Page 26 of My Big Fat Vampire Wedding

“Oh, right. Of course,” she said, moving out of the way, only to find herself secured around the waist and pulled against his firm body, his lips crashing down on hers.

She melted into him, her hands sliding up his arms, holding on as his kiss grew warmer. But just for a moment. Then he was lowering her down onto her feet, giving her a soft smile that made her belly flip.

“You ready for this?” he asked, low enough for just the two of them to hear.

“No,” she replied, leaning forward to bump her forehead into his chest.

“It’s gonna be fine.” His hand went to the back of her neck for a second and she could almost swear she felt the brush of his lips on her hair. But surely that was just her wishful thinking.

“Oh, Victor!” Ravenna cheered, rushing down the foyer, her low heels clicking on the tiles, her arms outstretched.

“Ravenna,” Victor said, greeting her back. “So nice to see you aga—”

He lost the rest of his sentence as Ravenna yanked him against her and just about squeezed the air out of his lungs before kissing him hard on each cheek.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? You make me wish I was five hu … fifty years younger. Come in out of the cold! We can’t wait to meet your parents.”

With that, she rushed off to get Victor a glass of wine as Pandora led him into the sitting room.

“You must be Henrietta,” Victor said as he immediately spied Pandora’s aunt on a sofa with half of her dogs sitting next to her or on her lap and the others on the floor at her feet, chewing at her rubber clogs. “I’ve heard so much about you,” he said politely.

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Henrietta said, holding out her hand for a kiss. Which Victor managed to pull off after a moment’s hesitation. “They don’t like men,” Henrietta said when Victor tried to pet one of the dogs, only to get snarled and snapped at. “Smart that way,” she added with a little chuckle.

Pandora led Victor across the room toward her uncle and his boyfriend, who had untangled themselves from Reginald.

“You must be Leopold and Cody,” Victor said, giving them each a hearty handshake. “You’re not historical reenactors?” he asked as he looked at their outfits.

Leopold’s brows pinched and he opened his mouth to speak, but Cody was quicker, slapping the back of his hand into Leopold’s chest and replying with all of his light, easy charisma.

“Oh, not us. We like modern times a little better. Did Reginald tell you about that scene from that Black Death play he worked on?” he asked smoothly.

Thank goodness , Pandora thought, feeling her shoulders relax. She had two more people to act as a buffer against the more eccentric family members.

“That must be Lucy,” Pandora said, hearing another knock and pulling Victor along with her toward the hallway.

But Ophelia was already at the door, opening it to reveal another visiting family member.

“Oh, no,” Pandora said, eyes going wide as she looked at Great-Uncle Dudley.

He was a tall, thin man who wasn’t aware any shade other than midnight existed, so he wore it from the top of his top-hat-covered head to his leather shoes.

He looked like he’d stepped out of some gothic novel.

Or, Pandora thought with rising panic, like a stereotypical vampire.

“What’s wrong?” Victor asked. Then, when she didn’t immediately answer, “Is that a cockatoo on his shoulder?”

Yes, yes, it was.

And there was the problem.

Well, Dudley himself was a bit of an odd duck. But not worse than the rest of her family – just in a different way.

It was the bird that was going to be a problem.

Because if she thought the feud between her aunts Ravenna and Henrietta was bad, it had nothing on the decades-long bone-deep hatred between Vlad and Uncle Dudley’s cockatoo, Elizabeth.

Unlike Vlad, Elizabeth wasn’t immortal. But birds like her easily lived eighty or more years naturally with good care. And Elizabeth had spent every one of her fifty-six years becoming an absolute menace to society. And trying to mate with a very uninterested Vlad.

“Vlad hates that bird,” Pandora told Victor as Elizabeth let out an ear-splitting squawk.

Pandora’s head turned to the side to find Vlad suddenly lift off of his perch, flying into the foyer, his wings ruffling her hair as he mumbled something that sounded a heck of a lot like a particularly nasty curse as he went.

He wasn’t quick enough, though. Elizabeth saw him, took flight herself and went after the poor raven, her yellow crest up high, ready to start some trouble.

“Was that Elizabeth I just saw?” Dante’s voice sounded from behind Pandora. He looked like he’d just emerged from bed, but clearly hadn’t had a restful sleep, judging from the purple smudges under his eyes.

“Yeah,” Pandora said, grimacing.

“That’s going to be fun.” Dante nodded at Victor. “Hey, Victor. Your parents here?”

“Should be any minute,” he said as Henrietta came bustling out of the back of the house, cradling one of her dogs to her chest as she made a beeline for Dudley.

