“I work in The Capital,” Sera answered as she picked through a rack.
Rory and Kordie both turned. “Really?” they asked in unison.That’s why she lied, Rory realized. She didn’t know what her work was like and probably didn’t want to get the third degree. Everyone was curious about The Capital.
Sera cracked a smile. “Yes.” She offered nothing else, and Rory didn’t pry, but Kordie studied her closely before shrugging and turning back to the racks.
After looking through every piece of clothing in the store, a clerk ushered them to a large changing room, and they piled inside with Sam standing as sentry near the door.
“Is he going to stay there the entire time?” Sera whispered.
Rory shot her a wry grin. “Yes.” She plucked through the dresses, debating which to try on first.
“It doesn’t matter which you pick,” Kordie informed her. “You’re trying them all on.”
With a groan, Rory grabbed the first one and wished they hadn’t chosen so many.
After what felt like hours, Rory stared at her reflection. The dress was bright red and floor-length with high slits up both legs. “This is the one.”
“We’ll put it in the yes pile,” Sera said, reaching to unzip the garment.
“No,” Rory objected as she wiggled out of the smooth fabric. “This is the one, and you won’t change my mind.”
Kordie sighed dramatically. “It’s no use trying to sway her now. She’s stubborn.”
Sera shook her head and hung the dress on a hanger, poked her head outside, and signaled for the clerk to bag it up. “Do you have shoes?” she asked Rory.
Should she wear shoes in the soulscape?Better safe than sorry. Rory grabbed as many of the unwanted dresses as she could. “No.” She stepped out and looked at Sam. “We have one more stop.”
He grunted and grabbed the dresses from the ladies, returning them to the same clerk who helped them.
Before they checked out, she asked her friends if they wanted anything, but they declined. She had endless funds and wished they’d let her treat them to something, but they were as stubborn as she was.
After spending too long in a high-end shoe store, they left, and the sight of Sam carrying her shopping bags was too good to pass up. He’d insisted on holding them for her, and she snapped a picture to show Lauren.
Did Sam date?If so, whoever he ended up with was a lucky person.
They unloaded their bags in the car and met Keith and Dume at a nearby restaurant for an early dinner. When Keith saw Kordie, he stood with a love-struck smile and kissed her on the lips.
Rory beamed, happy for them and glad she didn’t have to worry about her friends ending up with terrible people.
Dume slung his arm around Sera’s shoulders and squeezed slightly. “How was shopping?”
“Exhausting but fun,” she answered and ducked out of his embrace.
Once they were seated and placed their orders, Keith leaned forward. “How are things with your dream boyfriend?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Rory took a drink of water and sat back with a content smile. “Great, actually. I miss him, but seeing him every night helps soothe the ache.”
Dume’s demure smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I wish Cora were here to see you this way. She would be planning your wedding.”
A somber silence fell over the table. “We’d be planning them together.” She played with the corner of her napkin. “I still can’t believe Gedeon murdered his own mate.”
“Didn’t you try to kill Caius when you first met?” Keith asked, and Kordie slapped his chest. “Ow!What? She did. If the Lux King is as twisted as she says, imagine how easy it would have been for him to ignore the bond.”
Rory couldn’t refute his claim because it was true. Even after meeting Caius, she wanted his head on a spike. “What disgusts me most is that he trapped my sister’s soul,” she spat, her anger rising. “The least he could do was let her ascend into the aether. Lauren said there’s no reincarnation here; he had to know that, yet he kept her soul, anyway.”
“Did Caius know reincarnation didn’t exist?” Sera asked. “If not, the Lux King might not either.”
Rory recalled their conversation weeks ago when they figured out Cora was Gedeon’s mate. Caius suggested his brother kept her soul in fear of reincarnation, but if theRoyalchildren knew reincarnation wasn’t possible, Caius wouldn’t have thought that.
