14. Maya #2
I mean, I did, literally, but the woman looking back at me looked like a princess, something that I apparently very much was despite that seeming impossible.
There were a lot of factors that played into it, but the dress was…
spectacular. That was the only word for it.
It had to have some magical element to it that made you look more beautiful than you were. More confident. More self-composed.
Everything that I wasn’t feeling right now.
The actual structure of the dress was far more simple than the other.
The bodice was two panels of thick material that were bound in the center with laces.
They went over my shoulders and wrapped around the back as well, leaving the sides bare, dipping down to the waist. The thick material appeared to be a satin, but the shoulders were decorated in feathers that started in a deep blue over the gold material and transitioned into shades of purple and then gold where the dress cinched at my waist. From there, the gorgeous tulle skirt went out in an ombre effect in the opposite order down to where it brushed the floor.
All of it was dusted with sparkles of pink and gold that seemed to highlight my skin tone.
It was a gorgeous garment… and where I should have felt lacking, I instead felt empowered and beautiful.
Brushing my hair back, I considered putting on makeup besides the pink lipstick that I had planned to apply.
It was times like this that I wished I’d had someone to help me out like with the Dragon Council event.
I blinked back anxiety as both men offered me concerned looks in the mirror.
I didn’t like these looks as much as the ones they’d been giving me before when they’d been staring at me in the dress. I didn’t want to worry them.
“Sugar?” Croy’s voice was warm and soft, making me melt.
My skin flushed as I realized I was finally feeling a bit better and in less of an anxiety-induced haze.
I breathed in and then out, trying to settle myself.
The technique seemed to work, and I felt a surge of pride for being able to soothe myself, even if it was to a small extent.
“You both look really good,” I pointed out finally, noticing Henry was wearing an almost all gold uniform, accented with the blue that I was starting to realize was common to this kingdom.
He looked absolutely gorgeous—both of them did—and it made me a bit worried about the other women that would see them.
“Thanks.” Croy flashed a smile, an authentic one that had the skin around his eyes crinkling, while approaching me.
His wolf rubbed against me as I let my head fall back, Henry’s gaze still on my face as I nearly asked him what he saw.
I was worried that he read me too well, though.
Then again, the man pretty much had direct access to my innermost thoughts, so that wasn’t all that surprising.
“Maya, we need to talk about what happened.” Henry’s voice was soft as my fingers traced over the wolf on Croy’s uniform.
The crest brought to mind Jordan and her father’s pack, making my brow dip.
There was that persistent, overwhelming urge to go back.
I think it was rooted in the realization that there were others like me.
Now that I knew my reality had been unusual, I wanted to save the others. I had to save the others. I couldn’t live with the knowledge that I let them suffer another day.
“I can’t stop thinking about the possibility of there being others.”
Croy stilled in understanding as Henry let out a low rumble, coming up to Croy’s side and tilting my jaw up.
“We have to save them. We have to make this right. They deserve freedom like I got,” I nearly choked out.
Henry examined my expression. “Then we will. When we leave here, we will go and find them. I’m positive your parents are already gathering intel to attack the coven, we just have to make sure that we work into it checking for any other prisoners.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling a surge of hope.
“Yes, really,” he promised, cupping my jaw. “But we are doing it in a way that keeps you safe. I don’t want those fuckers getting their hands on you again.”
Before either he or Croy could say anything else, there was a knock on the bathroom door, causing all three of us to turn to it in confusion.
Who would be knocking? Henry strode forward and I tilted my head, surprise filtering through me because it was not one of my mates or anyone I had ever met before standing there.
In fact, it was actually one of the first women I’d seen outside of the few in town.
Had there been any in the throne room? I had to assume so, although there was for sure a lack of women overall.
Was that because they weren’t dragons? Or pure dragons?
Hadn’t Croy mentioned something about that?
Taller than myself, probably somewhere around 5’9” or 5’10”, she was wearing a uniform that I’d yet to see before but found somewhat intimidating.
