Tonight, when I see Dimitri, I won’t look like a drowned sea rat.
“I wasn’t ready to face him,” I say. “He took me by surprise, and I didn’t have the upper hand.”
Marigold waves to what the maid has been doing to me. “This will give you that?”
Rosie laughs and tosses her lustrous chestnut hairbehind her shoulder. “When it comes to men, this will certainly give Anwen an advantage.”
I blush a little, but I don’t care. Let Dimitri sweat.
“You’re not going alone, are you?” Marigold asks, concerned. “I’m not sure that would be wise.”
My eyes flash to her in the mirror. “You don’t honestly think I would let him trick me again, do you?”
Ignoring the temper in my voice, she answers, “It’s not safe to go alone.”
“Galinor is going with me.” I smile at my reflection. “And Pika.”
“You’re taking the glasseln?” Rosie exclaims.
“She’s quite docile on a lead now. Besides, it won’t be much of a loss if she eats Dimitri.”
They both smile.
“Danver stays here, though.” I peer at the sleeping fox on my bed. “If something happens to me—”
“You’ll be fine,” Rosie cuts me off.
I bite my lip. “But if something does?”
“We’ll take care of him,” she assures me.
Needing a distraction from tonight’s task, I ask, “How are you and Irving getting along?”
Rosie rolls her eyes. “There is no ‘Irving and I’. I was a joke. A game. A distraction.”
“I don’t know, Rosie.” Marigold scrunches her nose. “I think for once, Irving might be sincere.”
Rosie snorts and glares out the balcony. “It doesn’t matter. He lied to me, and I’m done with him.”
Marigold gives me a small, sad smile. We’ve all come to like Rosie. Trust Irving to actually find a good woman and then botch it all up.
“Bran has said I may stay in Triblue,” Rosie says. “They’ll find work for me somewhere.”
“You wouldn’t rather go back to your troupe?” Marigold asks.
Rosie sighs. “It hasn’t felt like my troupe since my father died, and that was several years ago. I’ll be happier here.”
A knock sounds at the door, and Marigold answers it. Galinor waits on the other side. I take one last look in the mirror, admiring my darkened eyes and glossy hair. I give the curls a toss and then turn to face Galinor. His eyes go wide when he sees me. His admiration makes me nervous, but I catch myself before I bite my lip. I don’t want to smear the stain that’s been applied.
I give Galinor a weak smile. “Are you ready?”
He raises an eyebrow and answers my question with one of his own. “Are you?”
I nod. “Let’s finish this so we can all go home.”
The attention Pikadraws is astounding. People part for us, watching her with disbelieving eyes. She must be able to tell she’s on display because she saunters in a way that only a feline can. Even with her wings tucked against her body, she’s impressive.
Galinor walks next to me. He wears a tunic over a light chain mail shirt, his sword secure at his side. He’s added something I’ve never seen him wear—his circlet. He’s openly proclaiming his nobility. Even to me, he looks formidable.
