“Dress me up?” Orelia could hardly contain her excitement.
“We stick together. And I’m definitely not leaving my pack with strangers.” Vade crossed his arms to prove his point.
Orelia pinned him with a glare. “We’re guests in their home, Vade. Play by their rules. It’ll be fine.”
He seemed to consider her words, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Fine. But our packs stay right here, and no one touches them. Got it?” He looked at the trio who hadn’t stopped grinning.
“Got it!” the tiny females said in unison.
Orelia chuckled at the absurd sight of the fae being led by a creature as big as his hand.
“He’s awfully protective of you,” Evie said as she stuck a slender bone in a pot of dark kohl.
“Yeah, but it’s not because he cares about me. We’re in a bit of a . . .situation.”
Evie fluttered eye level with Orelia. “Tilt your head back and look down. I’m going to paint your lashes.”
Orelia did as told. She hadn’t been able to afford cosmetics in years, and she couldn’t wait to see herself in the mirror.
Evie worked slowly, careful not to poke her in the eye. “What kind of situation?” she asked.
“A complicated one. And it’s all my fault.” Orelia blinked, having never had a paint that thick on her lashes before. “Is my eye supposed to feel this heavy?”
Evie chuckled. “Yes. It will make your eyelashes long and beautiful. Perfect to charm that grumpy fae you’re carting around.”
She was quick on the defense. “Oh, I doubt that. He hates me.”
Evie smirked as she began working on the witch’s other eye. “I wouldn’t call that hate. I saw how he was watching you.”
Orelia’s skin warmed, but she knew Vade only kept a close eye on her because his life depended on it, not because he enjoyed her company. “It’s nothing. He’ll be glad to be rid of me soon.”
Evie finished and fluttered over to a half-open drawer in the desk with a vine crawling out of it. “Then we’ll make you look so beautiful tonight that he won’t ever want to leave you. You’re already gorgeous, but let’s make him hurt, shall we?”
The two women chuckled as Evie rummaged through the drawer.
“It’s awfully kind of you to let us stay with you tonight. I’ve only ever heard horrible stories about these woods, but this place is stunning.”
“The Greywood is a beautiful place, yes, but it is not without its frights. We are safe here at the Tree, but the carnador is master of the forest, and he is not one to be trifled with. You were lucky not to have run into him before you found me. Most newcomers don’t survive here.”
Evie flew behind Orelia and began combing through her hair.
“Then I guess I’m glad you were stuck,” Orelia teased. “But how did you get like that? Did the boulder fall on you?”
The comb slid through her waves. “My neighbors have two obnoxious sons, and they like to play pranks on me.”
“Is crushing your wing a prank?” Orelia asked, horrified.
Evie was quiet for a moment. “The world can be cruel sometimes, can it not?”
Orelia reflected on her question. “It certainly can.”
Evie finished her brushing, then attached things into her hair Orelia couldn’t see, weaving them into the strands. When she was done, she gestured for the witch to scoot over so she could look in the mirror.
Orelia gasped.
Her golden cheeks were splashed with soft pink that gleamed in the late sun. Dark, sensual lashes fluttered with each blink. Leaves and vines had been woven into a crown sitting on top of her head. Orange gemstones dangled off the crown, shining a magnificent blend of orange and bright green.
Orelia ran her fingers over the smooth stones in awe. “Are these . . .fire opals?”
