“Ready to celebrate Lo’Ana?” She grins.
I nod to her in the mirror, and a smile spreads across my face at her excitement. “Ready.”
I MEET REÜ IN THE entrance hall. He looks handsome with his shoulder-length golden waves tied back at the nape of his neck, dressed in light blue attire that matches my gown perfectly. How he knew what I would wear, however, I do not know.
He bows at the waist, presenting me with a beautiful moonflower. “You look lovely, Laïna,” he says, tucking the flower into my hair. “And I got you a little something to go with your dress.”
I blink. He has a gift for me?
He opens the small box that was hidden in his palm and presents me with a beautifully crafted piece of jewelry: a golden crescent moon adorned with small diamonds on a thin gold chain.
“Turn around.” He does a spinning gesture.
I let my fingers glide over the beautiful piece as he fastens the clasp. I’ve never owned anything so exquisite. “It’s beautiful,” I say, a little breathless. “Thank you.” I smile up at him.
He gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Don’t get any silly ideas into your head. It was my uncle’s suggestion. Said that as my date, you needed to look the part. As if that will make it less humiliating,” he adds under his breath.
Of course this is about him. His actions strangely remind me of typical petty human behavior, and it’s all I can do to keep from rolling my eyes. He’ll never change.
“Ready?” He offers me his arm to escort me into the ball.
“Sure,” I say. Might as well get this over with.
I place my hand on his arm, and he leads me into the ballroom. It’s brimming with Reans in their festive attire—many already swirling around the dance floor to the music of the live orchestra. From the glass dome of the ballroom, the light of the full Celestial Moon shines down, accompanied by the pink light of the full Fire Moon, their rare alignment marking the sacred night of Lo’Ana—the moons’ rays blending with the glow of the numerous candles floating in the air.
Reü turns toward me, extending both hands in the formal dance position. “Shall we?” His tight jaw and rigid posture clearly express his discomfort at being seen with me.
I take it, ignoring the hostile stares and snide comments thrown my way as he leads me out to the center of the floor. I’m barely toleratedat the best of times, and attending one of their sacred bonding balls clearly doesn’t sit well with them. If it were up to me, I would happily have sat this one out, but as it’s been for most of my life, it’s not me who decides.
“So, tell me about the bonding ceremony,” I say as we glide across the floor. “I know nothing about it, except that it needs to happen during one of the Celestial Full Moon festivals.” I gesture toward the two full moons, Niia and Cyra shining down upon us through the glass dome.
“The tradition is old,” he says. “No one knows exactly how old. All we know is that it stems from the era before the Darkening, when most C’elen could still shape-shift into wolf form. Reans, as you may have noticed, are very close to wolves. We have many of the same instincts, share many of the same traits. Still, only a C’elen could transform into the shape of a wolf. Become a wolf.” He spins me out, then pulls me back in so that my back is pressed against his chest. Arms crossed at my front, he holds on to my hands as we sway to the music.
The possibility of someone actually changing their shape is quite intriguing. I wonder if it hurts to change form like that. “What does all of that have to do with being bonded?” I ask before he spins me back out.
“Because a C’elen who can shape-shift is dead without a bond,” he says as I place my hand on his shoulder once again, his hand low on my back. “And although the ashina is the only C’elen for centuries to have been gifted a bonded wolf and shape-shifting, we still honor the tradition.”
“So, just a bonded wolf would not be enough to stop that?”
Reü gives me another spin.
“The wolf bond amplifies power, but the C’elen bond stabilizes it. One without the other is... dangerous. Power shared is power controlled, as they say. The ancients learned this lesson the hard way.”
The music fades, and Reü leads me over to sit at one of the many tables. Something about what Reü just said nags at the back of my head, but I can’t put my finger on it.
“I’ll get us some refreshments,” he says. He allows me no time to answer before he’s swallowed by the crowd.
Except for the occasional snide comment, no one approaches me as I sit there, and I’m happy for it. I’ve had enough lectures this past moon about the sheep mentality of humans to last me a lifetime. I didn’t argue with them though. How could I?
I give Seniia a wave as she twirls by, dancing with the beautiful girl I noticed at the initiation ceremony, Fie. Her golden gown highlights her warm brown skin, beautifully echoing the gold woven into her many twisted braids. Given her numerous meetings with Seniia and the many heated looks they now share on the dance floor...
“Mind if I sit here?”
“Vilder!” My face breaks into a genuine smile. He looks as handsome as ever, his deep green outfit complementing him perfectly. “Of course.” I pat the chair next to me, then gesture toward Seniia and Fie. “Seems you may be off the hook in bonding Seniia,” I say.
He snorts. “It was never an option.” He lifts his wineglass in my direction. “Want some?”
“Why is it that you always bond an elen of equal strength?” I ask, sipping his wine.
