Night Reigns

Chapter 18

Marcus had never visited the network headquarters in this region. The need had simply never arisen. But he had to admit he was impressed.

From the outside, the building possessed not one characteristic that would encourage a second glance. Set far back from the highway behind a thick wall of evergreens, it boasted only a single story. The windowless tan brick exterior appeared aged and worn. Had it lived and breathed, one would have expected to hear nothing from it but sighs of weariness.

The front door lacked windows that might allow peeks inside, though who would wander back this way he didn’t know. It sort of reminded Marcus of a storage facility for a package delivery company: wide, uninteresting, with a large parking lot behind it.

Inside was a whole other story.

Roland, Sarah, Marcus, and Ami headed for the front entrance. The immortals still wore their protective suits, and Roland carried the vampire king—covered with a blanket—over one shoulder.

Upon opening the plain, wooden door, Marcus discovered it was lined with steel and as thick and heavy as the door of a bank vault.

The small vestibule inside was enclosed in bulletproof glass he would bet could deflect a sodding heat-seeking missile. Beside a second door’s handle rested a key card swiper and a keypad for entering a security code.

Glad to be out of the sun, he pulled off his mask and gloves and tucked them in his belt. Sarah did the same, then helped Roland remove his.

Ami’s hand slipped into Marcus’s while he peered through the glass. The lobby was modern, minimalist, a collection of grays that boasted a single gathering of comfortable-looking chairs in a U-shape with large, shade-loving plants on side tables for color.

Three guards sat behind a granite-topped security desk across from the door. A dozen more served sentry duty at the elevators and staircase behind the desk. All were heavily armed.

A buzz sounded.

Sarah gripped the doorknob and pushed the glass door open. One of the men seated behind the desk rose and walked around it. Rather than a generic security guard’s uniform, he wore the standard black fatigues of a Second. Tall, thin, with broad shoulders and closely cropped auburn hair, he bore an air of authority that told Marcus he was no mere security guard. He was one of Chris’s higher-ups.

“Aren’t you going to ask us for ID?” Marcus inquired.

The man grinned. “No need. We’ve been expecting you. And even if we weren’t, I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize immortals when I see them.” He held out his hand. “John Wendleck.”

Marcus shook his hand. “Marcus Grayden.” He motioned to the others. “Roland Warbrook. His wife Sarah. And Amiriska.”

“It’s an honor to meet you all,” he said and waved toward the elevators. “If you’ll come with me ...”

The guards posted on either side of the two elevator doors watched their approach with eyes full of fascination.

Marcus nodded to them.

Smiles broke out all around.

“Honor to meet you, sir,” one offered. Several seconded the notion.

Roland, Marcus noticed, did not receive the same greeting. Most network employees tended to fear him because of the way he had terrorized anyone sent to serve as his Second.

Sarah and Ami both received warm greetings and downright flirty smiles until Roland’s eyes flared amber and he bared his fangs. Many an Adam’s apple bobbed then as the men swallowed with trepidation.

For once, Marcus supported his friend’s show of temper.

The elevator they entered was large, like those one might find in an opera house. According to the buttons inside, there were five subterranean floors.

John pressed S5. “The holding cell is on the same floor as the labs.”

Ami’s hold on Marcus’s hand tightened. Her palm dampened. Her fingers began to tremble.

Frowning, Marcus pried his hand away and wrapped his arm around her. “We can wait in Chris’s office if you’d like,” he murmured, lips pressed to her hair.

John’s perceptive gaze went from one to the other. “Perhaps, Amiriska and Sarah, you would like a tour of the building? You’re both fairly new to the operation.” He smiled. “I’d be happy to show you around, let you see some of what we do here at the network.”

Her eyes on Ami, Sarah produced a bright smile. “Thank you. That would be wonderful. I’ve sort of had my fill of vampires today.”

John laughed. “I can understand that. Amiriska?”

“Thank you. I’d like that,” she said, voice tight.

I’m sorry, she said in Marcus’s head.

Don’t be. We really aren’t doing anything other than delivering the goods. Seth will look into the vamp’s head, see what he knows, then we’re done.

A ding sounded. The doors slid open.

Marcus and Roland exited.

John nodded to the dozen men waiting beside the security desk positioned between the elevator and the hallway. All carried assault rifles. “Todd, show Marcus and Roland to the holding cell we prepared earlier.”

One of the men, garbed in black with short blond hair, stepped forward. “Yes, sir.”

Marcus glanced back. Ami looked so pale.

