“Guys? We’re about to head out to get the marriage license.” Nadia was just about bouncing in place. “Did you want to come with us?”
“Of course,” Rose said. “Just let me see what’s in this one and hit the bathroom.” As she spoke, she tore open the satchel and had a look at the card. She smirked and tossed the card down on the table.
It was a code for an in-game wedding dress. Normally, players had to buy them from the in-game store for real money. This one was the top of the line, selling for fifty bucks in the store.
Rose stood up and stuffed her goodie bag into Fibber McDragon’s dimensional closet. “I guess that’s a hint,” she said. “Our plans have been on hold long enough.”
I took Rose’s hand. “Not tonight,” I said. “Your family and mine will expect to be there when we do this.”
“Of course they will,” she said. “I don’t plan on doing it tonight, but we’ve had it on hold long enough.” She and Nadia took off for the restroom while I finished the last bit of sausage and washed up.
Our taxi driver took great delight in pointing out there was almost no sign of the chaos and bloodshed Risenue caused. “A hundred thousand abandoned homes in North Vegas get trashed to hell, no one cares. Dumbass UFO cult goes nuts in the middle of town, the city shits out construction dollars like you hit a royal flush. Broken windows boarded up already. Some of them are even being replaced before morning. Crashed cars all towed out of the streets. Even the bloodstains washed away. Can’t let the tourists see that.”
“We were at the convention,” I said. “Was it very bad out here?”
“Very bad, no. Only a doomsday cult doing a mass suicide. They were satisfied just taking themselves out, thank God, so that was only kinda bad.” He snorted and waved out his window. “Anywhere else, the news people would be stroking themselves over this story for weeks. Here, it gets one or two follow-ups and then it’s forgotten. So which of you is getting married?”
Nadia patted Eric on the shoulder. “We are. Not that my mother wants to go along with it.”
“Ah. She pissed about the Vegas wedding thing?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. You the first kid to get married?”
“No. That’s the problem.” Nadia sighed and rubbed her forehead. “My sister Danya got married to Willow just after midnight the day Hawaii legalized gay marriage, but they never told anyone they were doing it. Mother found out when she saw the two of them on the news. She had been trying to reach them at home to ask if they had plans, but there they were on the nightly news, holding up their certificate. They rushed through everything to be in the first group so they could show the news cameras how happy they were with their piece of paper.”
Eric pulled her close, patting her hand. Nadia gripped his tight in return. “As soon as I said we were engaged, Mother was taking over the wedding planning. And getting married tonight was absolutely not acceptable. So, we argued. I won, but I still feel like I lost.”
“Moms do that,” the cabbie said. “What about your family, big guy? They want you to do a traditional wedding?”
Eric smiled. “I’m sure they do. They should be used to disappointment by now.”
“Tell her what a traditional wedding is,” I said.
Nadia raised her eyebrow. Eric said, “Well, back home, a pair would gain as much altitude as possible, then mate in freefall until they had to pull out of the dive while their family and friends cheered them on.”
“Skydiving naked and having sex in freefall while our parents watch?” Nadia shook her head. “I couldn’t even suggest that to Mother, even as a joke. Well, maybe as a joke…”She pulled out her phone and described the Dragon wedding to Aerin. A few moments later, she said, “Well, okay then…bye…” and hung up.
“Well?” Eric asked.
“She agreed to polymorph me into a Dragoness for the ceremony. It was preferable to digging up Elvis.” She sat back in the seat and started laughing.
Eric shook his head. “She’ll have to transform you into a drake. I have to fly in my true form, and…there are enough differences between male and female to make same-sex flights impossible.”
“I can live with that,” Nadia said. “Mother will just have to make sure I’m packing…whatever it is male Dragons pack.”
Eric and Rose looked at each other and chuckled, but didn’t comment.
The line for marriage licenses was mercifully short. Four mounted police hovered around the area, keeping order and sorting those who were too drunk to make good decisions into taxis back to their hotels.
The people in line were almost outnumbered by the chapel rats hawking the glories of the various wedding mills in the area. Nadia waved several over and asked, “Who’s got the best Elvis working tonight?” Three rats started heaping the praises on their guys; the fourth rat pulled out his phone and played Nadia a video of his guy singing “Love Me Tender” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
Just like that, we had a winner.
