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She couldn’t stand the look of pain in his eyes, so she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Honest.”
“You are too good for me,” he kissed her forehead before turning to the older shop owner. “Baba, one of the robes is to be billed to the palace as a present from Her Majesty, but everything else goes to my account.” He sat down and picked up a magazine from the basket by his chair. “Ladies, have fun.” He nodded his head toward his mate.
Kyla sat forward. “Seriously?”
“Zoe, darling, tell them what clothes you have,” Gage suggested.
Zoe gave a half shrug. “Just a couple temple robes. I don’t need much.”
Baba and Kyla exchanged looks and started moving in opposite directions.
“Baba, if you could show her your dress robes, I’ll assemble a selection for everyday wear,” Kyla suggested, looking through a rack by the window.
“Zoe, dear, this way,” Baba steered Zoe toward the section of the store that had its own dressing room.
Zoe turned to look at her mate. “Gage?” She didn’t want him spending too much.
Gage nodded as if understanding her concern. “Baba, she also only came with a single suitcase, so she must need other things as well.” He looked back down at his magazine.
Zoe felt her mouth drop. That wasn’t what she was worried about.
Baba patted her arm. “Gage, in addition to being a unit warrior, comes from a Noble House in Noctem Falls. We won’t even be able to put a dent in his accounts, so never you mind about the costs.”
Gage simply nodded absently, then turned the page and continued reading.
The next couple of hours was a whirlwind of fabric and accessories. Every time she went to decline something, she’d catch Gage looking excited about whatever she was wearing and couldn’t say no. By the time they left, they had spent a godsawful amount of money.
“Gage I…”
“Yes, my darling?” He beamed down at her.
She had a feeling if she fussed or confessed to feeling guilty, she would dim his happiness. Smiling, she took his hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. I can’t remember spending a more pleasant afternoon shopping. We’ll have to do this often.”
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “No way. I have enough clothes to last for the next hundred years!”
Gage just smiled.
“I mean it, Gage.”
“Maybe next year we can do an entire wardrobe in greens. I told Baba I felt like there weren’t enough emerald tones to go with your eyes.”
Shaking her head, knowing this was a fight she’d probably never win, she followed him to the closest spell center. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t that far from Baba’s. Gage stepped to one side to give her room to work.
Kneeling down, she took a deep breath and sent her magic through the crystals just as she had last time, only now she was looking for the imprint of the spell that made up the primary workings of the light. As she worked, the outside world fell away.
In her mind’s eye, the spell gleamed like a shining tattoo along the crystal. Each rune and symbol was clear and accurate. Slowly, she extracted herself, and when she went to sit back, she collapsed on her backside.
“Zoe! Are you okay?” Gage asked, looking pale.
“I’m fine. Coming out of the crystal, my spatial awareness was a bit skewed, so I toppled a bit.” When she went to stand, she was surprised at how weak her legs were. She looked up to Gage. “I think I may need some help standing.”
He ignored her and simply lifted her into his arms. “You were in that trance for close to two hours, Zoe.”
“What? It didn’t seem that long.”
“You need to check in with the queen, but more than that, I want Kendrick to look you over,” Gage said as he walked at a quickened pace toward the palace.
