Page 33 of Manacled Hearts

“This one would work so well on you.” Loreley holds up against my front a blouse with a deep V neckline. It’s in a goldish color that would, indeed, look great with my skin tone.

Morrigan cocks her head as she looks in our direction, but she seems more focused on my face rather than the blouse.

“I don’t think it’s a winner, Lu,” she says.

“Why not? It looks lovely.” Loreley pauses and looks up from the blouse to me. “Oh, my bad, I think you’re right.”

I stifle a laugh because the interaction between these two has been both hilarious and sweet all morning. They fit together like they share DNA, not just a close friendship.

They took me out for breakfast at the cutest café in the center of Queenscove. A narrow little building nestled in-between two large, elegant facades, and it didn’t really look like much. Only, as we passed through the small, cozy space, I quickly found that the attraction of the place wasn’t inside, but at the back. We passed through the back door and found ourselves in a stunning enclosed courtyard where every inch of the walls were covered in trailing plants and two large trees shaded the space.

Maybe I was imagining it, but that café, the atmosphere, really helped me be more comfortable with the situation. The fact that Katya has been sending me photos of her and Maya might have also had something to do with it.

We had a surprisingly enjoyable time. They didn’t push me to talk but involved me in every conversation. They didn’t ask intrusive questions or urged me to open up about what happened to Maya and me. They did ask a bit about my family and how we ended up on the streets, however they were fine when I decided to keep it vague, and simply tell them that we were staying with our mom, and she died.

Telling them the whole story would pose too many questions and reveal more than I’m comfortable with right now. My aversion to what and who they are as well.

Either way, they didn’t push, even as they could clearly tell there was more to everything, and I appreciated that.

Afterward, they dragged me around town, showing me all sorts of interesting places, including a quirky little bookstore that seemed to have been there for at least a hundred years. I went inside to find a couple of books for Maya, and that’s when I caught sight of that shiny little black bank card again. Same one that Maddox tried to give me, only now it was in Morrigan’s hand as she paid for the books.

She gave me a look that told me not to dare protest, and I kept my mouth shut. I think that if I do decide to buy anything from the department store we’re currently in, I’ll see that card again.

Will she try to slip it in my pocket when we leave?

Will I protest?

Loreley puts the blouse back on its rack and turns, stopping to look at me. “This is not you, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“All of this”—she waves around the clothing racks and shelves—“is not your style, is it?”

I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I can’t afford to be picky. “I’m not really fussy. I’m okay with what I have.”

“That was not the question, Evie.”

Evie… that sounded rather sweet.

Morrigan hooks her arm around mine and gently drags me away from the pastel-themed shelves.

“Come on, dare to dream a little. If you could have anything, what would it be?” she asks.

If I could have anything, I would buy it for Maya. Not me. There’s no guarantee for how long I would have everything, because just like our mom, it could be taken away in the blink of an eye.

“Anything.” Loreley joins in and grabs my other arm.

I sigh, finding that there’s no escaping this. Yet, I don’t actually want to. Maybe I could dream a little.

“Black,” I say.

“Black?” Morrigan asks.

“And really dark greens, teal, and purple.”

“Oh.” Her eyes sparkle.

“Fishnets and platform Doc Martens.”

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