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The queen steps to Marcus, whispering in his ear. His face pales as he sheaths his dagger.
“Let’s get going to Elizabeth’s before it gets too late,” the queen says, looking directly at me. I stand and give her a nod.
I step over to her, offering my arm to escort her to the shop. Hiram shoulders me, forcing me to stumble back. The queen glares at him as he passes and comes to me, sliding her arm into mine and leading the way out of the alley.
The queen instructs Hiram and Marcus to wait outside while she takes me into Elizabeth’s shop. A woman with graying hair is bent over the counter writing something down in a notebook. When her dark-blue eyes lift from the paper, she stands stick-straight and hurries over to us.
“My queen. What are you doing here?” she asks with a small bow and her voice low. The queen smiles at her, taking one of the woman’s hands in hers.
“I need to order some clothes for my friend here. We’ve been struggling to find clothes within The Keep that will fit him,” the queen says, gesturing over her shoulder at me.
The woman peers over the queen to me and her face goes stark white. She tries to take a step back as if retreating, but the queen keeps hold of her.
“Kincaid,” is all she says. The queen wraps an arm around her back and rubs, trying to calm her.
“Yes, but I promise I’m nothing like my father. My name’s Theo. You must be Elizabeth,” I say, stretching out a hand. “Your shop is lovely. You’re a very talented seamstress. Umbra is lucky to have you and Pyke.”
She looks at her queen for reassurance. The queen speaks softly to Elizabeth, who takes a deep breath before accepting my hand in greeting.
“It’s nice to meet you, Theo,” Elizabeth says with a hard swallow. “I’ll need to measure you to get the best fit. Will you please follow me?” She drops my hand and heads over to a small box on the floor.
Elizabeth works quickly to get all the measurements she needs. When she takes my inseam, I squirm on the box, which results in Elizabeth telling me to hold still, and the queen laughing at the whole situation.
I wonder about the store while the queen and Elizabeth head to the counter to finish up the order. The queen had asked what colors I wanted, and I told her to pick. She seemed surprised by this answer, but since I’m here, I may as well embrace the opportunity to wear other colors for once in my life.
A sudden burst of excitement comes from Elizabeth, and I snap my gaze to her. The queen is trying to hush her, but the smiles on their faces make me wonder if they are up to something. Whatever it is, I hope it involves more time spent with the queen.
Chapter 29
Lily
My foot slips in the damp grass and I narrowly dodge Hiram’s wooden sword from smacking me in the face. He groans at the missed blow as I rise back to standing.
“We good yet?” I ask, getting tired of avoiding his jabs of frustration.
Hiram and Nyx have been grumpier than usual since our trip to the village a few days ago. Hiram has decided the best way to work out his irritation with me is by sparring. And by that, I mean him charging at me on an endless loop while I parry his blows.
“Are you going to tell me how you ended up in that alley?” Hiram asks for the umpteenth time through harsh breaths.
I spy Nyx over Hiram’s shoulder. He’s wearing a cocky grin. These two are enjoying punishing me way too much.
I narrow my eyes at Nyx, tilting my head to the side.
No more games, boys.
