His arms tighten around me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I tilt my head back, finding his eyes in the semi-darkness. “Take me to the festival.”
The smile that curves his mouth is soft, genuine. He kisses me slowly, thoroughly, until the remnants of my nightmare fade and all I can feel is him.
“Try to sleep,” he murmurs against my lips. “I’ll keep the bad dreams away.”
I want to believe him. Want to sink into his warmth and let him chase away the shadows.
But Kieran’s words won’t stop echoing in my head.
The capital isalive with color and sound.
Lanterns hang from every building, casting warm light over cobblestone streets packed with people. Music driftsfrom multiple directions—drums, flutes, stringed instruments I can’t name. The air smells like roasted meat and spiced wine and fresh flowers.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe, taking it all in.
Seth’s hand finds mine, our fingers interlacing. “Wait till you see the main square.”
He leads me through the crowd, and I marvel at how different he looks here. No uniform, no commander’s bearing. Just Seth, in simple clothes, smiling at me like I’m the only person who matters.
He stops at a vendor’s cart and buys two skewers of some meat that smells incredible. “Try this.”
I take a bite and nearly moan. “What is it?”
“Honey-glazed pork.” His grin widens at my reaction. “Good?”
“Amazing.” I enjoy another mouthful, savoring the sweetness. “You should have told me you know about good food.”
“I’m full of surprises.” He steals a bite from my skewer, laughing when I swat his hand away.
We wander through the festival, and for a few hours, I forget. I forget about Kieran’s warning, about Zane and the Umbra Council, about everything that’s waiting back at the palace. I’m simply Selene, walking with her mate, eating too much food and laughing at his terrible jokes.
“Dance with me,” Seth says when we reach the main square.
Musicians play on a raised platform, and couples spin across the open space. I hesitate, suddenly self-conscious. “I’m not very good—”
“Neither am I.” He pulls me into his arms before I can protest further. “But I don’t care.”
One of his hands settles at the small of my back, the other cradling mine. We move awkwardly at first, finding our rhythm, but then the music swells, and something shifts. The mate bond hums between us, and our bodies instinctively sync up.
“See?” Seth’s voice is warm as I breathe in his scent. “Natural.”
I let myself melt into him, following his lead. The world narrows to just the two of us, and I savor the feeling of his heartbeat, the solid strength of him holding me close.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“For what?”
“This. All of it.” I tilt my head back, meeting his eyes. “For making me forget, even for a little while.”
His expression softens. “You deserve this, Selene. You deserve to be happy.”
A lump lodges in my throat. Before I can respond, he spins me out, then back in, making me laugh. We dance until my feet ache and my cheeks hurt from smiling.
“I need a break,” I gasp, fanning myself.
“Wine?” Seth offers.