Sarah moved over and slid her arm through Ami’s. “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” she teased.

Roland snorted. “Is there anything you wouldn’t do?”

She laughed.

Marcus thought Ami’s shoulders relaxed just a bit as the corners of her lips tilted up.

The doors slid closed.

“This way, sirs,” Todd said.

Marcus felt Roland’s gaze as they followed the guard down a long, white hallway lit with fluorescents.

“So?” the older immortal asked. “When are you going to tell me?”

Marcus didn’t have to ask what. “When Ami is comfortable with my telling you. If she’s ever comfortable with it.”

Roland nodded. He wasn’t nearly as unbending as most people assumed. Except when it came to trusting others. Because of his history, Marcus doubted that would ever change.

It wasn’t too difficult to determine which door led to the holding room. A dozen guards were stationed on either side of it. More stood at attention across from it.

The holding room itself boasted thick steel walls. A cot rested against the farthest. Four heavy manacles, dangling from the ends of titanium chains as thick as Marcus’s wrist, were bolted to the wall above it.

A small desk and chair shared the wall with the door, out of reach of those chains.

Roland crossed to the cot and dumped the vampire king on it. “Damn he stinks,” he growled in disgust, swiping at the shoulder the vampire had occupied.

Todd hurried forward and clamped manacles around the vampire’s wrists and ankles. “Mr. Reordon should be here soon. He’s making sure all the bases are covered at the lair.”

Marcus suspected Chris would need to utilize Seth’s mind-altering capabilities on this one. Or not. Chris could sell anyone anything. If he told the authorities who arrived at the scene that he was a DEA agent and the lair was a drug den that had exploded while they were cooking meth, they would believe him. Marcus didn’t know how he managed to handle all of the paperwork and IDs and whatever the hell else he needed to convince them, but Chris always came prepared.

Hearing someone approach, Marcus looked to the doorway.

The doctor from David’s place entered. “Oh,” she said, stopping short when she saw them.

Marcus would have expected a doctor to wear slacks or a skirt with serviceable pumps beneath a white lab coat. Instead, Dr. Lipton wore low-riding jeans, a V-necked shirt that hugged her slender build, and black Converse Chuck Taylor high-top sneakers.

“Hi,” she said, stepping forward and offering her hand with a tentative smile as Todd slipped from the room. “I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself before. I’m Melanie Lipton.”

Marcus shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Lipton. I’m sorry if I scared you the other night.”

“No problem. I know you were worried about Ami.” She offered her hand to Roland. “Good to see you again, Mr. Warbrook.”

Roland didn’t take it. “You probably don’t want to touch me. I’ve been hauling his rank ass around.” He motioned to the vampire.

Following his gaze, she grimaced. “Yikes. He’s nothing like the vampires who live here at the network.” She turned back to Marcus, a clinical look entering her eyes as she appraised him. “So, how are you feeling, Mr. Grayden? You recovered far more quickly than the others, and I’ve been very curious to discover—”

Seth teleported into the room with Chris and Bastien.

Dr. Lipton jumped, then pressed a hand to her chest.

Saved by the bell.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Roland demanded, glowering at Bastien.

Seth arched a brow. “I wanted to see if he recognized the vamp.”

While Roland bristled, Bastien looked at the human in their midst. “Dr. Lipton.”

“Mr. Newcombe,” she responded with a smile.

Marcus frowned. Was her pulse racing from the scare Seth had given her or had it picked up when Bastien had turned his attention on her?

Seth’s brow furrowed as he looked around. “Where’s Ami?”

Irritation rose. “She has an understandable fear of labs,” Marcus snarled, furious at himself as well for forgetting.

“Oh, shit.” Seth scrubbed a hand down his face. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I knew it was going to take me a while to alter memories at the scene and just wanted her to stay with you where I knew she would be safe.”

“Where is she?” Bastien demanded, the bastard. “And why aren’t you with her?”

What the hell business was it of his? “She’s with Sarah. John is giving them a tour of the network.”

“They’re safe,” Roland came to his defense. “Nothing can get past the security in this place.”

Bastien raised an eyebrow. “I did.” Ignoring the growl that rumbled forth from Roland’s throat, he crossed to the cot and studied the rumpled figure upon it. “He isn’t one of mine, but I recognize him. I approached him, when I first began recruiting. I’m not sure how long he had been infected at that point, but I could tell he would be uncontrollable, that he was close to succumbing.”

“So you knew he would soon be killing innocents and did nothing,” Roland accused him.

