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lighting as we entered the club. I felt disoriented, so I grabbed Luke’s arm, steadying myself as I surveyed the room. It was large, with a dance floor in the middle that was completely packed with bodies moving in time with the music. There was a DJ booth on one side, surrounded by people. How would we ever find anyone we knew in this crowd? I looked over at Neave.
    “Follow me, we have a private booth.”
    I was glad she knew where she was going because it was a jungle of pulsating, sweaty bodies. We had to push through them in dim lighting to get to the booth. A sour-looking man guarding the walkway pointed us in the right direction. The booth was a small area with a couple of comfortable-looking sofas and some tables and chairs.
    I collapsed onto the couch next to the twins, who had already been seated. “Wow, this is crowded!” I exclaimed to no one in particular.
    “No kidding,” Audrey agreed. “A bit different from the dances at the Academy.”
    It sure was. Our social gatherings at the Academy had been more traditional , as in old-fashioned–think ballroom dancing.
    “Glad to see you and Viola here,” I said to Audrey. “Very handy that our hearing is so good! I wonder how the regular humans communicate through this noise.”
    “I have no idea...” she shrugged.
    “Did you guys remember to feed?” I asked. Best to make sure.
    “Yeah. You?” I nodded, thinking back to the yummy steak I had devoured before I got dressed. Just the thought almost made me drool. “Have you seen anyone else from the Academy?”
    “Just your little gift from Neave. Sheesh, that girl is persistent. Took us forever to track him down.”
    “Gift? Him? Who?” I asked bemusedly.
    “That would be me,” a voice said from behind me.
    I turned around and found myself looking into the intent blue eyes of Ryker. I stopped breathing.
    “Dance?” he asked, holding out his hand.
    I was going to kill that witch! Where was she? What did she say to Ryker to make him come here? I accepted the dance with him by taking his hand. I was too mortified to refuse. I could feel my cheeks reddening in a deep blush that must have made my face glow as I followed him to the dance floor. I hoped I wasn’t luminescent! I was good at the waltz and could hold my own through a tango or foxtrot–but this? Looking around, I was fairly certain that I was not equipped for this kind of dancing. I could try to copy the movements, but I was sure I was going to end up looking ridiculous, an uncoordinated mess. Perfect. How much more embarrassing could this get? Just as I was about to attempt swaying aimlessly from side to side, Ryker put his hands on my waist and pulled me toward him. I felt flames rip through my body. I tingled all over as he nuzzled against my hair while we swayed gently from side to side with the pulse of the music. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment, desperately trying to remain standing, though my legs wanted to buckle beneath me. Ryker held me firmly as the music pounded around us. I felt myself getting lost in his arms, forgetting all the bodies around us. And so we swayed, through music change after change, until Neave nudged me from behind.
    “Come on!” she smirked. “You have others to meet. Enough of the PDA for now.”
    I extracted myself reluctantly from Ryker’s arms. I didn’t want this magic to ever end. It was bizarre. I had never talked to him, yet I felt totally connected with him. What if he left and never came back? This dance may be it , the gift from Neave. He didn’t let go, not completely. His hand slid from my back to my hand, which he squeezed as we followed Neave back to the booth. I wondered if there was a way to maintain this silence between us and communicate solely by touch. Surely, speaking would ruin this, whatever this was. Maybe Ryker felt the same. He didn’t say a word as we walked, just getting behind me and wrapping his arms around me as Neave introduced me to a bunch of