Page 53 of The Gathering

“New people?” he repeated for her.

Nyssa sighed and stared in the mirror again, all her insecurities coming to the surface with one look.There would be so many other,prettierwomen there at the ball, she was sure Nadir would forget about her after a few dances.

She hated how her hair wouldn’t curl, and how her tulle dress had to be hemmed twice because it dragged on the ground. She’d only recently begun using Aydra’s seamstress, and Maye was so accustomed to Aydra’s measurements that she made Nyssa’s dresses too large and too long—even though she’d measured her multiple times.

It was still lying on the bed… the most gorgeous champagne tulle dress she’d ever seen, and she was questioning everything.

As she looked at herself again in the corset and lingerie she’d had made for the occasion, she felt ridiculous.

“The undergarments are foryouto feel empowered in,” Dorian muttered as though he knew what she was thinking. He was staring and picking at his nails, legs thrown over the chair. She sighed heavily, and he finally looked up.

“Not anyone else,” he reminded her.

Nyssa closed her eyes and straightened, reminding herself how much she truly loved lingerie, how proud it made her feel about her body, and how hard she had worked to build muscle and store some fat after years of being underweight.

But as she felt the corset bunch at the back, some of that pride fell, and she started untying it again.

“Fuck,” she cursed under her breath.

“Want help?” Dorian asked.

“Please,” she said defeatedly.

Dorian rose from the chair, unbuckled his cape, and threw it back before stepping up to her. He unthreaded it in the middle and then began to tug her as he tightened it.

“I think Maye believes I will somehow grow to Drae’s stature overnight,” she said.

“Give me a year,” he assured her. “Though I don’t think I can get you much taller.”

Nyssa wanted to laugh, but she ended up merely giving a quiet huff instead. “Where is Corbin?” she asked, realizing she’d barely seen him that day.

Dorian stopped moving for a brief moment, and then began yanking her corset instead of the gentle tugs he’d been doing before. “I’ve no idea,” and there was a twinge of annoyance in his tone. “He hasn’t checked in all day.”

“Really? I thought maybe you’d told him to do the announcements,” Nyssa said.

“No,” he replied. “He should have been with us. Announcements should have been made by Bard’s next. Not him.”

“Is he avoiding you?”

“I couldn’t find him last night before the Infi incident either,” Dorian said. “I’m not sure what’s wrong.”

The door swung open then, and Bala paraded herself inside as though it was her own. She whistled leeringly, and all talk of the Belwark went amiss as Nyssa saw Dorian give Bala a sideways grin.

“Is that for my sister or me?” he teased.

Bala threw her belt down on the bed. “Both,” she replied. “Princess, are you wearing just that to the ball? I think a few people might faint.” She smiled at her as she straightened. “Come on. Give us a twirl. Show off what Nadir will be swooning over once you get him back here tonight.”

Nyssa rolled her eyes and reached for her dress on the bed. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she argued, and the thought made her stomach knot.

Once she was dressed, Dorian tightened the corset back on the dress, and together, the three admired one another in the mirror.

“This is very sexy,” Bala said, turning and looking at herself from every angle. “I think each of us deserves to be thoroughly taken advantage of tonight.”

Dorian swung his shoulder cape over his left arm and buckled it across his chest before handing out their three glasses of whiskey.

“What are we cheers’ing to?” Nyssa asked.

Dorian raised his glass. “Us,” he said simply.