Nicole didn't correct Mike, but her face flushed with color. "I'll tell you what really bothers me about this man. The lout!" she resumed, talking to Mike. "Can you believe a man would tell a woman he loves her . . . well, not in actual words, but mouthing the words? And then just disappear-poof!-into thin air and never contact her again, letting her think he was being tortured in some devil's lair."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Mike said. "I had no idea."

"Oh, that is so unfair," Trond complained to Mike. "You had every idea. Besides, you wouldn't let me contact her."

"Did I say that?" Mike tapped his head as if he didn't recall. "In any case, Miss Tasso, the lout has something to ask you."

"I do?" Trond asked. Then, "Yes, I do."

He got down on one knee before her chair and took one of her hands in his. "Will you marry me, Nicole?" Before she had a chance to answer, he quickly added, "It would be for life . . . the length of my life, which can be eternally boring after a while. And we would never have children, ever. And while I could be in Coronado for the next ten years, I would have to move on to other assignments then, and you would have to decide whether to stay there in WEALS or move with me."

"That's your idea of a proposal?" she asked with affront, tugging her hand out of his grasp.

"Pitiful, isn't he?" Mike remarked, a hint of mirth in his voice.

"The only upside to that lamebrained offer that I can see," Nicole remarked, "is that I could torture him for life with my peppiness and motivational tapes."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Trond snarled.

"It's a 'Hell, no!' You are an idiot." There were tears in her eyes that he couldn't understand.

"What am I missing here?" Trond asked.

"The most important thing," Nicole and Mike said at the same time.

"Ah!" He stood, dragged her up and into his arms, kissed her hard on the mouth, and then said, "I love you desperately. More than my life. I think an eternity with you would not be enough. I don't care if you play motivational tapes or nag me to stop being a slugabed or make me jog even when I don't have to. As long as we can be together." He kissed her deeply. Then pulled away. "Will you marry me, Nicole Tasso?"

"Yes!"

They were kissing again, oblivious to their surroundings when they heard a discreet clearing of the throat. Mike stood, his wings outspread and touching both opposing walls. He blessed them with a sign of the cross in the air and just before disappearing, wagged a forefinger at them. "No more sex before marriage."

Trond looked at Nicole and said, "Can we get married tonight?"

Turns out they couldn't, but that was another story.

Epilogue.

Vikings, Vikings, everywhere, and not a longship in sight . . .

The wedding of Trond Sigurdsson and Nicole Tasso took place one month later. To everyone's surprise, the ceremony was held at Blue Dragon Vineyard in Sonoma, California, home of Magnus Ericsson, Max's father and the father-in-law of Commander MacLean.

Trond and Nicole wanted to wed sooner and in the Transylvania castle, but they wouldn't have been able to invite any outside guests. Too many young vangels unable to control their fangs. Plus, the location of the VIK headquarters had to remain as secure as possible.

The SEAL command was not happy about their decision to marry, just as they had disapproved of Sly and Donita tying the knot and others in the past. It was the Navy contention that if they wanted their men to have wives, they would have assigned them ones of their choice. But facing a possible resignation by Nicole from WEALS and Trond's possible change-of-mind regarding the new BUD/S class, they acquiesced.

When Max heard about the wedding that Trond and Nicole were going to hold in the base chapel-just a small affair-Max insisted they hold a grander event at Blue Dragon Vineyard where he'd been married himself to another Viking, Hilda Berdottir. "Vikings need to stick together," Max had said.

So, here they stood on their wedding day on a gorgeous estate.

Unique speckled-bark oak trees lined the drive up to the massive Victorian mansion with its wraparound porch. The low stone walls on either side of the road were dotted every ten feet or so with enormous, dragon-design terra-cotta planters spilling over with baby's breath and crimson roses, especially filled for this wedding. Wildflowers in every color of the rainbow appeared especially bright today on the lawns, as if knowing it was a special day for them to shine. Beside a spring-fed pond framed with willow trees, tents had been erected for today's reception. Behind the house were several hundred acres of plump grapes awaiting next week's fall harvest. A white carpet led from the side of the house to the arched, rose-twined trellis with its makeshift altar where the ceremony would be held.

It would be a Christian ritual, but the couple did bow to the Blue Dragon patriarch's wishes in one regard. Trond and Nicole would wear Viking wedding attire passed down in their family.

Nicole wore a long-sleeved, collarless chemise of gauzy white linen . . . ankle-length in front and pleated and slightly longer in back. Metallic gold, green, and white embroidery portraying intertwined roses edged the red bands about the wrists and circular neckline. A crimson silk overgown, open-sided like typical Norse aprons, had matching bands of embroidery in reverse colors along the edges. Rosebud shoulder brooches held the gown in place.

Trond had balked but eventually donned a black, long-sleeved, cashmere wool tunic that hung to mid-thigh over slim trousers. At the waist was a wide leather belt with a solid gold buckle. A white, silk-lined mantle of the same fabric, embroidered with roses matching the bridal attire, completed the outfit. The roses were what had Trond balking. "Men do not wear roses!"

Magnus, a massive, barrel-chested Viking, still impressive even in his fifties, overheard Trond and smacked him upside the head. "I wore roses. My brother wore roses. My sons wore roses. You'll wear roses and be happy about it."

Trond wore roses.

What had started out to be a small affair was now a huge wedding reception. Nicole had declined to have her father at her wedding, choosing Commander MacLean to "give her away." His wife, Madrene, a gorgeous Amazon of a Norsewoman, had been very helpful to Nicole in planning the quick ceremony. Almost like a mother, although she wasn't really that old.

