I sniffed. “You’re not supposed to call me out on that. It’s manner rule number one.”
“I apologize again then, but I find the color enticing. You are young; I forget, and maybe you’ve not had a man come to you as I am now.”
I gave him a shy smile, my cheeks still burning. “I haven’t, but that doesn’t change my answer, Kamoi.” He’d put himself out there, so he deserved an honest answer. “Recently, I fell in love and was hurt. I’m not past that yet.”
His violet eyes softened. He raised my hand and kissed the back of it. “Then I will be content to wait until your heart is healed. Though you should know, Phaetyn are rather good at healing.”
He winked, and I blushed again as I slid my hand free.
“O-okay?” I said, feeling a pleasing coolness where he’d kissed my hand.
Kamoi bowed. “There is to be an evening meal tonight,” he said, speaking as if our conversation had never occurred. “My mother believes a gathering of the Phaetyn will help to calm frayed tempers.”
Relating this civil war to frayed tempers was like calling a Drae a kitten.
“I hope you and Dyter will join us at the royal table,” he said after a brief pause.
I’d just rejected the guy, so I practically tripped over myself as I answered, “Yes. Of course.”
He leaned toward me and asked, “Will you sit beside me?”
“Kamoi . . .” My heart pounded in my chest.
He smiled. “Just as friends.”
I’m not sure his people would interpret the seating plan that way. “I’d appreciate if you cleared up the rumors of our binding first,” I said. “As long as it’s clear to everyone we’re no more than friends, I’ll sit beside you.”
“Ouch,” he said. “You know how to wound a man.”
I reached behind my back to open the door and backed into the room as a grin bubbled up. “Lucky you’re a good healer then.”
I winked and closed the door in his face.
I stared at the flower crown and the other . . . thing.
“Does that top lace up?” Dyter asked, peering over my shoulder. “And where are the sleeves.”
I used the tip of my finger to pick up one of the drooping sleeves. “There.”
The ‘lace up top’ was a silver corset with green vines embroidered into it.
Dyter’s face was turning purple, and he shook his head violently. “Completely indecent. Not happening. I’ll be having a word with Kamoi. I heard some of your conversation. I’ll be darned if there’s any Phaetyn binding going on.”
“Dyter, can we never speak about binding, ever?” I asked, staring at the bottom half of the dress. Alternating lengths of wispy green and silver material fell in a curtain from the lower end of the silver corset. I’d never seen anything like it in Verald.
He spluttered. “I don’t want to speak about it either, but the males are closing in, just like your mother and I always knew they would with you being so pretty. We’d hoped your independence and bad sense of humor would scare them off until you were ready to choose a partner. I thought she’d give you the talk about binding, but I guess I better step up since she’s in the stars now.”
My face softened, and I turned around, hugging Dyter. “I love you, Dyter. And I’m so happy you’re here.” I let go of him and turned back to the dress. “I also don’t need a sex talk.”
“Al’right then,” he mumbled, the purple shade fading into red.
I picked up the dress and strode off into the bathroom. I’d gone to peek out the front doors already. I wouldn’t be the only person in a dress like this.
“Al’right then,” Dyter repeated.
I grinned and closed the door, pressing my ear to the wood.
“Al’right then.” He mumbled something about Phaetyn and rushing things under his breath.
I sniggered. Setting the dress down, I quickly washed using the smaller basin of water. My silver hair was nearly to the small of my back now, its growth having accelerated since my Drae transformation and even more since being in Zivost. I hoped the strands didn’t grow too much longer, or I’d be cutting my hair every week to avoid sitting on it.
Mother had always done my hair up nice when we went to a celebration, rare as they’d been in Verald. The memories of her touch rose, and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.
I’d just leave my hair down. I’d have the flower crown anyway. Which the people outside were also wearing. I could imagine the outrage on the Phaetyn’s faces if I was the only one to show up in a crown.
Picking up the dress, I loosened the laces and stepped into the corset. I shimmied the garment over my hips and then struggled with the laces over my chest, pulling them as tight as possible for fear the dress would slide off my frame. By the time the corset was on, the bottom of the corset was snug around my hips, and the double-curve top firmly covered my breasts. Mother totally wouldn’t have let me out in this. The innumerable wisps of green and silver material making up the skirt extended to just below my knee. I wiggled my toes, guessing this was one place where I didn’t need to wear shoes.
After arranging my silver hair over my shoulders to hide some skin, mostly so Dyter wouldn’t have a heart attack, I re-entered the bedroom.
Dyter cast a quick glance at me and did a double-take. “Ryn,” he said, a smile growing over his face. “You look pretty.” He frowned, glancing at the door. “Very pretty.”
I tried to keep my own smile back, but a bit of it peeped out. “Thank you.” I crossed to Tyrrik and sat by his side. Running my hand down his arm, I asked, “Did you get more nectar down him?”
“Yes, he drinks it easily. His body obviously knows what he needs.”
I lay a hand over his forehead. “I really feel like he should have woken up by now. This isn’t right. Something just doesn’t seem right.”
“Kamoi seems certain it’s normal.”
“Yes. He said as much to me as well.” Was I wanting this so much I wasn’t being reasonable? How long should it take a Drae to heal?
Dyter cocked his head to the side. “Do you trust him?”
Trust Kamoi? “I feel his heart is in the right place . . .”
Dyter shook his head. “That’s a no.”
I shrugged my bare shoulder. “I could, I think, in time. I’m not sure I’ll trust anyone new in a hurry now. And maybe never again.”
Dyter smoothed the front of his borrowed silver aketon; it had vine decorations which matched mine. “That’s never a nice lesson, my girl, and most are double your age when they’re forced to learn it.”
My eyes traced the angular planes of Tyrrik’s face. I missed him. That shouldn’t be possible, but it was. I traced my finger over the Drae’s healed wound and wondered if it still hurt. “Dyter?”
“Yes, Rynnie.”
“Do you know, sometimes Tyrrik’s scales have a bit of blue in them? The same blue color as my scales?”
“No, I didn’t.” He cleared his throat before continuing, “What do you think it means?”
I lifted my hand and ran it through the Drae’s hair. My breath hitched and came out a smidgen short. “I’m not sure.”
“You’ll have to ask him when he wakes.”