Chapter 32

Chapter 32

He hadn’t met her sisters yet, and Luther stared up at the vampire’s castle with no small amount of fear. These women were witches. All of them were more talented than he’d ever known, and they could easily kill him.

Not to mention one of them was a vampire now, and the other one was apparently really uncomfortable to be around. He couldn’t imagine what would come of this.

“Are you sure we have to meet them today?” he asked, trying very hard not to sound like a child.

“Yes, I haven’t seen them in over a month and I want you to be friends with them.” Luna shoved his shoulder with her own. “You’re a werewolf. I thought you wouldn’t be afraid of two little women.”

“Little,” he muttered. “They’ll likely use my bones for a curse.”

“Only if they don’t like you,” she replied all too quickly for his liking.

Right. She made it sound so easy to walk into a castle full of people who were bound and determined to not like him, while also threatening his death if they didn’t, but somehow he had to convince them he was good enough for their sister. Who was quite possibly the most lovely woman he’d ever met in his life.

He straightened his shoulders and puffed out his cheeks. He could do this. Just another day, another couple people to convince he wasn’t a terrifying werewolf and instead, he was a good man ready to help.

Not like he didn’t spend all day doing that, multiple days a week.

Luna giggled and knocked on the front door. “I think you’ll be surprised. They don’t want to dislike you, Luther.”

She said that now, but what if they took one look at him and thought the werewolf was too dangerous for their sister? Thankfully, he had little more time to worry.

Two women burst out of the castle with all the force of a hurricane. They grabbed onto Luna and yanked her into the darkness so quickly, he almost didn’t see them move. And then there were hands on him, tugging him into the fray of countless female voices, all talking at once. They all spoke over each other, and he couldn’t quite make out an entire conversation.

“You’re here! Did you know we started working on the west wing?”

“I thought you would arrive tomorrow, but for once the spirits were wrong!”

“I figured out the coloring for the wedding, but I’m not sure if it’ll look good on our skin tones.”

Luther was so startled, he tried instead to focus on the interior design. Crimson and black, exactly what he’d expect for a vampire. Although it was more welcoming, even with the giant crimson sheets covering the ceiling like the swells of waves.

“They do this a lot,” an amused voice interrupted his perusing of the room.

“Martin,” he said while turning and offering a hand to the man who would soon be his brother-in-law. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I’ll be honest, I never thought we’d have the opportunity.” Martin gripped his hand, though, and shook it. “Perhaps you’d like to come to the living room? Give the ladies some breathing room before they take up all the oxygen.”

“That would be preferable.”

Being out in the middle of that room gave him a little rest, at the very least. The women were exhausting to listen to already, and at least he got a few moments sitting in silence with Martin before they thundered into the sitting room.

He’d really appreciated that silence. It seemed only men knew how valuable that was.

“Luther!” Luna called out. “There you are. I thought Martin had taken you somewhere to drain you.”

Right, he was in a house with people well aware of creatures and magic. It was still unnerving to talk about it so freely without having to worry that someone might overhear him.

He sat up a little straighter and tried to look like he wasn’t a complete dolt. “I think Martin and I have come to terms with our differences, love.”

“Good! Because I’d like both of you to be present and happy during our wedding.” She sat down across from him, braced her arms on the chairs. “I’m sure Maeve and Beatrix will be able to plan everything with me. You’re excused from having to help too much.”

“And thank goodness for that or everything would look horrible.” He toasted her sisters with the glass of whiskey in his hand. “My hope is that you will save the wedding, ladies.”

Maeve smiled at him. “I’m sure you won’t mind at all if we take over a little more than you’re comfortable with.”

“I just want to marry your sister. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely sentiment,” Beatrix said. The pale sister looked more like a ghost than she did a human. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders today, but he couldn’t help thinking that she looked sickly. “But I’m afraid I won’t be around to help with the wedding after all.”

How hadn’t he noticed she was staring over his shoulder like someone stood behind him? Luther flinched and immediately looked back, but there wasn’t anyone there. At least, not that he could see.

The sister who claimed to see ghosts was speaking to one behind him.

Luna frowned. “Why aren’t you coming to the wedding, Beatrix?”

“Oh, I’ll try to be at the wedding. But I don’t think I’ll be helping to decorate.” She pointed behind Luther. “Apparently I’m going to help solve the Ripper case.”

An immediate outburst rose from everyone in the room.

“The Ripper was already caught,” Martin said. “At least, that we know of.”

“You absolutely will not,” Maeve snarled.

Even Luna coughed into her hand and added, “Excuse me?”

Beatrix didn’t seem startled by their reactions at all. She shrugged and replied, “What the spirits want, the spirits get. I need to go see who this new Ripper is, or perhaps if he’s a copycat. I’m the only one who can find him, you see. All the people who know who he really is are dead.”

Complete silence was her reply.

At least until Luther blinked a few times and replied, “Luna warned me marrying into this family would be strange. I had no idea how strange it would get.”