Chapter 5 #3
Over her dead body. “Remember, we’re splurging and both purchasing something to wear tonight,” Gweneth said.
On seeing Sable’s frown, she added, “Word-of-mouth advertising is crucial to any business. We would be helping the owners of this business by showcasing their clothing tonight.” Gweneth peered inside the very white shop and prayed she wouldn’t live to regret this spur-of-the-moment strategy.
“My allowance is spent,” Sable protested.
Gweneth wanted to stomp her feet and shake the other woman. She did neither and managed a strained smile instead.
Ransom winked at Gweneth. “I will purchase a gown for you, Sable. Go inside with Gweneth. Ellard and I will discuss business while Niran introduces you both.” He cloaked his words in an order.
A tiny crease of stubbornness etched into Sable’s forehead.
Gweneth shrugged and maintained her strained smile as she entered the shop with Niran. Camryn and Jannike would tell her that competition was good for her. Personally, she didn’t like it one bit.
Inside, a single rack of garments claimed her attention. The fabric shimmered and made her long to caress the jewel-bright colors.
Two women shimmered into focus. Both possessed long, straight white hair, their faces were pale with prominent rosy cheeks while their white eyes held pinpricks of glacier-blue.
Their dresses reminded Gweneth of the ones she’d seen in Earth history books during her quest for knowledge.
Vintage period with full skirts, fitted bodices and nipped-in waists. Pretty.
Niran beamed. “May I present my wife, Aurora, and my oldest daughter, Patrice? This is Gweneth who is visiting from the planet, Viros. And, of course, you know Sable.”
Gweneth offered a polite smile of greeting. “I am very pleased to meet you. Did you make your gowns?”
“We plucked them from your mind,” Patrice said.
“Patrice!” Niran said.
“They’re beautiful,” Gweneth said, starting to rebuild the mental brick wall. “They’re Earth designs.” She needed to keep that wall intact all the time. She’d grown sloppy with her mental defenses since Ry lost the ability to read her mind.
A silent Sable stood beside her, and Gweneth decided to work on her plan.
“Sable and I wish to purchase something new to wear this evening. Is that possible? Do you have suitable garments?”
Patrice rounded the counter and glided toward them. “I think I have the perfect gowns for you both. Come with me, and we’ll get started. Mama will organize refreshments for the men.”
She led them into a separate room with small cubicles for privacy and a large reflective wall. Not a mirror but something similar. Patrice slid another door open to reveal an entire wall of completed gowns.
“Normally, we use wish fulfillment to dress ourselves or satisfy our needs,” she explained.
“We’re capable of doing that as long as we have enough sensual energy to feed us.
Making apparel for others has been a challenge since we needed to find a way for the individual garments to retain their physical presence even if their owner no longer requires them.
My mother developed a way of spinning the thread from the fibrous worm and combining it with a secret Incorporeal technology.
The fibrous worm thread makes the garments permanently visible.
Don’t ask me the particulars because they’re top secret, but that is the basic explanation. ”
“What you’re trying to say is that we won’t find ourselves naked during an important function,” Sable said in a dry tone. “I am relieved.”
Gweneth nodded. “I’m with Sable. Strangers shouldn’t get to see my assets.” Not unless they’re Ellard, she added silently.
Patrice grinned, and Gweneth realized she’d forgotten to screen again. Must remember.
“Now, which colors would you like to try?” Patrice asked.
Sable glanced at the profusion of colors, and that tiny crease appeared again on her forehead.
Red, Gweneth thought. “I would like to try one of your gowns in that gorgeous blue-green color. I think it will make my eyes pop.”
“Pardon?” Sable gaped at Gweneth. “Nothing should pop! I suffer enough trouble with a Stores arm.”
“Sorry. Earth-speak,” Gweneth said. “I meant that the color would match and highlight my eyes. It will attract attention.”
Sable shuddered. “I don’t want to do that.”
“I’ll choose several styles and bring them in for you,” Patrice said.
“I can’t wear these gowns,” Sable said. “People will look at me.”
“Do you want to find a mate and maybe have your own dwelling? Have children?” Gweneth asked.
“I can’t have any of that.”
“Why not?”
“I’m flawed. I’m a half dragon. I can’t fly, and I have an artificial arm. None of the males take a second look at me.”
“Rubbish,” Gweneth said. “The male dragons on Narenda must be blind. I have an idea. If Ransom agrees to participate in the festival on Viros, you should attend. Come and stay with me at the castle. King Lynx won’t mind.