A muscle twitched in Bastien’s jaw as he addressed his former nemesis. “At the time, I was focused on curing vampires, not killing them. Why didn’t you take care of him? He’s been in the area for years apparently. Escaped your notice, did he? A powerful immortal like yourself?” he taunted.

Roland tensed, ready to pounce.

Marcus considered joining him.

“Before you take this further,” Seth drawled, “you should know that Dr. Lipton is carrying more of the tranquilizer in her pocket. If necessary, I will instruct her to use it on both of you.”

Color rushed into the brunette’s cheeks when the immortals all glanced at her. Smiling an apology, she withdrew the hand she had tucked into her pocket and held up half a dozen syringes.

Roland sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Seth approached the cot and touched his fingers to the vampire king’s greasy forehead.

Dr. Lipton eased forward and watched curiously, her shoulder touching Bastien’s arm.

Bastien’s nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath and held it a moment. His gaze flitted over the chestnut tresses she had drawn into a casual twist, then her face, and slid down her throat to the hint of cleavage her shirt revealed.

Had Marcus not been paying attention, he would have missed the slight increase in Bastien’s heart rate.

Seth straightened. “He doesn’t know where to find the commander.”

Roland swore.

Marcus didn’t. When Seth’s eyes met his, Marcus saw something ominous in them that scared the hell out of him.

“Dr. Lipton, are there any tests you’d like to run on the vampire king before we execute him?” Seth asked.

“Yes. Could you give me forty-eight hours?”

“Of course. Have security with you at all times while you’re in this room even when the vampire is under the influence of the tranquilizer.”

Bastien spoke up. “I’ll serve as her guard and keep an eye on the vamp while he’s here.”

“The hell you will,” Marcus snarled.

“This vamp is more dangerous than Joe and Cliff.”

“She doesn’t need you to protect her. She has a building full of network guards and tranquilizers,” Marcus argued. He didn’t like the way Bastien was subtly checking out the doctor.

“Oh, fuck off,” Bastien snapped. “You’re still just pissed because I killed Ewen.”

“Children!” Seth barked.

Marcus shut his mouth. As did Bastien. Seth didn’t take that tone often, but when he did, everyone listened.

“We’re done here. Chris will see to it that Dr. Lipton is protected. Roland, see if you can find Sarah and Ami. They’re probably in Chris’s office. Todd can show you where it is. Marcus and I will meet you all in the lobby in a moment.”

Roland did as Seth suggested. More out of a desire to be with Sarah, Marcus guessed, than a compulsion to follow orders.

Once he was gone, Seth closed the door.

Dr. Lipton’s brow furrowed with uncertainty. “Would you like me to leave?”

“No. Chris brought you on board, so you should be kept informed.”

“What is it?” Marcus asked. And why was Bastien still there?

“The vampire king videotaped the battle in which you were all tranqed and gave the footage to Keegan,” Seth announced. “Last night, when the vamp returned to Keegan’s home, the commander was there instead and pulled up the footage on Keegan’s laptop. He then cut a deal of sorts with the vamp.”

“What kind of deal?” Marcus asked.

Bastien said nothing, just waited, brows drawn down into a deep V.

“He promised the vampire king power and a new army if he would bring him one thing.” Seth’s dark brown eyes met and held Marcus’s. “Ami.”

Bastien swore. “He knows what she is.”

Dr. Lipton’s pretty face filled with dismay. “He must be part of the division that captured her. There were half a dozen immortals he could have demanded the vampire hand over, yet he chose her.”

Marcus speared Bastien with a look. “How do you know what she is?”

“I was confined to Seth’s estate in England right after he rescued her.” He motioned to his ears. “Hello? Hyperacute hearing ring a bell?”

“He won’t betray her,” Seth stated.

“Are you sure he hasn’t already?”

Bastien’s face darkened as he took a step forward.

Marcus wasn’t sure whether the restraining arm Seth threw out stopped him or the hasty step backward that Dr. Lipton took.

“We need to circle our wagons,” Seth continued.

“Marcus, I want you and Ami to stay at David’s place for a while, perhaps until we can locate the commander.”

“Maybe you should take her back to England,” Bastien suggested.

Dr. Lipton nodded. “They would have no idea she had left the country, no way to trace her.”

Seth looked at Marcus. “Feel like taking an extended trip home?”

“Wherever she goes, I go,” he responded.

Seth nodded. “Talk to her about it. It’s her decision.”

“Ami.”

Marcus’s deep rumbly whisper lured her from slumber.