Nadia called the place to make sure they had a slot open and the right Elvis on duty. They did and he was, so Nadia signed her order form and waved down the next taxi. Nadia waited until we were halfway to the chapel to call Aerin with the details, but the entire family still beat us there. Even a Vegas taxi driver can’t outrun a teleport spell.
Nadia’s twin sister Natasha scooped her out of the taxi and into a changing room loaded with dresses, some of which she’d bought that morning in Monaco. Geneva slipped in to referee and pulled the door shut behind her.
Angus handed Eric a designer tuxedo and said, “Bathroom is over here. Make it fit.” He and Nadia’s brothers blocked access to the door to give Eric a few moments of privacy. Alexander appeared to be a few years older than Matthew, with a dark, Mediterranean look normally found on romance novel covers. He had two girls from Gilead with him, one on either arm. They looked amazed and a little scared. I got the feeling they had never been outside of Gilead in their lives.
Angus had to give Eric a hand with the suit, since Eric had never seen one before. The sizing was dead on, and Eric looked quite striking when he emerged. Then Nadia came out of her dressing room, and everyone forgot about Eric.
Her dress was a one-off original Gothic gown by a major-name designer. Natasha had snagged it off the runway during Fashion Week in Milan. It looked like black velvet, but when the light hit just right, sheens of amethyst and midnight blue cascaded through the fabric. The underdress and sleeve linings were scarlet silk, with gold roses blooming on a Celtic knotwork pattern of gold vines. Her shamrock-green mane had been tamed and recolored to a golden rose, held in place by a gold and ruby headdress. As eager as Nadia had been for this, she looked about to faint. Angus patted her hand and kept her steady.
The chapel’s sound guy started an orchestral version of the fourth movement of Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony
—the “Ode to Joy”—as the wedding march. Natasha slipped in front of our Elvis and launched into the choral portion. Despite having the same waifish build as Nadia did, Natasha sang in a gorgeous, opera-trained soprano. I had to wonder why she hadn’t joined Daria in performing on Broadway; that voice was a monster.
As Nadia passed us, I saw her fighting back tears and losing. I guess she didn’t know her sister as well as she thought she did.
With everyone in place, Reverend Elvis took the stage with a “Y’all be seated now.” He nodded to Natasha and added, “I dunno where you hid those pipes, miss, but that was sum’em else. Thank you, miss, thank you verra much. Ladies and genamen, it’s so good to see all of you here for this joyous occasion, especially on such short notice. Eric and Nadia met yesterday, folks. Yesterday, and that time was enough to tell them they were meant to be together. People often say they and their beloved are from two different worlds, but for Eric and Nadia, it’s just the simple truth. Sometimes two people are just meant to be together, despite what…wise men say….”
And off he went into “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time he finished.
Just as Nadia had asked, the ceremony was pure, undiluted, hunka-hunka burning Vegas cheese. They promised to set their blue suede shoes by the door, to rockin’ all the time without being a hound dog, to love each other tender and so all their dreams fulfill.
In the end, they kissed, waved to the crowd, and Eric carried Nadia down a red carpet while Reverend Elvis sang “Viva Las Vegas”. Out in the parking lot, Rose and everyone with a trace of magical talent started throwing fireworks spells into the air. Young Elvis was waiting behind the wheel of an early-fifties Chevy convertible with the top down. The lovebirds waved to us as Young Elvis swept them out of the parking lot and into the Vegas night.
The fireworks attracted some attention, but all the wedding guests were back in Aerin’s suite well before any police showed up. Those who needed to do so changed into less formal attire, and we headed down to the Second Watch for the reception.
Rose and I wound up sitting next to Gordon and Lorena. The skin on Lorena’s new legs was as delicate as a newborn’s, so she’d opted for well-worn denim jeans instead of the skirt she wanted to wear. Gordon looked far less deer-in-the-headlights than he had earlier, but he still watched everyone with a great deal of interest, studying the people around us for any sign of non-human traits.
“So, my fight coordinator is an Elf, you’re dating a Dragon, and a goddamn demon just trashed my hotel,” Gordon muttered to me. “I’ve been reading, watching, and living fantasy as long as I can remember. I’ve been playing and making fantasy games my entire life. How is it that I only find out about this stuff now?”
