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Not wanting to be left behind, I jog to catch up to Evie but chance an occasional glance behind me. “Do you think Bastian really wants to go to a dance with me?”
Evie continues to read the swinging wooden signs as we pass them. “I think Bastian would go to high tea with the wood nymphs if he knew you’d be there.”
My stomach twists in knots, knowing the others see his fascination with me. But it’s not real. Once we break the magnetic attraction, we’ll have nothing left.
Inside the shoe shop, Evie finds a pair of thigh-high brown leather boots and makes me try them on. They’re like nothing I’ve ever worn before. In the city, I wore comfortable flats and, in the wilderness, combat-style boots. The material hugs my legs dangerously, and suddenly I’m determined to make Bastian feel things beyond our unnatural connection.
After Evie purchases the boots, she places them in the bag with my dress.
“You’re really going to wear that to the dance?” I rake my eyes down Evie’s fighting gear. “From the way women were snatching up dresses in the shop, you’re going to stand out.”
“Precisely.” She taps the end of my nose with her finger. “Why dress like everyone else?”
“To impress Grayson?” Even I can see how other women look at Evie’s boyfriend.
She gathers the bag under her arm, turning up her nose. “I don’t need a dress to impress Gray. He loves me this way.” She exits the shop, looking both ways down the river. “He has to, or I’m walking.”
“Then why are you making me wear a dress?” I follow her to the right along the river, where people in boats use long sticks to hang strings of decorations in the trees.
“Because you’re a woman from the city. You live for this type of thing. Bastian knows this. He’d rather storm the First City than go to a dance, so enjoy him while he’s soft.” She twists her lips. “Never seen him this way before.”
“But shouldn’t we strategize for tomorrow?” The thought of facing King Cirrus sets my heart racing almost as much as the thought of standing in front of Bastian in the dress Evie bought.
“The less you know, the better. That way, he can’t torture it out of you.” She adjusts the bag under her arm as we turn a corner to climb the stone stairs. “Besides, the more relaxed you are, the more likely he is to believe your story.”
“And what is my story?” Why would I walk up to the Unseelie Court’s front door and request an audience with the person who tried to kidnap me? I scratch my head. Cirrus will see it for what it is—a distraction.
“Levi wants to mend things with the fae. Although a product of the sin, he had nothing to do with his mother’s betrayal of her kind with his father. As a token of goodwill, he’s offering you, the savior, on a silver platter.” She rounds a corner into the busy town square.
“And if he doesn’t buy it?” I watch a man on a ladder hang flowering vines from the ropes crisscrossing the square.
“He will.” Her confidence is infectious but still bewildering to me. “Levi’s a very good actor.”
We enter the inn, and Evie hands me the bag. “Go get dressed. I’ll be up in a bit to help you with your hair.” She walks away and joins a man at the bar drinking a beer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Acool breeze hits my bare back from the open window, sending a chill through me to rival my nerves. The mixture of going to the dance with Bastian and facing King Cirrus has me on edge. Never in my life have I worn a dress that only falls to my mid-thigh. The belt, snug around my waist, shows my hourglass figure.
And the boots.
Trying them on in the store was nothing like wearing them with this dress. The bottom of the skirt falls about two inches above the top of the boots, making me feel like the elven warrior Evie said I’d resemble. I’ve never seen one, but I can only imagine. All I need is my bow and quiver.
Evie uses a heated iron rod to add curls to my hair, letting them fall in a cascade over my shoulders and bosom. And in this dress, my cleavage is on full display, and there’s nothing I can do to hide it. While my sister isn’t looking, I yank at the bodice of the dress, trying to cover the top part of my body, but it slips back down into its natural cut.
When she finishes my hair, she lays her hands on my shoulders, having me turn in a circle. “You’ll do.” It’s a high compliment from my sister.
When I descend the stairs, Bastian, Grayson, and Levi are sitting at a table in the dining area of the inn. They’re laughing over a round of drinks until they see us. All three of them stand, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
“Get over yourselves.” Evie plops into the fourth seat and looks at Bastian. “She’s all yours.”
He’s combed his hair back into a tie, which gives me a full view of his eyes. Standing right here, lost in his gaze, I could die a happy woman. He’s freshly pressed his white tunic and cotton pants, and they fit perfectly in all the right places. It’s awkward inspecting him while the others watch, because he’s doing the same thing to me.
“Are you ready?” he asks, taking my hand in his, a finger trailing along the curve of my palm. This means as much to him as it does to me.
“Yes.” I grip his hand tighter, relishing the way I’ve made him sweat.
Cool air attacks my fevered body as we step into the square where it seems the entire town is enjoying the celebration. Children dance beneath the lanterns, holding hands and singing to the boisterous music. Men and women drink and congregate, laughing and talking loudly. This is a gathering the Council would never allow within the city walls.