You can meet my friends and the males our age.
At the very least, you’ll have a holiday and make friends. ”
“I hadn’t thought of leaving Narenda.”
Gweneth strove for patience and tact when she ached to rescind her impulsive offer.
She did not need the competition of a beautiful woman.
Sable possessed the raw materials to eclipse her—if she took more care with her appearance and started raising her gaze instead of studying the ground so much.
“Think about it now. Ah, here’s Patrice. ”
Patrice handed three gowns of various shades of blue-green over to Gweneth. “Will you be all right on your own? I thought I’d help Sable. I can call Mama if you want help.”
“I’ll be fine.” Gweneth eyed one gown with doubt. “Are you sure these are the right size? They look roomy.”
“Don’t worry. Put on that one. It’s my favorite.” Patrice nodded. “You’ll see.”
“Call me when Sable is ready. I want to see her in the gowns.”
Gweneth whipped her comfortable pale blue tunic off and discarded the rest of her clothing.
She picked a gown at random and slid it over her head.
The second the fabric touched her skin, it shrank to drape perfectly.
The short sleeves felt restricting, and she tugged at them.
Immediately, the fabric gave. The second she ceased yanking on the fabric, the growth of the fabric halted.
Gweneth stared at her reflection in the reflecting wall.
It needed to be shorter. She tugged it up, and the fabric disappeared until it hovered about six inches above her knee.
“Wow!” she said, spinning to observe the gown from the rear. It dipped to show the curve of her spine, the fabric starting again at the small of her back. “What is this fabric?”
Patrice opened the door of a cubicle and poked out her head. “We call it shrinkton.”
“Will it reshape and go longer or looser again?”
“Yes, although the garment maintains the basic style in which you purchase it, you can resize and drape to your heart’s content. Come out, Sable. Show Gweneth your dress.”
“I…I…” Sable hesitated. “It’s different from what I normally wear.”
“That is the idea,” Patrice disappeared and came back out, shunting an unwilling Sable in front of her.
The red gown did things for Sable. It brought color to her face and clung to stunning curves. One arm remained bare while a sleeve covered her Stores arm.
“No, you’re right,” Gweneth said. “Take that dress off right now. I can’t face having such tough opposition.”
Sable sidled back into the cubicle and then halted, obviously replaying Gweneth’s words.
Patrice laughed. “Look in the reflecting wall, Sable. I dare you.”
Sable lifted her shoulders and marched into the middle of the room. “Is that…is that me?”
“I told you so,” Gweneth said while inside, she railed at fate.
Sable looked stunning, and once she updated her hair and makeup, Gweneth would face stiff competition.
Ellard would love Sable…maybe more than he liked her.
She swallowed and turned to Patrice. “Do you sell lingerie? We might as well get the works.”
Ransom’s residence, later that eve
Sable touched her face with her real fingers, an expression of wonder on her face. “Is that me?”
Despite her sour mood, the sense of impending doom that stalked her mind, Gweneth managed a sincere smile. “You look beautiful. The dragon males won’t know what hit them when you enter the room.”
Sable gasped. “Please, I can’t walk in alone.” She turned on the small stool in front of the reflecting wall and grasped Gweneth’s hands. The Stores hand felt degrees cooler than her real hand. “Promise you’ll walk in with me.”
“I promise.” Gweneth disengaged and whipped off the coverall she’d used to protect her gown. “I believe we should go, or we’ll miss dinner.”
A tap sounded on the door, and Gweneth opened it to find a smiling Patrice. “Ransom sent me to tell you the visitors have started to arrive.” She beamed at Sable. “I love the way Gweneth has done your hair. You look beautiful.”
Sable wiped her hand down her ruby-red dress. “Thank you. I’ve never felt so nervous in all my life.”
“Gweneth and I will be with you or nearby. You have known this group of people for a long time.” Patrice’s gesture—a sharp downward motion of her hand—spoke of unconcern, but Sable still dragged her feet as they approached the source of the chatter.
They poised at the entrance to a large reception room, Gweneth and Patrice flanking a trembling Sable.
Immediately, Gweneth sought out Ellard and her heart soared when their gazes connected.
Distinct approval glowed in his green eyes, and he dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
Triumph flooded her until she noticed his gaze had wandered to Sable.
His eyes widened and a slow grin slipped across his lips.
He started walking toward them before pain struck Gweneth in the middle of the chest.
He was her mate, the one male who brought her cat to life and he wanted Sable.