Page 97 of To Crave Madly
My stomach churned as realisation slapped me in the face. The name Iveri had to be a direct descendant of Iver.
Which meant… Oh, fudge nugget.
What were the chances that Lori and her demon were the ones in the passage, and she was foretold to rule them All?
I hoped I was wrong, but my intuition had never led me astray before.
Oh, snickerdoodles.
Chapter 34
LORI
I looked at the woman reflected back at me in the mirror and I could hardly recognise her as me. I didn’t just look hot; I looked absolutely drop dead gorgeous.
“Are you sure you didn’t use any magic?”
Elissa laughed behind me. “Nope. Just some good old fashioned makeup and the perfect dress will work their own miracles.”
She wasn’t wrong. The dress was amazing. It was a deep blood red in hue, with an off the shoulder sweetheart neckline and fitted tightly around my torso before falling into a wide skirt at the back. There was material everywhere, and it pooled around my feet in shimmering waves. Thank the Lord it had a slit up the front so I could access some weapons if I needed to. I had some throwing knives tucked away on my upper thigh, but I would have to rely on the boys to carry my scythe and other lethal stabby items. But I suppose, in a tight spot, I could always use the ridiculously sharp heel of the sexiest pair of black stilettos I had ever seen in my life. Straps criss-crossed my feet and around my lower leg. They were a bitch to get on but, man, did they look hot.
My lips shone with a burst of colour the same shade as my dress and Elissa had done some wonderfully dark smoky eyes that really made the fire in my eyes stand out. My hair was piled on my head in a mass of chocolate rings with a stunning tiara of gold and garnets nestled in my curls. I looked wicked and sexy and I couldn’t wait to see what Jasper thought.
“You really are amazing, Elissa. Thank you.”
“No, you did all the work. You got yourself ready for tonight and got control of your magic. I can see why Fenris likes you.” Her words trailed off quietly and I spun round to face her.
Oh, shitbags. I’d been dreading this conversation. “Elissa, I—”
“I’m not blind. I can see the way he looks at you when he thinks I’m not watching.”
My cheeks flushed with shame. “I don’t know what to say.”
She gave me a wry smile and I hated that we were having to have this conversation about her betrothed. If only he’d told me from the start.
“I don’t blame you. I know he didn’t tell you about us. Ours isn’t a love match but more a marriage of convenience.”
I sat on the stool at the dressing table and clasped her hand to pull her to the chair next to me. “Tell me about it. I’d like to understand.”
She exhaled heavily. “We are both heirs to the heads of powerful mage households. Fenris is the son of the Arch-Mage and I am the daughter of the Enchantress, a highly respected position in the Forum. Our union would give the most powerful offspring and unite two of the most powerful houses on the planet.”
“And you’re happy to do that? To give up your chance of happiness and love?”
She clasped my hand tightly. “Yes. It is an honour and my duty to do this. I may not love Fenris, but we will be happy together.”
I didn’t agree with this. But it wasn’t my place to interfere in whatever duty they thought they had to honour. That being said, they were betrothed, and I could at least honour that. I had grown to count Elissa as a friend, despite what had happened between Fenris and I, and I wouldn’t want to sacrifice that friendship for something that might never be.
“My feelings for Fenris are… complicated. I don’t want to lie to you and say that I feel nothing for him because I respect you more than that. But I can promise you that I won’t do anything to act upon them. Consider the line firmly drawn in the sand.”
“Thank you, Lori. I appreciate you being honest with me.”
Before I knew it, I was being pulled into a fierce hug and I was helpless to avoid it. But somehow, I didn’t mind. After talking to her about it, my heart felt a little lighter, and some of the pain I felt around Fenris vanished with it.
“Right,” she said as she pulled back. “I had best go and get myself ready. I’ll be done in less than thirty minutes.”
“What?” I said sharply. “Why’d it take you two hours of pure torture for me?”
She snickered. “Oh, honey. Your case was extreme. I only need to do my hair and touch up my face. You needed the whole works. Now don’t frown,” she chided. “You’ll spoil all my hard work.”
