I failed in that. I do know that no one can make her as happy as you can.”

I breathed an audible sigh of relief.

“All I ask is that you be faithful to her, love her… and as much as you are able, do try to protect her. It won’t be easy considering all the trouble she seems to entangle herself in.”

I nodded even as I tried to chuckle at his remark. I couldn’t hide my relief. “So I have your blessing?”

The father of my bride nodded. “I want my daughter happy, and I would give the world to always see the way her face lights up when she looks at you. Do good by her.”

“Yes, sir.” I nodded. And just like that, I had his blessing.

He then smirked before looking me over. “But don’t think this means I trust you or like you, vampire.”

I chuckled. “It would be strange to have it otherwise.” I realized then that I liked the tension between Aiden and me. He kept me on my toes, always reminding me how precious Sofia was. She deserved that.

I looked around. The place was beginning to fill up. My breath hitched. This was it. Nothing could explain the joy I felt inside as the ceremony began. It was surreal. I wanted to pinch myself to find out if it was all really happening.

All of it… all those years in battle… all of those years fighting for the survival of those I loved, fighting for the fulfillment of a prophecy that I did not even fully understand… all of it boiled down to this one moment, standing at the end of a long pathway, right beside a magnificently lit gazebo, watching my beautiful bride come to me.