“That rat with wings of yours!” She rushed to catch up with Dudley as he actively tried to avoid her. “Don’t you walk away from me!”

“Just breathe,” Victor said, rubbing a hand up and down Pandora’s spine.

She’d been so distracted that she’d forgotten to pretend to breathe. She tried to humor Victor as she took a few slow, deep breaths. But mostly, she was just enjoying the feel of him casually touching her. Even if her body was having anything but casual thoughts.

She might have even leaned into him and let out a little mewling sound, if the knocker hadn’t sounded through the house at that very moment.

“Just keep breathing,” Victor said as they both moved together, as a couple, toward the door.

“Mum, Dad.” Victor greeted his parents.

Victor was the perfect melding of them both. He was tall and fit like his father, with the same strong jaw and broody brows. But he’d inherited his mother’s thick, dark hair and gorgeous green eyes.

“This is Pandora. Pandora, this is Mary and Robert,” he said, waving toward his parents.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Mary said, reaching to shake Pandora’s hand.

Robert did the same. Everything about them was a little stiff, standoffish.

Pandora couldn’t tell if it was simply their nature, if they were feeling shy about the party, or if they just didn’t like her.

Though she went ahead and latched on to the last one.

For funsies. Because she wasn’t stressed enough.

“Mary, Robert, these are my parents, Ophelia and Lucian. Mum, Dad, this is Mary and Robert.” Pandora introduced them when her parents made their way into the foyer.

Pandora couldn’t help but see the contrasts between the couples.

Mary and Robert were dressed nicely, but in an understated way, in simple slacks. Mary had on a jumper; her husband had opted for a sleeveless jumper over a -button--up shirt. They stood with a few feet between them, never once touching.

Then there was Ophelia and Lucian. Ophelia was in another of her velvet, floor-length gowns in a wine colour that hugged every curve.

Lucian was in an all-black suit, complete with some fine gold jewelry.

And the two clung together as close as newlyweds, as if being apart from each other physically hurt them.

Pandora knew she wanted a relationship like her parents had. Deep. Everlasting.

But she’d chosen one like Victor’s parents. A little cold, detached, businesslike.

“It’s going well. Chin up,” Victor said, his breath teasing the shell of her ear as he turned to whisper to her, his hand sliding across her lower back.

Still feeling a bit depressed over the whole situation, she let herself lean into him. She even allowed her hand to slide up to rest on his chest as their parents exchanged pleasantries.

“Oh, why didn’t anyone tell me they were here!

” Ravenna came rushing out of the kitchen, her curls bobbing.

“Oh, Victor looks just like you!” she said, barreling forward to wrap the unsuspecting Mary and Robert in a spine-crushing hug.

“It is so good to meet you,” she added as Victor’s parents’ faces were mirrored masks of surprise and discomfort.

“Let them breathe, woman, would you?” Uncle Reginald said, pulling his wife back so he could thrust his hand toward Robert. “That’s my wife, Ravenna. I’m Reginald.”

Clearly, Victor had told his folks about her family’s “acting” careers. They seemed less shocked by their outfits and more amused. Or even, on Robert’s part, impressed.

“Nice to meet you. That is quite a costume,” Robert said, nodding. “Very accurate. Though, mismatched,” he added, making Reginald frown.

“Dad’s a bit of a history buff himself,” Victor said.

“Are you now?” Reginald asked, using Robert’s hand, which he was still holding, to pull him toward the sitting room.

“Dante,” Pandora whispered, then nodded her head toward the two retreating men.

“On it,” Dante said, giving her a wink, then following behind the men.

“Oh, my. Is someone screaming?” Mary asked as the sounds of Elizabeth’s squawking carried through the house.

“Oh, that’s just Elizabeth,” Victor said. “Pandora’s uncle’s cockatoo.” Ophelia’s brows pinched, likely wondering how Victor knew about such a distant relation.

Good , Pandora thought.

Maybe she would stop being suspicious or trying to sic Elias on her as if she truly believed they had a deep connection.

“Mary, can I get you a drink?” Ravenna asked. Then, before waiting for an answer, she grabbed the other woman around the waist and pulled her along to the dining room.

“Victor,” Lucian said, his face no softer with regard to a man he wasn’t sure he approved of yet.

“Lucian, Ophelia, may I borrow you for a moment?” Elias suddenly butted in, making Pandora’s posture relax.

“Of course,” Ophelia said without another glance in Victor’s direction.

“What was that about?” Victor asked as Pandora reached down for his hand and drew him with her toward the oversized storage cupboard at the end of the hallway.