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He gripped my hand and held it up and the crowd roared again. His father stood like a giant from his seat and came forward. He clapped his son on the back, a thunder echoing through the room at the contact, but Calen didn’t even flinch. His father then moved to me. “You give our clan great honor, Princess. I know my boy will treat you well.”

“Thank you,” I said, looking up at Calen. His buttoned shirt tight around his biceps, and his large shoulders standing proudly.

Mother made her way forward next. She embraced Calen’s father and then turned to me. She didn’t need to ask if I was sure. We’d already discussed that I would not, could not agree to a mate unless I was positive.

My fathers followed my mother, giving me a hug and then shaking Calen’s hand once again. Before we could talk, the music rose up, this time a tune I was unfamiliar with. Calen’s eyes gleamed. “Now that’s a fine tune.” He took my hand and showed me how to dance to it. The reels in the music pitched high, a Gaelic flare. We kicked our feet and turned. I stumbled, and he laughed, but he soon showed me the majority of it and I was able to dance without too much trouble. Papa Connor grabbed my mother’s hands and they danced next to us. Calen’s father grabbed a woman to his right. He lorded over her and she was bright with embarrassment. They filled in right next to us with other couples beginning to surround us and learn the new steps as well. We jumped and kicked and soon my heart was so far high in my throat I could barely breathe. My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing.

“I hope I do not crush you, my lady,” Calen called out as he turned me in a circle. “I am much bigger than you.”

He stood there with one hand on the waist of his kilt, the other holding mine as he turned me around and around. I was dizzy and loving every second of it. “I’m stronger than I look.”

“I already know that to be true.”

Too soon, the jaunting music stopped on a glaring high note. Calen and his father raised their fists in the air and yelled out a “huzzah”. The crowd laughed, and Calen sauntered forward. My heart sped up, kicking off my chest in an unsteady rhythm. Maybe it was the way he looked at me, or maybe it was what I was thinking about as he got closer that made my nerves kick in Either way, by the time he got close enough to touch, I was shaking. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Thank you for the dance, Princess.”

Throat dry, I wet my lips and swallowed. “My pleasure.”

“Do you wish to spend time with me, or should I make way for you to dance with a possible mate?”

Just then, I wanted nothing more than to be around strong Calen.

“I believe it’s time to end the party,” my mother said, speaking up as she watched us. “We have a big day tomorrow and I would want the other potential mates to get adequate rest.”

I smiled up at her.Thank you,I mouthed.

“Have fun,” she said before turning to address the crowd.

I pulled on Calen’s hand and we walked through the room and out the side door behind the main table. When we got into the hallway, I picked up my dress and ran. Though he was large, his step was as silent as mine. He was fast as well, but not as fast as me. I beat him to the door and we burst out into the chill evening air. “Come, I have something to show you,” I said.

We ran for what felt like forever when it was only a couple miles. A couple of miles to us was nothing. When we stopped beside the shimmering pond, we were barely even breathing heavy. He looked out over the moonlit water. “What is this place?”

“It’s Lowline Pond. When you spoke of the lakes in Scotland, I thought of this.” I sat down on the bank and stared out at the mirror-like water. “I know it’s probably not the same, but—”

He sat down next to me, his hand coming around my shoulders on. I cuddled in next to him as he squeezed me closer. “It is a sight,” he whispered. “Not as large as the lakes I’m accustomed to, but beautiful all the same. Maybe it’s because you’re here with me.”

At his words, I looked up. His hand reached out to take my other in his and we sat staring at one another for a while. “Is this real?” he asked.

“I hope so,” I answered, feeling the pounding of my heart.

His face lowered, and our lips whispered against one another’s. It wasn’t enough for me. I leaned in, pressing my lips more firmly against his. His resolve broke. His tongue urged my lips open and swept inside, bringing with it all the feelings of first kisses do. Hope and heat. A wish for the future. We didn’t pull away for a long time as we explored each other. We ended laying in the grass, staring up at the dark night with the twinkling of stars shining down on us.

I’d made the right decision. The more we touched, the more confident I was that I’d been able to follow my heart and do what was best for my people. “There’s something you don’t know, Calen.”

He turned to me. Propped up on one elbow, he stared into my eyes. “You can share anything with me, my lady.”

I stayed where I was, staring up at the infinite sky. It made everything that had happened to me easier to understand. If I could believe that there were billions of stars and planets, and even more galaxies beyond that, I could believe that my gifts were truly real. That I could see the future, but not only that, try to prevent it.

“We’re not safe.”

He shot upward, his hulking muscles bunched as he looked into the night. To a normal person, our surroundings would’ve been pitch black, but to us, we could still see with our generous night vision.

“Not now,” I said, tugging on his hand and pulling him back down. “I’m sorry. I should’ve explained it better.”

He threaded his fingers through my hair. “What is it then, Princess?”

“There will be another war. Bigger than the first against a greater enemy that will not stop.”

His throat worked. “How do you know this?”