Page 33 of Daman

“Queen Kira showed us your suit.” Bellamy combed my hair before sectioning it off to straighten. “You’re gonna look fly as fuck.”

“She made it so fast.”

“A whole team helped her. And I’m sure a bit of magic was used to speed things along too.” He seemed like his old self again—charming and playful.

“Look. I hate apologies and shit. But I’m sorry that things got weird between us earlier. I shouldn’t have said that you have it easy. Because fuck. None of us do.”

Bellamy’s eyes found mine. “I’d already forgotten about it. Now sit still so I can finish your hair.”

I sighed. “I don’t know why you guys are making such a fuss over me.”

“Because we love you.” Gray poked his head into the bathroom, wearing one of my hats. He also wore my shirt. The little punk was playing dress-up in my goddamn clothes. He’d snatched two of my bracelets too, and the silver crosses jingled as he moved his hands to show them off. “Even if you’re grouchy.”

“One last thing, and then you’re done.” Bellamy smoothed black liner along both my eyes, his golden hair falling forward as he concentrated. He leaned back to examine his work and smiled. “You look smoking hot, D.”

I checked myself out in the mirror. He had added a small amount of pomade to my hair to give it a glossy, textured look, and the liner made my green eyes pop.

“Hey.” Raiden appeared in the doorway with a half-eaten bagel in his hand. “The queen is here with your suit.”

Queen Kira stood in the center of the room, her blonde hair cascading down her back in waves. She wore an elegant dark blue gown, and sapphires decorated her thin golden crown.

She gently grabbed my hands. “A handsome male for a handsome prince.” She turned to one of her maids and grabbed the suit, showing me. “Do you like it?”

At first glance, I thought it was black, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a dark green. A lighter shade of green and silver had been used along the shoulders and down the back in a meticulous embroidered design. The material had a faint shimmer to it. The undershirt was white, no tie.

“I…” I smoothed my hand along the fabric. “I love it.”

And I really did. No one had ever made something so stunning for me before. And to use green, the color of my sin, was even more special. It felt like an acceptance, that Warrin’s family didn’t just see me as a key to the alliance, but maybe as something more.

“Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Kira clapped her hands together and beamed with a smile. “I will leave so you can dress.”

Bellamy and Castor helped me put on the suit while Gray fought to stay awake. Raiden finished off the platter of food and picked at the crumbs. A knock came at the door, and Alastair walked in, posh in his navy blue designer suit and fade and tapered haircut.

“You look great,” he told me.

“Thanks.” I sensed unease coming off him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Spill it, Al,” Bellamy said.

“Clara called me,” Alastair said. She had stayed in Echo Bay to keep an eye on things while they’d come to Russia. “Shades attacked a group of teenagers late last night. All four of them died. The authorities wrote it off as an animal attack, but she sensed the demonic energy. She said she’s going hunting tonight.”

“Hunting?” Gray asked, suddenly alert. “But she’s not trained to fight them.”

“That’s what I told her. Then she toldmeto stop treating her like a damsel.”

“Do you think Phoenix is behind the attacks?” Castor asked.

At the mention of Phoenix, Bellamy’s muscles tensed. I wouldn’t have noticed it had he not been standing so close to me. He hadn’t spoken of it… but something had happened during the Caribbean battle. He’d had the chance to kill Phoenix and hesitated.

“He’s the one who more than likely sent them, yes.” Alastair’s frown deepened. “Which means he knows we’re not in Echo Bay.”

“They know she’s alone,” Galen said, stepping inside the room. He and Simon hadn’t joined the others when they’d come barreling into my space earlier. Wrath and I weren’t exactly close, and we didn’t pretend to be.

Alastair didn’t respond. But he didn’t have to. Clara was in danger, or she would be soon. She was a tough cookie, but as Gray said, she wasn’t trained.