Origin (Lux 4)

It didn’t take us long to get into Vegas and to stop at one of the tourist vendors. Kat hopped out and grabbed a handful of brochures. One of them was about the chapel. Apparently impromptu weddings were a big theme. Duh.

We had to get a marriage license.

She frowned. “I don’t want to do it under our fake names.”

“Neither do I.” I pulled up in front of the courthouse, letting the engine run. “But it’s too risky to use our real names. Besides, we’ll need the marriage license under our useable ID. You and I will always know the difference.”

She nodded and grabbed the door handle, but her fingers slipped off. “You’re right. Well, let’s do this.”

“Hey.” I stopped her. “You’re sure, right? You want this?”

She faced me. “I’m positive. I want this. I’m just nervous.” Leaning in, she tipped her head to the side and kissed me. The edge of her hat brushed my cheek. “I love you. This…this feels right.”

Air punched from my lungs. “It does.”

Sixty dollars later, we had a marriage license in hand, and we were en route to the chapel on the Boulevard. Since our fake IDs were under the images of our real selves, I’d have to change back over once we pulled into the parking lot.

The whole drive, I kept an eye out for anyone suspicious. The problem with that was that everyone looked suspicious to me at the moment. Even as early as it was, the streets were teeming with tourists and people heading to work. I knew there could be implants anywhere, but I doubted there’d be one dressed as Elvis or hidden in a chapel.

Kat squeezed my arm when the sign for the chapel came into view. The heart on the side was a nice, gaudy touch. “The Little White Wedding Chapel isn’t so little,” she said as I turned into the parking lot.

I parked the car, and as I pulled the keys out of the ignition, I slid back into the form Kat was accustomed to.

An amused smile lit her face. “Better.”

“I thought the other guy was hot?”

“Not as hot as you.” She patted my knee, then pulled back. “I’ve got the license.”

Turning to the window, I almost couldn’t believe that we were here. Not that I was having second thoughts or anything, but I couldn’t believe we were actually doing this, that in an hour or so, we’d be man and wife.

Or Luxen and hybrid.

We hurried inside and met with the “wedding planner.” Handing over our license, IDs, and the fee, we got the ball rolling. The bleach-blonde behind the counter tried selling us every package they had, including the ones where we could rent a tux and gown.

Kat shook her head. She’d taken off the hat and sunglasses. “We just need someone to marry us. That’s all.”

The blonde flashed an ultra-white smile as she leaned against the counter. “You two lovebirds in a hurry?”

I dropped an arm over Kat’s shoulders. “You could say that.”

“If you just want something quick, no bells and whistles or a witness, then we have Minister Lincoln. He’s not included in the fee, so we do ask for a donation.”

“Sounds good.” I bent down, brushing my lips along Kat’s temple. “You want anything else? If so, we’ll do it. Whatever it is.”

Kat shook her head. “I just want you. That’s all we need.”

I smiled and glanced at the blonde. “Well, there you go.”

The woman stood. “You two are adorable. Follow me.”

Kat bumped me with her hip as we trailed behind the blonde entering the “Tunnel of Love”—and boy did I have a ton of nasty comments building up in me about the name of that. I’d save them for later.

Minister Lincoln was an older man who looked more like a grandfather than some guy who married people on a whim in Vegas. We chatted with him for a few minutes, and then we had to wait for another twenty while he finished up a few things. The delays were starting to make me paranoid, and I expected an army to storm the chapel any second. I needed a distraction.

I pulled Kat onto my lap and circled my arms around her waist. While we waited, I told her about the ceremonies my kind did, which were very much like a human wedding with the exception of rings.

“Is there anything you do in its place?” she asked.

Tucking her hair back behind her ear, I smiled a little. “You’ll think it’s gross.”

“I want to know.”

My hand lingered along the curve of her neck. “It’s kind of like a blood oath. We’re in our true form.” I kept my voice low, just in case anyone was listening, though I was sure stranger things were heard in the Tunnel of Love. “Our fingers are pricked and pressed together. That’s about it.”

She lightly stroked my hand. “That’s not too gross. I was expecting you to say something like you have to run around naked or consummate the relationship in front of everyone.”

I dropped my head to her shoulder and laughed. “You have such a dirty mind, Kitten. That’s why I love you.”

“That’s all?” She wiggled down so that her cheek was beside mine.

My grip tightened. “You know better than that.”

“Can we do it—what your kind does—later?” she asked, tapping her finger on my chest. “When things die down?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. I think that would make it more real, you know?”

“Miss Whitt? Mr. Rowe?” The blonde appeared at the opened doors. I was sure the tan chick had a name but couldn’t recall it for the life of me. “We’re ready when you are.”