“You’re getting married?” Marc’s jaw was hanging down. We were sitting in the kitchen having hot chocolate and toast. Jessica was sitting on Marc’s other side, and Tina and Sinclair were sitting on my right. I nearly sighed with the pleasure of it; things were finally getting back to normal. “A wedding? A vampire wedding?”

“You keep saying that; you sound like a crackpot parrot.”

“Better be a midnight ceremony,” he shot back.

“Yeah, I guess. That’s okay. We could do like a roses in the garden midnight theme, with masses of red and white flowers everywhere…” Was that a shudder from Sinclair? He was studying the financial pages and didn’t appear to be paying attention, but I knew damn well he was listening to every word. I narrowed my eyes and started to say something but was foiled by Tina.

“When is the date?”

“We haven’t decided yet. I thought Easter, but that—uh, well, maybe next fall.”

“Autumn’s good,” Jessica said. “We’ll need time to plan.” That was a shudder! Before I could act, she went on. “But you’re still going to live here, right? There’s plenty of room.”

“Of course,” Sinclair said absently, turning a page. “This is our headquarters. I see no reason to leave. Though,” he added with a sly look, “you might forgo rent as a wedding gift.”

“Forget it.” Jessica eyed my shoe necklace and grinned. “Well, maybe for a month.”

“Can we get back to the death and betrayal and all that?” Marc broke in. He was so intent, he dropped his toast into his tea. Oh, wait. That was the way he ate it. Shudder. “So the workers at Scratch turned on you? And you and Miss Goody-goody killed them?”

“Don’t call her that. And yeah, most of them,” I clarified. “Some of them got away while the getting was good.”

“They’re like rats that way.” Jessica saw the look Tina was giving her and added defensively, “Come on. They jump her when they think they can get away with it, then get the hell gone when it goes bad. It’s not the first time, that’s for sure.

I know you’re not getting all offended on behalf of all vampire kind.”

“No,” she admitted.

“Steps will be taken,” Sinclair said, still not looking up from the paper. What an irritating habit. I’d have to work on that after the wedding.

“Indeed,” Tina said. “With all respect, Majesty, I wish you would have said something when you left. You shouldn’t have gone there alone. It’s my place to take on danger.”

“Which one of them are you talking to?” Marc asked.

I giggled but sobered up when Eric clarified. “There wasn’t time,” he said simply.

“How’d you even know to go there?” I asked. “I’ve been wondering about that for hours.”

Jessica coughed. “I might have given him an earful.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” he said, looking wry. “I didn’t rush there to save you. I rushed there to—” He looked around at the group. We were all hanging on his every word. But then, he had that kind of effect on people. “That is a…private matter…between Elizabeth and me. Needless to say, I was annoyed to find the queen in trouble yet again.”

“One more time, pal: Not. My. Fault.”

“You always. Say. That.”

“Well, maybe after the wedding the other vampires will respect you more.” Marc saw the frosty looks and added, “Well, they sure couldn’t respect her less.”

Since I’d had that exact thought earlier, I was hardly in a position to bitch. About that. Instead I said, “I think what’s the most amazing thing—”

“Besides planning to supervise an appetizer menu for people who don’t eat,” Sinclair muttered.

“—is how remarkable Laura was. You guys. You wouldn’t have believed it. She was slaughtering vampires left and right. It was the coolest!” When Sinclair and Tina traded a look, I clarified. “Bad vampires. It wouldn’t have been as cool if she’d been killing nice, gentle orphan vampires.”

“With a sword made of light?” Tina asked.

“Uh, hellfire, I think. If we’re getting technical. And sometimes it’s a crossbow. And it appears and disappears whenever she wants it.”

“That makes sense,” Marc said. I couldn’t tell if he was joking.

“But she’s so nice,” Jessica said. “I haven’t met her yet, but that’s all you and Eric talk about, how nice she is.”

“Yes,” Tina said, “and that’s interesting, isn’t it? Is it an act, do you think?”

“No,” Sinclair and I said in unison.

“Hmmm.”

Sinclair put the paper down and picked up a pen and scribbled more of that language in the margin. At least it wasn’t a hate note. I was pretty sure. I’d never noticed he wrote everything down in Latin or whatever it was. “I suggest we get to know her better, and not just because she is family.” He looked at me. “Will be family. After the wedding. The…wonderful, wonderful wedding.”

“I’m having supper with Laura tomorrow,” I said. “I figure I owe her a cocoa at the very least. I can ask her some stuff. But she seems kind of private.”

Marc snorted. “I’ll bet.”