Page 253 of Sky’s Edge

She kept holding my hand tightly.

I held hers the same.

But the time came, and in that moment, with my most recent thoughts fresh in my mind, I hated doing it.

Because that night marked an official change in my life. And even if now, I was eager to face my future with Tanyn, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t miss the season of my life I was leaving behind.

Part of me wanted to cling.

But eventually, as always, she and I had to let go.

And it stung.

Deeply.

But we did it.

We three found each other during the first dance.

By “we” I meant Gayle, Mon and me.

And that dance was Aleksei and Laura’s dance.

As did everyone at the party, we stood in a ring around the dancefloor as the band with a female human singer, who had a sultry voice, beautifully sang the famous, soulful love song, “My Beginning and End.”

Laura didn’t appear happy and content, as she had done these last months she’d been with Aleksei.

She looked radiant.

Aleksei didn’t appear confident and delighted he’d scored his perfect mate.

He looked doting.

There was pomp. There was circumstance. There was a threat hanging over our heads. And they were having this intimate moment with over two hundred and fifty beings watching.

But they were in their own world.

“Oh shit, I think I might cry,” Monique mumbled.

I took her hand.

Gayle took mine.

We held on.

Hmm.

Okay.

Maybe I didn’t have to let go.

Maybe I just needed to loosen the hold, but still hold.

And on a squeeze for both of them, I determined I’d do that.

Forever.

Sometime later, I was laughing with Estra, who was relating hilarious stories about Uly, Nayden and Tanyn.