Page 32

Chapter twenty

M y body jolted awake at the hint of sun on the horizon, and a sigh of relief washed over me at the realization that I wasn’t going to be late today. That was until the headache left by the alcohol had me regretting waking up at all.

Thoughts of last night trickled in through my mind as I dressed and made my way outside.

Nickolai’s heart-stopping smile made up a majority of those visions—distracting me until it cleared to the sight of the hallways already buzzing to life.

Several people carried vases of autumn-designed centerpieces, chairs, tables, and more—all leading outside.

The pieces of the puzzle clicked together in one swift thought.

Harvest Day was finally upon us—instantly sending a wave of dread to wash over me.

Placing one foot after another, I continued my way outside, anxious for the sweet relief of running. To my dismay, Loughlan was nowhere in sight. So much for not being late.

I waited for him for five minutes, before finally starting the run on my own—seeking the comfort the exhaustion provided me.

The gravel crunched under my feet in an odd melody as the breeze of the morning air sent the smell of the dewy grass through my nose.

My pace was steady while my body warmed to the feeling, which fortunately was becoming less and less sore.

After the first lap, I pushed off the ground harder, until soon I was in a full-out sprint that still didn’t feel like enough—didn’t hurt enough. Even when the familiar stitch finally found its way into my side making me gasp for air, I still needed more.

I nearly finished my second lap around the castle, ignoring the area that was being decorated for tonight's festivities, when I looked up to find Loughlan, standing near the gym doors, talking with Zeke. They each turned to look at me as I came to a stop, digging my fingers into my side.

My eyes met Loughlan’s, and with a smirk, I said breathlessly, “Looks like you were the one who was late today.”

“I had important matters to deal with,” he responded bluntly.

“I’ll remember that for the next time you try to break down my door,” I replied, crossing my arms over my still heaving chest, no longer in the playful mood I’d been in.

He rolled his eyes, but at last, a small smirk graced his face. “There will be no training for you today.”

My eyes narrowed at him. “Why?”

He waved his hand out in the direction of the staff hanging up decorations, “It’s Harvest Day.”

“So?” My irritation for this day was already increasing and slipping into my voice.

“So that means I’m busy and Nessy has requested you and some other girls to join her in getting ready or something, I’m not sure. I was just told that if I don’t get you to her room by breakfast, then she will have my hide,” he responded with enough concern on his face to make me chuckle.

“Are you scared of her?” I asked incredulously.

“You obviously don’t know her well enough if you're not scared of her,” Zeke at last spoke up, having watched the entire exchange with me and Loughlan. “There is a reason she’s the Commander.”

Nessy had said her seals are what made her the Commander, but by the way they are both acting it seemed like I was missing something.

I cast a questioning glance at both of them, but neither divulged any more information on the subject.

Growing too impatient, I rolled my eyes and waved a hand expectantly to the castle for Loughlan to lead the way.

He guided me up to the entrance of Nessy’s room which apparently was on the floor above mine. The door opened to a spiral staircase that supposedly led to the top of a tower, and Loughlan stopped, wishing me good luck. The sentiment had my brows knitting in confusion.

When I reached the top of the window-lit stairs I found another door, decorated similarly to the corset I’d seen Nessy in before.

Vines of little metal leaves wove throughout it in no particular pattern, the light from the nearby window shining off the curvature of each little intricate piece.

I found the smoothest spot on the door and knocked hesitantly.

Hurried footsteps sounded on the other side before it was removed from my direct view, replaced by Ysabel holding a glass of champagne. “Mira!” Ysabel exclaimed, smiling widely and pushing her freckles up toward her eyes.

My shock from it not being Nessy quickly went away as I returned the smile and was welcomed into the large room. I stepped down into a round space, taking in the considerable stone fireplace that had a long sword displayed on the mantel, then the rest of the room.

The tower had multiple round platforms that went higher and higher than the next, all of it more feminine than I’d expected.

The glistening wood floors beautifully matched the stone and earthy tones of the curtains and drapes, forming an unexplainable warmth that wrapped me up in ease.

Even the bed looked like one that was made for comfort over design.

Ysabel ushered me toward the two women who sat on the couch, stating, “Mira, this is Sabina and Miriam, they are friends from within the city.”

I couldn’t help noticing that they were both fae.

Sabina had short platinum blonde hair that faded into pink, while Miriam had many braids in her dark hair that laid in bulk upon her caramel skin.

They each smiled at me kindly, which I returned to them, mentally making note of how it was starting to get easier to smile.

Part of me began to wonder if the grief would truly break me, or if it would just slowly ease enough for me to breathe again.

As I sat in one of the single-seat chairs beside the large couch, Ysabel added, “Nessy is changing, we are all going to try on dresses and help each other pick out our outfits for tonight.” My heart skipped a beat in excitement.

I’d always wanted to have a group of girls to do these sorts of things with, and now I did.

Maybe this holiday wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Sabina, who sat closest to me, offered me a glass of champagne, which I took right as Nessy came barreling out of the double doors on one of the other round platforms I hadn’t seen. She squealed as soon as she saw me, acting more like a girl than I had ever seen her.

