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I dipped my head forward in agreement.
Kate stared at both of us, but I couldn’t read her expression.
“Would you care to dance?” I asked, holding out my hand.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She’d impressed me already with her quick thinking. Perhaps this would go smoother than I could hope.
Under my aunt’s watchful gaze, I led my future bride onto the dance floor. Everyone left the smooth surface, elves bowing before stepping backward, humans fluttering and whispering but following their lead.
Kate shot me a nervous smile. She leaned forward, whispering. “I don’t know how to do formal dances.”
“No worries,” I said. “It will be an elf dance. No one will expect you to know the steps. I’ll lead.”
Her smile grew. “I have a feeling you’re going to lead in pretty much everything related to ourengagement.”
I’d obtain her consent, naturally, but I didn’t mind leading off the dancefloor as well as on.
It would be very easy to give her a child.
Would it be as easy to hold back my heart?
Chapter7
Kate
The music swelled; a lilting tune that sounded incredibly foreign. A monster melody, if the musicians were anything to go by.
Tylik towered over me. Unable to put my hands around his shoulders, I could only place them on his forearms.
One of his arms went around my lower back while the other took my hand, lifting it as if we were going to waltz. But once we’d started moving, we didn’t follow the box pattern I vaguely remembered playing with when I was a teenager.
We started off by taking three quick steps to my right, followed by two slower steps to the left. After a few more stilted paces to the right, we separated and gracefully glided our arms out, our fingers pointing toward the ceiling.
Tylik did this with grace. I followed his direction with jerky movements, hoping I wasn’t embarrassing him.
We repeated this pattern in the opposite direction. Our next move was a bit more complicated, and I worried I’d make him cringe with my rough attempts at this intricate dance. We joined hands and stepped toward each other, our bodies brushing together. He tapped his right heel on the floor—not in a sharp movement, but with complete elegance—followed by his left foot. I mostly did the same thing.
All the while, his “adoring” gaze remained on me. He was performing for Finni and the crowd, but I couldn’t drag my attention away from the warmth in his eyes.
The music continued, and we repeated the pattern.
Elves lining the edge of the dance floor watched us with admiration, a few tapping their fingers together softly, which appeared to be the same as clapping and not a gesture of scorn.
They seemed to be buying the idea we were engaged.
As for the humans, most smiled as if this was a fairytale come true.
Finally, the song came to an end, and Tylik stopped, me not long after. He bowed to me and to the audience.
He moved close and lowered his head to speak by my ear. “Would it be alright to kiss you? My aunt will expect it.”
My heart flipped over when it shouldn’t. This would be a pretend kiss to go along with our very new, though mostly pretend engagement. “Of course.”
He swept me up in his arms to bring our faces level.
I expected a quick peck, something I’d barely remember.
