Page 170 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
She shook her head, forcing a smile to smooth out the awkwardness. “No, it’s fine. I just…I wasn’t expecting him to be up so quickly. It’s a good thing.”
It was the truth, so why didn’t she feel better about it? The night had been going so well; there was no reason to let her misgivings derail it. Not that the guilt was helping, either, but that was understandable.
Looking at Niels now didn’t spark anything in her chest but concern. She’d been as honest as she could’ve been back in the Gate chamber; with her piece said, he was free to move on, and she dearly hoped he would. He deserved someone who would be good to him and would help him grow, just as Kase had helped Hallie.
Maybe the final gift Hallie could give him was to solve the problem with the Gate and Essences. It would allow him to live free and find his own way in the world.
Kase reached up and gently took her hands from his neck, clasping them softly. “Hals, it’s okay. Really. You can go talk with him if you’d like.”
Deep down, she knew it grated at him, because it would’ve bothered her if their positions were reversed—as detailed by their earlier argument—but he was giving her the choice. He wasn’t letting anger or jealousy control him. He was as steady as the stars in a clear night sky. His soft gaze was earnest and unwavering, like tempered steel.
It was honest, vulnerable, and full of deep love.
With that silent strength and even acceptance, she didn’t know why she’d ever doubted his intentions. The lingering storm within her heart fizzled away, blooming into a thousand butterflies in her stomach. Sliding her hands out of his and back up his arms, tracing the muscles she’d noted earlier, she twisted a few of his curls at the nape of his neck around her finger. She met his eyes, and her heart thumped hard in her chest. Kase’s eyes burned, and she almost didn’t get the next part out. She took a deep breath and willed her heart and lungs to keep functioning normally. “I love you, Kase Shackley, and there is absolutely nothing I’d rather do right now than dance with you all night long.”
His eyes widened, his mouth dropping open in a soft ‘O’ before a slow grin unfurled on his lips. It lit her from the inside out as he picked her up and swung her around, a few of the other dancers protesting as they nearly stumbled into them. Hallie just laughed and lowered her mouth to Kase’s waiting lips.
A loud cough to her right pulled her away before she so much as brushed them. Kase set her down with a chuckle. Hallie turned to find her parents next to them. Her mother gave her a look, and Hallie’s cheeks flushed.
Blasted stars.
Kase just tipped his head toward her parents before sliding his hands around Hallie’s waist once more. Her father whispered something in her mother’s ear before leading herin the other direction. Of course she would’ve been hovering nearby, watching like a hawk. Hallie gave an annoyed huff.
Kase tugged her back to him with a gentle finger on her chin. “Maybe one day, I’ll get to kiss you again.”
“Maybe.” Hallie rolled her eyes, glad for the break in tension.
They lost themselves to the next dance, an upbeat jig. It was nice just to laugh and have fun and pretend the problems that awaited were far away. They wove through the others, spinning close to where Jove spoke with Saldr. The conversation seemed too serious for the moment, but Hallie couldn’t hear them over the music, and it would be too obvious if they paused to eavesdrop.
The conversation ended shortly afterward, and Saldr gestured for him to join the festivities. The Yalv glanced over toward Fely, who was now speaking with Niels, and Hallie just caught the fleeting annoyance that spirited across Saldr’s features.
Jove turned to Clara, who raised an eyebrow. Jove shrugged but pulled her into the dance, wearing a reserved smile even rarer than Saldr’s as he looked into his wife’s eyes.
Before she’d left for the Nardens, Hallie wasn’t sure what was to become of them—not after that disastrous dinner where Jove had gone home drunk. It hadn’t been a good night for anyone in attendance. But they seemed to be on the mend now.
Seeing Jove reminded her of something he’d said the previous day.
“So,” Hallie said, playing with the empty buttonhole at Kase’s shirt collar. “What was your brother saying about a tattoo?”
Kase nodded at Jove and Clara, the latter smiling slyly at Kase and Hallie. Kase spun her away from them. “A stupid idea.”
“It was.” Jove interrupted, apparently taking Kase’s avoidance of him to heart—he sidled closer, pulling his wife along. “The artist wasn’t exactly talent—”
Clara put a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, Kase.”
Kase’s grip on Hallie loosened as he glared at his brother. “Maybe you should turn in for the night. Jove seems a little out of sorts, though that’s no surprise.”
Jove narrowed his eyes and peeled his wife’s hand off his mouth. “Listen, if you’re trying to woo Miss Walker, surely she should know—”
Clara slapped her hand over his mouth again, but her eyes were full of laughter. “Excuse us, will you?” She turned to Jove. “Hallie is a lovely girl, and I’d hate for you to run her off.”
Hallie laughed even as her cheeks burned. Kase glared daggers at his brother and sister-in-law as Clara pulled Jove away, but Kase’s brother still managed to get in a: “I wouldn’t say yes until you’ve seen his grammar school portrait!”
Kase’s fingers tensed on her waist as Hallie asked, “Grammar school portrait?”
Kase slung a deadly look in his brother’s direction. “The technology was rather new, and well, as we went to one of the wealthier schools in the city, they’d been testing out the newest flash portrait maker, something the First Settlers called a camera. I was eleven, and well…I may or may not have…”
“Spit it out.”