“Aaamiii,” he singsonged. “Wake up, my love.”

Smiling, she rolled onto her back and drew her arms over her head in a joint cracking stretch.

A low growl filled her ears. “Damn, you tempt me, woman.”

Her smile widened into a delighted grin as she opened her eyes.

Marcus sat on the bed next to her, his hip touching hers, and braced his hands on the mattress. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

She cupped his face in her hands, drew her thumbs over his smooth cheeks. “You’re beautiful.” She took in the neatly combed long hair—still damp—and pouted up at him. “You showered without me. You know how much I like lathering you up.”

An amber glow entered his warm, brown eyes. “You lathered me up many times this morning, and I loved every minute of it.” He started to lean down, then closed his eyes and launched himself from the bed.

Ami raised herself onto her elbows. “Don’t I even get a good afternoon kiss?”

He shook his head, visually devouring the pale breasts bared when the sheets fell to her waist. “If I kiss you, I’ll touch you. And if I touch you ... we won’t leave that bed or this room until sunset.”

She winked. “Sounds good to me.”

With another moan, he turned away and retrieved a large box from the chair near the door.

This room, the Quiet Room at David’s home, had become their new bedroom the day they had taken down the vampire king. Marcus had suggested it, concerned for her safety with the commander still running around loose.

Ami had been reluctant to leave Marcus’s home. The quiet. The privacy. The not having to deal with strangers dropping by at all hours.

And, for Marcus, the lack of spirits or ghosts.

Slim hadn’t been thrilled with the move either and spent most of his time hiding in the basement.

But Ami had offered no protest. It was either this or move to England. And she didn’t want to leave North Carolina. She didn’t want to live so far away from Seth, David, and Darnell, Sarah and Roland, Sebastien, Chris, Lisette, and her brothers. She had felt so alone for so long, had missed having a circle of friends with whom she could relax and laugh and shoot the breeze, had missed feeling like she was a part of something with a purpose, a goal.

All of that she had miraculously found here with these wonderful men and women who would sacrifice everything for each other. And for her.

Though only a few of them knew the truth of her identity, all knew the commander was gunning for her. And all worried for her safety as though she were family. Marcus more than anyone else. So, if he could cope with ghosts slipping from the shadows and startling him, she could cope with the uneasiness that assailed her when Seconds and immortals she had never met before stopped by.

“I brought you something,” Marcus said and placed the white box, adorned with a large red bow, on her lap.

Ami noticed then that he wasn’t wearing the usual long-sleeved T-shirt and cargo pants in which he hunted. He had replaced them with black slacks and a black dress shirt.

“You look very handsome,” she said. “But then you always do. Why are you so dressed up?”

“I have a surprise for you.” He leaned down and stole a quick kiss. “Open this, then get dressed and meet me upstairs. I’ll be in the study.”

An air of excitement hovered around him.

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He gave her another brief kiss, accompanied by a boyish grin, and left the room.

Ami opened the large box, peeled back the white tissue paper, and stared at the dress inside with wide eyes. Grasping the slender black straps, she scooted out of bed and held it up.

When was the last time she had worn a dress?

The day she had arrived on Earth. And that dress had been Victorian in its modesty and almost military in its function. Nothing like this one that would leave her arms and shoulders bare and fall so elegantly to the floor.

Eager to don her gift, Ami laid it on the bed and raced for the shower.

Marcus paced from one end of the spacious study to the other.

Lounging behind his desk, David read the latest Stephen King novel. Seth and Darnell, sprawled in two of the three chairs across from it, turned to the side so they could monitor Marcus’s progress.

Though they made a stray smart-ass comment here or there, Marcus paid little attention and didn’t rise to the bait. He paused to shift a large pot overflowing with a peace lily full of snowy blossoms an inch to the right, centering it on the reading table. His hands stilled. “Oh crap. I forgot shoes.” He stared at Seth in dismay. “I didn’t buy her shoes!”

“I’ll take care of it.” Seth vanished.

Relieved, Marcus sank down in the chair on Darnell’s other side.

The younger man grinned. “You look like a kid on Christmas morning.”

Marcus smiled. “I feel like one.” He shook his head. “Damned if she doesn’t make me feel like I’m your age again.”

“Dude, I’m twenty-seven. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Both Marcus and David laughed.

David set his book aside and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the smooth mahogany surface. “How is she doing, Marcus? The nightmares seem to be lessening in frequency.”

Darnell sobered. “Ami’s having nightmares?”

Marcus frowned at David. “How did you know?”

