Page 47 of Crave Me

I wasn’t certain, but the sun being out indicated it was afternoon for winter in Iceland.

Regardless of the physical clock, it was clearly time for me to explore.

Smiling, I retrieved my dress from the bathroom and laced up my shoes. A little stardust helped me fix my hair, and I was ready to go.

Where shall I go first?I tapped my chin and shrugged.Anywhere.

Vesperus had mentioned the need for a wardrobe, so perhaps I would seek that out during my tour.

I wrapped myself in shadows and phased to the park I’d seen from his roof. It placed me behind his estate on a snowy landscape littered with smaller trees.

The sidewalk was plowed, the lingering energy telling me it’d been done by magic and not a person. Similar to whatever enchantment had swept across the roads last night.

Exceptionally intriguing,I marveled, loving the kiss of vitality in the air.This really could be an ideal home.

I skipped along the path, enthused by the prospect of staying here. Would I keep Vesperus as a mate? Stay with him forever? Serve this territory as a queen?

How would that look in the long term?

So many questions. Rather than dwell on the answers, I chose to revel in the moment and continued my journey through the park.

It eventually ended at a fence that I phased through to reach the street on the other side.

Left or right? Left or right?

I spun instead and walked in the direction my spinning ended on—which happened to be right.

And a natural choice, too. Because it led me directly into the heart of town.

It seemed my wardrobe task would be successful after all.

Hmm.I perused the shop windows until I found one that appealed to me, and I stepped inside.

Fortunately, it was during working hours, so I would be able to properly pay for my clothes.

Well, sort of. That part needed to be negotiated.

“Hello?” I called out to the shop owner as I wandered through the clothing racks.

“Yes?” The female voice came from behind me, causing me to whirl and face a tall female with bright orange hair.

A shifter of some kind,I sensed.But not a wolf. A large cat, perhaps?I nearly asked but didn’t want to appear rude, so I kept my conversation professional.

“Hello, I’m Nyx. I’m a new member of Gold and Garnet.” I gestured to my crescent necklace. “And King Vesperus says I need a wardrobe. May I shop here for one?”

She blinked at me, the yellow slits of her irises confirming my guess about her being a cat shifter. “King Vesperus is paying for your new clothes?”

“Er, no. I can pay for that. You accept supernatural elements as currency in this realm, yes?”

She blinked again, her lids double-layered and making her eyes appear white before flickering back to her yellow coloring. “Blood is our form of currency in Gold and Garnet, but yes, we accept other forms as well.” She looked me over. “What are you?”

Oh. Apparently, she didn’t mind personal questions. “A goddess. You?”

“A tiger shifter.” She folded her arms, appearing unimpressed by my presence. “What can you offer me? I don’t see a purse or a bag, and that dress isn’t hiding anything of value either.”

I smiled. “I don’t require a bag.” Rather than elaborate, I held out my palm to display a small pile of stardust. “I have this.”

She eyed my hand with distrust evident in her expression. “And what’s that?”