Page 45 of Vengeance Becomes Her

“Because I know you. When the council rejected you, I knew you weren’t going to drop it so easily. You’ve always been a stubborn thing, for better or worse. I’d hoped I was wrong.”

“Well…you’re right. I’m going after Silas. I’m going to bring him to justice since no one else will do it for me.” She rolled her shoulders, preparing for an argument. “You don’t think I should go?”

“I don’t. But I know that you’re a grown woman and there’s nothing I can do to stop you, especially when your mind is clearly made up. I just hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t want to lose another member of this family.”

The words cut Rhiannon at the rare mention of her father, but she wouldn’t show it.

“You’re not going to lose me.”

“I hope not. You’re sure this is the only way for you to find peace?” Her mother’ssigh was weary.

Rhiannon felt her throat tighten. “I am. I need to do this. I don’t think I’ll ever be whole again if I don’t.”

Her mother’s lip wobbled and Rhiannon felt her composure cracking.

Thankfully, Jade broke in, turning the conversation. “What do you want to do with the time you have left here?”

“I think we need one more night out and tonight just happens to be the autumn festival. A goodbye but also a celebration of sorts.” She noticed how her sister’s and mother’s brows both shot up at the response. “I want to leave with happy memories. I haven’t seen anyone but the three of you in nearly three months, and you know I always love a good excuse for a night of dancing.” Rhiannon rounded Jade’s chair, leaning playfully over her shoulder and resting her cheek against hers. “We can go dress shopping, my treat.”

“You know I can’t pass that up.” Jade popped up, beaming with equal excitement. They bound out of the room together, their voices rising as they made their plans for the night.

Rhiannon felt powerful as she admired her reflection. The copper color of the flowy dress brought out the warmth in her skin and the rich brown of her eyes. The longer she looked at it, the more she fell in love with the garment. It was low cut, had billowy sleeves, and a generous slit up the right thigh. When she swayed, the skirt opened around her, showing off the delicate gold anklets she’d chosen. It was perfect for a night of dancing.

When she finally emerged from behind the changing curtain, Jade let out a gasp that assured her she looked as beautiful as she felt.

Her sister looked equally stunning. Her dress had fitted sleeves and a free-flowing skirt that was well-suited for the outdoor festivities. The deep red fabric perfectly complemented her brown complexion and black hair, and the ruby-studded gold earrings made the green in her hazel eyes shine.

“Neither Nima nor Damon will be able to keep their eyes off of you,” Rhiannon whispered conspiratorially.

As they stood next to one another in the mirror, Rhiannon’s smile fell as her gaze lingered loathingly on the white strands that still made her reflection feel like a stranger.Maybe her hair had been something of a security blanket for her, but she didn’t care, she just wanted it back. A sigh left her lips as she daydreamed about how much better the copper dress would look with her natural dark hair.

Ever observant, Jade immediately picked up on the shift in her mood and jumped into action. “I think I know just what you need, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Can you ask her to make these small alterations before we leave?” Before she could respond, Jade was already changed and thrusting the dress in her arms as she went out the door.

Rhiannon waited impatiently in the carriage with their dresses and jewelry in tow. She was starting to get anxious about where her sister had run off to when she caught her walking quickly towards her, a mysterious bag in hand.

“What is that?” Jade shook her head, smiling widely. “You’ll see when we get home.”

Jade was restless the entire ride home, excitement bursting from every inch of her. As soon as they stopped, she yanked Rhiannon’s hand to follow her into the house and directly up to her room. She had no choice but to oblige. When they got in the room, her sister pulled out a bottle with an inkyliquid inside.

Rhiannon watched Jade cautiously. “It’s dye, for your hair.” She clasped her hands together, her eyes wide with excitement. “We’re going to fix it since it bothers you so much. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out two identical bottles.

“I think this will be very close to your natural color.” She stared intently, waiting for Rhiannon tosay something.

She grabbed the bottles from her hands, speechless.

“You really think this will work?” She tried not to let herself get her hopes up, she’d been resigned to suffering with this hair forever, but this would be such a gift if it worked.

Jade nodded cheerfully, her eyes lit up with anticipation.

“Yes, the woman who sold it to me specializes in dyes and says that entertainers buy it from her for their acts. She says it lasts for about a month. I grabbed you some extra in case it wears off before you’re back.”

She tried to leave room for skepticism in case it didn’t work, but her excitement was already ahead of her.

“Come on, we only have two hours until we need to be ready.” She dragged her sister into the washroom, identical smiles beamingon their faces.

After meticulously scrubbing away the splatters of the dark dye that had somehow gotten on every surface, Rhiannon and Jade finished getting ready, sliding on comfortable heels that had a block sole. They were Rhiannon’s favorite shoes because they made it easy to dance but still gave her enough height to elongate her legs and keep her dress from dragging through the dirt.

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