“She calls out telepathically.” Just as she had during her captivity. “But now,” David went on, “she calls out for you.”

Marcus wished that she didn’t cry out at all, that the nightmares would leave and never return. “She didn’t have one this morning.” Probably because they had slept very little. Now that Ami knew all she had to do to crank him up was whisper what she wanted to do to him—or what she wanted him to do to her—in his head, they spent many, many long hours making love, doing everything he had ever fantasized about.

David winced. “Damn it, Marcus. She’s like a daughter to me.”

He frowned. “Well, stay out of my head.”

“What’d I miss?” Darnell asked.

“You don’t want to know,” David murmured.

Seth popped back in. “Done. The shoes are waiting for her in the hallway, just outside the Quiet Room.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said.

Seth sank into the chair he had occupied earlier.

A door opened downstairs.

Marcus’s heart leapt, slamming against his ribs as he rose.

“Oh,” he heard Ami say, a soft exclamation of pleased surprise.

He smiled at Seth.

Seth smiled back as he and the others rose and moved to stand at Marcus’s side.

Ami’s light footfalls, normally silent, made tapping noises as she approached.

When she stepped into the doorway, Marcus lost his breath and, for many long moments, could only stare.

Her hair was its usual mop of fiery curls, a fetching contrast to the elegant formality of her gown.

Marcus swallowed. She had left it natural for him. He much preferred it to stiff, hair-sprayed perfection and had told her often how much he enjoyed burying his face in the silky tresses and combing his fingers through it.

The black gown left her slender shoulders bare. He had chosen black to reinforce her inclusion in their makeshift family, and it offered a beautiful contrast to her pale, perfect skin. The bodice molded to her full breasts, providing only a hint of cleavage. (More than once, she had expressed her astonishment over how much flesh women routinely exposed here on Earth. On Lasara, women’s clothing was far more conservative, tantalizing without exposing the goods, as she put it.) The dark material hugged her narrow waist, clung to her hips, then flared out in a wealth of material that fell to her ankles, giving him only a glimpse of the black, high-heeled shoes Seth had fetched for her.

She was so beautiful Marcus couldn’t find his voice.

Ami had to work hard not to gape when she reached the study. Marcus, Seth, David, and Darnell all wore stunning black suits, black shirts, black ties, and black dress shoes. David’s long thin dreadlocks were drawn back with a leather tie into a soft mass that fell to his hips. Seth’s wavy tresses were similarly bound, the ends brushing his waist. Darnell’s smooth-shaven head gleamed beneath the overhead lights. And Marcus ...

Marcus’s hair was tamed and confined in a tail, too, the sable softness shining against the material of the jacket he had donned since leaving her. A tie lay neatly knotted at his collar.

He was nothing short of gorgeous. All of them were. If they went out like this, they wouldn’t be able to hunt vampires because they would be fighting off the women in droves!

But Marcus most of all. He was the one who sent her heart soaring and sped her pulse. He was the one who had sparked white-hot passion within her, inspired her to find a strength she had thought never to possess again, and lit her life with laughter and teasing.

His eyes met and held hers, glowing faintly with such fierce love she thought she might weep.

“Hi,” she said, emotion choking her.

Marcus crossed the room with a smooth, prowling gait that made her think of balmy nights and beds with rumpled sheets. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as he stopped in front of her.

Heat flooded her face. “Thank you. So are you.”

He raised a hand to her cheek, offered a featherlight caress.

“Are we going out?” she asked, curious about the formal wear and, frankly, trying to distract herself from the rising need to launch herself into Marcus’s arms.

“No.” Taking her left hand in his, he slid his right arm around her waist and escorted her over to the others.

They seemed pretty somber, but ... she didn’t feel any kind of trepidation radiating from them that might warn of bad news.

What was going on?

“Ami,” Marcus said, drawing her attention once more, “I know, from the stories you’ve told me of your world, that Lasaran society is guided by rules and traditions that, in certain areas, are not unlike those of the time in which I was born. And I wanted to do this right, in a way that would best emulate the customs we would follow were we on Lasara.” He drew her hand to his lips for a kiss. “Your own family is distant. I regret that I cannot meet them in person. At least, not yet.” He motioned to his brethren. “But Seth, David, and Darnell have become your family here on Earth.”

“Joyfully,” David added in his deep, warm voice.

Ami smiled. She did consider them family.

“For this reason,” Marcus continued, “I have brought you before them to profess my deep, profound love for you, my desire to keep you by my side always, and to ask their permission to marry you if you are willing to so honor me.”