She did a spin and held up her hands. “What do you think of this one?”

On her was a deep orange long-sleeved dress that had a belt cinched around her waist.It was perfect for fall, but not her. I took a sip from my glass, hesitant to make a comment while the other women didn’t hold back, each shaking their heads in time with their chorus of, “Hell no!”

Nessy's mouth moved to one side as she looked down at what she had on, asking, “It’s the color, isn’t it?

” This time everyone, including me, nodded, and with that answer, she skipped back to what I assumed was the dressing room.

Within two minutes, she was back out in a red dress with cuffed sleeves.

“That’s getting better,” Miriam said in an optimistic tone.

“Maybe not the right one for you,” I finished for her, and they all nodded.

Nessy blew out a huff before turning back around.

After another five minutes, she returned, and my jaw dropped at the sight of her.

The dress she had on matched who she was perfectly.

It was an off-the-shoulder, plunging, half red-dress that had green leaves wrapped around the waist, falling down to the dark green underskirts that pooled on the floor around her.

Nessy had a slight blush on her cheeks as she looked at each of our reactions.

Sabina was the first of us to speak, “That’s the one. ”

“You think?” Nessy asked, looking down at the dress nervously. We all broke from our silence to give our various forms of agreements. Which had Nessy breaking out in a huge smile as she came down the steps into the sitting area.

One after another, each woman went up to the dressing room to find her dress until it was eventually my turn.

Ysabel had found a light blue long-sleeved dress that accentuated the red of her hair, while Sabina went with a pink dress with a collage of flowers, and Miriam chose a dark red dress that was stunning against her darker skin.

I walked up the steps to the double doors I had been seeing them all go in and out of, finding a decently sized bathroom with more stonework throughout and some of the dresses scattered on the floor.

Shoes overflowed from a pile beside a rack of still-hung dresses to choose from.

I wasn't sure how I would ever be able to pick one out of so many.

Flipping through each dress, my fingers ran along each texture and I scanned the colors for one that caught my eye. I was about three-quarters of the way through when I finally spotted it, a rich, dark blue.

Taking the dress, I put it on to find out that it had no top other than two wisps of fabric that started at—and barely covered—my breasts.

It was held to the rest of the dress by a see-through net with an intricate gold bead design, while the top of the two fabric pieces extended over my shoulders in drapes that slightly dragged on the floor behind me.

I twisted around, letting the fabric swish at my ankles, and it was then that I realized there was also a leg slit. The thought of anyone, including Nickolai, seeing me in a dress such as this had my stomach flipping in excitement.

I was in a trance, staring at myself in the mirror when a shout from the other room pulled me back, “Did you die?”

With a chuckle, I shouted back, “No!”

I hurriedly looked around, my eyes landing on a pair of shoes that matched perfectly with the dress.

Running over to them, I threw them on—unable to do anything about my hair quite yet until after a bath, so I left it up.

Walking out of the double doors, I looked down into the sitting space at the group of girls that I’d spent an amazing morning with.

Instantly Ysabel exclaimed, “Oh my gods!” Heat filled my cheeks and a smile spread across my face at the reaction I’d known was coming. When I looked in the mirror, I felt sexy and confident in this dress, and from the looks on their faces, I knew my feeling was right.

“Is this the one?” I asked shyly. They made me jump when they all shouted at me in agreement before we broke out in a giggle.

I stepped down and dressed in our beautiful, sparkling ballgowns, we each raised our glasses of champagne in cheers to a night of fun and laughter.

I, in turn, made a promise to myself to let go of everything for tonight, before the weight of my mistakes kept me from letting myself have at least this memory.

After we found our dresses, Nessy, Ysabel, Sabina, Miriam, and I all spent the rest of the day getting to know each other. By the late afternoon, we each had our hair styled and makeup done when there was a knock on the door.

Ysabel again answered to find a large box with a note on top.

Grabbing the note she read aloud, “Hear me, for it is Harvest day.

Fear not, for the cold times upon us. Let us, give thanks for the abundant days of the past. Join me, in tonight's celebration and let the mystery whisk you away! Yours truly, King Dragoslav.” She looked at each of us, who had hung onto every word and all at once our eyes traveled down to the large box still laying on the threshold of the door.

Sabina squealed before shouting, “Open it!”

Ysabel dragged the box into the room as the rest of us moved around the couch to get a closer look.

Without delay, she opened it and gasped at the sight of whatever was inside before reaching down to pick it up.

As her hands cleared the top of the box, a mask decorated with small light-blue feathers was held up.

“It’s a Masquerade!” Nessy screamed as she ran to the box searching for a mask of her own before pulling out a smooth red one that matched perfectly with the top of her dress.

Holding it over her face, she looked at her reflection in the mirror on the wall, exclaiming, “I have been asking Nic to do one for years!”

Soon we each picked out a mask from the assortment of colors and styles sent to us. Mine was a gold one that had swirls combining together in a pattern around my eyes, forming the shape of a crown along the top, which ended up matching the beading on my dress.

When I looked in the mirror, my eyes sparkled, even though my stomach twisted with excitement and nerves.