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Chapter 7
The necklace winked out at Sapphire almost mockingly, its center gemstone so huge that it felt like a dream. But dreams were pleasant, and this wasn’t, especially when she knew Emerald had been presented with the same necklace during their courtship period. She stared at it, a hint of longing fluttering before she shut it down. She shut the box, too, taking her eyes away from the offensive object that was starting to alter her mood.
Jacques already knew what her response was going to be even before she pushed the box at him, but he waited patiently for the words. She shook her head.
“I can’t accept that. Please return it to him, Jacques, and tell him I don’t want any more boxes delivered to me.”
The young man’s mouth formed an O, then pressed together as he nodded silently. She watched him leave and worried that he might take the wrath when a certain dragon shifter found out, but so far, her other returned gifts had gone without incident. She consoled herself with that and walked out of the dining hall, where lunch had been filling but lonely. She thought about the gift some more, and the feeling of being a consolation receiver had her insulted all over again and scowling into thin air.
She stewed in it, her fingers itching to shatter a potion vial and use its contents to punch her surroundings with magic. As she approached a corner a shadow descended on her from an open window, his wings folding down with ease and his steps deliberate. She noted the sinew of muscles from his shirtless state first before his thunderous expression registered.
“What is it this time?”
“What is what?” she asked slowly, even when she already knew where this topic was headed. It was a miracle they lasted this long without a confrontation.
Klaus held out the box she had asked Jacques to return.
“This. Another rejection. Another episode of you being difficult and refusing to accept a gift.”
She raised a brow. “So, me refusing to accept a gift is me being difficult, not me just having preferences and a mind of my own?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t. I can refuse or accept a gift depending on what it is.”
“And you refused every single one of mine, even when it’s been established that there’s no longer any reason for the refusal. Your sister is no longer involved. She’s no longer my mate and there’s no need for all this guarding and dodging.”
Maybe if he hadn’t brought up her sister, she would have been willing to let it go. Her temper went up a notch as she glowered at him.
“Then maybe you should have given it to her as a parting gift and be done with it, not recycle it for me. Our gift-giving ritual is done, isn’t it?”
Emerald was gone, a sore spot that made Sapphire feel more stuck than ever as she missed her sister to bits. That the gifts had probably been prepared long ago for Emerald post-union irritated her, so she walked away and left the dumbstruck Klaus before she could say any uglier words. Not to her surprise, his unmoving state didn’t last long as a shadow blocked her again before she could climb the stairs.
“This is a different necklace.”
“What?”
“The gemstone’s bigger and a different cut.”
“It’s green,” she insisted. “It matches her eyes.”
“It doesn’t. It’s a lighter shade and it matches your dress—the one you wore when you practiced your magic in the garden last week.”
Her mind went back to that moment when she had been in the garden with Belly, who hadn’t yet warmed up to her and was stuck on the loss of Emerald, as they had become close friends. She had shown Belly her magic then, entertaining the woman with light tricks and bigger defense methods and getting carried away until Klaus and the others had arrived to check what the commotion was. By then, Belly was laughing in delight and eager to learn more, cementing an acceptance that Sapphire considered a victory. She hadn’t even noticed what she was wearing that day…but Klaus had.
“Oh.”
“The crystals around the green one represent your favorite pond,” he continued, reading her dawning realization. “They resemble the crystals there, especially when they turn powdery.”
When she remained speechless, he thrust the gift back at her.
“Klaus…”
“Maybe before you complain, you could ask. Or you could let me know what you like so I could make it for you instead of this necklace next time.”
A second later, she was alone at the bottom of the staircase, staring at the necklace that she was seeing in a new light. She cursed under her breath, then turned to follow the man who was moving too fast. Just as he stepped on the window ledge and was ready to fly away, she grabbed his arm. Klaus tensed, but let his weight fall to solid ground at her insistent tugging. When his stony expression didn’t relent, she sighed.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lay it on you like that.”
