Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(20)

With his eyes on the floor, Torin crossed out of the room.

“Oh, my, oh, my, I must have forgotten to lock the door,” said Madam Sioba, tsking under her breath. “Well, I suppose you’ll have an advantage if he liked what he saw.”

Turning back to me, she raised her hands, and a bolt of satin slid from a shelf. Hanging in midair, it unspooled as if guided by invisible fingers. As the cloth stretched and extended, I stared at the gorgeous rose-gold silk knitting itself into the shape of a dress before my eyes. A swathe of tulle slipped over it, covering the silk to form a sort of bodice. Pearly threads flowed through the air, embroidering a sort of delicate belt with tiny shimmering beads. For an instant, the dress hung before us—one with a plunging neckline and a rather daring slit up the side. A swath of fabric hung down the back like a cape. It looked very 1930s movie star, which I loved.

Then, with a flick of her wrist. Madam Sioba sent it flying towards me. Soft tulle brushed my bare legs and satin clutched at my ribs as it wrapped round my body like a glove.

Shalini gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Just one more second,” Madam Sioba yelled, turning back to me. “What shoe size?”

“Seven.”

Sioba flicked her hand again. I barely had time to duck as a pair of cream-colored heels appeared. She spun them around, then directed them to the foot of the ottoman.

As I stepped into them, Madam Sioba called out, “Okay. She’s ready.”

The door cracked open again, and I saw the now-familiar flash of King Torin’s blue eyes on me.

“Ava’s ready, but I need to make her advisor’s outfit,” said Madam Sioba.

King Torin glanced at Shalini, who remained dressed in pink slippers and an oversized T-shirt.

“Aeron will wait for you,” he said. “I’ll take Ava. The opening ceremony starts in ten minutes.”

Truth be told, I felt amazing as I slipped off the ottoman and crossed toward the hall. Torin held the door open for me, and it closed behind him.

The corner of Torin’s mouth quirked as he looked down at me. “When we enter the ceremony, it would be best if you didn’t draw too much attention to yourself. Understood?”

My eyebrows shot up. “I told you, I hate being the center of attention. What makes you think I would try to get it on purpose?”

He stopped, then turned to face me with an eyebrow raised. “It’s just that the first time I met you, you were screaming about Chad from Hitched and Stitched. I think you called me a ‘pretty douchebag’ and said something about my teeth.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “That wasn’t a normal night for me.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” His dark magic coalesced around him as his expression grew more serious.

“But when we reach the great hall, I do not want you to speak to any of the six princesses.”

This was starting to feel a bit insulting. “Look,” I whispered, “I’m on your side, here. I’ll keep my end of the bargain, and I’m not going to make a scene. Have you seriously never gotten trashed and acted like an ass?”

He held my gaze. “I don’t like to overindulge, and particularly not around people with whom I’m not extremely well acquainted.”

When he said the phrase “extremely well acquainted,” a hot shiver ran up my spine. Ignoring it, I flashed him a wry smile. “Of course you don’t like to overindulge. Your hair could get rustled in public, and that would be dreadful. What can we expect from the opening ceremony?”

His expression darkened. “It will be a room full of people vying for my attention in their finest clothes, drinking champagne. Talking to each other about absolutely nothing.”

“You mean…it’s a party. Do you actually hate parties?”

A line formed between his brows. “I’m afraid I don’t see the point of them. At least, not this kind of party.”

“Right. Parties are fun, and fun doesn’t seem like your thing.” Truth be told, fun wasn’t my thing right now, either. But maybe needling Torin was the tiniest bit of fun I could wrench from the world.

He shrugged slowly. “Not this kind of party, anyway.”

“Is the castle party with princesses not fancy enough for you?”

“It’s not Seelie enough for me.”

I had no idea what that meant, and I suspect he’d done that on purpose—a little reminder that I didn’t belong here, didn’t know about my own people.

He arched an eyebrow. “When we have time, I will ask you what you do, Ms. Jones, besides scream at men you’ve just met at a bar. I suppose you must also leave time in your schedule for forming brutal snap judgments concerning people about whom you know nothing.”

“But I know plenty about the fae hierarchy, Torin,” I said. “It’s the whole reason I spent my life in exile. And so far, you’ve confirmed everything I’ve thought about it.”

“Well, that’s good, darling, because as I said, I’m looking for someone I can’t love, and so far, you are the perfect match.”

That’s right, Torin. I’m not super lovable. His words stung a bit after Andrew’s rejection, and without entirely realizing, it, I found myself flipping my middle finger at him.