Page 46 of Enchanted Heir
The mask was designed to look like leaves around my eyes and face with a branch along the edges. And though I didn’t know how I felt about wearing something on my face the entire night, assuming it would get annoying, I was also just going to take Silvia’s lead here.
“I love it,” I whispered. “I’m so impressed.”
She grinned. “Go bathe. We have a full day ahead of us.”
* * *
Krew had showeredand left for the ball before I was ready to go down. I noticed he had a mask in his hand that would make his face look like a wolf. And a plain black tailcoat. He was going as a black wolf, apparently.
And me? I was going as a tree.
I was second-guessing my decision. Maybe a wolf would have been better. Would anyone else go with a nature theme, or was it animals only?
“Stop stressing,” Silvia said as she finished curling my hair. “It messes with your lipstick when you purse your lips so.”
“Fine,” I groaned.
I slid into my gown, and Silvia helped position my mask just right. Looking in the full-length mirror, I barely recognized myself. To hell with whatever anyone else thought. This gown was something special.
“Silvia—”
She swatted my shoulder. “No tears either, Jorah. Now go. Enjoy. And happy Hallows’ Eve.”
I grabbed her hand before she was off picking up. “Thank you, Silvia. Thank you for all the hard work and countless hours you’ve spent on this. I adore it.”
Her eyes went glassy even as she commanded, “Go. Before you are late.”
Just before the doors to the ballroom, where I would have to walk down the stairs like I had dozens of times at this point, I turned to Owen. “If one of the others tries to pee on me, will you defend my honor?”
He smirked. “Because you are a tree?”
I nodded aggressively.
He laughed. “No one would dare. You look great.”
“Want to take a bet on how many of Krew’s eight women will be wolves?” I asked.
“I’m taking five. You going over or under?”
I was betting there were others like me too intimidated by Krew to go as a wolf. “Under.”
He winked. “You’re on, Princess.”
Smiling, I headed down into the debauchery.
The blatantly obvious distinction between this ball and the others was that there were dancers in cages dressed as different animals. A lion. An elephant. A birdlike creature that could not possibly be based on anything real. And a barely dressed woman that I wasn’t entirely certain what she was supposed to be. Strips of a light tan leather were the only thing which even remotely covered her important parts. Was she a winter ham? I was sure I shouldn’t ask.
Even though the dancers were sensual in the way they glided their bodies to the eerie beat, though the lighting was darker than usual, black curtains draping from the corners of the room, the general feel of the room was still one of excitement.
It was going to be difficult to steer clear of Keir tonight too, because the room was jam packed with people. I wondered if all of Savaryn had been invited.
I had barely found Rinaldi, when we were instructed to line up for the dancing to begin. Apparently, we were starting those early and getting them over with.
Renna was dressed gorgeously as a fox, her reddish-brown gown complete with a mask and also a fluffy tail. As I looked down the line up of Krew’s women, I saw we had four wolves, Renna as the fox, Jane was comically but gracefully a sheep, Isla was the one lonely butterfly, and me the tree.
Under five. I had won my bet with Owen and couldn’t wait to remind him of it a time or seven in the following days.
The chatter of all the extra people in the room made it impossible to talk to Renna as we waited on the edge of the dancefloor.
