Page 27 of Kiss of Ice

Ren didn’t know how to react. She was perfectly well aware of the Emperor’s reputation with women. Was she supposed to be shocked?

Jaina smoothed scented oil through Ren’s hair. It smelled of wildflower and Ren closed her eyes as Jaina’s skilled hands massaged her scalp.

“That feels nice.”

“This oil will make your hair gleam, my Lady. It’s such a pretty colour. It’ll look lovely when we style it properly.”

“Style it? I normally just stick it in a plait.”

The maids looked at each other, hiding their amusement.

“I think we can do better than that, my Lady,” said Leshi.

They finished rinsing her hair and ushered her from the bath. Ren stood self-consciously as she was wrapped in a big fluffy towel and then led to the dressing room. She sat in front of the mirror and Amal smiled at her reflection.

“Don’t worry, my Lady. You’re going to look spectacular for your dinner with the Emperor.”

Privately, Ren thought that would be a miracle since she had nothing to wear. Even if she did, she had never been described as ‘spectacular.’ She saw movement in the corner of her eye and turned.

An older woman was sitting in the corner of the dressing room. Her green hair and yellow eyes marked her as wiccan.

“Apologies for surprising you, my Lady. I’m Ruth. Your dresser.”

Ren saw she had a rack of clothing next to her; silks and satins, lace and organza, in every shade and texture. Her heart sank.

“Oh, great,” she said weakly. In her opinion, trying on dresses belonged in the hottest tier of the seven hells.

Jaina patted her hand.

“Ruth will look after you. We’ll come back to do your make-up.” The three girls left the room and Ren turned back to the wiccan.

“I don’t need anything too extravagant. Just a simple dress for dinner.”

The woman smiled as if she’d said something amusing.

“May I measure you?”

“Um, anything in extra large will be fine.”

The witch cocked her head.

“It is not about size, my Lady. It is about proportion and structure. Please stand.”

“Do I… do I need to take the towel off?”

“Nope. Just let me look at you.”

Ren stood. She towered over the wiccan, who craned to look up at her.

“You’ve got the height of an amazon. The shoulders too.” Self-consciously, Ren tried to make herself look smaller and was scolded for her trouble. “No, don’t hunch. Always own the space you occupy.”

“Sorry?”

“Hush. Let me concentrate.”

The wiccan held out her hands, tracing the shape of Ren’s figure through the towel. She didn’t touch her but Ren’s skin prickled with a faint warmth, as if the wiccan was somehow making contact.

“What are you…?”

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