Page 17 of Chasing the Night
“What are you lollygagging for? Get back there and get ready for your wedding,” he coldly dismissed Reverie. I wanted to shove him away, but my heart was pounding in my chest. I was literally cornered and clearly out of my element.
Women were being gifted to men they couldn’t stomach, and supposed kin were trying to kill each other… for fun? I gave a low manic laugh as I tried to process it all.
“Chalice. Listen, please.” His tone had returned to that casual genteel element he carried about him. “That wasn’t my choice.”
A high bark of laughter escaped me, and I cut my eyes toward him. “Your choice? No. No, I see. Someone made you turn on a friend. They swung your sword and landed kicks on your behalf… to a woman. What a fucking waste,” I hissed, shoving him away.
He made no effort to stop me, instead, he moved toward the back where Reverie was trying to remove her dress. Her hands were trembling, and she kept losing the string that held the gown in place at her neck. Ender stepped behind her and laid a hand on either shoulder. His forehead kissed her back in a way that almost looked endearing.
“When you have stood eye to eye with Atticus Krypt and lived to tell of denying him… then you can judge me… us,” he amended, raising his head to look at the back of Reverie’s sloppily wrapped updo. He sighed and plucked the string at her neck. While she gathered the fallen material about her waist, he began to remove the hairpins she had haphazardly placed.
I instantly froze while Reverie shoved the gown over her hips and wiggled out of it. Ender however, kept right on working. He had a corset held out at the ready, and once she held it in place, he set to tying it as if this were a normal everyday occurrence.
I supposed it wasn’t… immoral. They were not related, and it didn’t appear to be romantic. All the same, it was bizarre to me, seeing a young woman strip and be fussed over by a man like that. I rubbed my arms, humiliated for her.
In little time at all, he had helped her into her solid black wedding dress and turned back around to face me.
I blinked a few times before realizing he had addressed me, but I was far too distracted to waste more air on him. He made a gesture with his finger, bidding me to turn around.
“Your turn.” He smiled, reaching out for the tie of my bodice.
I acted on shock and instinct, slapping his hand with a sharp crisp sound.
He jerked it away, wide-eyed, and laughed. “Oh. Okay, alright. I’ll just…” He glanced back toward the door and hitched his thumb in that direction. “I’ll go grab some more hair ribbon.”
I squinted at his back until he left the room and turned to address Reverie. “Does he… is that normal?” I asked, only to find her shoulders slumped again. I rubbed the gooseflesh from my arm and stepped forward to give her a hug. She laid her head on my shoulder and returned the squeeze.
Assuming she was collecting herself, I set to straightening my gown in the mirror.
“You can’t wear that silly.” She giggled through the shuddering. “My Momma would never forgive you. Get in the wardrobe there and pick something nice.”
I stared at the metal chifforobe and glanced back toward her. I knew my attire would not be well met by any of the Krypts at a social event, but I hadn’t exactly been given any warning.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. I mean, no one knows me. I don’t want to intrude…” I rambled suddenly wanting time to myself. I needed to figure out what I was getting myself into.
“Nonsense. Momma wouldn’t hear of it and neither would I. You’re family!”
With her insistence, I peeked at the door Ender had disappeared through and rubbed the back of my neck. When she shrugged her lips into a pout, I sighed and opened the chifforobe.
All I could do was stare for several moments. There was fabric in there I had only heard about from travelling merchants. Silks, satins, fine leathers from the Iron Inlet. I ran my fingers down the rack of clothing before feeling guilty for having done so. Those type of things weren’t meant for the likes of me. These were the quality meant for the highest of noble women.
“Go on. Don’t be shy. You’ll have a dozen of your own come morning. Just wait til I tell Momma you haven’t a wardrobe. Ohhh...the shopping to come.” The moment she said it, her whole face fell. “Well, for you guys, I suppose.”
A dark royal blue gown caught my eye. It had a thin satin feel to it that almost made me put it back. The damn thing would cling and bare everything but my soul.
“That’s the one,” Messiah’s honey liquored voice lulled from behind me.
I whirled about, jerking the dress up against myself like I were naked. His throaty laughter chased me behind the dressing partition, and I hurriedly changed my clothes. The last thing I wanted was him thinking that I was welcoming his help.
Chills ran up and down my arms. I felt exposed in a way that I never had. The bodice was nothing more than a satin strap that covered my breasts, wrapped over my shoulder and met the V in the back. My shoulders were bared, and the material clung to me, leaving my truths on display.
I hugged myself and called from around the side, “I don’t suppose you have a shawl?”
The entire partition was moved aside. Messiah’s long-twisted hair caught my attention, but it was still in the corner. It was Atticus Krypt who stood culprit as the one who had stolen my privacy. Indignation blazed in my eyes and I fought the urge to pummel him.
As if reading my thoughts, his thin lips slowly slid into a smile and he nodded, though no one had spoken. “There is no shawl and there is no time,” he finally announced before grasping me by the shoulders and kissing my cheek. I flinched away from him the moment his lips met my skin, but he acted like he didn’t notice.
Ender came in and began to fashion ribbons around Reverie’s hair while she silently wept.