Page 11 of Promises to Keep

“If you get a mark on it, Lady Mairead will kill you.”

“She always wants to kill me, I will do my best not to give her any more of a reason. Do you think it will fit?”

I held the dress in front of myself in front of the long floor to ceiling mirror that leaned against the high point of the roof. “It might fit, she’s smaller, but the way it drapes… it might work.”

I pulled my t-shirt off over my head and stepped out of my jeans, leaving them in a pile on the rug. I pulled the dress over my head, the weight of the beading drawing it down… but then it stuck. “Uh oh, it’s tight right here, I don’t think I can zip it.”

“The pale green color looks great on you, matches your eyes.” Hayley tried to pull up the zipper. “Squeeze. Suck in your tummy,” she jiggled it, “just do it — no… more…” She sighed, “You can’t suck in two inches, it’s impossible.”

“Darn it, I don’t want to tear it.”

Hayley stood back and looked me over. “But, it’s down there on the side and you literally can’t tell. What if you wore a wrappy thing? You know, one of those thingies that drapes.”

She flipped through the rack and pulled out a garment bag that said, ‘fur stole’ on the tag. “I doubt this is fake fur, so maybe don’t flaunt it until we’re in the 1920s when they won’t care.’’ She pulled it from the hanger and wrapped it around my shoulders, then tugged it lower.

She stepped back to see. “If you hold your arm to your side, like this, you can’t tell the side is open. What if we pinned it too, with some safety pins?”

“She willreallykill me.”

“Not if you save her life first.”

“Are you sure about that? Her murderous rage might be stronger than any sense of honor.”

CHAPTER 9 - KAITLYN

We waited until dusk and then Magnus and Fraoch walked us to a jump-spot in Central Park. I had already said goodbye to the kids, who were untroubled, because I was going to be back the very next day. Barely enough time to miss me.

I hugged Magnus goodbye.

He said, “Daena be a hero, mo reul-iuil. Ye are tae blend intae the room. Ye and Hayley will witness the events and take photos, if ye can speak tae Lady Mairead ask her what she needs, and please, leave if there is any trouble.”

“I know, I’ll be careful. I have my phone in my handbag, I’m dressed for the part, under this sweltering coat—”

“It might be verra cold, tis November in New York. Tell Colonel Quentin we said hello from our warm house in the twenty-first century.”

“Ha! He’ll love it.”

We hugged goodbye and then climbed to the top of a giant jutting rock, hidden from most of the park by a clump of trees. We were able to see the backs of Magnus and Fraoch as they hiked a safe distance away.

Hayley grabbed my forearms. “Are we doing this?”

“Yep, we ought to do it before I talk myself out of it.”

I twisted the vessel and we jumped.

* * *

I woke up with Quentin smiling down on us. “Thankgodyou got here.”

“Why? Something going on?” I groaned and rubbed my temples. “And can you talk more quietly? My toes are still screaming and my head hurts from your shrieking.”

I quickly added, “No… wait, why?”

“Because James is fucking annoying!”

Hayley mumbled, “Where are we? These big ass trees do not look like Manhattan.”

“We’re in the deep recesses of the darkest forest. I snuck out to the road, Elmwood is down there, a row of fancy mansions, a bunch of old-as-shit cars, people wearing vintage clothes.”

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