Page 64 of Ruby & Onyx

“Are you two able to speak without… speaking?” I ask, trying to insert myself into the silent conversation so that Gemma doesn’t accidentally reveal our plan.

“Sorry, Radya. Yes, we speak through the twin bond sometimes, but I try not to because it’s very rude.” Gemma flashes a pointed look at her sister.

“Well, if one of us wasn’t keeping secrets from the other, then maybe we wouldn’t have to,” Viola snaps back.

I feared that involving Gemma would cause a rift between the twins. I realize now that my fear might be coming true, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Not without putting both of them at risk.

“Just show her the dress, Viola.” The tension pulsing between them causes Gemma’s wing to flutter furiously.

Viola turns back to me, inhaling a deep breath to regain composure. “Right. Radya, your gown for the ball arrived this morning. The seamstress would like for you to try it on now so that she can make any adjustments before Saturday.” She hangs the garment bag on the bed’s canopy and removes the dress.

An ivory skirt made of a soft, shimmering fabric falls to the floor, pooling in a sea of silk. Pea-sized rubies line the plunging neck. My jaw hangs open as I take it in and run my fingers over it.

“It’s stunning,” I say.

It is opulent and divine. This dress is meant for a queen. Or a goddess, maybe. No person, especially not me, deserves this work of art.

Viola smiles and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “I knew you’d like it.”

“Don’t forget the mask!” Gemma rushes over to the gown and pulls a rectangular box out of the garment bag’s pocket, handing it to me with a smile so wide and bubbly that I think she might burst with excitement. I unwrap the silver bow that ties it together and then open the lid. Inside is a glittering ivory mask molded into the shape of a butterfly with golden flecks splattered across it.

It is both infinitely beautiful and eye-catching.

It would be perfect for someone else – someone who craved to be noticed, who thrived in the spotlight. But I am not one of those people. I prefer to blend into the background like a chameleon, especially now that I need privacy.

But in this dress, at a ball where I am in the spotlight, it will be next to impossible to go unnoticed.

Speaking to Guylita just got a hell of a lot harder.

Chapter 29

“They’re planning something. I know it. Rucef, were your spies able to provide intel?” The man’s crown is slightly askew as he frantically paces around the room, biting his fingernails and cursing under his breath. It’s his nervous tic. The sign that reveals his thoughts more clearly than his words ever could. He’s frightened.

Rucef stands at the edge of the room, looking equally terrified. “No, my king,” he pauses, searching for the right words. “My spies… have gone silent.”

The king stops in his tracks, squeezing his eyes shut like he’s blocking out the world, escaping into some mental refuge. Then he bangs his fist against the mahogany table, knocking over a chalice of wine with the quakes of his fury. The sanguine liquid flows off the table’s side, where it pools at his feet. He turns to the tall, gaunt man standing opposite him. “Taoul, any word from the eastern border?”

“No, my king. Silence.”

We all stiffen.

He turns to me with piercing clarity burning in his stare. “Perdy, you know what you have to do.”

“I won’t do it.” I am surprised when the words come from my lips.

“Perdy, please.”

“I won’t leave your side.”

He slumps over the documents laid across the table, searching for another way to fight off the iron cuffs of defeat.

A heavy ache burns in my chest as I open my eyes to the inky darkness of night. This stranger appears every time I close my eyes. He’s become a fixture of my dreams, a celestial companion. It’s like a memory that I cannot keep. A sliver of a dream lost to reality.

That ache stays with me, leaving me restless. No matter how hard I try to fall back asleep, I can only toss and turn. My mind is wandering uncontrollably without respite.

I can’t take it anymore. Maybe a cup of tea can soothe my nerves.

Nobody has risen yet, not even the sun. Even Moose refused to follow me out of the bedroom. With only a candle lighting my path, it’s difficult to tell the difference between the winding hallways and unmarked doors.

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