Chapter 21
Hannah
Whoever was knocking on that door was about to die.
“Hannah? I have your dress for the ball!” Thea’s voice rang out. She had no clue what she’d interrupted. “Wait until you see it!”
Kai’s head snapped up, and his entire body went rigid. For one brief, unbelievable second, the King of the Dusk Court looked like a teenager caught making out in his parents’ basement, which really wasn’t that far off.
“Thea—” He started.
The door opened, and Thea entered the room with an enormous silver box balanced in her arms. The polished surface caught the light against her plum dress. But then her gaze moved from Kai’s thoroughly wrecked hair to my loosened bodice to the very obvious fact that he was still half on top of me.
A slow, delighted smile spread across her face. “Did you two finally get around to…talking?”
Kai moved so fast it would’ve been comical in any other situation.
He pushed himself off the bed in one motion and straightened his tunic in a way that did nothing to fix the damage.
His hair spiked at uneven angles, his collar remained crooked, and the flush creeping up his neck only made it worse. “Your timing is impeccable as always.”
I rolled onto one elbow and tugged my bodice back into place with fingers that were far less steady than I would’ve liked. My heart raced, my body still hummed, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or throw something at her.
I forced a smile. “Hi. Great timing.”
“Isn’t it?” She swept into the room as if she had every right to be there, setting the silver box on the desk with exaggerated care before tapping the lid with her nail. “The ball begins in less than three hours, and I know how much you like things to be perfect, though one might question—”
“I’m aware,” Kai cut in and straightened his clothing.
Her brows lifted. “I must say, you certainly chose an interesting moment to aim for perfection—”
“Yes, Thea. I am aware,” he repeated, the warning clear now. “Leave the items for Hannah, and allow me to finish speaking with her.”
“I certainly hope it’s only speaking.” She covered her mouth in mock shock, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Certain conversations require…proper attention. Otherwise, they become terribly unsatisfying, and you wouldn’t do that to her after waiting so long for the perfect time. ” She clicked her tongue.
He stared at her like he couldn’t quite believe she’d said that out loud.
I snorted, trying to hold it back, but it was a lost cause. A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. The whole situation had tipped straight into absurdity. Aunt Maureen always told me to cherish unexpected moments, and at least this was a good one.
“Nothing will be rushed.” Kai planted his hands on his waist like he wanted to reclaim what little dignity he could. “Now go. Surely you have matters that require your attention elsewhere.”
“Oh, we do,” Thea said lightly, turning toward the door with entirely too much grace for someone who had just detonated the room. “There is a small gathering this evening. What was it again? Ah, yes. A ball. The first in decades. I imagine there may be a few things to prepare.”
“Thea,” he warned.
But when I glanced at him, I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth and how the violet in his eyes receded just enough for the lavender to return.
“Hannah.” She looked at me with an expression of innocence.
It would’ve fooled anyone who didn’t know her.
Unfortunately, I did. “Men’s clothing does not take so long to put on.
Please remember that a lady requires significantly more time, especially if she is going to take her scented bath first. All those beautiful oils to leave the skin soft and glistening.
” She cut her eyes then to me, smiling wickedly.
“And you know where to apply those oils, do you not?”
Batting her eyes, she turned to Kai. “Now, your clothing is already set out on your bed. But–-”
“Enough.” Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, dragging in a breath. “I do have matters that require my attention. But we will speak again, Hannah. Soon.” His gaze flicked to me, heavier with everything he wasn’t saying. “I am certain Thea will assist you.”
“Yes, though Hannah would likely enjoy it more if you assisted her.” Thea clasped her hands and beamed.
Oh, she was enjoying this far too much.
Part of me wanted to push Kai again so I could watch his control snap a second time. The other part of me was still caught in the heat he’d left behind, my body humming in a way that made thinking feel optional.
He gave me one last look that felt like a promise in a way that made my pulse take off all over again. Then he strode toward the door like he could outrun whatever had just happened between us, dignity clinging to him by a thread that his half-untucked tunic was doing nothing to help.
I moved before I could think better of it, leaping off the bed and catching the edge of his shirt. I tucked the material back into place with careful fingers that drifted lower than necessary.
