Heart of Gold

Chapter Twenty - Celebration

The preparation for the mating ceremony may have been vastly different from what Sunny would have experienced on Earth, but the ceremony itself and the after party certainly had their similarities.

The ceremony may not have been as terrifying as Sunny had expected, but she was still glad for it to be complete, and to know that nobody could ever challenge her bond with Kilnor again. The party to celebrate their bonding was being held at Kilnor's parents place. Sunny couldn't really call it a house, considering just how large it was. It was more like a mansion, or maybe even a palace. It was funny, one thing that she and Kilnor had never discussed was his wealth, and now she was mated to it.

"Are you happy?"

Kilnor's low voice rumbled next to her ear, and she fought the urge to shiver in delight. He was hers now, and she couldn't be happier about that fact.

"Ecstatic," she admitted, turning to smile at him. "Your family home is beautiful, I was just admiring it and the decorations. Your mother went to a lot of effort."

It was Kilnor's turn to smile. "She is happy that I am happy," he told her. "Or maybe she is just happy to have another daughter, regardless of how she was attained," he added, gently teasing her.

Sunny couldn't help but giggle.

"Here," Kilnor said, passing her a glass of something. "I brought you a drink."

The glass itself was beautiful, Sunny had to take a moment to admire it. It was in the shape of a flower, delicately made and coloured, and shot through with streaks of shimmering gold. She almost didn't want to hold it, in case she dropped it, but Kilnor pressed it into her hands. She lifted it closer to her face and took a small sniff. It smelt sweet and fruity.

"What is it?"

"Fia torhai," said Kilnor. "It is a sweet drink that is alcoholic. Do not worry," he reassured her. "Zalon has tested it to make sure your system can tolerate it."

Sunny sipped at the drink. Bubbles tickled her mouth and she was sure she tasted sunshine. Her eyes flickered to Kilnor's.

"It is good!" she said, her smile brightening.

"Of course it is," Kilnor teased. "Would I give you something disgusting?"

They both laughed together, remembering an instance where Dohssa had cooked one of Kilnor's favourite foods for breakfast, and Sunny had only been able to tolerate one mouthful, before excusing herself from the room to throw it up. Sunny had felt awful too, considering how bad poor Dohssa had felt, but by evening the entire family had enjoyed the joke.

They stood in silence for a while, each sipping at their drinks and listening to the music. They watched Kilnor's friends and family take to the dance floor. Sunny was relieved to see that the dancing seemed very similar to dancing back home, though dancing was strictly done by male female couples. There were no groups of single girls like there might have been at an Earth wedding.

"Well," said Kilnor, placing his empty glass down on a side table before taking Sunny's and doing the same. "Shall we dance?"

"I would love to," Sunny accepted his hand, and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. There was a fast, upbeat song playing when they stepped out, but they had been on the floor for less than a minute when it changed, switching into something that was slower, and reminded her of the blues back home. Her eyes met Kilnor's.

"Was that you?"

He shook his head, and scanned the room. His eyes caught Cade heading purposefully away from the musicians and he silently thanked his brother.