24. Jesse
JESSE
Gone was the put together, always calm Johree that I was familiar with.
Something primal had been unleashed in him.
Like the dragons they reminded us humans of, he roared, his chest reverberating with it.
I felt it all the way to my bones, and as he carried me, roaring out his claim of possession, I found I wasn’t frightened at all.
I was exhilarated. I opened my eyes and drank him in.
His eyes were absolutely feral now, and something told me that if I’d been another Dragonii, I’d probably be roaring my claim right back or calling out in submission.
Well, I certainly was not a Dragonii, and I somehow doubted my feeble by comparison “rawr!” would bring the man back from within the beast. So I tried another tactic and kissed his jaw. His reptilian gaze turned to regard me, and I grinned happily.
“There you are!” I said cheerfully. “You sexy beast, this is fun! You’re gonna have to take me flying some more!”
He grinned mischievously before putting on a burst of speed and executing a barrel roll.
“Yeehaw! This is even more fun than them swings at the county fair! I always had to ride those, and I thought that felt like flying, but, baby, they ain’t got nothin’ on you!”
He chuckled, slowing. “Sorry if I scared you at all.”
“Mm, the take off was a bit hairy, but I’ll get used to it.”
“If you truly wish to fly with me, we could get a harness made to fasten you to my chest.”
“Oh! I could face outward and see absolutely everything then!”
I looked down, really happy that I was not afraid of heights at all. “I see the house over yonder. Where are we now?”
“Over the fields that belong to your ranch. I thought you would like to see them. See the fenceline to your left?”
“The one with a house and some dome thingy and a bunch of little critters in a pen?”
“Yes. That’s the boundary on that side. It goes all the way to the spaceport on the other side, and ends at a wheatfield owned by Medredi and his mate, Grikla.”
“Plenty of land for a few horses and some kilt-ha.”
“Yes, indeed.” He banked right, taking us back towards our waiting guests. “Today we celebrate and complete our claiming of each other. Tomorrow, we can talk horses and kilt-ha and buildings for them.”
He wasn’t getting any argument from me on that. I just hoped Socks and Meadow were going to be living in those future stables and grazing in the pastures. They would too, if I had anything to say about it.
“Be at ease, Jesse," he said, bending to press a kiss to my lips. “Things are in motion for reclaiming your steeds.”
“See? This is why I love you. Well, one of the reasons. You knew exactly what I was feeling and thinking right then and had already made sure something was being done about it to make me happy.”
We came down, his feet running as they helped slow his momentum. Coming to a complete stop at last, he put me down, standing me on my feet.
“Look at us, our hair is all messed up,” I laughed, trying to help smooth his. He chuckled, ducking away.
“Sort your own out,” he replied.
“I’m not the one with long hair,” I retorted, already smoothing my hair back into place.
“Ready to cut the cake?” Bob’s voice called out from Johree’s wrist.
“Yeah, yeah,“ I replied, tugging my husband’s hand back into mine now that he’d gotten his hair back under control, as had I. His tail snaked over to curl around my leg, his wings still out, albeit folded back.
“Regular you is hot, but with your wings out, you’re unfairly super sexy,” I informed him.
He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Then you’ll love how I cocoon you in them while I claim your body.”
Heat coursed through me, imagining it.
“Damn it, no boners while they’re still filming and taking pictures!
“ I scolded him, prompting a surprised laugh from a nearby colonist who overheard us. The crowd had moved to the side yard of our house where the porch by the back door was, all two stories of it wrapping around half of one side and the entire back of the house so we could sit outside and see both the prairie and the spaceport. The three tier cake had been placed on the lower back porch close to the steps leading down into the yard and removed from stasis. I had to hand it to Bob, it was a very nice looking cake, with a simple spray of red roses and baby’s breath on the top and sides.
Next to it on the table was one of those big ceremonial knives folks used to cut the cake for pictures, so we duly posed and together cut the first slice, plated it, and then fed each other bits with a fork.
None of that silly cake smashing business or stuffing it with fingers into each other’s mouths.
No, this was a romantic as hell, photo op worthy moment for our wedding album where we each had a fork and fed each other at the same time.
“Aww!” one of the colonists said, and I didn't look to see who because I didn’t care. This moment was all about us and getting to be all gooey and sweet.
We took our bite, then retreated off to the side to keep sharing the large slice we’d cut while Rosie expertly began slicing and plating up the rest of the cake, taking the top tier off first and putting it back into stasis along with the fresh flowers adorning it.
Bob began to play music through the speakers hidden in the eaves, keeping it soft so folks could get their cake and eat it without interruption.
I knew he’d been keeping an eye on us when we took the last bite, and Johree put the plate down on the porch railing as Bob suddenly said, “Riddle me this!”
“Oh no,” I groaned quietly.
“I am a symbol of unity, of love that’s bloomed. I go up the aisle and through the room. There are two of me, but I'm not a bride or a groom. What am I?”
Silence greeted his question.
“Nobody? Okay then, I’ll tell you! A pair of rings! Hold up those hands, boys so everyone can get a good look at yours!”
We laughed, holding up our hands to show off our rings. A cambot zoomed in closer, no doubt busy broadcasting this to the entire galaxy still.
“Those are beautiful," Kaelor said, admiring them as he came to stand by us. I didn’t miss how he was busy sneaking Buster a bit of cake, either, but the red velvet didn’t contain chocolate as it had been made with carob instead, and neither did the rich buttercream frosting, so I let it slide.
“Titanium and black onyx embedded with xylerian to give the effect of stars,” I informed him proudly.
“The same jeweler who made my crown crafted them.” In fact, my crown was made of the same material, the titanium forming the circlet stems of the sheaves while the heads of the wheat, the horses, and Buster, as that was who I definitely knew it was intended to be, were carved from the onyx.
I was also pretty certain the two horses were Socks and Meadow, which made me love the darn thing despite the weight of the office it represented.
“And now, our grooms will start the rest of the evening’s fun with their first dance.”
I’d been at a complete loss as to what songs to choose, and Xeranos and Bob had promised to make me a playlist that was suitable. Hearing the first crooning sounds that accompanied the opening bars, I knew they had hit the nail on the head.
“May I have this dance?” I asked my beloved.
He smiled gently back at me, holding out his hand in agreement.
I took it, and he led me out into the yard where the crowd had parted, leaving us space to sway and turn while entwined in each other's arms as The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody played.
When his wings came around me to shield us from sight so we could have this moment entirely to ourselves, I knew perfection.