Worth Waiting For

Chapter Sixteen

Three months later

***

I sat in my room waiting for these dreaded day to be over. In order to keep Gretta safe, I had to go through with the wedding. I had to marry Lucas. I had to sign my own life away in order for hers, and that is a price I would willingly pay.

The door to my bedroom burst open and am energetic blonde appeared through the door. I looked up and saw the petite frame of Olivia, Lucas's sister. They were the only two in recorded history to have come from the same parents. She was just under five foot five with a ponytail on straight platinum blonde hair. Even to me, she was a beautiful woman. Her bright blue eyes holding pride and pity. She wasn't like her brother.

"Hey, Ash." She said as she basically bounced to my bed. Yet her face showed the pity her eyes indicated. "I'm sorry about my brother." She added as she sat next to me.

I smoothed the ankle length pure white wedding dress along my knees as my head hung low. Today was the day I sign my life away. The day my mind will die but my body would live on. If it can be called that. Living as a toy is not really living, now is it?

"It's been three months." Olivia said as she bumped my right shoulders with her left. "Is it still painful to think about him?"

"Every second of every day, it pains me." I told her honestly as I titled my head in her direction.

"I'm sorry." She added and then grabbed my hands and stood me up. "However, this is still a wedding and a wedding is to be celebrated." She said with a smile. I really hope her life doesn't turn out as bad as mine. I hope she can have the perfect Beloved that will love her as much as she would love him.

"But the groom is not who it should be." I added, not able to skip over that fact.

"I know." She said as her smile falter. It quickly grew on her face again as her gaze locked with mine. "But there is a bright side to all of this."

"And what is that?" I wondered. She always has a way to get the mood up. Whether it is a single person or a room full of vampires.

"I'm going to be your sister." She almost shouted as she bounced in front of me.

I couldn't help but smile at her innocence. I couldn't help but laugh at her successful attempt to brighten up my mood.

"Malachi would have loved you." I told her as I brought her into a hug, holding her tight to me.

"Thank you." She said hugging back. "But we shouldn't hug. It might ruin your dress." She pulled away from me to examine the dress.

It reached my ankles and then formed a short trail behind my ankles. It was a shoulderless dress with a soft fold over. The ends of the sleeves forming a pointed end above my hand. It was smooth and without fault. Without any extra designs. Such was the ways of the vampire worlds. The dress is to have no designs.

The front of my thick red hair braided on either side and then tied together behind my head, to keep my hair from falling into my face. Two columns of hair hung around my shoulders, over my breasts.

I began to wonder what Malachi would think of this. Would he like it or would he prefer to take it off me? I mentally kicked myself for thinking that. I needed to forget him. His touch. Everything about him. If I am to survive I needed to live by my own, and not within his memory.

"You need to be strong." Olivia told me with a sad expression. "Being with my brother is not the most wanted thing. But please be strong and give him a try."

"No matter how he acts." I began as I grabbed her hands in mine squeezing them tightly. "He will never replace my Beloved. I can't pretend that he can and I know that fact is going to anger him. I just fear what he plans to do about it."