16. From This Moment On.

At least now, I knew roughly what to expect and how to take it a little easier, but Salvatore, being what he is, didn't work out that way. He came to pick me up for lunch the day before I arrived at the Texas mansion. We had rented a wedding venue nearby and were going to spend the night there.

Jake, Magnum, and Rob were just coming over when Magnum wanted to show us that everything was fine. All three of them understood how hard we were hitting them, but they were furious at me for always sacrificing myself. We were laughing as Jake was telling us about a gig that had gone about as wrong as it could go just because of how he's afraid of rats.

He had to abort one easy blasting gig because they were supposed to go there via an old sewer, and there had been rats in there. Magnum and Rob were having a blast as they teased him about it. I promised Jake to get him a pet rat so he could see that there was nothing to be afraid of rats, but Jake was less impressed by me. 

I didn't know Damon was coming in. I heard the door closing and his footsteps as he came in.

He walked into the room and said, "Oh, darling, you have company or whatever. Well, sorry guys, now I'm going to rob my future wife, and we're going into town for a bit." 

He had a very sharp tune in him. He was less happy that I was laughing my ass off with these guys; he probably felt like an outsider. But not for long. His voice was silky smooth, so I got up and went to get my bag. For some reason, all three men left quickly when I got my bag.

We went to his car. He was driving and I could sense tension in him. I didn't push him at all. Most of all, I was curious about what this was all about. He parked his car in the garage.

We walked into town, and Damon took me under his arm and said, "Just thinking about tomorrow, darling. I'm going to do a little demonstration. It's not hard for me at all. You can believe that."

He led me to a bench to sit on and started walking. He walked up to a woman, spoke to her for a moment, and walked away. The woman started to walk and a few steps further on she fell down - dead because I didn't hear the beating of her heart. I didn't have time to react when I saw Damon talking to a young man, and he walked away. It was the same thing. The guy dropped dead in less than a minute. Then he was with an older man in a suit, and this time he showed how quickly and effectively he stabbed the man in the lung and he didn't feel a thing.

Damon walked over to me, grabbed my hand, and we walked on. He had killed three people in cold blood just to show me how easy it was.

He said, "Oh darling, I think Rob and Jake are coming to the wedding, and Jarod, of course, won't notice; as you can see, I telepathically prevent the victim from feeling anything at all. "

His voice was cold as ice, and there was a glint in his gaze. So I knew that there would not be a very relaxed wedding, but it was once again a balance of horror. 

I was being nice. I wasn't saying or thinking anything about it being a relaxed wedding. It would be our wedding, as epic as our love.

I was normal for the rest of the day when Damon didn't go anywhere but stayed with me. We didn't fuck because he had other things on his mind, and he controlled himself so beautifully. I told him what Mimosa had told me about the fish and Damon thought it was interesting that guppies are fucking machines, and they still praise me, baby. He said it was supernatural. I somehow didn't really understand what he was referring to, but it was something not so important as our wedding got closer by the hour. 

I was in the kitchen getting a drink when he came in, leaning lazily against the counter and letting his hand run over the big fucking knife. I took a Coca-Cola, although I'd been thinking about drinking something else. Like I said, this was on the edge, and rightly so, just in time for our flank wedding. It's as if he saw me almost as his opponent, and the whole point of the wedding was to show me how he could control me. We slept side by side, with him holding me in his arms as usual.

As soon as the sun began to rise, I was jolted awake by Damon's excitement. Today was our big day, and he couldn't contain his energy. Even though I was still groggy, I couldn't help but feel a rush of anticipation as well. After all, we were leaving early in the morning to head to our wedding venue.

We hopped in the car and drove for 35 minutes until we arrived at the courtyard of a magnificent castle. My eyes widened in amazement as Damon turned to me and said, "Surprise, here is our castle. I bought us a castle in Texas where we're going to have our wedding reception. What do you think, darling?"

I was absolutely speechless for a moment, trying to take in the grandeur of the castle before me. Finally, I managed to sputter out, "Wow, Damon. This is our castle? What are we going to do here for years to come?"

