Page 77 of Shadows of Eternity

“Here are the tickets,” Rohan said, passing her a white envelope. “I’ll have to meet them after the show. I don’t have time now.”

“All right.” Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “Break a leg.”

“I never understood why that meant good luck,” he muttered, with a grin.

“Me, either.” She kissed him again, then opened the door and exited the car. It would have been faster for him to transport them to the theater, but how then to explain the lack of a car to her parents? Smiling, she watched him park near the stage entrance and hurry inside.

Her parents were waiting for her in the lobby.

“Leia!”

“Hi, Dad,” she said as he hugged her. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“Can’t wait to meet the man who seems to have stolen my daughter’s heart.”

“Me, either,” agreed her mother, elbowing her husband aside so she could get a hug.

“I found a church!” Leia said, her voice laced with excitement. “I’ll text you the details. Let’s go sit down, shall we? Unless you’d rather get something to drink?”

“Later,” her father said.

Leia led the way into the theater. As always, Rohan had secured front row center seats.

“How did you meet this guy?” her father asked when they were seated.

“At one of his shows. I was so mesmerized by his performance that I went to the stage door to get his autograph.” She laughed. “Something I haven’t done since I was a teenager.”

“He must really be something,” her mother remarked, “to have won your heart so quickly.”

“You’ll love him,” Leia replied, and prayed that, if they didn’t love him, they would at least like him. “I haven’t heard from Luke in months. Have you?”

“He called last week,” her father said. “He’s in Spain working on some Marvel movie.”

“And he’s in love with a stunt woman,” her mother added with a grin.

Leia’s brows went up. “Really? What’s her name?”

“Diana something. It sounds serious.”

Before Leia could ask any more questions, the lights dimmed and Jay Deer Killer welcomed the audience to the show. He came on before each dancer to announce the name of the performer, and give a brief explanation of the dance.

Leia’s heart began to pound in anticipation as Rohan’s first number was announced. She sat forward, watching as intently as she had the first time she had seen him perform. As always, she was enthralled by his sinuous movements, the way he stamped his feet, the power and beauty of each intricate step.

Leaning closer, her mother whispered, “He really is marvelous, isn’t he?”

Leia nodded, her gaze fixed on Rohan. He made love the way he danced, she mused with a secret smile.

The applause was thunderous when he took his bow. The other dancers seemed tame compared to Rohan. Not that they weren’t terrific dancers in their own right, Leia thought. But Rohan put his whole heart and soul into every performance. She grinned inwardly, thinking the extrazingin his dancing was probably due to his being a vampire.

Her mother let out a sigh when the show ended. “I do believe I could watch that man dance all night.”

“Stop drooling, Cynthia,” her father admonished with a wry grin. “It’s unbecoming in a woman your age.”

“Hah! I saw the way you were looking at that Cheyenne girl. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”

“Yeah, well … ” Brian Winchester cleared his throat. “Let’s go meet Mr. Wonderful.”

As expected, there was a large crowd at the stage door. Leia and her parents stayed back.

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