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REYFYRE THREW AN INVITITATION on the table in front of me. “It seems they’ve finally come to our section of Manhattan.”
I stared at the summons and then glanced up at Reyfyre as dread formed in my belly. We both knew it was only a matter of time before this would happen, but we hadn’t been able to figure out a viable plan to take out Odin and Thor because every ball had been at a different location with not enough time between the announcement and the actual ball, and this time we were on the invitation list.
“We could leave.”
The glare he leveled at me made me shift. All routes out of the city were closed down for specifically that scenario. Even the marina was under scrutiny. They expected me to run if I was indeed hiding in New York City.
“Fine. But you know they are just grasping at this point. Their reward fell flat, too.” But I wondered if it was because no one knew who I really was. Not even the few we called friends. If they had, I was sure the lure of easy money would have loosened their tongues. “Besides, you said the world is a big place. They don’t know for sure that we are in New York.”
He dipped his chin in a disgruntled nod and then turned to the window, scanning the street below. “This is the only city they’ve systematically been throwing these ludicrous events.” He shifted his weight on the balls of his feet. Reyfyre did not like standing still for any period of time, much less when he was agitated. “It’s a logical move because it was the first instinct I had, too—get lost in one of the largest cities.”
He wiped his face and glanced around our tiny efficiency apartment. “How stupid could I be,” he muttered under his breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. His aquamarine eyes found mine.
I stood and crossed to the spot in front of him and put my palm on his chest to try to soothe his self-loathing. “You didn’t know.”
The invitation on the table was a gaudy mixture of glitter and gold. Certainly, no woman on this planet would have chosen the color palette mixed with chunky block letters. I wrinkled my nose at the words announcing black-tie attire. We didn’t have a lot of money and wasting it on fancy clothes was irrational. No one in this area of the city had that kind of money to throw away. “Can you glamour us with clothes?”
“Not unless you want us to both get caught.” He glanced at his watch with a sigh. “That kind of magic will be recognizable. We should head to the thrift shops before work to see if they have anything fancy before everyone else picks them over.”
We had to be at the bar in a couple of hours, and that job was necessary to keep up our nearly destitute personas. I did not know whether that would be enough time, but the ball was two days away, so if we were late, the bar would just have to deal with it. The idea of mobs trying to get their hands on cheap dresses that wouldn’t fit right and the fistfights that were likely sent an itchy rash over my skin.
“Well, let’s go. We don’t want to be late for work.” I grabbed my purse and his hand, pulling him toward the door.
Reyfyre followed as if he were going in front of a firing squad. There was zero enthusiasm in his mopey gait. As much as dress shopping subdued my attitude, the idea of being able to dance like the rest of the citizens appealed to me. I always had been on the outskirts as security staff while we were on Asgard, so I missed that thrilling part of the night.
And for some reason, being dressed to the nines and in Reyfyre’s arms warmed my insides, despite the fact Thor would also be in the same ballroom.
We stepped onto the street and headed toward the thrift shop. “Have you ever been to a ball?”
“Can’t say as I have.” He dug his hands into his pockets and bent his head against the wind. “Why do you look so excited?” He nearly growled the words as he tossed me a side-eye.
“Because we get to eat, drink, and dance.” I twirled around in my tennis shoes.
“For the love of... You are not Cinderella, sweetheart.”
His curmudgeon surfaced again, and I rolled my eyes at him. He hadn’t been this short or impatient with me since his daily beatdowns at the cabin.
“They could recognize you.” A current of breath carried his words to me.
The spring in my step faltered. “I am not what I once was. Besides, my hair alone is a deterrent. No one from my past would be caught dead with rainbow hair.” I chose my words carefully. There were too many people packing the streets right now, and greed had a way of putting a target on your back if you weren’t careful.
“Which is why you will be suspected.”
“Stop worrying. There are plenty of people who dye their hair.” I slowed my gait as we approached the thrift store. A line wrapped around the building already. At this pace, we’d be lucky to find anything suitable left in the building.
“We’re going to have to go into a bit of debt.” His frown deepened as he turned me down another street, navigating us toward the more upscale shops on Fifth Avenue. “I just hope I have enough credit on the cards in my wallet to dress us appropriately.”
“I will pay you back.” It might take months, but I would make good on my debts to him. I expected him to shake his head or something, but his mind was working overtime enough, so I don’t think he heard me. “Rey?”
He shook his thoughts away and focused on me. “What?”
“I will pay you back.”
“Fine.” He went back to brooding with a deep scowl on his face. “We just have to get through this and stay under the radar.”
“We go as a couple, right?”
He nodded. “They still think a witch set you loose, so us as a couple will make us a little more invisible to them, especially since the fae were stomped out years ago.” His voice was a shred of a whisper among the swish of fabric of those walking along the street around us.
