Page 74 of A Hunt So Wicked
Slowly, I raised my eyes, taking in the full skirt that flared out at my hips before falling in soft waves to the floor. A strip of lace, maybe two inches wide, spanned my waistline and disappeared beneath the row of emeralds. Swaths of velvet wrapped my bust, which was still obscene but not as bad as it could have been. I finally met my own stare and blinked. I hadn't seen my reflection since before The Hunt. A few red scrapes marked my cheek, but aside from that, my face was unmarred. I looked like me, but not completely. As though the me from before coming was here in terms of appearance, but the woman staring back at me, the one in the expensive gown and the heart full of rage, she was taking over.
"If only your guard could see you."
I stopped breathing and froze, aside from shifting my eyes in the mirror to the group that had gathered behind me. It didn't take long to find Belinda.
"What did you just say?" I hissed as my eyes narrowed.
She held her hands to her heart. "It's just so sad that he, you know... isn't here to see you like this."
My blood boiled. My heart raced. My soul was ready to rip out of my body and go after her if I didn't do it. I was done with her.
"Eves," Isla said, a hint of warning in her tone.
"Finan?" I called out, keeping my eyes on Belinda. "I love this gown, and I think Prince Alasdair will be thrilled to see me wearing his house colors."
Belinda's face turned so red I thought her head was going to explode.
"You look beautiful, Evie," Becca said. "Green is your color."
I turned around and smiled at Becca. "Thank you. Alasdair agrees."
"Do you have any more green dresses?" Belinda demanded, marching over to Finan.
"No, and even if I did, again—skin tone."
I looped arms with my friends, and we returned to the fitting room. They helped me out of the gown this time since Finan was already helping others pick theirs.
"Do you think he's going to choose you?" Isla asked as she undid my corset.
"He said as much earlier," I whispered, lifting my arms up.
Riv whistled. "That is... well, I'm not sure. I mean, are you happy about it?"
I pushed my hair out of my face after the dress went up and over. "With what I learned earlier, I think it might be the best possible outcome."
"What did you learn?"
"Close that door, and I'll tell you quickly, but don't discuss it again until we're alone later. I don't want anyone else to overhear anything."
Isla raced to the door and softly closed it, and I quietly told them everything Dair had said earlier.
"Well, one thing is for certain," Riv said after I finished filling them in.
I slipped my shoes back on. "What's that?"
"We're not going to let you do this alone."
"We don't have a choice," Isla said.
"No matter what happens tonight, we make a vow right here and now," Rivka explained, pulling both of us closer to her. She lowered her voice. "We vow to each other that no matter where we end up in the kingdom, we will work together to stop this. This hunt will be the last.Ever. No other woman will be sacrificed in the name of some evil bloodline trait. We will remain in contact with each other and make it our life's mission to end The Royal Hunt."
"I promise," I said, not needing a single second to think about it. I was already planning to do everything I could, but if my friends ended up in different kingdoms, then we might be able to make more of an impact or at the very least, recruit more allies.
Isla held her fist over her heart. "I promise."
"And I, too, promise," Riv stated.
My mind spun as I weighed Dair’s proposal. What if he didn't score as high as he thought? There was a chance that someone else might pick me, and then what? I couldn't live a life as a prisoner. I didn't want to be married off to anyone, but I also didn't want to be shipped to another realm. The thought of my father living out the remaining years of his life without me, not knowing what happened to me… It was a strong enough vision to make the decision for me. I had to accept Dair's proposal and hope to the Goddess that he was genuine in the words he'd spoken earlier. That he'd still let me see my father, that he'd do something to stop this disgusting tradition.
