Page 60 of Wrath of the Dragons
“Oh, yes,” I mutter. “A lady of the night.”
She lightly smacks the back of my head and climbs out of the tub while wrapping herself in a towel, swaying her hips as she walks into the bedchamber. I chuckle under my breath as I finish up in the bathbefore following her path. I’m surprised to find her already fast asleep when I slide into bed.
The fire from the hearth dances over her features, making it impossible to tear my eyes away as I lie on my side to face her. When I look at her, it’s like I know what it is to see my heart beating outside of my body. I twirl one of her damp curls around the finger that now has her name inked onto it.
After living on the streets, not even being in a house could fully eliminate the cold within me. Not until I met Elowen and had her in my grasp. Love is supposed to be something light and beautiful and pure, but what I feel for the woman sleeping beside me could lay waste to armies and end worlds.
I’ve never cared about anyone like this, never wanted or had the urge to. It feels as if I’ve never truly seen anyone now that I see her everywhere. I know this path is dangerous, and yet I can’t stop following it. She makes a noise of irritation, scrunching her nose a bit as she blinks her bleary eyes open, wrapping herself around me without saying a word.
Gods, I’m fucked.
I’m well and truly fucked.
Chapter
Thirty
Elowen
“It needs more detail,” Saskiasays before taking a sip from the dainty cup in her hand. “A royal wedding is more than a ceremony, it’s a statement to the entirety of Ravaryn. Elowen has a penchant for enjoying finery given the extravagance of her everyday attire, so we can’t scrimp on adornments.”
“I wouldn’t call it apenchant. I simply have particular taste, and my eye just so happens to gravitate toward more expensive items entirely coincidentally.”
Saskia laughs as she tucks her feet up on the couch beside her. “Of course.”
Gazing at myself in the trifold mirror, I scrutinize the white fabric pinned to my body. A team of three dressmakers buzzes around me like busy bees, their various pins acting as stingers. I’ve been poked and prodded more in this single session than ever. The woman behind me abruptly tightens the fabric along my spine, straightening my back and pushing my breasts up at once.
“Much better,” I say through a strained breath.
The seamstress pinning the hem smiles up at me from the base of the box I’m standing upon. “The bodice will be adorned with thousands of tiny gold beads that will trail down your skirts.”
“We know you prefer flowing sleeves, so how about we do splitsleeves just beneath your elbows with a sheer blue layer of fabric as another ode to your union?” The seamstress behind me adds. “We could also embroider small blue flowers along the vines on your skirts. Forget-me-nots are an option given their deep blue hue.”
“And blue dragons on the backs of her arms!”
I nod. “That sounds—”
My head jerks up at the sound of the door opening. Everyone in the room gasps. Saskia abruptly stands, and the women lurch for the dressing screen to hide me, but it’s all for naught.
“I believe brothers are allowed to see the gown prior to the wedding,” Finnian says, his voice thickening the longer he looks at me.
Everyone aside from me lets out a collective sigh of relief. Finnian shuts the door behind him and slowly walks toward me. His throat bobs as he takes in the panels upon panels of ivory fabric. “Ellie.”
“Finny.” My lips quirk up on one side as my eyes grow warm. “Can you give us a moment?” I ask the woman who pulled my bodice tighter. She’s the leader of the three despite them working as a unit.
“We could help you out of the dress if that’s easier, Your Majesty. We’ve done as much as we can here, and the sooner we get it to the shop, the sooner we can start sewing.”
“I’ll be done in a minute,” I say to Finnian as he offers me a hand down from the platform, nodding silently as he continues looking at me. “Don’t cry.” My voice is as thick and wobbly as his.
“I’m going to look out the window.” He walks like there’s a fire beneath his heels, and I force my eyes to dry as the women help me out of the gown without giving me another cut. I feel like their personal pin cushion. They leave me behind the screen, and I remove the slip I left on, unable to stomach the idea of being completely bare with strangers, and don the lavender gown I wore yesterday. The thick velvety material isn’t a foolproof defense against the cold, but it helps.
Finnian’s red tunic is rumpled from riding, and his cheeks are wind-kissed from the cold. “How’d it go with the Aestilian soldiers, Commander?”
“They’re prepared to fight for their queen,” he says, finally tearinghis eyes away from the property and giving me his full attention. “Now, tell me, what can I do formyqueen?”
“Walk me down the aisle?”
His arms drop to his sides and his eyes widen. I’m a daughter with the heart of an orphan, but I’ve always had a brother since the moment Finnian entered my life. We made our own family.
