Round and round, so gently, so sweetly. It wasn’t remotely in time to the music, but Neridia didn’t care. Her feet moved to a different tune, the hidden currents of desire, the secret song of her heart.
“John,” she said, after a timeless while.
“Mmm?”
“Are you humming?”
“Yes. Do you wish me to cease?”
“No, I like it.”
Neridia was silent for a few more minutes, listening. Somehow he was able to hum chords, and notes that she could only feel in her bones rather than hear with her ears. It was as if someone had transcribed whale song into a duet for bassoon and cello; haunting, alien, beautiful.
“John?”
“Mmm?”
“The musicians stopped playing some time ago, didn’t they?”
“I had hoped you would not notice,” he confessed.
Opening her eyes, Neridia peered over John’s shoulder. They were the only ones still dancing. Wedding guests chattered and mingled nearby, throwing occasional curious glances in their direction.
Neridia sighed deeply. “I guess we have to stop,” she said reluctantly.
“Yes. We should.”
Despite his agreement, John didn’t loosen his grip. Neridia too found that she couldn’t bring herself to let go.
It was possible that they would have still been dancing at daybreak, except that a large white and pink bundle abruptly came flying out of nowhere straight at the back of John’s head.
“Look out!” Neridia yelped, shoving him aside.
Reflexively, she caught the bundle—and found herself holding a bouquet of roses, slightly the worse for wear.
“Wow, you certainly hurled that, Hayley!” A laughing auburn-haired woman in a beautiful leaf-green bridesmaid’s dress pushed her way through the crowd, searching. Chase followed in her wake, a broad grin on his face. “Come on, who has it?”
Belatedly, Neridia realized she had just caught the bridal bouquet.
Hastily, Neridia shoved it at the nearest person, who turned out to be the blond man she’d met before. “Here!” she called, waving at the bridesmaid. “He’s got it!”
The blond man spluttered in protest, but Neridia pushed him forward. The bridesmaid’s gaze fell on him, and she let out a whoop of laughter.
“It’s Reiner!” she announced, nearly unable to get the words out through her giggles. “Reiner caught it!”
“Yay!” Little Danny hopped up and down next to Reiner, beaming up at his father. “You’re getting married next, Daddy!”
“I most certainly am not.” Reiner turned, lifting one hand as if about to point Neridia out. “It was-“
John stepped forward, coming between him and Neridia. The sea dragon’s broad shoulders bunched ominously.
“-me,” Reiner finished. “Yes, I caught it. Apparently.”
“Well, that’s certainly…unexpected.” Griff appeared through the crowd, his golden eyes dancing with amusement. He clapped Reiner on the shoulder. “Congratulations. Let’s hope that this means you’ll meet your mate soon.”
“Like that’s ever going to happen.” Reiner held the bouquet between finger and thumb, flowers dangling, as if it was a bundle of dead rats. “This is just adding insult to injury.”
“I wasn’t aiming for Reiner,” Griff’s bride complained, coming up to take her new husband’s hand. Her white lace dress clung to her voluptuous body, accentuating the unmistakable curves of mid-pregnancy. “I was trying to hit—um, never mind. Where’s your mate gone, John? I’m dying to meet her.”