Chapter 11
“Why are you taking me down to lower Elysia this time?” I asked, standing in the middle of the living room.
When Hunter mentioned we would take another trip to the more salacious side of Elysia, I immediately went on high alert. Our last trip was only a few days ago, and I was still reeling from being kicked out of Gray’s parents’ home.
I remembered the warmth that filled me when Evelyn embraced me during our first meeting.
The way she asked for my orchids to add to her garden because I would be part of the family.
Gray’s parents were by no means a replacement for my own—no one could ever replace my parents—but I’d forgotten what it felt like to be loved and cared for by parents.
It dulled the pain of my loss and gave me hope I wouldn’t be a solitary figure in life.
Now, all I could see was the way Eva’s aura flared into life as I abandoned Gray.
She had probably ripped my orchids from her garden and sent them up in flames. And I wouldn’t blame her.
“You don’t sound like someone who trusts me,” Hunter said, eyeing me carefully.
I knew what he expected. He wanted me to kick off.
To prove him right. My compliance at his parents’ home had pleased him but also aroused his suspicion.
He watched me closely whenever I was in proximity.
Like I was some sort of creature that might lash out at any moment.
He wasn’t wrong, but I had to prove otherwise.
“I’d do a better job of convincing people if visits aren’t sprung on me,” I explained, keeping some bite in my voice.
If I became doe-eyed and hung off his every word, then he’d know it was all an act.
If it was begrudging, then I could possibly earn his trust. “You’re going to need to let me in on some of your plans if we want this to work. ”
Talking like we were a team made me feel physically sick, but I kept reminding myself that it was necessary for the moment.
Hunter sucked in a deep breath and considered my point. “I’ve organised for you to pick out your wedding dress.”
My jaw dropped. That was not the response I was expecting.
My expectations were of another parade through the streets in order to gain more attention and popularity, but Hunter was jumping several steps ahead.
Or maybe he was just working exactly to his plan.
Who would oppose him? And even if they did, he had the gift of success. He was unstoppable.
“Pick my dress?” I parroted the words back to him to make sure I heard right.
“Yes. I couldn’t care less about the frivolity of a wedding, but I understand these trivial things matter to others.
” For a moment, I was surprised Hunter would care about what I might want, but then he continued speaking.
“Gods love the festivities of a wedding. It puts them in high spirits and that’s what we need.
” He looked me in the eye. “We want them to be in the highest spirits, so if that means we need to dress you up for the part, then so be it.”
Optics. Of course, Hunter was all about the optics. He would put himself in an uncomfortable situation as long as it projected the right image. He’d perfected it into an art form.
“Makes sense,” I muttered, forcing my brain to catch up.
There was a flicker of irritation. “I’m glad you agree.”
He held out his hand in a silent demand.
When Hunter did this, it was his way of saying he expected me to follow his lead.
And for now, I had no other choice. I took it, feeling my skin crawl the moment our palms made contact, before swathes of blue clouded my vision.
As they dissipated, I was greeted by the sight of a familiar shop in lower Elysia.
The memories flooded in with so much sharpness and colour so vivid that I was transported back in time.
My first visit to Elysia and the games Gray and I played.
He brought me to this boutique to choose a dress for Cato’s gifting ball.
A row of beautiful dresses that I didn’t even have the chance to try on.
My face began to heat from the reminder of how we left the shop that day.
The promises and tension that bound us. Both of us were completely unaware that it was something more than lust.
“Quentin,” Hunter snapped, and my blissful bubble popped, bringing me back to reality. “What is it with you never fully paying attention?”
“You haven’t forgotten I’m half mortal, have you? I’m still getting used to all this,” I lied through my teeth.
Hunter narrowed his eyes before gesturing to the shop.
Without another word, I stepped past him and pushed the door open.
It was empty aside from two figures by the counter.
The employee looked up as we entered, bowed her head, and made herself scarce.
The other figure turned around slowly, and I immediately regretted not asking more questions before we left the house.
Mabel pushed herself away from the counter with a feline grace that on my better days, I wished I could possess.
She sauntered towards us, eyes locked on Hunter.
“Took your time,” she said. Her tone was light and teasing and immediately, I knew why he left the house so often.
Mabel and Hunter had something while he was married to Larkin.
A fling. An affair. An arrangement. I had no idea how they labelled it, but they weren’t exactly discreet considering I had caught them in a heated make-out session during a very busy party.
Let them continue. If it kept Hunter away from me, they had my blessing.
When Hunter responded, he was less playful. “There’s a lot to do, Mabel.”
“You’re always so busy these days. No time for—”
“We’ll discuss this later. Do what I’ve asked and I’ll be back soon.”
Mabel’s brow furrowed and her face pinched, as if she were biting the insides of her cheeks. “I thought you were going to be here for this. I don’t want to be left with her.”