The possibilities seemed endless. I imagined walking through the castle's halls hand in hand with Damon, exploring its nooks and crannies, and making memories together. But for now, we have a wedding to prepare for. So we headed inside the castle, ready to get dressed for the big day.

We're going to do a lot of things there. There were so many things that I couldn't even imagine at the time. Good and bad. Like my life usually would be. One hell of a rollercoaster of very deep dark times, and then again, my soul would sing, sear into the sky with love, lust, and all the wonderful things in our pack life. 

As we entered the castle, Damon led me to a magnificent dressing room adorned with exquisite paintings and intricate carvings. He then escorted me to an indulgent herbal bath, which he had personally prepared. He whispered that he reserved this rare bath only for the most distinguished women. The scent was fascinating, and I couldn't recognize the herbs used in the concoction. They seemed to be of an ancient origin, perhaps even from a forgotten era.

While I was in the bath, Damon came in and squatted down by the side of the tub and said, "You're on the pill, aren't you? Remember to eat it. And darling. If there's ever a time when I ask you if you're on the pill, lie or twist the truth enough that I don't catch you in a lie. This may seem like an odd request, but can you promise me that you will continue to eat contraceptives no matter what I say or do, darling? Promise me."

Fine. The fact was that I was on the contraceptive pill. Samuel's team had developed it, but it had to be taken once a day.

I said, "I promise I'll eat the contraceptive, and I'll keep eating it, and I'll lie to your face about it if I have to." 

Damon looked at me for a moment and said, "Good. I am what I am, and sometimes I feel like I have no control over myself, and then I can be vulnerable to things like witches, and they can have some pretty nasty things on their minds. But I'm glad you promised. Damien will be a part of me or whatever, and he may want to have children with you, but don't ever let that happen. I promise you, darling, we will have children one day, and when your cat side comes out a bit more, we will make kittens. "

Yes, I would find out in time that this man of mine really does keep his promises.

I got up from my herbal bath and wasn't allowed to dry myself in a towel when I was supposed to dry naturally. So I sat naked on the bench while Damon dried my hair and then put it in an elegant hairdo.

When I was dry, all I had to do was put on my lingerie, no bra. It's pretty much non-existent, and then a dress. It was silk and satin.

Deep golden color with black trim. Adam and Samuel came to dress me while Damon went to dress himself. The heavy dress was pulled tight around me with the help of the laces. Everyone would see how thin I was again. Well, that's okay. People would have something to be jealous of. Or something. My shoes were very high heels and bright red. And my nails were electric blue. 

Damon came into the room, wearing black clothes with the same embellishments but in my gold. Oh, we were the perfect couple. He came in and put on my jewelry. The tiara in my hair and the other jewelry.

As we stepped into the horse-drawn carriage, the sound of hooves clapping and voices murmuring echoed in the streets. We slowly drove towards the church, and I couldn't help but notice the curious gazes of people on the side of the road.

Some even took a moment to stop and watch us pass by. As we made our way, I could see that the press had gathered to document the event. Meanwhile, Adam, Bran, and a few others followed us in a car behind the carriage. It was a beautiful and surreal experience that I'll never forget.

As we arrived at the church, I was struck by its grandeur. It was a massive building, and I could see that guests were already pouring in. I knew that there were celebrities in attendance, and with so many people around, I realized that I might not be at the center of attention. Nevertheless, I was excited to be there and couldn't wait to see Damon.

As we made our way to the back of the church, I noticed that the press was everywhere, taking pictures of us. Damon and I decided to stay out of sight for a while, so I went into the front room to get ready. That's when Samuel came up to me. He was going to walk me down the aisle. I was touched by his gesture, and it made me feel more at ease.

However, I couldn't help but notice that Damon didn't seem to approve of Bran. I wondered why that was, but I didn't dwell on it for too long. It was time to get ready for the wedding.

