AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Any luck with Lyra?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“She wasn’t there,” I explain before pointing at the door. “How come we’re in here today?”
She grimaces. “That’s why my father called for me. He didn’t want them to get a view of our training, so it’s class work.” She nods to the far left of the classroom and I turn with a frown, which deepens when Erikel and his students come into view.
Fuck. My. Life.
THIRTY-THREE
RAVEN
Idon’t know why I didn’t mention anything to Leila about Sebastian. I want to blame it on being completely distracted by the new attendees in our class, but deep down, I know I’m more wary of her than I want to admit.
Another attempt at crossing paths with Lyra comes up empty, and searching out Burton to talk about the Sebastian situation is even harder. Apparently, neither of them are on site, and that leaves a heavy weight on my chest. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with this information or who I’m supposed to go to, but I can’t handle it alone. It’s bigger than me, than us, and I’m not going to pretend it isn’t.
“I sent a message to my father so I can keep him in the loop about everything before he gets here for the ball. We’ve got this, Dove. Try not to let it weigh you down. Let’s take a timeout from all of the crazy, do some dress shopping, and eat some awesome food.”
I sigh, leaning into his side as he drapes an arm around my shoulders. It really does sound like a good plan. We deserve a minute to just be us, and if that involves shopping for a dress for an event that I don’t care about, then so be it.
“I never thought Zane would have such words of wisdom,” Eldon muses with a snicker, but instead of reacting to his friend’s words, Zane just holds me tighter.
It’s quiet on the way to the store. We literally threw our backpacks in the house and headed straight out, staying in our uniforms to hopefully miss the crowds. The idea of a real date together leaves an extra bounce in my step, lifting my mood with little effort, despite the gloomy sky above.
“It was a good idea for Professor Fitch to move us inside to a classroom lesson while the Basilicas were watching,” Eldon states, and I nod in agreement. Basilicas seems to be the name traveling around the academy and it’s annoying to say it’s actually sticking. Not that I care. It just makes them feel more… permanent.
“Agreed. Especially if they’re only observing and not actually participating or showing their own abilities,” Creed adds.
“Although, the fact thatwealso had to do book work was annoying as hell. I thought the class was never going to end,” I grumble, and Zane hums in agreement. I’d rather be bored the entire time than give the Basilicas an advantage. In what, I don’t know, but my gut clenches at the thought of it.
The silver and white sign of the dress shop catches my attention and pulls me from my thoughts. A shiver runs through me at the memory of the last time I was here with Creed and how he got me all worked up, only to leave me hanging.
The bell chimes above the door as we step inside and I’m instantly overwhelmed by the number of dresses on display. I don’t think I recognize a single one from the last time I was here. I was planning on just grabbing one of the others I had tried on, but things must have been moved around because they’re not where they were.
“Hi, how can I help you?” I recognize the assistant instantly and watch as her eyes widen as she looks from one Bishop to the next. Her cheeks are pink by the time she reaches Brax, and I’m long forgotten.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got it from here,” Zane insists, reaching for my hand and pulling me further into the store.
“Yeah, of course,” she rambles, but I don’t turn back to check on her as Zane starts pulling out dresses, waiting for me to accept or decline.
I laugh and roll my eyes at some of the ones he pulls out, some way more revealing than necessary, while others look like the kind of frilly things that even your grandma wouldn’t be seen dead in.
Creed, Eldon, and Brax watch with amusement, happy to let Zane take control until we’ve got a solid four options to look at. Two black, one white, and the last a vivid pink one that I’m really not sure about but Zane insists I try.
“Let’s try these babies on, shall we?” Zane says with a wink, placing his palm on the small of my back as he guides me toward the back of the store.
“Are we ready to—”
“We’ve got it from here. Maybe go take a break or something.” Eldon states, interrupting the store assistant. If I weren’t so turned on by the confidence in his tone, I would probably be embarrassed.
She offers nothing more than a nod in response, her cheeks as pink as they were earlier as she scurries off. Sometimes, I forget the attention the Bishops bring, the presence they have, and the confidence they ooze. I think I must be getting acclimated to them.
Zane walks me to the center of the same dressing room that I was in the last time I came with Creed and hangs the four dresses on the clothing rack. The second a few more chairs appear, matching the large one already in the corner of the room, I gulp.
Nope. Definitely not acclimated. Not one bit.
Nerves dance through me as they each get comfortable in their seats, eyes fixed on me as I stand frozen in place.
“Let’s see which is your favorite, Little Bird.” I shiver at Eldon’s nickname for me as I nod, at a complete loss for words.
