More news… the kids and I are headed to Italy for a few weeks after the gala.
I paused, not wanting to tell her over text about my mother’s bracelet and the exact reason we were leaving. That was a conversation better left for when I saw her in person.
Ciao!she wrote back.
The afternoon before the gala was somehow even more frantic than I had anticipated. Azalea offered to watch the kids while I got ready and even keep them overnight—she’d planned a sleepover for them on the rooftop terrace, and Severn had thrown down his credit card to pay for thousands of dollars’ worth of tents and sleeping bags to make it extra special. Meanwhile, a team of fae attendants swarmed my room to get me ready. They thought nothing of wrestling me out of my street clothes, leaving me entirely naked in front of them so they could shave and trim and buff every inch of me. They brought in handfuls of rose petals and herbs for my bath, dunking me in a potion that left my skin smooth as satin. They dried my hair with magic instead of a blow-dryer, and I marveled at the way they were able to tame my locks into perfect soft curls. When I looked in the mirror, I was shocked. They’d even managed to add a few inches!
Two fae tailors stuffed me into the black velvet dress, which was so seamlessly molded to my body that it didn’t even have a zipper—they literally had to sew me into it.
“How am I supposed to get it off at the end of the night?” I asked, running my hands down the fabric.
The taller one, a man with a shock of blue hair, smirked, “Let Severn rip it off, of course.”
The two of them cackled as pink crept up my neck. Ever since Severn had officially declared me to be his girlfriend, the fae in Wilde Tower had mostly backed off from taunting me to my face. But not even Severn’s wrath could stop them entirely. I’d gotten a lot of fake compliments about being Severn’s “little plaything” and “temporary obsession.” I tried my best to ignore those comments. It wasn’t like I was surprised. As far as I’d seen, most fae were utterly incapable of kindness.
I guess I can’t blame them. Tigers don’t change their stripes.
Once I’d been put through the gauntlet of preparations and was completely transformed through the miracles of makeup, hair, clothing, and some literal magic, a fae woman with fiery red curls opened a jewelry case with a flourish. Precious gems glittered up at me, set in gold and silver settings so dazzling I felt temporarily blinded. There had to be millions of dollars’ worth of jewels in the case.
“I think…this one,” the woman said, selecting an emerald bracelet. But as soon as she reached for it, I had a different idea.
“Wait,” I said. “I want to wear something else.”
She arched a high eyebrow in shock that I would refuse to be draped in Severn’s million-dollar collection of jewelry, but I opened my top dresser drawer and pulled out the black box with my mother’s silver cuff. I slid it on my wrist, though not without a little hesitation.
It was a declaration of my own: if whoever had tried to rattle me by sending me this bracelet was at the gala—or saw pictures of me afterward online or in magazines—I wanted them to see me wearing it.To know that I am unshakeable.
“That?” the fae said, wrinkling her nose. “To the Summer Benefactors’ Ball?”
The bracelet was pure silver and had been the most expensive thing my mother owned, but the truth was, it was worth pennies compared to the riches in Severn’s jewelry case.
I lifted my chin. “Yes.”
Her narrowed eyes told me what she thought of my fashion sense, but she had the good sense not to say so aloud. “Well, don’t quote me as being your stylist. Here, at least wear these earrings, too.”
She practically wrestled me into a pair of diamond pendant earrings.
Once the attendants packed up their supplies and finally left me in peace, I glanced at the clock on my bedside table.7:25 p.m.I was supposed to meet Severn in the main lobby in five minutes. Taking a deep breath, I collected my purse and strode out of the apartment, hoping I wasn’t wobbling too much on the towering high heels the redheaded fae stylist had forced me into.
As I was waiting for the elevator, the door to Apartment B opened. Locke came sauntering out, dressed in an un-glamoured black suit, his unruly hair slicked back for the occasion. The delicious aroma of oleander permeated the lobby at his appearance. To my surprise, he was alone.
“What, no date?” I asked skeptically.
He gave me an appraising look from my high heels to my miraculously longer hair and made a small sound of approval in the back of his throat.
“If you show up at a party with someone,” he explained in a drawl, “then you’re expected to leave with them, too. I prefer to be on the hunt at these things.” His dark eyes slid over me again, lingering on the extra curves the expertly tailored dress had given me. “And where isyourdate?”
“Your brother is waiting in the downstairs lobby.”
Hetsked. “Are youreallystill dating that stiff lout? I’d have thought you’d come to your senses by now.”
He was teasing me in his typical Locke way. I made a big show of rolling my eyes. “And what, start dating someone more likeyou?”
The corners of his mouth pulled back in a devilish grin. “Oh no, little human. You and I would never date. Commitment sounds so terribly boring. But we would have an awfully good time fu—”
The elevator dinged, interrupting his rude comment just in time. As the gilded doors swept open, I stuck my tongue out at him, which only made him cackle.
An unfamiliar fae was operating the elevator since Azalea had taken the kids to the building’s rooftop terrace for their urban “camping” sleepover. Locke and I stood silently in the golden cage as it moved in strange directions around the building, finally settling on the ground floor.
