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“I thought you’d be a wreck,” she finally said, breathless. Arianna wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Like I said, your sister gave me a pep talk.”
Arianna opened her mouth again, but promptly shut it when music began playing inside the hall. Her mouth went dry at the sound. She knew what that meant. The doors were about to open and she was about to be paraded before all the people in Ruadhán.
Rion looped her arm in his. “Relax,” he said, voice low. “I’ve got you.” Feelings of admiration floated down the bond and Arianna felt herself stand a little straighter. She pushed her fears aside. She wouldn’t let herself be afraid. Not of the people behind this door. They were here to see her, not the other way around.
She was the queen.
The doors opened and a myriad of scents washed over and through her. Rion stiffened a bit, but his smile didn’t falter and seeing him so relaxed, so at odds with what she’d grown accustomed to, brought a genuine smile to her lips.
“Shall we?”
Arianna stepped forward onto the flat platform and heard the collective gasps of awe. Whispers soared through the crowd before falling silent. She knew they hadn’t been expecting Rion to join her, nor for him to look so, well, like a perfect gentleman. The complete opposite of the violent creature they’d been told so many stories about.
Arianna caught Talon’s eye in the crowd, then she spotted Ellie. She’d been worried her sister might arrive late, but there she stood, wearing a floor length dress of blue and shimmering silver. It gently hugged her slender frame and the neckline rose to wrap around her throat. Her hair was pulled back with waterfall curls spilling from the crowned braid around her head.
She always appeared so much older than she really was. It made Arianna envy her confidence.
Arianna drew in a slow breath and stepped down, her heel clicking against the marble stairs. Rion moved at her side with an ease that continually surprised her. His movements were always so deliberate. He didn’t stumble or sway. He was rooted in perfect balance, and it gave her a sense of steadiness she hadn’t realized she’d needed.
The crowd parted. Some had covered their mouths with one hand, tears springing to their eyes. Others still looked between her and Rion, likely wondering why it wasn’t Niall who escorted her toward the first dance. The male had offered, but she’d declined.
This was a moment no one would ever forget—the biggest before her coronation—and it was a moment she wanted to share with her mate and no one else.
Rion led her toward the open space of the dance floor. The crowd quieted and Arianna’s heart beat so fast she was sure everyone could hear it.
But Rion held steady. He didn’t shy away from their stares, nor appear nervous. Instead, he turned toward her, just like they’d practiced, took her hand, and pulled her close.
Arianna met his emerald green gaze, both breathtaking and beautiful. The music changed and when Rion stepped, her body moved with him. Time slowed. The crowd disappeared and Arianna let him guide her through the movements, gliding across the floor like water over stones.
His hand left her back, spinning her, and she returned to his arms, elation flooding through her entire body. She smiled, wide and unrestrained and Rion returned it.
After everything they’d suffered, she had wondered if their future held nothing but turmoil and shadows and fear. But this. This was magic. This was a child’s dream that knew no bounds. This was a moment she wanted to bottle so she could treasure it for the rest of eternity.
Rion spun her again and his magic glided out from beneath his sleeves and circled her body, following her movements like a ribbon in the wind. Her own joined it, the two intertwining in a dance all their own.
And then she laughed. So carefree that she thought her heart might shatter from the sheer joy filling her chest. Rion held her close and they danced and danced and danced. Arianna wished the song would go on forever, just so she would never have to leave this moment, but their movements slowed, their magic receded, and she paused to stare into his eyes, her chest rising and falling with every breath. The last note faded, then the crowd erupted in applause, pulling both from their reverie.
The crowd surged forward and for a moment, Arianna feared Rion might lash out, but he surprised her again. In fact, he offered smiles of his own, acknowledging forced greetings with a nod. Most kept their distance, eyeing the magic that crawled back inside his suit.
Rion never released her hand, not once as she greeted complete strangers who looked at her as if she were a story character come to life.
They kept shaking her hand, some hesitating as if they weren’t sure they should, but when Niall approached, the crowd separated to allow him through.
“That was an elegant performance.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her gaze shot quickly to Rion. Irritation flew down the bond, but he remained calm, almost . . . nonchalant. “May I be honored with the second dance?” Arianna’s eyes narrowed at Niall. She knew his game—Ellie had guessed it—but seeing him do the exact same gesture that had set Rion off just a few weeks ago confirmed her suspicions. He wanted Rion to react. All of them did.
“Be my guest.” Rion allowed Niall to pull her away. She furrowed her brow in concern, studying her mate, but he only offered a reassuring smile. Arianna searched the bond, prodding him, and though it was a little forced, Arianna could feel his sincerity.
He was genuinely happy, and that happiness cracked her heart with a kind of joy she hadn’t allowed herself to bask in for such a long time.
Then Niall led her out onto the dance floor.
Chapter Forty-one
Rion
Rion separated himself from the crowd and leaned against a pillar off to the side of the dance floor. Ellie joined him and nudged Rion with her elbow. “I’m impressed,” she said. “You didn’t tear his head off.”
