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twenty-four

The food was actually delicious. She’d made some kind of stew and she had roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes and carrots that tasted so freaking good. She had homemade bread, too, that tasted so different from back home but delicious, nonetheless. She also brought us tea that had that almost-peppermint smell, but Rune didn’t let me even touch it until Miriam swore a formal oath that no spell or curse or poison or magic of any kind laced anything she’d brought for us here at the table.

I ate so fast it could have been funny. Rune ate, too, slowly, watching me every now and again, smiling the way he did—just a ghost of a smile touching one corner of his lips. He was probably thinking he’d seen wildcats eating with more manners, but I didn’t mind.

And secretly I kind of liked the way he looked at me. You know, when he wasn’t murdering me with his gaze.

The woman spoke for about ten minutes straight, told us all about how she raised her own chickens and grew her own vegetables, how she made everything she had with these two hands .

And I asked her, “But seriously, though, Miriam—why here? Why so far away from the town?” We could see Cloakwood from up here. It was a big place, stretching as far as the eye could see, surrounded by hills and mountains and forests, and a river that flowed on both sides as well. It seemed like it would be far away, even by horse.

Her smile fell a little, but her warm brown eyes continued to sparkle with excitement. “Why, the other fomorians decided that they didn’t want me meddling in their business—mind you, I was only trying to help, to heal their plants and their livestock when they were sleeping.” Oh, hell… “So, they tried to take me to the Neutral Lands, but I wasn’t about to leave my home behind. So, I asked them for a piece of land to my name, and they gave me this —the most perfect place a noxin could ask for. My plants grow and I have silence, birds, and my very own life.”

I looked at Rune and my heart broke a little.

Those people down there had actually driven her out of her own home?

Now I felt bad for eating her food.

“I’m happy here,” Miriam said, and she meant it. “But I do need more power to settle my system for winters. Which is why that black diamond is going to serve me a great deal.”

“You’ll have it when we make it to the Seelie Court,” Rune told her.

“Thank you, Sire. I appreciate it very much.” And he didn’t correct her. Didn’t tell her not to call him sire, which struck me as odd.

But Miriam continued to eat, smiling to herself, making these noises now and again—nothing in particular.

“What about your family?” I asked—couldn’t help it.

“I don’t have a family, Lifebound.”

“Please, call me Nilah,” I said. Lifebound had become a not-so-nice word for me all of a sudden. “But do you have friends?”

“No. No friends, either,” Miriam said.

“Does it ever get lonely?” Because she was up here while the rest of them were down there.

“That is why I have my animals and my plants—and my dresses,” the woman said. “Oh, I have one for you that will fit you perfectly, I think. Do you want to see?” And she stood up.

I looked at Rune. Slowly, he nodded.

Well, fuck, I really did want to see because this hideous thing I’d had on for too long now was too heavy and too thick for this weather.

“Thank you, Miriam,” I said, and putting down the napkin she’d given me, I stood up and followed her inside the cottage.

* * *

She had at least twenty dresses on mannequins made out of hay and wood that she’d spread out everywhere in the biggest room of the cottage—what she called her atelier. White wooden wardrobes were built into two of the longest walls. She had a large sewing machine in the very middle, very similar to the ones we had on Earth, only this one had a lot more wood and metal, and virtually no plastic on it. Needles and threads and ribbons and buttons were everywhere on the wooden floor, and as soon as we entered, she told me to take my clothes off because she already knew what I was going to try on.

It was a blue dress with a few buttons in the front, with sleeves that reached the elbows, puffed around the shoulders, with ribbons and lace and a built-in corset with ties on the back, and a puffed skirt that fell just below my knees. It really was beautiful, and the fabric was a blue that could have been cut right out of the sky, but I’d never worn anything like it before. She promised it would be comfortable enough to run and jump and do anything at all in, so I agreed to put it on.

The moment she saw my jeans that I had on underneath the black dress, Miriam’s eyes glistened like she was about to start crying.

She was so completely mesmerized with them, and with my plain green tee, it was almost funny to watch how she analyzed the seams while I put the dress on.

When I did, she tightened the corset pretty tight, yet it was still incredibly comfortable, and then she opened one of the doors of the wardrobe on the right of the room. Inside it was a mirror, and I legit thought it was a picture of someone else because I didn’t recognize myself.

