Page 96 of Kiss of Fire

The Vulcani arrived the next morning. From her window, Raya saw a procession of gilt-covered carriages approach the castle, pulled by horses bedecked with plumes and finery. Trumpeters announced their arrival and soldiers went to greet them.

Butterflies prickled her insides.

“You’ve got this,” she told herself sternly. But she found it hard to sit still.

She knew the Vulcani would need rest and refreshments before her demonstration. They would be served lunch, a meal planned and overseen by Tor. He assured her that all their favourite foods would be available, so hopefully that would put them in a good mood.

After lunch they would rest once more. And then she would be summoned.

Nervously, she practised her fire show. She seemed to have forgotten everything overnight. Her butterflies moved sluggishly and her birds looked like mutant mosquitoes.

“Shit.”

She sat on the edge of her bed and twisted a piece of hair round her finger. Her ears were itchy today. Not for the first time, she wished she had some dermatitis cream with her.

She looked at the photo of her mother again. The fire fae glared back ferociously.

“I bet you weren’t scared of anything, were you?”

Fuck. She was going to let herself down. She was going to let Shade down. Why the hell hadn’t she accepted his offer to release her from the deal?

She bathed and washed her hair. She reasoned that if she was going to die of humiliation, she may as well smell nice.

Clad in a soft velvet robe, she went to examine her wardrobe. Nothing seemed quite right. She selected and discarded dresses until she’d gone through the entire contents.

“That’s it then,” she said out loud. “The performance is off. I have nothing to wear.”

There was a knock at the door.

Pulling her robe tighter around her, she went to open it. Pasha was standing there with a large box.

“Good afternoon, Lady Raya. Lord Shadeed asked me to deliver this to you. He thought it might be suitable for the demonstration. He says it belonged to your mother.”

Carefully, Raya took the box.

“My mother? How did he get it?”

“It is her ceremonial robe from the Vulcani mansion. I believe he asked Loris to bring it.”

“The Vulcani have a mansion?”

“Indeed. Though it has, of course, been empty since your mother left Nush’aldaam. I suppose you might have taken residence there, had you not been betrothed to Lord Shadeed.”

“Um, yeah, sure. I suppose. Thanks, Pasha.”

She closed the door and set the box on the table. Inside was a mass of chiffon in the brightest scarlet she’d ever seen. She drew it out and held it up to herself.

It was a floor length ballgown cut to flatter and show off the female body. It cinched in at the waist and flared into an elegant A-line to the floor. The bodice was slashed to a deep vee front and back, exposing just the right amount of skin. It was dramatic and daring, exactly the type of thing a powerful fire fae would wear.

She stepped into it gingerly, pulling the slim straps onto her shoulders. It fitted like a glove. And when she gazed at herself in the mirror, she saw the epitome of confidence staring back at herself.

It was the perfect armour.

She felt a pang. Shade had gone to all the trouble of finding this for her. In fact, he’d done a lot of things for her.

He’d rescued her from the hospital. Told her the truth about herself. Discovered the fate of her parents. Helped her find a power she never knew she had.

She owed him so much.

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