Don't Bite the Bridesmaid Read Online Free Page A

She stepped away to hand their identification to the young woman behind the registration desk.
    “The rehearsal dinner, of course. Cindy will have a few other things for us to do, too. I’m sure she has an itinerary mapped out with games, activities, that sort of thing. And the bachelor and bachelorette parties, of course.”
    “I have a little bit of a sun allergy, so I’m not sure—”
    “Not to worry, I think most of the planned stuff will be indoors. For stuff that’s not, I’m sure I can get you a doctor’s note.” She winked at him and then took back their identification. She paused before handing his back. “Sun allergy, huh? What are you, some kind of vampire?”
    He gritted his teeth and forced a small smile onto his face. “Something like that.”
    His irritation must have shown, because a frown swept away her good humor. “I’m sorry, Noah. That was thoughtless of me. I shouldn’t have made light of your condition.”
    “It’s fine. Not like I haven’t heard that joke before.” He hadn’t, because he’d never used such an excuse before, nor had he needed to. He didn’t spend enough time with humans to require an excuse to avoid the daylight. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. Besides, if she felt guilty, she was less likely to push him for more information about his “condition”.
    “Well, let’s go ahead and board. We’re supposed to meet everyone in an hour at,” she consulted a computer printout pulled from her purse, “one of the buffet areas, looks like, for a late lunch. Not sure we’ll have time to stop by the room. Let’s just send all the bags to be delivered.”
    Arguing about the bags seemed like a good way to make her suspicious, so he decided against it. He opened his mouth to ask about her family, so he’d know what to expect, but then snapped it shut. Asking about them might give the wrong impression. Like he was interested. Which he wasn’t.
    Their bags disappeared with a promise that they’d be delivered, and he resisted shooting a nervous glance after them. He chastised himself for even bothering to worry. If they were scanned or even rifled through, the blood would look like nothing out of the ordinary in what appeared to be old shampoo and conditioner bottles. And they wouldn’t leak, because the bottles—despite their commonplace appearance—were specially designed to carry blood.
    He walked with Alice through the windowed walkway and onto the ship. The lines had grown while they checked in, and he was glad she’d thought to arrive early. The idea of an hour in a line like that, surrounded by people, made him itchy.
    The cruise ship was exactly what he’d expected: gaudy, brilliant, and fake. Brass colored metal bars ran everywhere, keeping patrons from falling to their deaths off walkways into common areas. Purple and maroon carpets, beaten down by the feet of thousands of travelers, covered the floors.
    He loathed it.
    But Alice grinned at the false luxury surrounding them, and even laughed at the sight of a garish fountain that sported a lion’s head with a stream of water cascading from its roaring mouth. For a brief moment, he wondered if he’d misjudged her.
    No. Bad taste and all, she was still dangerous.
    “God, isn’t this terrible?” she asked, pointing out an abstract sculpture of geometric designs crisscrossing, brightly colored to match the decor surrounding it.
    “I thought you were enjoying the place.”
    “Oh, it’s horrible. I love it.”
    The opposing sentiments of her words didn’t seem to bother her, so he didn’t push for clarification. If she could love and hate it, who was he to call her crazy?
    They turned the corner into the dining area, and a loud scream sounded from across the room. A tall blonde, at least six inches taller than Alice’s five-foot-three inch frame, flung herself into Alice’s arms. And high-pitched chatter, streaming almost too fast for him follow the actual words, filled the air.
    A couple of