Page 38 of Jorhee

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 thesheaves 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.

25

JOHREE

We danced, the music alternating between human and Dragonii. Midway through the dancing, household droids began placing tables and chairs in the side yard before assisting Rosie with setting up what Jesse had called a buffet, where everyone lined up, picked up a plate, and let the droids know what they wished to eat from the foods in the warming dishes, who then placed a serving upon their plates. As she handed each guest a tray for their plate, Rosie informed them they were limited to one main course and two sides until everyone had been served, and then if they wished to eat more, they were to come up for a clean plate to be served.

There was slow roasted kilt-ha in gravy, something called Swedish meatballs gifted by the Mylos, boiled and mashed tubers of various kinds including the potato from Earth, and four types of legumes from various planets within the Dragonii Empire, as well as baked macaroni and cheese made fresh using three different kinds of imported cheese from Jesse’s home nation upon his homeworld.

We and the rest of our wedding party, as well as Kaelor, were first in line and quickly made our choices and sat down.

Picking up his fork, Jesse laughed. “I can’t believe the Mylos sent a shipment of IKEA Swedish meatballs and gravy, plus jars of Lingonberry sauce, all the way out here."

“There’s also something called Daim cake and apple cake as dessert choices, I heard Rosie say.”

“Huh.” He sliced a meatball in half and lifted it to his mouth, groaning in appreciation. “Mm, this is good,” he moaned, the sound going straight to my cock, making me hungry for something else entirely. “Think we can get the recipe for these so we can at least replicate them?”

“I’m glad you approve,” Bob said, still active on Johree’s wrist comm. “You said to keep the meal simple, mentioned a buffet, and Xeranos and I just ran with it. And the food replicators already have the IKEA meatballs, gravy, and sauce, as well as their dessert and cookies, programmed into them. They were part of the exchange with the Mylos, as both Mylos and humans are extremely fond of them. There are several new recipes from Earth in the replicator database now, in fact.”

“Oh, wow. I’ll have to take the time to browse through those. All of them are safe for Dragonii, right?”

“They are indeed,” Bob confirmed.

Household droids began circulating, offering cold sweet tea, Derogian ale, and various carbonated non alcoholic drinks Jesse often referred to simply as pop whenever he had some made from the replicator. We both quickly ate our food, washing it down with some of the sweet tea, then cheerily waved our good-byes to our guests before making our escape to our bedroom, Fethri following with a plate of apple cake and a glass of tea. He placed these on the small table sitting outside our door and performed a quick sweep of our new room. Which was empty, of course, because if it hadn’t been, Bob would have alerted us, as the AI was powerful enough to perform all of his necessary duties at once, including household security for a house thatshould be empty of all but the household droids coming in and out of the staff kitchen and the occasional guest using the public toilet in the front of the house. Satisfied, he gave a small bow followed by a suggestive wink, and settled himself into the chair beside the table, positioned so he could see the staircase that led to our part of the upstairs, a solid wall between us and the public guestrooms so that the upper floor was essentially two separate halves.

No sooner had the door closed than Jesse jumped me, climbing me like a tree, his mouth frantically seeking mine. I placed my hands under his muscular ass cheeks, supporting him as he wrapped his legs around my waist, being careful to not kick my wings, and his arms around my neck. Our kiss was like none we had shared before. It was not careful nor gentle. It was frenetic, a sloppy mess of tongues, lips, and finally, even teeth as I gently nipped his lower lip before soothing the sting away with my tongue. Chest heaving, he placed his head in the crook of my neck.

“We’ve got too many clothes on, but we need to slow down so we don’t ruin these. And we probably should take these crowns off first.”

I chuffed out a soft laugh as he lowered his legs to the floor. Only when I was certain his feet were touching it did I release him and take a step back.

“There’s a safe in the closet where we can place them for now.”

“Cool. And later? In a vault at the not yet built bank?”

I shook my head. “In the courthouse.”