Evie smiled and drifted away, wandering through the store and stopping every few feet to admire another treasure, though I didn’t miss how her gaze kept drifting back to the piece she coveted.
“Leia,” I hissed in a barely audible whisper. “What the hell?”
Leia grinned, completely unrepentant. “Is this the Floromancer?”
“You know it is.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“I know that,” I snapped. “What’s the deal with that not being for sale?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not for sale because it’s a wedding gift.”
“A wedding gift? For whom?” I was supposed to know of any marriages happening in the area so the Keep could send a gift.
Leia’s eyebrows rose. Her brown eyes sparkled as she waited for my brain to start working. And when it did, I snorted. “Today was the first day she held my hand. If you’re planning on that, you might as well take that thing down and put it in a closet because it will be a long while before she’s ready for that. If she ever is.”
“But you were still holding hands,” Leia whispered. “That means your beautiful Floromancer feels safe with you.”
I glanced over to see Evie crouched, peering at something on a lower shelf.
“It is no small thing for a woman to feel safe with a male, Lord.” She flicked her fingers at me. “Now go away and see if that girl will hold your hand again. You looked like a smitten teenager when you walked in here.”
I snorted. “Mind your tongue, Leia.” I pointed to the stained-glass piece Evie coveted. “And take that down before we leave, so Evie doesn’t have to be sad when she walks past it again.”
Leia put a hand over her heart. “Of course, Lord.”
I knew I’d end up offering Leia three times what she was asking soon, and the succubus knew it, too.
I rolled my eyes at her impudence and headed toward Evie. She started to rise, and I held out a hand to help her. Evie smiled and took it, allowing me to curl her fingers into mine. We left that shop half an hour later with a promise from Leia to ship Evie’s purchases back to the Keep tomorrow. Her bank account was lighter, but my heart was even more so.
I let her lead me through town for hours, and I didn’t have to do a thing to make my people love her. She won them with her questions and her awe, and occasionally with her wallet. Tomorrow, the Keep would get an avalanche of packages, and Evie hadn’t even gone clothes shopping yet, something we both knew she needed to do.
She’d come to me with the clothes on her back and nothing more. Moira had shipped a box of her things, but there was only about a week’s worth of clothing. Most of the box was filled with books and chocolate, which had made Evie laugh at first, then cry.
I’d sent out my Omega, Hope, who purchased her a few more things, but there was very little of it that was in Evie’s style, mostly joggers and long-sleeved shirts. And though she was thankful, Evie hadn’t worn them at all until I’d pressed. The reason why had given me much pause and made me clean out my own closet.
She wore nothing made from synthetic fibers, except for the occasional elastane or spandex for stretch in athletic clothing, provided it was kept at five percent or lower of the total fabric content. The thought never crossed my mind. When I checked the tags on the clothing the Omega bought her, I realized most of it was made of polyester, acrylic, and nylon. Evie had smiled apologetically and offered to repay every cent, lamenting that she knew she needed to go shopping but couldn’t bring herself to care too much.
I sent Hope back to the stores with all the purchases and had her try again, this time with cotton, silk, cashmere, linen, and sustainably sourced bamboo. When Evie saw the new pile on her bed, she came out of her room and yelled at me, then wrote me a check I promptly ripped up and threw away.
Yes, natural fibers were outrageously expensive, which seemed counterintuitive to the alternative of poisoning theplanet, but they lasted for years. Plus, I didn’t give a shit how much something cost. All the Lords were rich as Croesus, and I was no exception. I’d put her in furs if she wouldn’t have my head over it.
I’d removed all the polyester, acrylic, and nylon from my wardrobe, kind of pissed at myself for never considering the environmental impact of my clothing before Evie. And when my new wardrobe came in, I had to resist the urge to pick Evie up and kiss her right on those glorious lips. Natural fibers were comfortable, breathable, and soft. Except for linen.
Fuck linen.
“There are a few clothing shops farther down if you want to look around.”
Evie hesitated and shook her head. “I have plenty, thanks to you. Though I still want to smack you for that cashmere you bought.”
I grinned. “But it’s warm and cozy, isn’t it?”
She gave me the side eye. “Yes. I love it.”
Evie sounded so grumpy, I laughed.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. We hadn’t shared a real meal since her arrival. The first two weeks, she barely came out of her room. The next week, I barely saw her inside the house as she’d spent most of her time exploring the property. Last week, I had to start sending trays to her room because her appetite was less than half of what it should be.
