Finnegan didn't let her go after they left her room. He slid his hand down her arm and interlaced his fingers with hers. His grip was firm, warm, and calm. "Ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," Leela breathed.
They walked down the staircase and back through the foyer. The noise coming from the dining hall wasn't the polite clink of forks on china. It was a roar. It was laughter, shouting, the heavy clatter of platters, and the deep rumble of a dozen conversations happening all at once.
It was loud, but it wasn't chaotic. It felt like the house had a heartbeat.
They entered the dining hall. The centerpiece of the room was a huge table that looked like it had been carved from a single tree. It stretched the length of the room, crowded with heavily muscled people.
Elana and Damon sat at
