Allissa
Midnight found the ballroom at its warmest.
The formal part of the night had melted away hours ago, and what remained was simply family, hundreds strong, loud, ridiculous, scattered across the great floor in the loose orbits of people who had stopped performing for each other. Finn had taught the harvest reel to some horrified vampire nobles and was now conducting them through it with a stolen serving spoon. Ivan had a duchess on each arm and a third one directing him. Asta and Toga argued happily about nothing. My husband stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin resting on my head, swaying us both to music neither of us was properly listening to.
Our children were down for the count, every last one.
Mira who had surrendered in my mother’s arms was now
