Page 63 of Kingdom of Faewood

“I asked if you preferred these types of dresses.”

With a start, I realized nobody had ever asked me that before. Not a shopkeeper, not Lillivel, and certainly not Guardian Alleron. I pulled my lower lip into my mouth again, nibbling on it slightly before shaking my head.

“No.” I shook my head more forcefully. “No, I don’t think I do. These kinds of gowns are constricting and always draw attention to me. Sometimes when I wear them, I feel like I’m suffocating.”

“And the blue gown you were wearing when we took you, did you choose that one?”

My lip curled. “No, I hate that gown.”

His voice dropped so low it was nearly a whisper. “Have you ever had any choice in what you wear, Elowen? Ever?”

Out of nowhere, tears threatened to fill my eyes. It was entirely preposterous. We were talking aboutclothing, nothing more, yet the way Jax was looking at me and the questions he was asking...We both knew this had nothing to do with gowns. “Never.”

He gestured to the dressing room. “Take that off in there.”

Before I could utter another word, he disappeared out of the front door.

I didn’t waste any time heeding his command, but my hands shook, and I felt entirely flustered when the shopkeeper’s voice abruptly trilled through the room, “My lady! I have a few more selections for you!”

Cringing, I peeked out from behind the curtain, but Jax was gone, and it was only the female shopkeeper. Her smile was wide and bright, yet her expression was strained. “I do apologize if the dresses weren’t to your liking. I’ve brought a few more pieces of clothing for you to try on. The Dark Raiderinsisted that you choose what you prefer, and that I’m not to sway you in the least.”

Shocked, for a moment, all I could do was stare at her. “I’mto choose?”

Her smile grew even broader. “Yes, my lady. Whatever you like is what you will get.”

A small smile worked across my face when I stared at the selections in her hands, and for the first time that I could ever remember when visiting a clothing shop, a bolt of excitement ran through me.

CHAPTER 15

The sun had sunk below the horizon when we finally left the shop, and the three moons glowed in the sky. A few stars twinkled in the galaxy, and my stomach gave another huge growl, but I didn’t care that I was ravenous.

A grin stretched across my face. I took long strides, the comfortable pants adorning my legs moving easily with me. The material was soft and supple, and it billowed in the hot breeze, allowing me to stay comfortably cool.

“I have to say, Elowen,”—Phillen stroked his chin through his mask—“pants suit you.”

“I think so too.” My smile grew even wider. My new loose-fitting cream-colored slacks didn’t constrict my movements. Their simple design allowed me to walk quickly and easily without the hampering material of a heavy gown.

On my upper half, I wore a long-sleeved cottonum top of a rich dark-purple color. The shirt’s collar dipped slightly butwasn’t revealing, and while the material hugged my waist, it wasn’t form fitting. It did match the gem in my collar, though, something the shopkeeper had been enthralled by.

But other than the choker encircling my neck, nothing about my attire was fitted or called attention to me. If anything, the slacks and top were so ordinary that they detracted attention, blending in with the other fae of this small town, which was just fine in my opinion. For once, I wasn’t being stared at. I felt light and buoyant. I feltfree.

But even though I wasn’t being ogled, the six black-clad and masked males at my side were another story.

Everywhere we went, fae dipped their heads or bowed in respect. It was entirely different from the reaction they’d gotten in Faewood.

“Do you like the clothes?” Jax asked as we strode through the streets. Several bags of other items I’d chosen were being carried by Guardian Alleron.

I beamed at him. “I do. I’ve never been allowed to wear pants before, but I’ve always wanted to. Thank you,” I added, suddenly feeling shy.

Jax canted his head. “You’re welcome, and in that case, I should get you a dozen more outfits.”

“A dozen?” My eyebrows shot up. “But surely the ones I have are enough.”

He shrugged, and I couldn’t tell from that gesture if he agreed with me or not.

We rounded a turn, and a male wildling rushed out from asmall home on the corner. I wasn’t entirely certain of his subspecies since I’d never seen six horns or blue hair on a wildling before, but neither Jax nor the other males seemed surprised by his appearance.

“Dark Raider.” The male bowed deeply and extended something covered in a thin cloth.

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