I chuckled. “The Elves I just found out about myself. The Dragons have been coming here for a while, but they know how to keep quiet. The Bloodmaiden…I think she just got greedy. I’m not sure on the details, but we know she tried to poach power and followers from the Virgin Mary. It’s safe to assume she wound up pissing off the wrong people.”
“The Virgin Mary.” Gordon rubbed his eyes. “I’m Jewish, so, I got nothing to say there. I wouldn’t believe any of this if…” He gently traced his fingertip across Lorena’s leg. “I’m sitting next to a miracle. Why doesn’t God do things like this? Give people a reason to believe again.”
“Apparently the rules consider miracle cures to be bribery,” I said. “Since the Bloodmaiden personally attacked Lorena, the rules allowed her to be healed. I’d just smile, nod, and go with it.”
“Just go with it. I can do that.” He squeezed Lorena’s hand again. “I’d like to do something to thank Aerin and her church. I’m just…not sure what. I don’t think I’m up to converting, but just donating cash seems kind of lame.”
I smiled. “Well, as a matter of fact, there’s a project I’d like to talk to you about…”
In short order, we had an agreement in place for Curious Diversions to become part of Avalanche. Gordon would be majority owner and CEO, Rose would remain CFO, and Nadia would continue as VP of Product Development. Llewellyn Industries would provide the staff, while Avalanche would provide several experienced designers capable of turning
Ecophage
into a functional product. I would stay on as General Manager with Gordon mentoring me in how to manage a game company.
Rose and I congratulated Nadia and Eric after they’d had a chance to eat and catch their breath. I told Nadia, “We have a solution worked out for
Ecophage
, but the details can wait.”
Nadia waved goodbye as Aerin teleported out to take Daria and Natasha back to their lives. “I think we’re going to sleep in a bit tomorrow. How about lunch in the suite?”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Just curious—are you an opera diva as well? If so, there’s a medical supply company I want to challenge to karaoke night.”
“Ah, no. I’m a decent singer, but Natasha takes after our biological father. She inherited both his talent and his work ethic. I’m better at magic. Nature versus nurture, two life paths for the same person.” Nadia giggled. “Oh, good, I’m drunk. And I’m going to enjoy it, so there.”
We exchanged hugs and goodnights with everyone as the party broke up. Rose and I headed to our room and called it a night once or twice before collapsing onto our lovely clean sheets.
I was drifting off when Rose nudged me. “Sign,” she muttered. “Doorknob.”
I levered out of the bed and put the Do Not Disturb sign out. “We’re disturbed enough as it is,” I muttered.
Rose smiled. “My Hero.” She pulled me to her, resting my head on her chest. She ran her fingers through my hair while her tongue, now long and forked like a snake’s, traced over my back and shoulders. It was a Draconic intimacy, combining smell, taste, heat sense, and electrical impulses in the skin. I smiled in the dark and shared a hazy, naughty thought with her. She giggled and, well, maxed her Endowment Slider, leaving me adrift someplace soft, warm, and welcoming.
It’s good to be the Hero.
Sunday
A camera flash went off in my face, and then two more. I pried my eyes open and smiled at Rose. “What’cha doing?”
“You looked happy,” she said. “I wanted to save it. And you get to have a reminder of these monsters. I know you like them this way, but I was afraid they’d smother you if I moved. So I stayed still all night.”
“Dragons are so considerate.”
“Of course we are, but that means I need to pee right now. Shove over.” She rolled me out of her way and scampered into the bathroom, leaving me to sit there and hold it in. Thankfully, I remembered our hospitality suite next door had two nice clean toilets nobody should be using. I bounced to my feet and headed off through the connecting door, holding a robe around my parts just in case anyone was in there. As I’d hoped, the coast was clear in both directions.
I got back to our room, muttering, “Hero needs food, badly,” and started to get dressed. Rose derailed that plan by beckoning me into the shower for a quick and soapy play date before she reset her breasts to normal. It helped with the waking up, and we were off to the buffet in good order. Trust me, set-price buffets are the best way to keep a Dragon fed.