Page 74 of Caveman Alien's Terror

“I do,” I state loudly, and my voice echoes from the flat side of the Mount.

“I do,” Praxigor rumbles calmly when it’s his turn, and the world trembles with the words. The sincerity in his voice brings tears to my eyes. He’s totally serious about this.

Shaman Melr’ax declares us married, his voice clear and strong. I know him well, and I can see this simple act of officiating at our wedding takes its toll on the old man. But there was no way around it when he insisted.

Right until this morning, we were prepared to get married outside the village. The cavemen are still highly skeptical of Praxigor, and would prefer to not have him inside the walls.

Then at sunrise we were told to have the ceremony in the same spot that’s usually used, right by the totem wall. It made me happy.

We turn around to receive the congratulations of the Borok tribe. There are Tretter men here and there, as well as Krast men and Foundlings and representatives from a couple of other tribes, too. I’ve never seen the village this crowded. And I don’t think it’s because of me. Everyone wants to see the dragon.

“Thank you,” Praxigor rumbles to the audience.

The girls clap and cheer as well as they can, but the cavemen are subdued and mostly nod or knock on the scabbards of their swords. They’re not at all sure about letting a dragon into their village, and having Praxigor marrying their future shaman has to mess with their minds.

But he has behaved perfectly well, mostly staying in his humanoid form and only Changing to his dragon form once, staying away for hours on some mysterious errand. After a short conversation with me, Korr’ax, the girls, and Shaman Melr’ax, he even persuaded the Borok men that he was not going to hurt them. I can see they only half believe it, and they’re all acting nervous. It’s as if I went into the jungle and came back with what they fear the most. As if I went into a cage and came out holding the lion and bringing him home.

I’m fine with that. He’s more dangerous than the whole jungle.

“They love you,” Praxigor whispers. “If not for you, they would be hunting me right now.”

“It’s the least they can do,” I tell him. “After I brought back the most spectacular male they’ve ever seen.”

The sun shines on my white dress, the one that’s made from a fine, very rare fabric that is reserved for weddings but which not all the girls have used. My hair is up, and Alba had a great timewith it, inserting flowers and ribbons and making me look better than I ever dared hope.

The dragon can’t be made to look better than he does just being natural, although I’d love to see him in a tux. Oh well, maybe one day.

“Well done,” Bonwen says, hurrying over to congratulate us. “You have secured the last single woman on Xren, Praxigor. I didn’t think that would be possible, but it figures that it would take a dragon to snatch her. Nothing less would do.” She hugs me. “Good going, tunnel girl.”

“Are you implying that my wife is picky?” Praxigor asks with dangerous mildness. “Because I agree. You have no idea what I had to go through to get this far.”

“Oh, was this your plan all along?” Bronwen asks, undeterred. “If they call you ‘the Devious’, then I think it may have been.”

My husband glances at me. “Perhaps we shall never know.”

The married men in the tribe come over to congratulate him formally, mostly staying cold. Only Rater’ax the escort leader, never scared of anything, grabs the dragon’s wrist in the caveman way and makes a joke.

“Feels like a long-winded and dangerous way to get someone to say ‘yes’,” Piper says as she hugs me. “If he planned it all along, I mean. Congratulations, Astrid! As always, you exceed our expectations wildly. You know you could have just come home with a nice flower, and we would be all praise and wonder.”

“This was the best thing I could find,” I tell her and sniffle. “None of the flowers spoke to me like he did.”

“His Englishisamazing,” Alba says as she hugs me too. “Do we know how he does it?”

I shrug. “He claims to just speak. Somehow our brains know what he says. Even the cavemen. Honestly, it’s not even in my top five weird things about him.”

“Congrats,” she says into my ear. “Anter’az is very impressed. He wants to know all about the cracked scales and how dragons heal.”

“Always the scientist,” I chuckle. “I’m sure he’ll have many frustrating conversations with Praxigor. He doesn’t really know how things work. Or care.”

Bryar hugs me as close as she can with her pregnant belly. “You’re incredible, Astrid. I’m so sorry I came on so strong about… well, you know.”

I squeeze her. “Nah, that was fine. You just made me sure that I was making the right decision about going out that night. Something had to give. Turns out it was me.”

She keeps hold of my hand. “Well, you won an incredible victory against the Ceremat tribe. And you have a light in your eyes now. I love to see it.”

“And I love that Korr’ax allowed us to get married in the village. I know he would have preferred to see Praxigor not set foot within the walls, especially after the entrance we made.”

She chuckles. “Having a full dragon land in the middle of the village right after the men returned from hunting him did take us all by surprise. I’ve never heard Melr’ax laugh so much. I was worried he’d die on the spot.”

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