Snippet #1752991

A very slight wave of relief crossed over Simon when she admitted to being a little nervous as well. "At least we know how we each feel then," he chuckled softly. Aavyn smiled lightly, exposing rows of beautiful teeth. If only Simon could tear his eyes from the sharply extended ones. The priest continued the vows but his voice rose in volume, a sign of irritation that they had been talking between his words. Simon glanced over apologetically at him before returning his gaze to Aavyn. After what seemed like an eternity, the priest gave the pair permission to complete the marriage on their own. The look that crossed his bride's face told him that she wasn't comfortable with this. Simon decided he would try to make it easier for her. As she leaned in, he took a very light step forward and placed a kiss on her lips, an act he had done many times before. Well, not in the context of marriage.

As she pulled away, however, Simon felt a stinging pain in his lower lip. The pain only increased to a burning feeling, and he instinctively reached up to touch it. His fingers revealed a minor amount of blood. It wasn't a big deal, it was something that would heal over in the morning. However, it sent the entire left side of the room into a gasp of shock. He realized that the humans must not have caught on to what happened. Aavyn quickly apologized, and now Simon felt terrible for bringing her accident to everyone's attention. "Oh... no, I'm sorry. It isn't a big deal," he tried to reassure his wife and his wife alone, but he forgot that one side of the room could still listen in. How long would it take him to remember things like vampires can hear really well?

Whispers broke out around the room, starting with the creatures of the night. Simon could hear the front row murmur things like, "She couldn't even refrain from a bite of his flesh this soon... this truce will never work out," and "I hope this isn't an omen." Simon hoped that these things wouldn't upset Aavyn, until he realized that she could hear many more disapproving comments than he ever could. He felt her grip on his hands tighten and Simon pretended that it didn't hurt. He ducked his head slightly to capture eye contact with her. "Dear, don't get upset. I'm fine. This marriage will work, I promise you. We'll show them."