Nicole's sister, Teresa, was her maid of honor, with Marie, Donita, and Alex as her attendants. Trond had all six of his brothers as his best men when they'd all argued for that honor. Of course, their SEAL buddies were there: JAM, Sly, Cage, Geek, Slick, F.U., and a few others. And all of Magnus's children, all twelve of them, from teenagers to thirty-somethings, along with their extended families; Magnus prided himself on being a very virile Viking.

When Nicole walked along the white carpet and saw Trond for the first time under the arch, she missed a step, so impressed was she at her vampire angel in Viking wedding attire. But then, Trond gasped himself on seeing his beautiful bride.

A local priest was to perform the ceremony, but at the last minute Michael stepped forth in regal church vestments. Afterward, everyone wanted to know who that remarkable clergyman had been, but he seemed to have disappeared.

When they were pronounced man and wife, and turned to face the crowd for the first time as a married couple, Trond whispered in Nicole's ear, "Look over there, under the willow tree."

There stood a handsome man in a black suit, pristine white shirt, and a red and black striped tie. It was Zeb. He gave them a little wave, then faded away into the now milling crowd.

Between the service and the setup of the reception tables, Trond led Nicole into a little sewing room off the kitchen where he flipped up her gown and "swived her silly"-his words-up against the wall. "These thirty days of celibacy seemed longer than centuries of celibacy," he told her afterward.

Between the dinner and the cake cutting, Nicole told Trond she wanted to show him something in the wine-pressing building. Once inside, she shoved him onto a table and had her way with him. "Celibacy sucks for women, too," she'd told a laughing Trond afterward.

When it was time for dancing-a band was about to play on the portable dance floor that had been set up-they did the traditional bride and groom dance. No father-daughter dance for her, but she didn't mind. In the glow of Trond's family and all their friends, she had enough.

Just then, the band struck a particular note, and Trond turned on her. "Nicole! You didn't!"

"Me?" she asked, putting her hand over her chest with exaggerated innocence as "Chain of Fools," began.

Trond and his brothers looked at each other with disgust-Mordr was particularly disgusted-as they walked out onto the dance floor with resignation, and formed a line. While the band belted out "Chains, chains, chains," and the rest of the guests joined in, the seven brothers did the Michael dance. And they were good. Really good. For a long time afterward, people said it was the best entertainment they'd ever witnessed at Blue Dragon, and that was saying a lot. Vikings knew how to have a good time. There was even a video of it up on YouTube for a day before someone yanked it off. Probably Harek.

When Trond sat down next to a smirking Nicole, he pinched her behind and said, "I have a surprise for you."

"Uh-oh! Is this payback?"

"No, this is a gift from Zeb. I found it in my jacket pocket."

He handed her plane tickets and a set of directions. Her eyes were wide with wonder and a slight mist of tears. "His hideaway? For our honeymoon?" They both bemoaned the fact that the demon had been unable to participate in their celebration. They both also feared for Zeb, back in that horrible den of evil, but this was a time for happiness. They would worry about Zeb later.

That night, when they were on a plane with Nicole's head resting on Trond's shoulder-no teletransporting this time-she inquired sweetly, "I was wondering, honey, if you would teach me that Michael dance later."

He paused and then laughed, "Only if we're both naked."

Glossary

Al Jazeera-Arabic news network.

Al-Qaeda-Military Islamic organization formed by Osama bin Laden; a terrorist network.

A-Viking-A Norse practice of sailing away to other countries for the purpose of looting, settlement, or mere adventure; could be for a period of several months or for years at a time.

Baksheesh-Bribery.

BDUs-Battle dress uniforms.

Berserker-An ancient Norse warrior who fought in a frenzied rage during battle.

Bivouac-A military encampment with tents and improvised shelter.

Boondockers-Heavy boots.

Boonie hats-Wide-brimmed hats with loops for hanging vegetation for camouflage.

BQ-Acronym for bachelors' quarters.

Braies-Slim pants worn by men.

British MI6-British secret intelligence service.

BUD/S-Basic Underwater Demolition SEALs.

Burqa-Enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic countries.

Catacombs-Ancient human-made subterranean passageways for religious practices or burial.

CentCom-Central Command.

Ceorl (or churl)-Free peasant, person of the lowest classes.

Cher-Male endearment, comparable to friend.

Collateral damage-Unintended or incidental damage to the intended outcome.

Cossack-Russian military warriors during czarist times.

Delta Force-Elite tactical combat group, affiliated with Army but including other service branches, as well.

Drukkinn (various spellings)-Drunk, in Old Norse.

Eunuch-Castrated male.

Extraction Point-Place where military forces are extracted from enemy territory.

Fibbies-FBI.

Fjord-A narrow arm of the sea, often between high cliffs.

Force multiplication-A factor that dramatically increases the effectiveness of a group, including the training of friendlies within an enemy nation to multiply the size of the fighting forces.

Friendlies-Those within an enemy nation who are friendly to the attackers, e.g., rebels within Afghanistan.

Gammelost-A pungent Norse cheese with a greenish-brown crust.

Gig Squad-A punishment inflicted during BUD/S whereby a SEAL trainee is forced after a long day of training to do many vigorous exercises outside the officers' quarters.

Grinder-Asphalt training ground in the middle of the SEAL compound in Coronado.

Gunna-Long-sleeved, ankle-length gown for women, often worn under a tunic or surcoat, or under a long, open-sided apron.

Haakai-High-level demon.

High-and-tight-Military haircut.

Hird-A permanent troop that a chieftain or nobleman might have.

Hordling-Lower-level demon.

Houri-Beautiful woman, often associated with a harem.

Igal-Rope or band used to hold the head scarf in place.

IM-Instant messaging.

Imps-Lower-level demons, foot soldiers, so to speak.

Insertion Point-Place where soldiers insert themselves into enemy territory.

Jaegers (or jagers)-Jaegerkorpst, Scandinavian special forces.