As the music began to play, the doors opened, and I began to walk slowly and gracefully down the aisle to the altar. I was nervous, but I tried to stay calm. Mimosa walked beside me on the other side, and I was grateful for her support. I saw Mirella in the front row, dressed quite modestly and clearly irritated. I wondered what was bothering her, but I didn't have time to think about it for too long.

Finally, I reached the end of the aisle, and Samuel delivered me to Damon's side. I felt relieved to be there, and I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be.

The church was huge, and my gorgeous dress sparkled in the soft lights. Now, for some reason, I wasn't thinking about sedatives; I was just enjoying this beautiful wedding. 

As I walked down the aisle, I couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. The church was filled with rows of pews, each one occupied by a family of vampires, werewolves, celebrities, and other important people who had been invited to see our wedding. Nick and Elias, Rebecca, and there was a fourth; I guess this is Cole then and friends who had gathered to witness this special ceremony. As I reached the altar, all eyes were on me, and I knew that the chosen ones were here to witness the union of two souls.

I was wearing a stunning dress made of the finest silk, which shimmered in the light. The dress was a beautiful gold color and had intricate black embroidery that ran from the décolleté down the sides to the hem. The hem of the dress was made of heavy gold satin and was layered with black lace in its many layers. The waist of the dress was of black silk, and it had an internal corset that gave me a perfect hourglass figure.

My hair was partly gathered on top of my head, with most of it falling down my back in loose curls. The back of the dress was not too open, but the neckline was quite generous, adding a touch of elegance to my overall look.

As we listened to the priest's speech, my heart was beating fast with anticipation. Then, it was time for the vows. Damon looked me straight in the eye and said the words that would change our lives forever. 

"Darling, you took me back when I made the biggest mistake of my life. I will not promise you that I won't be an idiot and make the same mistake again. But I do promise to love you now and forever, no matter what or who comes between us. You are mine, always and forever. Like our love, it lasts and is eternal. I promise you that. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, you are mine to hold, mine to cherish, mine to protect."

I felt my eyes fill with tears as I looked at the man I loved more than anything in the world. It was my turn to speak, and I knew that the words I spoke would be the most important ones of my life. We did have press coverage, and I was a little vengeful of Damon's and Petra's weddings in Notre Dame, though Petra was dead and gone. Still, I wanted to win, so I put in my best effort.

"Damon, I love you, always and forever—my entire existence. I will always be yours, forever, because we are soul mates. There is a bond between us that will never be broken. Never to be lost. This bond binds me to you. I will never drift as long as you are my true soul mate. And if you make the same mistake again, you'll see that so will I, and I'll always take you back. Damon Salvatore, my soul. The object of my love. I give myself completely to you. Always and forever. Even if you ever find another, know that you have my heart, you will break it and you will mend it. You love and you teach, you lead and you possess. I am trying to remind you to be less of a fool."

As we stood facing each other, we exchanged rings and sealed our love with a kiss. The moment felt surreal as if we were meant to be together from the very beginning. Our love was pure and eternal, and we knew we were destined to be together always and forever.

The silence that followed was broken by the sound of bursts of tears from the audience and people wiping their eyes. As I looked at Damon, I noticed his eyes flash, and his mouth curve into a very slight, very deceptive smile. It was clear that he was overwhelmed with emotions, just like me. He was also getting ready for the main event.

Then, the priest instructed us to put on our rings and kiss each other, after pronouncing us husband and wife. My ring was a thing of beauty, a huge diamond that sparkled and shone with an otherworldly brilliance. I noticed that it now had sapphires all around it, and I somehow knew that these stones had come from my safe deposit box. Damon had made yet another ring for me, showing his love and affection in the most beautiful way possible. 

In return, I had given him a thick gold ring adorned with haematite and bloodstone for his vampire side and emerald for his werewolf side. I had also added a dark red diamond from me, a symbol of my love and commitment to him. I had gotten one of my friends to make this ring, and this was my design. Damon looked at the ring with a mix of surprise and attention, and I could feel the love and admiration he had for me. It was a little 1-0 for a husband, and I knew that we were going to be happy together forever.