The dress really did look like it was made for me. It made my waist look tiny and lifted my boobs up so they looked sexy as hell, but most importantly, it was comfortable. The fabric was soft against my skin, like the finest cotton I’d ever tried, and it was almost slippery to the touch. I could indeed cause any kind of trouble in this thing—and run away without a scratch after. Which made no sense considering the corset, but somehow, she’d made it work.

“What do you think?” Miriam asked, pushing my hair to the side as I took in my reflection, still in awe.

“I’ll tell you what—I’ll exchange you my jeans and shirt for this dress. How’s that sound?”

Miriam was so happy she almost cried.

Her bathroom was an actual bathroom with a tub that had no rust in it, and actually fit me to sit at the bottom. The water she brought me in the bucket and pitcher was warm, and as I cleaned myself up, I tried not to think about the last time I had. I tried not to think about how Rune’s eyes had looked at my naked body, how I’d felt the heat of him when he’d come closer to pour water on me.

Fuck, I was so horny, and the feeling was so intense that it almost convinced me to touch myself right there. A little would do it—because I’d kissed Rune and I knew that the moment I brought back the memory and felt him the way I had when I was in his arms, I’d be a goner. It would be very fast, and I would breathe easier after.

But still, I had no idea if Miriam or even Rune could see me or hear me through the walls or the small window that showed the sky. As much as it pained me, I decided not to do anything.

After the bath, Miriam actually put blush on my cheeks. She made it herself, she said, with berries and some herbs, and it actually had a really nice creamy texture. I showed her my mascara in my backpack, too, and I showed her how to use it. She absolutely adored how it made her already long lashes longer. She didn’t like my lip gloss, though. Said she preferred the tint of color she got from eating cherries in the morning.

It felt like ages before I finally made it outside of the cottage again, to find Rune standing at the very edge of the cliff, hands in his pockets, looking out at the town below. He must have heard me, though, because he turned with his mouth open, ready to speak, probably to tell me that we had no more time.

But then he saw me and stopped. Clamped his mouth shut, froze in place, and it was so incredibly obvious.

I had never felt giddier in my life.

Rune liked the dress and how it looked on me. My hair was wet, sure, but I’d combed it back, and I wore clean clothes and I actually smelled citrusy because of the soap Miriam had given me. I felt reborn.

Rune’s eyes scrolled down my body, and behind me Miriam giggled. Put her hands on my shoulders and whispered, “ He’s mesmerized.”

Which wouldn’t have been a word I’d pick, but yes , Rune looked mesmerized.

“When you’re ready, come behind the house. I’ll be waiting,” Miriam said before she let go of my shoulders and walked away. I didn’t even turn my head.

My eyes remained on Rune, and my heart was thundering, and I still felt so goddamn giddy that of course I had to find a way to ruin it. The intensity of his gaze was going to suffocate me if I didn’t speak soon, so I said, “Don’t forget to pick that up.”

Like an idiot, I pointed at his feet.

Rune looked down, eyebrows raised. “What?”

I grinned. “Your jaw.”

The look on his face. Rune almost laughed, but before he did, he put his fist over his mouth and turned his back to me once more.

I couldn’t stop myself, though. I was giggling like a schoolgirl because how cringe was that? Possibly the cringiest thing I had ever said in my life, but I had no regrets. Because the pressure was off and when Rune faced me again, he was smiling and his eyes were glowing.

“Your dress is…” He nodded, glanced at my cleavage like he couldn’t help himself. I didn’t have big boobs, but the corset made them look bigger and rounder and bouncier, too. Miriam had really outdone herself with it. If she ever came to Earth, she’d be sold out in a second.

“Say it, Mr. Moody. C’mon, you can do it. B-e-a-uuutiful,” I said, and I was trying to imitate Jim Carrey from that movie Dad loved, but I couldn’t make it sound right.

“ Blue, actually,” he said as he grinned and came closer. “I was just going to say blue.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, you weren’t. You were going to say beautiful. ”

“Nope. Not beautiful.”

Now my jaw hit the floor. I even opened my mouth to make a point, but before I could say anything, Rune stepped to my side and whispered, “Don’t forget to pick that up,” before he went inside the house. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone at the edge of the cliff, smiling at the sky like a goof.

“We match,” I told it, and held the fluffy skirt of my dress to the sides to show it.

My lips burned and I might just die before nightfall, but right now I had a full stomach and I was clean, and there was just something about putting on a beautiful dress and doing a little makeup. Thank God I’m a girl, I thought to myself, and for now, I just enjoyed the good mood, the burning sensation on my lips, and the memory of Rune’s kiss.