The Misadventures of Kade and Celine

Kade knew he wasn’t nearly as good as Emile when it came to piano, but he was confident in having a read on Celine. It was the first time he accompanied her, but she had the star power to keep a stellar show going despite him messing up once or twice. They still got a lot of applause by the end of the first set. Celine flashed him a happy grin and looked like she was about to tear up from happiness, and Kade flashed her a quick wink. He may not have been Mozart, but he knew she felt more comfortable with him that the temporary pianists that passed through after Emile died.

They had been together nearly a year, but they were so in love that Kade couldn’t believe it was real. Maybe he had never really felt love before, but they were so in tune with each other that they could almost read each other’s minds. Things had felt lonely when he was first turned and became a Mutt, especially now that he was rejected by both humans and wolves. If he didn’t have Celine, he wasn’t sure what he would do. When they bought the house together, things almost felt complete. Almost. For the past few weeks, there was a cloud of anxiety hovering over Kade’s head and a little square box in his pocket.

There were a few opportunities that he very nearly proposed, but something always came through and ruined the moment. He had almost made it down to his knee during a beautiful sunset on the beach, but at that moment a large group of children suddenly ran down to the beach and started to scream and run around. He had to pretend like he twisted his ankle or something so Celine didn’t notice the awkward gesture.

Naturally as a Dhampir and a Mutt, they didn’t always get the friendliest looks when they walked down the street together. Not that it mattered much anymore. Kade especially would get some odd looks, and he was almost sure he was the only Mutt in the city. He still looked human for the most part, but his brown eyes were more of a yellow now and his canine teeth were sharper and just a little more true to their name. He had learned to control the shifting for the most part, though resisting on full moons still made him feel sick. His shifted form wasn’t quite the beast a werewolf was, but rather a large wolf with shaggy grey and white fur. Celine didn’t seem to mind it, but he still tried to resist as much as he could. He refused to eat off the floor, anyways.

While Celine went backstage to powder her nose, he sat at the bar and chewed on a toothpick absentmindedly. Tillie moved down to where he sat and set some whiskey down for him, and he gave her a nod in thanks. She didn’t move, however, still staring at him.

“Do you need something?” he asked.

“Come on,” she scowled. “You know what I want. Have you done it yet?”

“Do you think Celine would be sitting pretty like that if I did it?” Kade asked. “No. Tried again two nights ago at dinner, but some guy at a table nearby threw up all over himself and it didn’t make for much of a romantic setting.”

“Ugh,” Tillie frowned. “That bad luck must be a Mutt thing.”

“Hey, watch it.”

“Come on, you know I mean it in an endearing way,” she teased. “Can I see it again? Please?”

Kade glanced over his shoulder to make sure Celine was still in the back before taking the box out of his inner jacket pocket and flipping it open. Tillie’s eyes twinkled at the sight of the ring Kade had picked. He felt it suited Celine well. It was a princess-cut emerald centered in a halo of diamonds and a gold band.

“She’s going to love it,” Tillie sighed.

“If it ever makes it to her with my Mutt luck,” Kade grumbled.

“I thought we weren’t allowed to say it.”

“You can’t, I can,” Kade said with a grin.

He quickly put the box back in his pocket as Celine emerged from the back, smiling and kissing him on the cheek.

“Ready to go back up there,” she asked.

“As the princess commands,” he told her, downing the rest of the drink before returning to the piano.

Things had gone shockingly well all evening, and by the time they were home Kade was exhausted. As he shook out his hair and started to unbutton his shirt, he looked at a calendar on the dresser. The next day was circled in red. Celine came up and hugged him from behind.

“You ready?” she asked softly.

“Full moon is coming whether I’m ready or not,” he sighed. “I’ll be fine. It’s not as bad as it used to be.”

“I wish we knew some others,” she said. “Maybe it would make things a little easier for you.”

“Did you know other dhampirs when you were growing up?” he asked.

“Well, no,” she admitted. “But I always had Emile and my mother. And vampires didn’t mind me so much. With you, it’s sort of like-“

“I have no one,” he finished.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

He forced a smile and turned to look at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I have you,” he said. “You’re all I need. I’ll be alright, I promise.”

“Well, you’ll always have me,” she told him. “We’ll get through the day, tail and all.”

“Fine, but I’m not fetching anything this time.”

“We’ll see about that.”