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Dance.”
    That could be fun. Bryn climbed into the ring. “What’s the Chosen Dance?”
    “The women of my Clan have performed this dance for hundreds of years. Let me show you.” She passed Bryn a drum. The hollow wooden stick was heavier than Bryn expected.
    “First, do this step.” Vivian stepped wide with her right foot, and then stomped her left foot. She brought her right foot in close and then performed the move leading with her left foot.
    “It’s like a hula dance,” Bryn said.
    Octavius laughed. “Where do you think our bronze skin and brown hair comes from?”
    Huh . She’d never noticed that the two Orange dragons resembled Hawaiians.
    “Try your feet,” Vivian suggested.
    The foot pattern was easy enough. Swaying her hips side to side, not so much. Then again, it wasn’t like she was trying to impress anyone.
    “Now, hold your drum out and I will hit it,” Vivian instructed.
    Bryn held the drum steady and concentrated on her feet. Vivian swung her drum at Bryn’s. The force behind the blows caused the sound to resonate around them.
    A melody rose out of the drumbeats. Bryn hummed along as Vivian swung her drum harder and harder. A bead of sweat ran down her back as she held her drum firm in order to withstand Vivian’s blows. The tempo of the song increased.
    “We will stop after ten more blows. When we finish, look to see who is watching you. They are the males most likely to choose you as a mate.”
    How scientific was this process? She surveyed the area around the ring. Zavien talked with Mrs. Anderson by the joust. What was he doing here? Didn’t matter. If he didn’t look her way, she’d hit him over the head with the drum.
    “Get ready,” Vivian said.
    Vivian smacked her drum against Bryn’s one more time, and then Bryn checked the area for interested parties. Jaxon glared from across the room. Zavien walked toward her with a smile on his face. Keegan waved from the weight lifting area.
    “You have broad appeal,” Vivian said with a laugh.
    “How do you know they aren’t looking at you?” Octavius asked.
    The bronze-skinned beauty reached up and traced her fingertips across his lips. “It doesn’t matter if they’re looking at me. I only see you.”
    Sparks practically flew between the two. Not wanting to feel like a third wheel, Bryn placed the drum on the mat and backed away.
    “Thanks for sharing your traditions with me.”
    “You’re different than the others,” Octavius said. “As are we. If you ever need a Clan, we would take you in.”
    “Thanks. That means a lot.”
    She climbed out of the ring, ignoring the backflips her stomach performed while she waited for Zavien to reach her. His black hair stood out in the usual three-inch spikes, but it seemed wilder than normal today. One corner of his mouth quirked up and her heart beat faster.
    “That was interesting,” he said.
    Interesting good, or interesting she looked like a dork? “Vivian needed another female to perform the dance. It was fun.”
    He reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Was it for a special ritual?”
    Unsure of how he’d react to finding out he was her chosen one, she avoided the question. “I don’t know if I’m at liberty to say. The Orange dragons are a secretive bunch.”
    “Yes, they are. It’s good you’re friendly with them. They make formidable opponents.”
    Her fingers itched to touch him. Going with it, she straightened his tie, allowing her hand to linger on his chest. The impulse to kiss him made her lips tingle.
    Zavien moved closer. “Have you seen the addition they’re building to house the new ice rink?”
    She shook her head. His warm fingers wrapped around hers. “It’s this way.”
    He pulled her behind the ring, out a door, and down a side hall. Where were they? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. Zavien opened another door, which led to a partially finished and deserted locker room. Before the door closed behind them, she found