The crowds thickened as we approached Fifth Avenue. He led me to one of the shops with formal gowns in the window and thankfully, the crowds hadn’t descended on this shop yet.
“What about you?” I asked as I scanned the dresses. There wasn’t any men’s attire in this shop.
“I’ll go next door to the men’s shop and get a tuxedo after we find something suitable and unassuming for you.”
Unassuming? Nope. That wouldn’t do. I wanted to stick out. I wanted something sparkly and shapely that would get noticed. They wouldn’t expect that. They’d expect someone on the run to want to blend in.
“You go. I’m sure I’ll have found something by the time you get back.” I crossed to a dress on display that was exactly the kind of statement I was going for. It shimmered in different colors with the changes in light. “This.” I pointed at it.
His brittle laugh had me peering over my shoulder at him.
“Not a chance.” Reyfyre scowled at me, but he reached for the price tag anyway. His eyebrows shot up.
“Too expensive?” I leaned over to catch a glimpse of the price.
“It’s actually reasonable.” He showed me the tag announcing it was well under three hundred dollars. “It’s not understated, though.”
“Let me at least try it on.”
“Can I help you?” A salesperson with the name tag of Kitty approached us.
“I’d like to try this one on, please.” I pointed at the dress despite Reyfyre’s look of disdain.
Reyfyre moved to a rack of more frumpy gowns. “What about this?” He pulled out an awful dress in green that looked like it was made for an elderly woman. It would cover every asset I had, and I’m sure make me appear frumpy as hell.
“No.” I crossed to where other dresses sparkled and pulled out a blue number that caught my eye. It was sleeveless but had a single shoulder strap that connected the front and back together. It sparkled. “This one as well.”
“Dear God.” Reyfyre rolled his eyes as I went through and picked a handful of stunning dresses before following Kitty to the dressing room.
“Your boyfriend seems a bit uncomfortable with these,” Kitty whispered as she handed me the dresses in my size.
I smiled and glanced out where he sat waiting for me to model each outfit. “Yeah, well, he is a bit insecure.” I lifted a shoulder in a half-assed attempt at a shrug. “Do you have silver sandals, too?” I asked, taking in the array of dresses. Silver would go with all of them.
“What size?”
“Eight,” I said.
Kitty wandered off as I stripped and pulled on the last dress I chose. I stood, inspecting the bright-red fabric on me.
Ugh. The color made me even more pale, especially with my hair resembling the Bifrost. This dress was a definite no.
I traded it for a black one just as Kitty returned and handed off a pair of slinky sandals.
I put them on and stared in the mirror. The slits reminded me of the outfit they sent me off to Earth to reap Hippocrates in. I tore it off with a shiver.
Which left both the blue and the iridescent dresses to try on. I put on the blue one and was satisfied enough at what I saw in the mirror to venture out to where Reyfyre sat.
He straightened, and his gaze ran down the length of the gown. His lips opened in surprise and then his gaze found mine. He slowly shook his head.
“Why not?” I looked down at myself and then back at him.
“Because.” His voice went husky as he spoke the word.
“Fine.” I turned and stomped back to the dressing room and stripped off the dress. But I put it on a separate hook. It was a contender. If I could make Reyfyre react like that, it meant I had hit my mark.
I pulled on the iridescent dress. The first one I had chosen. If Reyfyre hadn’t given me shit for my choice, it probably would have been the only dress I tried on. And I studied my reflection critically, searching for flaws. But there were none.
The more I turned to view the different angles of the dress, the more I was sure this was the one I was walking out of this store with. I pulled the elastic from my hair and slid it on my wrist so I wouldn’t lose it, finger combing my hair to get it in a semblance of order before I took one last glance in the dressing room mirror. This fit as if it had been made for me and it complemented my hair the way an eternity band complemented a solitaire engagement ring.
Reyfyre wasn’t going to like this at all, but it was the cheapest out of the ones I pulled off the rack.
I stepped out of the dressing room.
“That’s the one,” Kitty said with a wide grin.
I smiled back at her and took a deep breath, stepping out into the dress shop.
Reyfyre’s eyes widened, and the magazine he held slipped through his fingers. He blinked and wiped his face before meeting my gaze. “That will get you noticed.”
I ran my fingers over the fabric, which was silky as opposed sequined like the blue dress. “I want this one.”
Reyfyre stood and approached me. He spun me around to the mirror and stood behind me. “You will be noticed.”
His tight voice in my ear sent tingles up my spine.
“Yes.” I met his gaze in the mirror. “But you have nothing to worry about.” I spun in his grip and stared up at him. “I am yours.” I winked at him. “Besides, it’s either this or the blue dress.”
