Death of a King

Chapter 23

    She was dressed similarly in a pair of jeans and a maroon v-neck that hugged her like a second skin and showed a little too much cleavage, though this didn't seem to bother her.

    "Looking good, love." Corinth commented, nodding towards my black long-sleeve shirt with the sides cut out to reveal the length of my torso and the black lace of my bra. I felt extremely exposed in this but if Corinth reacted this way, I couldn't wait to see how Dustin acknowledged my newfound wardrobe.

    Once we both slipped on our boots, I couldn't deny the feeling any longer. Maybe it was just because of the clothes, or perhaps it was the addition of the bruise on my face.

    Either way, I felt like I could take on the world.

    I looked in the mirror and felt my chest swell with that feeling once more, "Okay. I'm ready to kick some ass or fight a mercenary or get arrested. I don't even know."

    Corinth laughed, holding up her hands in defense, "Alright calm down, Al Capone. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we're going for a ride not robbing a bank." She motioned for me to sit down at her vanity, "First things first, we have to wrap up that gorgeous hair."

    "Wrap it up?" I asked, sitting in front of her as she began pulling my hair into a french braid that traveled along the curve of my head then down my back.

    She nodded, reaching for a black bandana from the drawer at the left of her vanity, "It's going to get windy and if you don't keep your hair locked up tight, you'll be spending the next two weeks brushing out knots. Especially with how long your hair is."

    Corinth wrapped the bandana around my forehead, then tied it at the back, tight enough to hold in place. She dropped two hands on my shoulders and leaned over until her cheek was positioned next to mine, "Now you look like a rider."

    I smiled too, I couldn't help it.

    Corinth took another ten minutes braiding her own hair, because I didn't know how to do it for her, then she tied up her hair with a black and red bandana that matched her shirt. With everything taken care of, she slipped on her leather cut from where it hung on the back of the door, then flicked out the lights.

    Of course, the boys were already outside, crowded around their motorcycles as they checked over the engines. Corinth hooked her arm with mine, her way of offering reassurance and support as we crossed the lot, "And remember, try to keep still on the back. Moving around makes it harder for the guys to drive."

    My fear was rising, "What if I fall off?"

    Corinth shrugged, "Tuck and roll, say a prayer?"

    Her words of encouragement failed miserably, leaving me more scared than before. It didn't help that everyone with a pair of eyes was watching us stroll towards the motorcycles. While it was easy enough to ignore the stares from those around us, it wasn't so easy to ignore Dustin's.

    He eyes caught us before we made it halfway through the compound, and his eyes trailed on me as I neared. He stood beside his bike, leaning against the seat with his arms crossed at his chest, trying to hide a soft grin that peeked through to his outer countenance. But with eyes masked under dark sunglasses, I couldn't read his expression entirely.

    I only hoped he was as stunned as I felt.

    "Damn." Lumiere commented as we neared, those emerald eyes sparkling in mischief, "I said it once and I'll say it again. You look scrumptious, sweetheart." His gaze darted towards Dustin, "Good enough to eat."

    Whether he was baiting the Vice or simply looking to start trouble, I'll never know. But Dustin ignored him with an irritated twitch of his lips before he stood from his bike and met me in front of the line. He lifted the sunglasses away from his eyes, just enough that I could see them raked down my body twice, before he placed them back over his eyes with an overly confident shrug, "You clean up good, Dimples."