“Henry, I don’t know about this.” Ella shifted in her dress. She felt so formal; she wasn’t sure if breathing was allowed in the corseted waist and long, flowing skirt. She studied herself in the bathroom mirror, seeing a stranger in the glass as Rory pinned the last curl up into the intricate knot.
Henry had insisted on an evening at the best restaurant in town, but Ella countered with a request for something private for their first time out together.
“Adam’s no one to be afraid of,” he said from the doorway, watching her nervous fidgeting with a careful eye.
“It’s not that. Well, now it is, since you brought it up. It’s just… Look at me.” She motioned to the expensive dress with disbelief. “This isn’t normal us. This is fancy us, which isn’t real.”
Rory remained quiet as she sprayed Ella’s hair, and started putting away all the accoutrements that were scattered atop the counter, allowing Henry to field Ella’s concerns.
Henry shoved his hands in his pockets, looking like he was casually posing for a modeling spread that featured couture suits for men. “I hate to break it to you but every now and then my life requires a little fanciness. Now that it’s going to be our life, this is something you need to try on for size.”
Ella rubbed her arms in a hug, feeling strange that her shoulders were so exposed. “I guess it’s good we’re test driving this at your friend’s house. I’m nervous I’ll trip or something. Or that you’re all thinking how ridiculous I look in a dress, but you’re too polite to say anything to my face.”
Henry’s eyes combed her body, not bothering to hold back the lust that burned for her. “The only thing I don’t like about you in that dress is that I can’t peel it off you and throw you down on the bed right now. Like it or not, you look good in my world.”
“It just takes some practice, is all,” Rory assured her. “Would you prefer the flats instead of the heels?”
“That’s an option? Yes!” Ella kicked off the heels, groaning at the unnatural feel of it all. She gripped the sink, her heart racing. “Remind me why we’re doing this.”
Henry studied her anxiety with a sadness that weighted his shoulders. “Because we’re a team. Because we belong together everywhere—in this house, in the palace, in your house and on the moon.” He was constantly afraid that one thing would prove to be too much for her, and she would run from him again. “Look, I’m sure about us. If you’re not, now is the time to speak up.”
Ella touched her stomach to calm the swarming butterflies. “I’m sure about us. Not so sure about the rest of the world.”
“Then that’ll have to be enough to see us through. Take a breath. Adam will behave.”
Ella squeezed Rory’s hand to steady herself as the trio made their way down to the kitchen, where Cordray and Remus were having tea at the counter. The men stood, and Remus inclined his head to Ella, taking in her nerves with a gentle smile. “You look lovely, darling.”
“Like I was just scrubbing toilets last week?” She tried to pass it off as a joke, but Remus saw through her forced grin.
“Why don’t you all get in the car? Benjamin’s waiting for you. I’d like a word with Ella.”
“Who’s Benjamin?”
Rory shrugged into the coat Cordray held out for her, smirking as he planted a kiss to her neck from behind. “My guard. He’s wonderful. Been by my side since I was a baby.”
Henry cast Remus a furtive glance, as if begging him to talk Ella out of running away, if that was in her plans for the evening. Then he followed Rory and Cordray out into the garage, leaving the tutor with his pupil.
Remus waited until the others exited before he took Ella’s hands, pointing her knuckles skyward. “I feel as if your father would’ve had many things to say to you about a night like this. It’s a good thing you’re doing, giving Henry a chance to show you his world.” He kissed the back of her hand, instilling the idea that she was a proper woman who deserved such niceties.
“What if I don’t belong there?”
“Do you belong with Henry?”
Ella’s voice quieted to a whisper. “I want to.”
“Then if you belong with him, he’ll make sure that’s true, no matter the setting.”
“Tell me I look normal in this dress. Tell me meeting Adam will go great.”
Remus chuckled. “I bought you this dress because it’s anything but normal. And no one who meets Adam thinks it went great. He’s impossible to please, so best just be yourself and enjoy the food, if he remembers to buy any.” When Remus saw the last of her hope fall, he tucked his finger under her chin. “Darling, you belong here with me, no matter how tonight goes.”
