Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter Forty Nine

Maible arrived at the Manor at six carrying a single bag over her shoulder. She greeted everyone using first names and then ran up the stairs ahead of me, all the way to my dressing room as though every step lit a fire beneath her toes. It was like she'd never been to a dance before, she was so excited. By the time I caught up, she was pulling masks out of her bag and setting them on the vanity table.

I stopped and leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms. Her energy seemed so limitless and had the rare ability to put me instantly at ease when everyone else except Calin put me on edge. "Need an iron?"

"What?" She looked up. "Why?"

"Your dress probably got wrinkled in your bag." I pointed to it and stepped into the room, getting comfortable in the chair next to her. "I forgot about getting a mask."

Maible dug in her bag and held up three more, making me laugh. From the bottom of the bag, she pulled out a blue dress, standing to hold it against her body. She looked into the mirror, frowned, and then held my gaze.

"This is the dress you bought me, you know. It's the nicest one I have, but... none of the masks suite it." She laughed and held out her foot to show off white strappy sandals. "The shoes are okay, though, right?"

"Can I use one of your masks?"

"Uh, yeah?" She rolled her eyes and looked back down. She sighed, letting the dress fall as she slumped in her seat. "I'm going to look like a frumpy tool next to you and Calin."

I rolled my eyes. "Never."

"I—"

I held up my finger and stood up. Reaching the rows of clothes at the back of the dressing room, I called over my shoulder, "You are going to look gorgeous, Maible. You let me borrow a mask, and I—" I pushed the clothes across their pole and stepped aside, sweeping my hand from left to right "—will let you borrow a dress." I smiled and then, as an afterthought, added, "And shoes." I nodded below the gowns to the matching footwear and then looked back at her.

Maible squealed, squirming in her seat. Her blue eyes widened, and she brought both hands up to cover her mouth and nose, her feet on the edge of the chair. The excitement wore off—or at least the shock of it—and her eyes narrowed. She lowered her feet as she dropped her hands, and leaned forward.

"Where did those come from? I've rooted through this closet and that was never there."

"Yeah, well." I rolled my eyes and fingered the blue silk of the dress on the far right. Dropping my hand, I sighed and turned to face Maible. "Devland had them brought to me this afternoon." I went back to my chair and sat, and then waved her to the rack. "Me mask, you dress. Pick whatever you want."

Somebody should enjoy it. I would be fine showing up in a sack so long as I had a mask and it hadn't been given to me from Devland. After taking Onyx for a run, I wasn't sure I wanted to go. Dancing, laughing—watching everyone enjoy themselves when I couldn't—didn't sound like a good time, especially since being with Calin was a no-fly zone. But Maible's excitement was too infectious to disappoint. I would dress up, smile, and pretend—it was my chance to get away.

"Are you serious?" Her mouth dropped and she paused halfway between sitting and standing to look at me.

I forced a smile. "I want you to borrow a dress, Maible. Go pick something while I heat up the hair rollers."

"Okey dokey, then." She jumped up the rest of the way and took two steps, and then turned her head back to me, smiling brightly. "Don't curl your hair, Nora. Heat your flatiron instead, and you'll blow Calin away."

Maible laughed, putting her hands beside her cheeks and blowing out to mimic an explosion. She went to the dresses, still chuckling, and I turned in my chair to stare at my reflection. The same green and blue eyes encased by purple that I saw when I woke in the hospital glared back at me. I wasn't sure what Zachariah used to see in me, but he was right about what had been happening. The shadows hiding in the green, blue, and purple had many secrets to hold.

They had even more to discover, and everything to prove.