“And yet I did, didn’t I?” She snaps immediately, because she had opened the bond, unconsciously reaching for him. Perhaps she should learn better control over her thoughts.

She goes still at his next words and then sniffles slightly, looking over at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the party. Music tumbles out of the entrance, carrying on a breeze across the street, and her hair flutters as she pulls her sleeves over her hands. It’s always so cold here.

“I don’t feel as if I belong anywhere, Ben,” she admits, proud of the way her voice has steadied. “But I’ll be fine. I won’t break just because I’ve never danced, never—“

She stops herself. If he hasn’t learned what this holiday is about, she isn’t going to be the one to tell him. “I was just looking.”