He looked relieved before he returned to the phone. "Yeah, we'll be there in a little bit. Thanks."
He hung up the phone and placed it on the nightstand.
Bride lay there quietly, trying to come to grips with what she had done. What had happened to them this afternoon.
"Are you sure I'm not aging? I don't feel any differently."
"You should be joined to me, but since I've never mated before, I don't know what we should feel."
Bride looked at her hand. Her mark was now a vibrant red. "This is different, though. What about yours?"
"Looks like yours."
That was a good sign. "Do I have to keep drinking your blood?"
He shook his head. "Never again."
"Good. The thought of it is really gross."
Vane got up and pulled her out of the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to bathe you, Lady Wolf, so that I can take you to Sanctuary and show you off to everyone."
How she wished she were as beautiful as he thought she was. It was so nice to be with someone who looked at her with rose-colored glasses.
Vane led her into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Once he had the water regulated, he opened the curtain and let her enter first.
Bride felt a bit awkward. She'd never bathed with a man before. But as Vane started soaping her body, her awkwardness vanished in a wave of hot desire for him.
He looked really good naked and wet, and his hands were incredible as they slid over every inch of her body.
"You're really talented," she said, her breath catching as he washed between her legs.
He kissed her gently as he dropped the washcloth and used his fingers to caress her.
"You're never satisfied, are you?" Bride asked as she felt him harden again.
"Not where you're concerned." He pressed her back against the cool tile wall. He lifted one of her legs up to wrap around his narrow waist before he slid into her.
Bride cried out in pleasure as he thrust against her. It wasn't until she came that she realized she had wrapped both legs around his waist and that he was supporting her full weight as he continued to thrust.
His hair was wet and dripping as he captured her lips. He buried himself deep inside, then shuddered.
Bride was only vaguely aware of the water's spray against her arms and legs as she watched Vane's face. Her wolf was beautiful when he came for her. He held her effortlessly while his body continued to shudder.
After he finished, she set her legs down as he withdrew from her.
He took a ragged breath, then turned around to face the water.
Bride impulsively pressed her front to his naked back.
Vane hissed at the sensation of his Bride against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands over his body. "You keep doing that and we'll never leave this shower," he said huskily.
"Sure we will. It won't be much fun in here if the water turns cold."
"True."
Then to his delight she left him and picked up the washcloth to bathe him.
Bride had never done anything like this. It was actually a lot of fun to soap those magnificent muscles and to help rinse his body.
"You are decadent," she breathed.
He answered that with a smile and a kiss.
After they were finished, they left the shower. Bride thought they'd have to dress, but Vane surprised her by re-dressing them in the clothes they'd worn to her parents' house.
"How do you do that?"
Vane shrugged. "It's like breathing. I barely think about it and poof. It's magic."
"I wish you would warn me a bit before you do it. I'm still getting used to all this."
In order to please her he led her through the door and down the hallway to Fury's room.
Vane knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" Fury called from inside.
Vane shouldered it open to find Fury with the dog on his bed. "We were heading over to Sanctuary. I was just wondering if you'd like to join us."
"Sure. Can Cujo come?"
"I guess. We can always put him in one of the cages if he gets nervous."
"Cages?" Bride asked.
Vane turned to face her. "Since Sanctuary has a lot of different kinds of animals in it, they have a whole room of cages in the event someone gets nasty."
Fury and Cujo flashed out of the room.
"How do you want to go?" Vane asked her.
Bride let out a deep breath. "Beam me over, Scotty."
Vane took her hand and flashed them to Sanctuary.
It took Bride a second to get her bearings. She'd been by this bar a million times, but had never been inside it before. There was a sign on the door that said it was closed. However, there was plenty of activity inside. At least fifty "people" were there, including Fury and Cujo, who was sniffing around various occupants.
Several tables had been pulled together to make one really long banquet table that was covered with white tablecloths. Another series of tables held more food than she had ever seen in her life. There were a dozen turkeys, twenty hams, and at least two dozen kinds of cakes and pies with every side item known and a few she couldn't identify.