Chapter 20

All had arrived and the ball had officially begun.

The dance floor flooded with those performing the dances of the winter solstice. Twirling and imamate. Designed for the sharing of warmth, apparently long ago they were performed outside in the snow all night long and the dance clung tightly to each other eyes aglow. Quite romantic Jace had always thought yet he had performed most of his dances with Lynn who was an excellent partner with all of the grace and elegance and Nikita who was actively trying to step on his feet. He knew he was expected to dance with Nikita at some point during the night. Still completely unaware of Momoka’s location, he walked over to Nikita.

“May I have this dance?” He asked, extending his hand.

A few expressions crossed Nikita’s face but ultimately she was aware of how many eyes were on her. “You may,” She said and took his gloved hand with her own.

He pulled her close as they stepped onto the dancefloor.

The music washed over them and their bodies and heartbeats fell into rhythm.

Jace could feel Nikita’s emotion and reluctance in the way she danced. He was almost certain she could feel in own.

They made their way across the floor weaving around the couples in perfect coordination. Most participating in the dance were utter perfection with coats flourishing as they spun yet the outsiders seemed to struggle a little and fell behind and times.

Neither Jace nor Nikita drew any attention to it.

Dead silent they danced. Though he was aware of the music and the other noise of the party, the silence from Nikita was deafening. Yet what was there to say, despite being so close to her he could not think of a single sentence worth putting to word for her. But that is just what it was like with Nikita. Though she was beautiful there was nothing between them. He knew in his heart there never would be.

Claude and April danced nearby, a smile on both of their faces. A rare sight from April indeed but she was so utterly fond of Claude he could draw out the biggest and brightest smiles from her.

Jace couldn’t help but to be envious of them, how easy it was to love the person you were supposed to love. Sure he could accept his fate and just reject romance altogether. Yet his heart could not bear it. He would die of heartbreak under the cold stare of Nikita. No, he needed to at least try his very best, as that was who he was, a romantic.

Finally he spotted Momoka in the crowd with her pack. A flash of pink and finally a smile grew on his very sullen face.

“What is it?” Nikita whispered as she finished her spin and found him smiling.

“Finally found Momoka.”

A cruel smile grew on her face. “Oh I was your second pick?”

Jace returned the smile down at her. “No, my second pick was Lynn but she is dancing with some girl.”

“Whatever.”

Nikita twirled again and came back into Jace’s arms, she was alive with the warmth of the sun so close he could feel the power pulsing through her veins as he was sure he could feel of his own. Nikita came back to face him. “Be careful Jace.”

“Of what, what are you planning this time.”

Nikita rolled her eyes dismissively. “I’m not planning anything, I mean of Momoka. The curse is bound to catch her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jace scoffed and the dance was over, he gave her a bow and was happy to be away from her.

Quickly he made his way toward where Momoka was standing. She greeted him with a smile. She was wearing a pink dress completely covered in glass beading, so much so it looked as if it were wet. Her richly coloured hair was curled much to match how his own looked naturally. Soft sparkles twinkled on her eyelids and lips. Her feet were in the most delicate of shoes, powder pink to match and the straps of which travelled up her legs.

“You look amazing,” he said as he allowed his eyes to drink her in.

“As do you.” Her eyes were all over him.

He greeted the Alphas of the pack formally before returning to Momoka and extending a gloved hand. “May I have this dance?”

Momoka nearly squealed in delight, “of course you can.”

She grabbed his hand tight, squeezing it with werewolf strength, he stifled a wince of pain. He took her to the dance floor and they began the dance. Momoka’s feet fell into line perfectly with Jace’s even during the more difficult sections. She was a delight to dance with, even though neither had said a word, the warmth was glowing and alive between them. As if in each other’s arms, they belonged.

“When did you learn this?” he asked, his voice a whisper.

“Oh, lot’s of practice before we came, it was important as we knew we would be here for this event. Besides us werewolves had our own winter Solstice dances and they are not completely different,” she explained.

“I hope one day I might share one of those dances with you,” Jace said.

Momoka went bright red and nearly missed a step. She gladly went into the next twirl. The light of the fire and the chandeliers made her dress look like the current of a river. Jace was transfixed.

“How do I compare?” Momoka asked nervously.

“To?” Jace asked confused.

“Nikita of course,” Momoka said, a sour note to her voice.

Jace huffed, “It’s never that pleasant dancing with Nikita, though this time she didn’t actively try to skewer my foot with a high heel so I’ll give her that. Besides I want to dance with you, I choose to dance with you.”

Jace’s soft words seemed to have no effect on Momoka.

“How many times do you have to dance with her tonight?” she asked, a dark cloud had passed over her.

“Just the once, and it’s out of the way,” Jace tried to reassure her.

All the while Nikita herself watched them dance, watching how the expressions changed.

She sighed.