Page 46 of Guardians of the Assassins
She gave a squeak of surprise when the vines stretched and caught her hair, twisting and pulling the strands until it felt like she would have a rat’s nest on her head. When it stopped, Atlas cupped her shoulders and turned her to face the mirror.
And her breath caught.
She reached up, but quickly lowered her hand, fearing she would wreck it. “It’s beautiful.”
The gems had turned colors, a blue-violet that matched her eyes. Silvery metal wove through the strands of her hair in an intricate design so complicated that she had no hope of ever duplicating it. The silver and gems sparkled against her black hair, the overall effect stunning.
It looked like she was wearing a crown of flowers.
But Atlas saw none of it, his eyes only for her. Something about seeing her wearing the crown settled him. He relaxed and leaned forward, kissing her temple. “It pales in comparison to your beauty.”
Before she could ask for more information, he stepped back, flashed her a smile that was so happy and light that her heart fluttered in her chest. “I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready.”
Even after the door shut behind him, she remained standing in the same spot. She reached up, touching the crown, startled to feel it warm and moving under her touch.
Her gut clenched, foreboding making the hair on the back of her neck stand, and she couldn’t get over the feeling that there would be a heavy cost for daring to wear the crown.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Morgan stormed down the stairs, kicking the hem of her dress. The stupid Faerie clothing hadn’t worked out as she expected. She did as instructed, focusing on what she needed for the upcoming meeting.
She’d expected to be dressed in some warrior garb to face the threat. Instead, the enchanted clothing malfunctioned or some shit, and she’d ended up trapped in a damned dress.
Not that it wasn’t stunning.
The top of the dress was heart-shaped and clung to her breasts, before the material cascaded down in a full length skirt. The whole dress was covered with a light, see-through gauze. It was secured at her throat and trailed down her arms to puff out at her wrists. Vines and leaves covered the dress, the material shimmering like it had been dipped in stardust.
But it was the color that boggled her mind.
She looked like a fucking rainbow.
The top of the dress was a light pastel blue, fading to a charm-green color, before it switched to yellow, gold, orange before ending in a light red at the hem. Though it galled her to admit it, the dress was stunning.
Kincade was the first one who spotted her when he walkedout of the study. When he caught sight of her, he stopped dead and stared. He didn’t breathe, didn’t move, didn’t even blink.
Like Atlas, he wore a kind of fancy military dress that looked both formal and functional. The only difference was the uniform was all in black.
He looked like a warrior of old ready to do battle.
His hair was slicked back, a wave to it that gave him a sexy look, the stubble on his jaw already growing back despite just having shaved. His green eyes were bright, gleaming like a jewels in the dark light. His impressive chest and broad shoulders only accentuated his lean and lanky form.
“What’s taking you so…” Ascher strode out after Kincade as he spoke, then followed the gargoyle’s gaze, his voice trailing off when he caught sight of her. “Whoa…wow!”
He wore the same outfit as Kincade, like they’d had them specially designed for her team. He wasn’t as big as the others, only an inch taller than herself, but he was all muscle like most shifters. His blond hair was slightly tousled barely staying out of his eyes, unwilling to be tamed, despite his best attempts. His blue eyes were electric as they lingered on her form.
At the commotion, the rest of the team spilled out of the study.
Each was dressed exactly the same, a united front, and her breath caught at the sight of them, not realizing that she’d come to a stop.
Ryder towered over the rest, his sandy brown hair shaggy, reaching well past his shoulders. Unlike the others, he didn’t bother slicking it back, giving him an aura of wildness that the others lacked. His whisky eyes warmed at the sight of her, human intelligence and wolf cunning staring boldly back as his wolf rode him hard.
Much to her surprise, Caedmon joined the rest of the men, then stilled, his yellow eyes widening in surprise when he caught sight of her, and she flushed under his regard. Though he didn’t match the rest of the guys, his outfit was just as formal.
The braids in his black hair were much more prominent, thestrands threaded in a way that they hung behind his ear and draped down over each shoulder. His long bangs were pulled away from his face into a third braid that hung down the back of his head and looked more like knots than an actual braid.
The hairstyle made the braille-like lines and dots swirling along the side of his face stand out in stark relief. It also revealed a decorative metal clipped onto his ears, making the pointed tips look more pronounced. The design was more primitive, with bold swirls and angles, the deep gold color standing out against his dark hair and making his eyes appear all the deeper.
The combination made him look savage and brutal and sexy as fuck.