It was a dark maroon leather with black and gold across the chest, highlighting a large dragon that seemed to almost shift under my gaze.
I didn’t bother hiding the fact that I was looking over her, curious about why she seemed so different, wondering if it was the uniform.
Outside of the color difference between her and my mates, she had a pair of over-the-knee boots, leather with laces, and a dark set of rings that covered her long fingers.
Across her chest was a long leather band that was attached to a carrying case behind her.
Was it for a sword? I couldn’t tell fully.
None of that was what made her unique, though.
Nor was it the dark tattoo that ran along the right side of her neck or the dark hair that she had pulled back to reveal a stunning but extremely serious face.
No. I realized very quickly it was her magic.
I didn’t think she was a shifter, but she had a lot of magic, and it seemed to be vibrating through the air and around her in an aura of black energy.
Honestly, if I wasn’t so fascinated by the woman, I would have been terrified.
The only soft part of her face was a pair of brown eyes that were so dark they almost appeared black, surrounded by thick lashes.
I saw her look over me as well before she offered me a small nod in greeting, looking at Henry with indifference as he let out a defensive rumble.
Except instead of being scared, she just looked back at Croy and I, my wolf wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Who are you?” Henry demanded, his voice laced with suspicion.
“Senior Group Leader for Squadron Eight from Eldur Academy.” She paused and then seemed to realize something. “My name is Eleven.”
“Like the number?” I questioned softly.
Her eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like pain wrapped in slight embarrassment, but it was gone a moment later. “Yes. I’ve been sent here by Queen Cyra to be Princess Sol’s personal security detail tonight.”
“You can call me Maya,” I insisted.
“Alright.” Eleven nodded, keeping her face void of expression.
“She doesn’t need a security detail,” Croy growled.
“I’m just following orders.” Eleven offered him an indifferent look that was absolutely mastered. I was a bit jealous, because I could never do that. Then again, usually if someone was good at hiding their emotions, it was for a reason. Just another reason I was glad I was so open with my mates.
She continued, “I’m going to be following her either way, so I figured I would at least introduce myself.”
“Nice to meet you.” I stepped forward and offered her my hand.
Normally I would have done a hug, but she didn’t strike me as the type to like that.
Surprise covered her face before she masked it and stepped forward, meeting my hand and offering a nod.
I wasn’t scared of the woman, per se, but my phoenix was warning me that she was a dangerous predator that we needed to be cautious of.
That she wasn’t something we recognized for a reason.
It probably didn’t help that there was a slightly numb, almost cold and clinical look to her eyes that had me knowing without a doubt that the woman was a killer.
She would probably kill anything or anyone without blinking.
“My group is ready to head out if all of you are ready,” she stated as Croy pulled me back against him.
Henry seemed to evaluate something before striding from the room, Eleven stepping back before following after the two of us.
I had to fight the urge to try to make conversation or ask her about herself.
I was positive the woman wouldn’t be interested in being friends with someone she considered a job, and I didn’t want her to feel obligated to respond.
My lip dipped slightly as Croy’s arm tightened around my shoulder, his lips pressing against my temple, making me wonder how much he was able to read through our bond.
As we made our way through the bedroom, I wondered how she had ended up all the way at the door of the bathroom en suite without anyone noticing.
It didn’t seem like my mates to let someone into the room like that.
Everyone looked up at us as we entered the room, but immediately Atlas was there in front of us, pulling me from Croy.
“How the hell did you get in there?” Atlas ground out as Eleven let out an amused sound that she cut short.
I frowned, looking at Atlas, who looked annoyed and more confused than anything. Eleven met my gaze before letting out a small sigh. “It was an illusion. I walked past you minutes ago.”
My brows went up. “You can do that?”
“I can do a lot of shit,” she offered. Marco made a disapproving noise but approached, and immediately he cupped my jaw.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Marco.” I blushed as he leaned forward and nipped my bottom lip.