Ami’s chest swelled. With a happiness so great she wondered that her feet still touched the floor. With sorrow that this man she so adored would never meet her father, mother, or brothers. And with thanksgiving that she had found such a loyal, loving new family here.

Her vision blurred with tears. Ami bit her lip, blinked the moisture back, and smiled. “I’m willing. I’m very willing.”

Eyes flaring bright amber, Marcus ducked his head and brushed his lips against hers in a tender kiss, then turned to the others. “Seth, David, Darnell ... I respectfully ask your permission to wed Amiriska, your daughter, your sister,”—he met each of their eyes in turn—“and give you my word that I will love and cherish her always, put her happiness before my own, and protect her with my life forevermore.”

Seth held out his hand. “You have my permission, Marcus. I wish you both every happiness.”

David offered his hand next. “You have my permission as well and my congratulations on losing your heart to a woman unequaled.” He smiled at Ami. “You’ve chosen an honorable man, Ami. I could not be happier for the both of you.”

Darnell pulled Marcus into a jubilant hug. “Welcome to the family. This has been a long time coming.” He grinned as he stepped back. “Apparently you were just waiting for the perfect woman.”

Then it was Ami’s turn to be enclosed in large, muscled arms and passed to the next set as her surrogate family expressed their pleasure over her finding so much happiness after enduring such a horrific initiation to this world.

Ami wiped her damp cheeks as she turned back to Marcus.

Marcus kissed her again, then dropped to both knees. Slipping one hand into his pocket, he withdrew a ring. “Most women in our society prefer gold and diamonds,” he began, uncertainty creeping into his expression and dimming the happiness there. “But, knowing what I do of your world, I wanted this to be not an expression of wealth or status but a true symbol of our union.”

He held up a small, wide silver band whose only ornamentation lay in a dark inscription of some sort. “While gold is weak and malleable, silver is strong.”

She smiled. “Like the love we share.”

A hint of relief touched his returning smile. “Yes.”

She pointed to the dark markings etched into the gleaming metal. “I don’t recognize these symbols.”

“It’s Hebrew. The Scripture of Ruth, taken from the Bible. Loosely translated it means: Where you go, I will follow. Your home will be my home. Your family will be my family. Your people will be my people. And I mean that, Ami. I never want to be parted from you again. Should you at some point in the future find a way to return to Lasara, I will abandon my life here without a single regret and accompany you.”

“Marcus ...”

“Until such time ... my home is your home, Ami. My family”—he glanced at their smiling audience—“is your family. My people are your people.” He took her left hand in his and slid the heavy band over her ring finger. “Will you marry me?”

Overwhelmed, she nodded. “I will.” Throwing her arms around his neck, she buried her face in the warm skin above his collar. “I love you so much.”

His strong arms squeezed her closer as he rose. “I love you, too.” He sounded as choked up as she felt. “I’ve waited so long for you, Ami.”

After a long moment, Darnell cleared his throat and murmured, “Come on, guys, don’t make me cry, too.”

Ami laughed and released her hold.

Marcus took her hand, iridescent eyes glistening, lips curled in a happy smile.

“Thank you for this.” Ami motioned to the nattily-garbed men and the floral plants in the room. “And for this.” She held her hand out to display the ring. “I love it.”

“I know it would’ve been very different on Lasara, but ...”

“It was perfect,” she vowed and meant it.

“I’d like to include as many Lasaran customs as we can in the wedding ceremony.”

“Thank you, Marcus.” Happily, she swung his hand between them as she eyed her family. “All of you, thank you.”

Seth grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Well then. Let’s celebrate, shall we?”

Cheers and eager agreement ensued.

Seth and David suddenly turned their heads toward the front of the house. A couple of seconds later, Marcus did as well.

Seth sighed. “One evening! Can’t we have one evening off?”

Ami heard the front door open.

“Reordon,” Chris called from the foyer, announcing his entrance. “Hey, where is everybody?”

Since none of the men seemed inclined to answer, Ami called, “In here, Chris.”

The thump of boots hitting bamboo flooring preceded his appearance in the doorway. As soon as he saw them, his eyebrows shot up. “What’s going on?” His gaze met Ami’s. Concern flared. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

She laughed and swiped at her damp cheeks. “Marcus proposed to me. We’re getting married.”

His rugged face lit up. “Hey, that’s great!” He strode forward, clasped Marcus’s arm, and pulled him into a man-hug. Then he turned and gave Ami a bone-cracking embrace. “Welcome to the family, Ami.”