“I have no interest in dresses. That’s a woman’s job.” There was a beat. “And I’ve entrusted the best woman with the job.”
She preened at his praise and I found it difficult to keep my face passive. He was handing over menial tasks and she was more than happy to do them for a crumb of affection. I might not have been her biggest fan, but she was worth more than that.
When Mabel shifted her gaze to me, I smashed my teeth together, willing my face to stay neutral.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she looks like the perfect bride.” The words might have been sugared, but they didn’t match her expression.
A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. “Do not cause a scene.”
Well, that pretty much confirmed that I was still firmly outside Hunter’s circle of trust. Or, at least, that he didn’t trust me to play nice with his girlfriend.
After all, Mabel had told him about our run-in at The Vermillion Lady and I was obviously painted the villain in her version of events.
He didn’t wait for my response before he walked out of the boutique.
Mabel cocked her head and looked at me for a moment, which felt painstakingly long. “Follow me.”
She turned on her heel and marched towards the back of the building. For a split second, I wondered if I could bolt out the door and into the casino to find Andreas. It was only the thought of Sloan, Erik, and the children being implicated that forced me to follow her as she’d asked.
We stopped in a grand dressing room. Mirrors lined the walls and a golden rail stood off to one side with a selection of dresses with different silhouettes, but all in shades of white and blue.
“Strip,” Mabel ordered, not bothering to look at me.
“I’m not a dog.”
“As good as one in my eyes. Let’s get this over with.”
The butter-wouldn’t-melt facade didn’t extend to me, and I think I preferred it that way. Gritting my teeth, I removed my shoes, jeans, and T-shirt, placing them on a plush velvet chair in the corner of the room. I crossed my arms around my middle, and said, “Done.”
When Mabel finally turned around, with a dress in hand, her eyes immediately fell on the cuff that sat on my wrist. A smug smile came to her face, making me burn with humiliation.
“He’ll never trust you,” she said, crouching down and gesturing for me to step into the monstrosity of a dress she’d chosen.
“Why are you even helping him out, Mabel? Aren’t you bitter he didn’t choose you to be his wife? He divorced Larkin, and he still didn’t choose you.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had time to think about it and I have the better end of the deal. It’s nothing more than a title. He’ll never love you.”
The thought alone made my stomach turn. “He’d have to be capable of love for that to happen in the first place.”
I’d been biting my tongue and perhaps it was unwise to loosen it around Mabel, but it felt good. Like some of the load was being lifted by just being honest.
“He’s capable of love.” As she stood up, she pulled the dress with her, covering my body. “Hold it.” She moved behind me and began to fasten it. “But it’s not his priority. He values trust and respect a lot more.”
“As long as he’s the one receiving it.”
“You know nothing about him.” The lace on the corset was pulled taut so violently that I gasped. “You know nothing about any of this. I’m not sure what it is you’re after, Quentin, but whatever it is, you won’t get it.”
“And you’ll get whatever you’re after?” I asked, genuinely curious to know why Mabel felt she had the upper hand.
“Of course I will. Hunter trusts me more than anyone else in this place. I’ve given him my unwavering loyalty. Even his own family couldn’t manage that.”
“But he wouldn’t marry you.”
Mabel laughed. The sound was too abrasive for someone who looked so dainty.
“As if that matters. Wife is nothing more than a title and I couldn’t care less about it.
Just because you have the ring, it doesn’t mean anything.
Look at what happened to Larkin. Ring, title, seat on the council… it didn’t stop me warming his bed.”
I looked at her in the mirror and felt a pang of sadness for her. “Is that what he told you to placate you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I said, realising that she was just another one in a long line of Gods and Goddesses who had been manipulated by him.
By empty promises and charisma. “Hunter does that, you know. He figures out what women want, and he uses it against them. I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth, Mabel. You’re smarter than that.”
“I am, and that’s exactly why I believe him. You wouldn’t get it. He doesn’t trust you. He never will, but I’m different.”
“Larkin thought she was different.”
A look of disgust crossed her face. “Larkin wasted the opportunity of a lifetime. She never understood his vision.”
It was at that moment I understood that for Mabel, it was more than a fling with Hunter. I meant what I’d said to her—that Hunter used vulnerabilities against people, particularly women. He knew Mabel was besotted with him and spun her sugared lies so he could keep her onside.
“I know things you’ll never know, Quentin,” she said, dropping her eyes to the fastening at the back of the dress. “I’m the one he confides in. He’s got no one else, and he knows I’d never let him down.”
“He’s not some poor, defenceless creature. He’s a monster.”
Mabel looked up, locking eyes with me in the reflection of the mirror. “And yet you’re making deals with him, so he can’t be that bad, can he, Quentin?”