In the next breath, Ella’s arms flung around Remus’ neck, squeezing him to stave off the angst that welled up in her. “Thank you.”
Remus held her as long as she needed, giving her the assurance that life would still find a way to turn, even if everything around them crashed. “Did you take your evening herbs yet?” He kissed her cheek, unable to hold back his fondness for her. It was a heady thing—the bond between rescuer and the rescued.
“No. I was just about to. I took two tablets of St. John’s Wort this morning, but I haven’t had my evening dose yet.”
“Hold off on taking them for now. I don’t want your magic dulled tonight. Adam is… He’s not well. But you know me and my conspiracy theories. It’s what led me to you.”
“You’ve got a conspiracy theory cooking about Adam?”
Remus shrugged, as if unwilling to put a voice to something he was only mostly certain of. He checked over his shoulder to ensure the door to the garage was shut. “Everyone assumes Adam is schizophrenic, what with him seeing and hearing people who aren’t there. But I’ve known Adam since he was a boy. I think we’re missing something. Perhaps some bit of magic our minds are too small to quantify. I always assume my imagination is too small, which is how it’s grown so large over the years.” He released her and leaned against the counter with a sigh, folding his arms over his chest. “Malaura always said that our minds were too limited to understand all we were capable of. It’s her that addled Adam’s brains, and her curse that will turn him into a Lupine not too long from now.”
“Sounds like a straightforward curse to me.”
Remus shook his head. “There’s more to Malaura than strict hatred. People want to simplify her because it makes them feel safer. They don’t know about the letters.”
“What letters?” Ella felt like the more she asked, the less she understood.
Remus again glanced at the door, and lowered his voice. “Years ago before Adam’s curse, he was voted Avondale’s sexiest bachelor. He was quite handsome, and Malaura took notice. She was always a prize collector, and she wanted Adam. Wrote him letters from the shadows that he turned over to me when they grew too… intimate. When he spurned her in person that last time, she cursed him with the Lupine ticking clock.”
Ella shrugged. “Well, sure. If she couldn’t have him, she would make it so no one wanted him. Makes sense.”
“Indeed. But hearing and seeing people who aren’t there?” Remus’ eyes burned into hers, communicating a puzzle his brain hadn’t entirely worked out. “What if they are there?”
Ella’s sharp inhale set her mind spinning. “What do you want me to do? How can I help?”
Remus softened, his shoulders lowering as he took in her selflessness. “I didn’t know where Henry was taking you tonight, otherwise I wouldn’t have started you on the St. John’s Wort regimen. I wasn’t expecting it to work so well this quickly. You can still access your Hearing and your Sight?”
Ella rubbed her forehead. “Sort of, but it’s foggy, which is actually much better for my dating life, since I date now,” she declared with a puff of pride.
Remus smirked at her and motioned to her dress. “Do you like the color?”
“I like anything you buy me.”
He narrowed his eyes, spotting the lie. He got down on his knees before her and pressed his palms to the skirt, dying it the lightest shade of pink. “Better?”
“I didn’t want to insult you, but yes! Henry keeps making marriage comments, and I worried wearing a white gown might rush things too much. Plus, I don’t want to have a clumsy moment and spill something, which I know will happen if I wear white.” She held still while Remus stroked the expensive material, leaving the corseted bodice white, but transforming the skirt to a baby pink that matched the blush in her cheeks whenever Henry complimented her. “Oh, Remus, it’s gorgeous!”
Remus stood, chuckling at her genuine grin. “There. That’s much better. Any dress that makes you so nervous you look as though you may vomit, might not be the one for you. The right dress should make a woman glow, which now, you are.” He stood and kissed her forehead, grasping her hands when he pulled back to look at her. “Tonight, I want you to have fun. But while you’re there, do me a favor and send your Hearing and your Sight out to the candelabra.”
“The candelabra? You want me to check if the candelabra… What? If it makes a noise when it’s lit?”
“Not a noise, darling.” He swung their arms lightly between them. “Now, I don’t want you to involve Henry with this. This is to be our little secret. I’m working out several theories that need to stay private. I want you to tell me if you can Hear the candelabra speak.”