Or at least, I think that’s what she says. It sounds more like “Wumphing wung me!”
“This isn’t great,” I say. “I’ll get Alexei.”
It takes me almost five minutes, and I’m imagining her airway closing down the whole time, but I finally find Alexei, and I pry him away from his very possessive, very angry looking—but beautiful—wife. “I need help,” I say. “Right now. My sister was stung. . .on her face.” I grimace. “It’s bad.”
He jogs after me, and moments after he reaches the dressing room, Izzy’s face looks like it did before—beautiful as ever. Of course, all her carefully-applied wedding-day makeup basically melted off with the swelling and subsequent healing process. We’re frantically trying to reapply it when I hear a commotion outside.
“Let. Me. In.” Then there’s some kind of explosion sound.
Leonid strides through the door, looking around like we’re under attack. “I heard Izzy’s in danger.” His eyes are wild, his mouth twisted into something ugly.
“She’s fine.” I move to block her from his view. “She was under attack, but it was by a fuzzy, flying insect.”
“A bee,” Izzy chimes in from behind me. “But Alexei fixed it.”
“Why didn’t you get me?” Leonid bellows. “I have water powers. I could’ve healed her.”
“It’s bad luck for you to see her today, dummy!” I point at the door. “Now, get out.”
“I’m not superstitious,” Leonid says.
“Well, I’m a little stitious,” I say. “So just get out there, and you can see her in five minutes.”
He huffs, but he doesn’t blow me up, so that’s nice. I hope he didn’t do any permanent damage to the door, but I suppose that’s a problem for Russia to deal with.
True to my word, five minutes later, I’m walking Izzy over the pile of wooden shards that used to be a door, and then we’re headed to the back of the grand ballroom. I have to stop her—twice—to pick shards out of her skirt where they hitched a ride, but then she looks ready. As we finally reach the back of the wedding hall, I understand the bee. The entire place is so full of flowers, I can barely breathe. “Dude, no wonder you were attacked. There must be seven hundred bees in here.”
Izzy smiles. “It’s exactly what I wanted.” Then her eyes continue forward until they meet Leonid’s. She looks as happy and as content as I’ve ever seen her.
“I’m glad it is,” I say. “I’m going to pass you off here.”
Steve’s standing ready. “I’m sorry it’s just me,” he whispers.
“You’re the best dad I could imagine,” Izzy says. “I’m sure my heavenly dad is glad you’re here.” She beams at our stepfather, and then they’re both moving down the aisle.
I sprint my way up the side aisle and circle around to my spot next to Leonid. “See? I got her here safe and lovely, as promised.”
“Thank you,” he says. “Sorry for overreacting.”
“You keep doing that whenever my sister’s involved, and I’ll keep liking you.”
“But not loving him,” Xolotl says, a few feet away, standing by the groomsmen. “Because she only loves me.”
Leonid laughs. “You two are more embarrassing than me and Izzy.”
“Doubtful,” I say. “Really, highly doubtful.”
“When’s your wedding?” Leonid asks.
“Next week,” Xolotl says.
I laugh. “Hardly. June.”
“June?” Xolotl groans. “Why’s it so far away?”
“That’s when Flaming Gorge is at its best, and that’s where I want to get married.”
Izzy’s almost to the front now, and Leonid shushes us. I don’t really blame him. It’s a little bit nice that everyone else seems to be afraid of my boyfriend. I’m just petty enough to like being with the scariest of the scaries.
