Her heart squeezed in her chest. “You didn’t want to go back to your home in the States?”
He shook his head. “The ranch there is gone. From now on, my home is with you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
He smiled. “How soon can we get married?”
“Soon.” She wondered why he’d bought land from Rajiv. Obviously he wanted to live close to Tiger Town but not in it. He must still have dreams of being a rancher.
She bit her lip. Somehow she would make his dream come true. It would be her wedding gift to him. She just needed a few days to pull it all together. “Let’s get married a week from now.”
Epilogue
One week later . . .
He was wearing a dress to his own wedding.
There wasn’t much that Russell wouldn’t do for Jia. After all, he’d gone to hell and back for her. He was more than ready to pledge his undying love and devotion to her in just a few minutes. But this was almost more than he could stomach.
Traditional ceremonial gown for the groom, she had called it, but it looked like a damned dress to him. Gold silk with black trim, official tiger colors, she’d told him. The gown reached his ankles and was tied with a black sash embroidered with golden tigers. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was wearing a ridiculous hat on his head that looked like a miniature black UFO. With beads.
His only consolation was that his three groomsmen, Rajiv, Zoltan, and Howard, had to wear dresses, too. In fact, it was worth wearing the damned dress just to hear Howard grumbling and growling. And the strings of beads hanging in front of his face were not so bad, since they obstructed his view enough that he couldn’t see the other guys smirking at him.
He was standing with his three unlucky, gowned victims at the top of the stairs leading to the palace. The large landing was where he would marry Jia, since it could be seen by everyone in the courtyard. Were-tigers from all over China, northern Myanmar, and Thailand had traveled to see Princess Jia marry a vampire, something that had never happened before in their culture. They were crowded into the courtyard, along with all his Vamp and shifter friends.
Jia had followed another were-tiger wedding tradition. Every young girl in the village and every daughter of Russell’s friends who was old enough to walk had been designated a flower girl. Heather Echarpe had designed Chinese-styled gowns for them all in a rainbow of colors. Bethany Echarpe and Sofia Draganesti had taken charge, like little generals minding their troops. Each girl was equipped with a basket full of flowery ammunition.
A gong sounded, signaling the beginning of the ceremony, and the horde of young girls was unleashed. They swooshed onto the scene like a monsoon of flitting fairies, raining handfuls of colorful flowers. Soon the courtyard and the guests were covered with petals, and everyone was grinning at how seriously the girls were fulfilling their task.
After the girls ran out of flowers, they sat on the stairs leading up to the palace, leaving a path free in the middle. Another gong sounded, and it was time for the boys to take over. Russell had adopted another were-tiger tradition that required three boys to bring in the rings, a ceremonial dagger, and a gold sash. Xiao Fang was in the middle, carrying a red cushion with the rings, while on either side of him, Norjee and Tino carried the dagger and sash. They mounted the steps and stood next to Zoltan and Howard.
Another gong, and the three bridesmaids arrived. Neona and Leah came down the aisle, followed by Lady Yi-soo. They reached the top of the stairs, and then the drums began.
Russell’s pulse started pounding with the drums. There she was. Jia. A mixture of love, pride, and joy filled his heart. And now he could see why he was wearing a damned dress. Her gown matched his. Even her hat matched his. He was part of the were-tiger family now. This was his home. And his new family.
She reached the top of the stairs, and he took her hands in his. Later, he would have trouble remembering all he said, even though Jia would assure him he’d said his vows correctly. At one point, the were-tiger priest used the ceremonial dagger to prick the palms of their right hands, and then, while they held hands, their blood mingling, the priest had looped the gold sash around their joined hands.
But Russell couldn’t recall any pain. All he could remember was Jia’s smile and beautiful tiger eyes glistening with tears of joy.
After the ceremony, the were-tigers set up tables in the courtyard and brought out platters of food and barrels of Tiger Juice. For the Vamp guests, there were bottles of Bubbly Blood, a mixture of synthetic blood and champagne. And for all the children, there was fruit punch and cookies.
As the Grand Tiger, Rajiv welcomed everyone and invited them back in a month for his wedding with Lady Yi-soo. When Yi-soo requested that all the flower girls return for a repeat performance, the proud parents cheered.
Roman Draganesti joined Rajiv on the stairs overlooking the courtyard and asked to say a few words. With a glass of Bubbly Blood in his hand, he gazed over the crowd, and everyone hushed.
“I am well over five hundred years old,” Roman announced, “but I’d like to tell you tonight that in the last eight years of my life, I have found more happiness than I ever imagined possible. And to think it all began when I bit something I shouldn’t have.”
In the crowd, men chuckled and women groaned.
“What did he bite?” Russell whispered to Howard.
Howard snorted. “Don’t ask.”
Roman smiled. “I am happy to report that all the VANNAs have been disposed of.”