He went completely still.
I bit my bottom lip. “What? It’s your shirt. It was falling out.”
The slow turn of his head with his entire body rigid made something in my stomach flip.
He rasped, “Believe me when I say we’ll have words. Later.”
“Uh huh.” I placed a hand on my chest, feigning innocence.
A low, rough sound escaped before he finally left, each step measured like he could rebuild his composure through sheer will. It almost worked… if you ignored the set of his shoulders and the tension still coiling through him.
I closed the door behind him and laid my forehead against the cool wood, exhaling slowly while trying to gather myself.
Thea cleared her throat behind me. “So… you two talked.”
I turned, pointing at her. “You are terrible. And your timing should absolutely be illegal.”
“No, what will be criminal is the way you’ll look in this dress.” She made a graceful sweep toward the box with her arm, as if she were about to unveil something dangerous. “And frankly, he deserves to suffer a little after what he’s done. Consider this justice.”
That box had my full attention now. Holy moly, I needed to see this dress. “Okay, fine. Show me.”
Thea lifted the lid and slid it out, and my brain just… stopped.
Fabric spilled out in soft, luminous layers, lavender and periwinkle blending together like twilight caught mid-fall.
Tiny crystals were scattered across it, catching the lamplight and reflecting it back in quiet, shifting sparks.
The bodice held structure without heaviness, while the off-shoulder sleeves drifted like mist.
It wasn’t a dress. It was a moment and a statement.
“Oh…” My fingers sank into the fabric, soft enough to feel unreal as I pulled it from her hands. The layers cascaded down, catching light with every movement. “Thea… this is…”
“Stunning. Breathtaking. Completely unfair to every other woman who will be in that room.” She stepped alongside me and fluffed out the skirt then smoothed down the layers. “All correct answers.”
I turned with it, watching the way the skirt moved and unable to stop the smile pulling at my mouth.
Somewhere deep down, a younger version of me—the one who’d missed out on things like this—practically screamed.
“Where did this even come from? Because it looks like it cost more than my entire life.”
“There are a few dresses like this stored in wardrobes in the castle. Some were gifts. Some were commissioned.” She took the dress from me by the shoulders and pressed them against mine, holding the garment up so that the waist aligned just right.
She continued, “This one belonged to a former queen of the Dusk Court.”
That hit different. A freaking queen. “And you think it’ll fit?”
“The magic will make it fit. It adjusts. It always has.” A pause, then softer, more certain. “And you will be stunning in it.”
I looked at the dress again, then back at her, thinking of footwear. All I had were those boots and my ruined tennis shoes. Neither would work well with it. “What about shoes? Because I am not wearing something that’s going to have me limping before the first dance.”
“Torture devices? What do you think we are?” She reached into the box, removed what looked to be a false bottom, and set it aside.
Then she pulled out a set of silver, indigo, and lavender high heels that looked as if they had had starlight and snowflakes impressed upon them, the exact coloration varying based on where the light hit.
My stomach dropped. They looked as if bougie heels and stripper heels had smashed and had a very uncomfortable baby.
She held them up. “These will bind to your feet and support your balance. You can dance all night.”
“Yeah. I can trip in magical shoes too, just so we’re clear.” I took them anyway, turning them in my hands, already half sold.
“Magic for balance, comfort, and grace—all woven into the leather. You could dance for hours, and your feet wouldn’t ache. You could run in these if you needed to.”
I set the dress on the bed and slowly turned the shoes in my hands, watching the way the light shifted across the surface. “So… magic shoes. Magic balance. I can work with that.”
“Good. Then let’s get you ready. You’ll want that bath I was teasing Kai about.
” Thea moved into the bathroom like she’d already decided how this was going to go, setting towels out, turning on the water, arranging everything.
“The bottle of pink oil with the silver cap is special. I added it this morning. It’ll enhance your natural scent and give you the perfect glow.
Think of it as a custom perfume that lingers just enough to be memorable. ”
I followed her, leaning against the doorway as she pointed out each item without even checking whether I was paying attention. The pink oil. A jar that looked like crushed pearls. A brush with pale purple bristles that looked too pretty to actually use.