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She watched them all, noting that they laughed at each other’s jokes, most of which Shannah found rather macabre. When they weren’t working, they went out on the town, going to the shows, trying their luck at the gaming tables, or just wandering along the city streets like the rest of the tourists, peering in shop windows, marveling at the lights and the fountains. She hadn’t expected vampires to have a sense of humor, or to enjoy shopping and movies. Ronan had been right. The Undead were pretty much like the living, all things considered.
Shannah enjoyed their company. But she enjoyed being alone with Ronan most of all. He took her to the best restaurants in the city and kept her company while she ate. He took her shopping at the most exclusive stores, insisting that she buy whatever she liked no matter what the cost. Until she met Ronan, she had never had the pleasure or the luxury of buying new clothes without worrying about the price. Her parents hadn’t been poor by any means, but they weren’t rich, either, at least not in the way Ronan was rich.
The only time she was ill at ease was when he left her at the hotel while he went in search of prey. She knew now where he had gone all those nights back home when he’d had to go out.
She tried to accept it, to tell herself that it was normal for him, a part of his existence, and that he would die without it. She reminded herself that he wasn’t really hurting the people he preyed upon, that, unlike movie vampires, he wasn’t a ravening monster who ripped out people’s throats. But the thought of what he did to survive, what his friends did, sickened her just the same.
He had given her his blood on numerous occasions.
It was the reason for her renewed health and strength. If it wasn’t for Ronan’s blood, she knew she would be dead now. How could she condemn him for drinking blood to stay alive when she had done the same thing, and for the same reason?
He was out hunting now. Rather than wait in their room, Shannah had gone down to the casino.
There was something exciting about the lights and the noise, though she tired of it all rather quickly. She glanced at her watch, wondering how much longer he would be, wondering what the tourists would think if they knew that the dealer at the blackjack table and the pretty waitress serving drinks were vampires.
Shannah was absently feeding quarters into her favorite slot machine when Ronan found her twenty minutes later.
“Come on,” he said with a grin, “we don’t want to be late.”
“Late?” she asked, smiling. “Late for what?”
“Pete and Francine are getting married.”
Shannah blinked at him. “Married?” Vampires getting married. It was something she had never contemplated.
Ronan nodded, his expression rueful. “I can’t believe it, either, but they want us to be their witnesses.”
“Do a lot of vampires get married?”
“Not often, but it happens.”
“Do they always marry other vampires?”
His gaze rested on her face. “Not always.”
Shannah frowned. Ronan had been a vampire for over five hundred years. What if he married a vampire and they lived another five hundred years? Could any relationship possibly survive that long? Talk about being in love forever! She shook her head. Could any marriage, even the most sublime, endure for five centuries?
“Come on, love.”
Laughing, she dropped her winnings into her purse and followed Ronan out of the casino.
Taking her by the hand, he led the way down the street to a small white chapel.
Pete and Francine were waiting inside, along with Xavier, Domini, and Cleo. Pete wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie and a matching cummerbund, Francine wore a slinky red dress that was slit up the sides, matching stiletto heels, and a red hat with a short veil.
“I’m glad you two could make it,” Pete said as they entered the foyer. “Tonio and Michal had to work the late shift tonight.”
“This is kind of sudden, isn’t it?” Ronan asked, shaking the groom’s hand.
“We had the night off and nothing to do,” Pete said with a shrug. “I’ve never been married before and neither has Francine, so we thought, hey, why not give it a try for a hundred years or so and see how it works out.”
A hundred years or so, Shannah thought. Most people didn’t even live that long, yet Pete and Francine were going to spend a century or so seeing how they liked being married because it was their night off and they had nothing better to do.
Xavier snorted softly. “You will probably be tired of each other after the first fifty years.”
Shannah stared at the vampires, thinking that they were making a mockery of something that was sacred. Her great grandparents had been married for sixty-two years. She had always hoped to have a marriage as strong and lasting as theirs had been, but that wouldn’t happen now.
She stood beside Ronan, her hand in his, while Pete and Francine were united in marriage by a red-haired man wearing a gold Elvis Presley jumpsuit.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the minister said in a strong, obviously fake Southern drawl. “You can kiss her now, son, she’s all yours.”
Pete kissed Francine, then swept her into his arms. “We’ll celebrate tomorrow night,” he said, addressing his guests. “Right now, I want to be alone with my bride until the sun comes up.”
Cleo laughed. Xavier patted Pete on the back.
Ronan wished Pete and Francine well, bade Cleo, Domini, and Xavier good night, and then took Shannah by the hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go, love,” he said quietly.
Hand in hand, they walked back toward the bright lights of the casino.
“Something’s troubling you,” Ronan remarked while they waited for the street light to change.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She raised one shoulder and let it fall. “It’s just that, well, I always thought marriage was special. I know it doesn’t seem to mean much anymore. Celebrities change husbands like they change their underwear. Some of their marriages don’t even last a day! And Pete and Francine…” She shook her head. “They’re getting married because they didn’t have anything else to do tonight. It should mean more than that. People should be in love when they get married. It should mean something, a lifetime commitment. They talk about trying it out for a hundred years. I…” She blinked lest he see her tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run on like that.”
“No harm done, love.”
