Epilogue
EPILOGUE
I t wasn’t until Penelope went missing that Marlena had truly started to believe that Michael was behind the decoy disappearances. She’d never intervened, not until the rest stop staking, though she’d started to suspect him of misconduct when Raquel vanished in the 1920s.
With no solid proof, she’d never had grounds to accuse Michael of murder. Or stake him. Vampires have laws they must abide by, too.
As part owner of Dignitary, Marlena had opted to treat employees with open hostility as a method of protection. If she discouraged decoys from dating clients, she figured she could keep them safe. But her strategy didn’t always work; some decoys, like yours truly, didn’t like to abide by the rules.
Michael had foiled his own homicidal plans by insisting that I pick out clothes in the Dignitary closet. It had been his one and only mistake. Had I come out two seconds later, I would have been a goner, since I would have missed Marlena walking by.
My life had been saved by two measly seconds, since it was in the hallway that Marlena learned of Michael’s intent to drive me home. In all the years Dignitary had been in business, he’d never once offered a decoy a ride. Marlena knew a rat when she smelled one.
To think, Michael’s scheming had been ended because of my indecision over kitten heels versus stilettos. Marlena had sensed in her non-beating heart that Michael would hurt me if she didn’t follow us. Still, she had to catch him in the act. And there I was, unwittingly acting as bait.
Marlena knew nothing of Michael’s predictions and had never heard of Cataclysmics. She dismissed the rage Michael felt toward Dignitary decoys as old-fashioned jealousy. Seemed there was a final chapter in the Iris / Michael / Alexander love triangle that Michael had never gotten around to telling me. Lucky for me, Marlena knew the story and was eager to tell it, or else I might have blabbed about how he believed I was going to be responsible for ending the vampire race.
According to Marlena, Iris had fallen into a terrible depression after learning of Alexander’s death—a murder Michael had orchestrated to look like a robbery gone bad, framing two peasants who would later face the gallows for their alleged crimes. Iris’s grief became too much for her to suffer, and one warm spring morning she walked into her flower garden, kneeled on the grass, and let the sun cook her alive. Michael was furious, since he’d never believed that Iris truly loved Alexander. That, and he’d become a vampire to be with her, though she’d hadn’t viewed him as anything more than a plaything. To Marlena, this was a plausible explanation as to why Michael would want me—and other decoys in romantic relationships with vampires—dead. He’d envied us for attaining a level of love he never could never have.
What Marlena (and other vampires) would have done to me after learning of Michael’s true reasons behind my attempted murder, I didn’t want to imagine. Michael was undeniably evil, but his visions were believed to be accurate. Marlena had saved my life, but these days trust wasn’t an emotion that came easy.
And Robert? Would he send me away if he knew my love for him could possibly result in mass genocide? It was a question I wasn’t ready to have answered. So, I would keep Michael’s secret to myself.
I was thinking of Michael’s predictions when Robert reminded me of the time. We were running late for Liz’s wedding, which wasn’t acceptable for the maid of honor. Robert quickly helped me into my dress and then zipped up the back. I was thankful for Liz’s impeccable taste, and that she hadn’t made me look bad just so she’d look prettier at the altar. Like she needed any help in that department, anyway. My dress was exquisite: long and black, with delicate lace along the bustline. My only accessory was the deep purple orchid tucked in my hair, which matched Liz’s bouquet.
“It’s a beautiful night for a wedding, isn’t it?” Robert asked.
“Gorgeous,” I beamed. “Liz will make a beautiful bride.”
“She will. David is a lucky man.”
“He is.”
Robert took me by surprise by twirling me. He’d been in a playful mood since my stalker—the real one—had been staked. “And I am a lucky man for being with the most beautiful maid of honor the world has ever seen.”
“Oh, you.” I winked at my beautiful vampire. “You’d better put me down or else we are going to be late. There’ll be plenty of time for twirling on the dance floor.”
Robert pulled me close and kissed the corners of my mouth. He told me that he loved me, which he had about fifty times already. As if I could forget, with us living together in domestic bliss. As if I’d want to.
“Don’t look so melancholy, my dear. Our time will come,” he promised. “Soon you will be the one standing up there in a white dress and Liz will be your maid of honor.”
“I’m happy. Really, I am.” Though my words had sounded glum, they were genuine. “But it’s all so bittersweet, like the end of an era.”
“You should be happy. With every end comes a new start.” He kissed me again. “Our life together is only beginning, my love.”
“Mm, it’s nice when you call me that.”
“My love,” my sweet, sexy vampire man murmured against my throat. “My love.”
One day I would reveal my dark secret to Robert, after I’d proven myself harmless against vampires. But not tonight. Tonight, celebration.