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“I want to be dancing.”
    Riox nodded to the other man and started to move to the music. Those that had stopped to watch their little grouping resumed their own partnerships.
    Riox looked at her. “I am sorry I am late, but Drak needed some help at the Axion.”
    “I danced with lots of people.” She smiled brightly. “And they danced with me. It was fun.”
    “Are you in the mood for fun tonight?” He stroked one hand down her back. She grabbed it and put it back in the safe zone.
    “Not that kind of fun. I just want to dance and enjoy myself without worrying about what happens next.” She smiled and swayed with him.
    The next round of music had a swing-dance tempo, and Riox raised a brow. “Would you care to dance to this?”
    “If not with you, then someone else.”
    He stepped back, took her hands and they were off. Halfway through the jumping and spinning, she felt the electrical charge of his hands against hers.
    Her skin sprang to life, tingling and registering every touch, every slide and even the wind between them as they parted and returned with energy.
    Looking at the elf with the pretty eyes, her mind registered that he was the one she was looking for, but her mountain goat was on the fence. Sure, he was light on his feet, but was that enough for her?
    As he twirled her and then pulled her against him, she admitted that being light on his feet was enough of a start.
    She was sweating lightly when the music ended, and she held onto his shoulders as they shifted from side to side in a rhythm much slower than the one playing through the sound system.
    Riox smiled at her, and his pretty eyes shifted colour faster. “You are a very good dancer.”
    She smirked. “My kind are light on our feet.”
    “So, what is your exact species?”
    “I am a mountain goat. My mom is a normal goat, so I have her colouring, but my dad is a standard mountain goat, and I got the soul of one of those beasts.”
    She smiled and swayed with him. “What are you?”
    He blinked in surprise. “What?”
    “There are different types of fey. What is yours?”
    His cheeks coloured a little, and his blush was as charming as the rest of him. “My kind are described as love talkers. In times past, we would seduce our lovers with the sound of our voice, leaving them pining for us until they died.”
    She had one reflex. “Ew.”
    His shoulders shook. “Now that everyone knows of the fey, it is not necessary to seduce from the shadows anymore. I am much more direct.”
    The music changed, and he raised his eyebrows. “Shall we go again?”
    “If you think you have the stamina, by all means.” She grinned, and they changed their grip; she spun out and back, and they were off again.
    It was a lot of fun to take her dance skills out for a spin, and as long as she had him for a partner, she wasn’t going to stop.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    Sweating and getting quite a few admiring looks, Gera left the dance floor and stalked through the folk gathered at the Crossed Star.
    Reality had thudded down on her when an elegant and sleek young woman had rubbed up against Riox and reminded him that he promised her a dance. Gera knew when she was outclassed in the seductive arena, and she had smiled politely before heading for the door.
    Her instinct had been to shift out her horns and head butt the woman into the next week, but instead, she walked out and didn’t hurt anyone.
    She hadn’t realized that fighting her instincts would make her so angry.
    Her mood must have communicated itself to those around her, because while folks had stared at her while she made her exit, no one had spoken to her.
    Instead of heading back to the Axion, she made a direct line to the shifter’s meadow but looked for the oldest strand of trees she could find. She needed something that could take a hit.
    When she found a suitable oak, she stripped to the skin and shifted into her goat. She backed up a few feet, tipped forward for momentum, got up on her hind