Kael's POV
Elara is flushed and wide-eyed, looking overwhelmed but not unhappy.
“This is too much.”
“This is nothing.”
And it is. The amount I’ve spent tonight wouldn’t buy a decent sword in the capital. But watching my mate discover what it feels like to want something and have it given to her freely? That’s priceless.
“Come on,” I tell her, shifting all the packages to one arm so I can take her hand again. “Let’s dance.”
“I don’t know how to dance.”
“Neither do I.”
It’s a lie—I’ve been trained in formal court dances since I was old enough to walk. But those rigid, ceremonial movements have nothing to do with the loose, joyful dancing happening in the square here tonight.
I hate dancing. I loathe it. But for this woman, it seems like something I can tolerate.
I pull her into the
