Page 137 of Fearless

Calum manages a slight smile. “Just curiosity for an old friend.”

“Hmm.” I fiddle with the ring on my thumb. “But you think I look like my father’s wife, Alice?”

“From the few pictures I saw of her, yes,” he answers softly. “Now, Imust rush off to a meeting with Kitt, but I will be sure to tell him how beautiful you look in this wedding dress. The roses from my garden will look lovely with it.”

This makes me pause. “Your garden? How did you manage to grow anything in the short amount of time you’ve been here?”

He backs away. “Well, the Blooms have been very helpful. They are to thank for persuading my flowers to grow.”

“Right.” The mutter is followed by a hurried “Thank you. For everything.”

He dips his head, offering one final glance. “I hope you’re not covering up that scar. You should be flaunting it.”

The Mind Reader is gone before the smile has turned my lips. Ellie hurries back to my side, staring at my figure in the mirror while straightening the dress’s several seams. “What do you think?”

I run a hand down the fabric. “I’m just thinking about what Adena would say.”

“Probably a lot of things,” Ellie says earnestly.

The truth of that prediction makes me laugh. And then my fingers are straying to the thick straps slipping over my shoulders. Calum’s words ring in my mind, but it’s a sweeter voice that echoes in my heart. That is where Adena lives, and she is telling me to display my survival. Showcase the power I was forced to find within myself.

This fabric has never felt Adena’s soft touch, and I never will again. If I am to be married, I want to be wearing a piece of her. So, the least I can do is display my strength in her honor.

“Actually, I’ve decided against the straps.” I fight to subdue my triumphant grin. “I’d like them gone.”

Ellie nods. “I’ll go fetch the seamstress, then.”

I watch her slip from the room before returning my gaze to the mirror. The face that stares back is foreign in a freeing way. There is acertain boldness within it that I look forward to familiarizing myself with. It is not quite the image of a queen, but perhaps something just as powerful.

There is strength in sacrifice. And that is what this marriage is.

So I smile at my reflection, unable to recall the last time I have.

Faint footsteps echo from the hallway beyond, to which I absentmindedly call, “Ellie, am I wearing a veil?”

“I would happily beg you not to.”

My heart stutters at the sudden sound of his voice. I turn toward it slowly, fabric swishing around my ankles. Kai stands in the doorway, his eyes roaming over the length of me with a look that distantly resembles devastation.

“Oh?” I challenge breathlessly.

“Don’t deprive me of seeing your face one last time.”

I falter. “It wouldn’t be the last time.”

“It wouldn’t be the same,” he answers quickly.

The ache in his voice makes me flinch. “Kai…” I step quickly toward him, once again walking that dangerous line between duty and desire. I may be wearing a wedding dress meant for the king, but it’s his brother I continually run back to.

“Don’t,” Kai practically chokes. “Don’t walk toward me wearing that dress.” I’ve never heard the Enforcer sound so shaken. “It only reminds me that I won’t be the one awaiting you at the end of that aisle.”

My feet stutter to a stop. I nod slowly, hating the hurt on his face. My throat burns. “I don’t want this either.”

He stares at me for a long moment before closing the distance between us. “I only came to slide a note beneath your door.” My breath catches when he presses a folded piece of parchment into my palm. “But now that I’m here…” He takes a step back to thoroughly look me over. “I can tell you that your outfit is missing something.”

This blatant statement makes me blink. “Oh?”

Kai’s mouth twitches. “You have nothing sharp to threaten me with.”

---