She strolled along the shore, relishing the ebb and rush of the waves and the cool dampness of sand between her toes. Her phone’s ringtone broke into her thoughts. Okay, here’s a piece of normal. She fished it out of her purse, put on her glasses and checked the illuminated display. She’d missed two calls. The interdimensional anomaly in Wilbur’s lair must have blocked the signals. This call came from the same number. Chad.
Might as well answer and get it over with.
“Hello, what now?”
“Hi, it’s me.” He didn’t project any of the brashness that had annoyed her at the reception.
“Yeah, so?” She didn’t feel in a mood to help him out.
“I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have been so pushy.”
The beer must have worn off. He sounded so pathetic she almost felt sorry for him. “Right, you shouldn’t have.”
“Can I ask you to forget it? Pretend it didn’t happen?”
Scuffing through the sand, she mulled over his plea. What the heck, why not cut him some slack? “Okay, no problem. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks.” He heaved a deep breath she could hear through the phone. “Uh—any hope you’ll give me another chance?”
She halted in mid-scuff and considered. He’s normal. Can’t get more normal. For all she knew, he might not be so bad sober and in daylight.
Who am I kidding? I don’t feel a single spark here. At the word “spark”, a flood of images rushed into her mind—lightning, auroras, whirlwinds, the void between the stars. No matter how terrifying that might be, how could she retreat from it into “normal”?
“Sorry, Chad. No hard feelings, but it’s just not happening for me. You should find somebody who’s really into you.”
“Oh,” he said even more quietly. “Okay, sorry I bothered you.”
She snapped the phone shut and trudged back to the house. If she had common sense, no doubt she would crash in one of the bedrooms and drive home the next day without another word to Wilbur. Nothing about this night was common, though. She had to face him if she wanted to face herself in the morning.
When she opened his door, she hesitated, trembling, outside the veil. He howled like an arctic gale. “Wilbur? May I come in?”
He fell silent for a second. Then, softly, “Please do.”
Shuddering, she pushed through the icy mist. She had to fight dizziness to pace across the unnaturally elongated space toward him. Kneeling, she put her arms around the nearest curve of his amorphous body. “I’m sorry I ran away. I want to be with you, maybe even try that astral flight again sometime.”
“You do not think we’re too different?”
“Of course we’re different but so are all couples in one way or another.” He quivered under her hands while she still trembled too. “Here’s what I think. You can spend only a limited time in the outside world and stay healthy, right?”
“That is true.”
“And I probably can’t function normally for more than short excursions to the interdimensional void. Even though it’s a beautiful place to visit.”
“I know.” He emitted a sigh like a gust of wind through a desolate gorge.
“We can share this space, though. This can be a private refuge for both of us.”
A cluster of eye stalks perked up and sparkled. “Could we be what you said a moment ago—a couple?”
She brushed a kiss on his silken membrane. “We can try.”
His tentacles wrapped around her and she nestled into his multi-limbed embrace. “That would make me very happy. And I will try to make you happy as well.”
A delightful tingle coursed through her. “You’ve made a great start.”
About Margaret L. Carter
Marked for life by reading Dracula at the age of twelve, Margaret L. Carter specializes in the literature of fantasy and the supernatural, particularly vampires. She’s received degrees in English from the College of William and Mary, the University of Hawaii and the University of California. She is a 2000 Eppie Award winner in horror and, with her husband, retired Navy Captain Leslie Roy Carter, she coauthored a fantasy novel.
Margaret welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Margaret L. Carter
Calling Back Love
Dragon’s Tribute
Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails II anthology
Foxfire
Heart Diamond
Lion’s Bower
Love Unleashed
Night Flight
Prince of the Hollow Hills
Song from the Abyss
Sweeter Than Wine
Tall, Dark and Deadly
Tentacles of Love
Virgin Blood
Wizard’s Trap
Print Books by Margaret L. Carter
Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails II anthology
Even Naughtier Nuptials anthology
Love Notes anthology
Love Unleashed
Maiden Flights Midnight Treat anthology
Night Flames
Prince of the Hollow Hills
Succulent anthology
Transformations anthology
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Weird Wedding Guest
ISBN 9781419945748
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Weird Wedding Guest Copyright © 2013 Margaret L. Carter
Edited by Shannon Combs
Cover design by Syneca
Cover photography by Sergey Sukhorukov/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication April 2013
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