He didn’t.
I leaned over as far as I could without touching him. I finally caught his gaze as I contorted over the bed, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
I looked at him, then. I really looked at him. He was older than I remembered. His face was worn like he’d spent the last decade slaving away to keep his family afloat, even though that’s not what he’d done at all. It wasn’t his fault, but the way he was treating me wasn’t just unfair. It was cruel.
“I know I may look like her, but I am not Iris.” I whispered. “You do not tell me what to do. And you will not speak to me this way again. I have sacrificed my life to keep you alive. Stop making me regret it.”
And then I teleported.
I barely recognizedthe figure looking back at me in the mirror.
Flawless skin, blushed and contoured cheeks, smokey winged eyeliner.
My right hand trembled as I finished applying my lipstick, and I eyed the matching gloss on the vanity.
Willow was so excited that I was dressing up tonight, she’d asked to come with me at least a dozen times, even after I’d explained this would not be a fun event for us. She’d pouted, then requested a ton of pictures even though she knew I wouldn’t do that, either.
I couldn’t believe I’d told Levi I regretted keeping him alive.
I had no idea where that comment had come from.
Part of me felt like it must’ve been a growing sense of selfishness. Of course I wanted to keep my dad alive, that was natural when I was a kid. But maybe as I got older, I’d realized my own life was put on hold. And now, for him to be healed? And treating me like shit?
It wasn’t my fucking fault my mom had stepped out on him.
And I wasn’t even sure if that’s what’d happened. Zephyr was old enough to remember when I was a baby, so he’d have remembered another guy being around.
I looked back up into the mirror, my hair floating in the air again. I breathed out slowly, staring at my hand while I flexed.
My affinity ran through my hand like normal, excited at the idea that we might have to squeeze someone tonight.
I tilted my head back, quickly dabbing at the tears that welled, not wanting to ruin my makeup. Whatever this emotion was, I needed to get over it now before we left.
There was a lot riding on tonight. I needed to be the perfect distraction.
And in this dress? I was.
The deep midnight blue brought out my eyes even more than usual. It was a long, slip style that clung to my curves almost indecently. The silky material shimmered in the light of the vanity, and I knew it’d flicker even in the dimmest of lighting. My mom’s silver heels fit the look perfectly, even if they were only visible through the slit.
Rafe and Wyatt had argued over whether or not I should wear a tiara, and I’d been so freaked out, I’d calmly walked away.
I was doing a lot better at not running for my life every time I got a little uncomfortable.
And my leaving was a clear answer to the question. There was no way I would wear a fucking tiara. I was being brave when I declared we’d all be going to this event, but whoever I was that day had disappeared, and I’d promptly remembered I was an introvert who never wanted to be perceived, ever. Agreeing to be a distraction at a large Royal event was actual nightmare fuel.
A soft knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts, and I glanced into the mirrored reflection to see Rafe stepping into the room, looking practically edible in a full tuxedo. He’d said he wasn’t dressing up, but now I realized he’d meant he wouldn’t be wearing his typical Royal garb.
Rafe froze in the doorway, his dark eyes tracing over my body so carefully I had to drop my gaze in shyness.
“You’re a vision,” he croaked. He cleared his throat, then strode forward. “I once saw a cunt wearing this color and some jewels to match, and I decided it would look much better on you.”
I choked on a laugh as Rafe pulled a velvet box from inside his coat.
My mouth went dry as he opened the box, and I got a glimpse of some large, deep blue sapphires inside. The blue was so dark, they almost appeared black.
I’d never seen stones that fucking big before.
Actually, I probably had seen stones like this on some documentary about the crown jewels. But they were actuallyhere, not on a television show, and my brain just could not accept that.
