Page 90 of Lifebound

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 withthese 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 methis—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 himsire,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.Lifeboundhad 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 hadat 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 wasan 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.

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