His lips tilted into a grin for a moment and then he seemed to recover.
“This is the least expensive of the lot,” I said softly. “And this will look better with a tux than the blue dress.”
“Fine.” He surrendered to me and stepped back and waved at the silver sandals on my feet. “But if we’re going with iridescent, then you should get matching shoes.”
I glanced over at Kitty. “Do you have these type sandals that would match the dress?”
The saleswoman beamed and scurried away, only to come back a minute later with shoes that shimmered in the same manner. I tried them on and Reyfyre stepped back with a nod.
“We’ll take these,” he said, waving at me.
I hurried back to the dressing room and changed into my street clothes. By the time I stepped out, Kitty had the purchase rung up. She took the dress and put it in a garment bag and slipped the shoes into the box and dropped that into a separate bag with a smile.
“You are going to have so much fun at the ball.” She winked at me. “Ours was so extravagant and elegant. This will fit in just fine.” She handed me the bag.
“Thank you.” Fun wasn’t what I would call it, but at least I would look more stunning than I ever had. And Reyfyre would have to be very attentive all night. A secret smile slid onto my lips as I thought of his arms around me.
“If you’re looking for bargain tuxedos, I suggest going across the street.” She pointed at a clothing store that I wouldn’t have guessed was a men’s store. “Their rental fees are pretty reasonable.”
“I’m buying mine, not renting.” Reyfyre sent a glare at the saleswoman.
I smacked his arm. “Don’t be such an ass. She was just trying to be kind and helpful.”
Kitty met my gaze with a forced smile. “Yes. Well, in that case, Saks should have what you are looking for.” She bowed her head and left us to help the others in the shop.
“Why do you insist on being nasty,” I muttered as we left.
“I’m not wearing a tuxedo that others have worn.” He shivered and turned us down the street. “But I’m also not paying Saks’ prices either. That would kill my credit.” He ushered me a few doors down to a Men’s Warehouse store that had a fair number of customers already milling about. Reyfyre crossed to a free salesman. “I’d like to buy a black tuxedo with a white dress shirt and a black bow tie.”
“Buy?” He turned toward us.
Reyfyre nodded.
“Right this way, sir.” He escorted Reyfyre and me into a larger dressing room. He grabbed a tape measure and began to take Reyfyre’s measurements, scribbling them down on a piece of paper. “I’ll be right back, sir.” He rushed out.
Reyfyre took off his shirt as he waited for whatever the salesman brought back. The wife-beater undershirt hid some of his build, but it gave me enough of an eyeful to wish I had some ice water.
The salesman returned with a rolling rack with an array of shirts and tuxedos in Reyfyre’s size.
Without even glancing my way, Reyfyre slipped his jeans off, giving me a full view of his ass clad in the tight fabric of his underwear.
I had been with Reyfyre for close to a year, and I’d never seen him this undressed. He usually changed into his night clothes in the bathroom, sparing me this exceptional view. I did not expect the heat that rose in me as my gaze traveled over his ripped form.
I wanted his body to be against mine.
Right now.
I sucked air in through my nose and blinked, forcing the thought away. The last time I had this overwhelming emotional charge was the first time I saw Hippocrates.
My gaze bounced everywhere around this room except where he was, as I mentally berated myself for even entertaining the idea. Reyfyre was my trainer. My partner in bringing down Thor and Odin. This was not an appropriate response to have. Not when the lives and freedoms of this realm sat on our shoulders.
I slapped down the hunger inside me and glanced back at him as he pulled on a pair of black pants that he had taken from the rack himself.
And those pants looked phenomenal on him. He pulled on one of the tailored shirts and tucked it in before buttoning it and turning toward me as the salesman helped him with the jacket. Reyfyre dressed up in a tuxedo was just as stunning as I had been in the dress.
“You don’t need a bow tie.” I stood, crossing to him. I unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt and stepped back, assessing him. “But you do need a belt of some sort.” I glanced at the salesman.
“Oh,” he said and then scuttled out of the room.
“Bossy, aren’t we,” Reyfyre teased me. A smile toyed on his lips. “But black tie means black tie.” He raised an eyebrow and went to button up.
I grabbed his hands and shook my head. “This. Just as you are. Well, with shoes, if you have to wear them.” I eyed his bare feet.
“If I didn’t know better...” He trailed off as the salesman pushed the doors open again.
Our trusty salesman carried both a belt and matching black leather shoes and a pair of black silk socks. “I thought you might need shoes, too?”
The hopeful lilt in his voice made me smirk and step away.
“Yes. And I’m going to pass on the bow tie. My girlfriend likes this look better.” He grinned at me, playing up the couple angle. Reyfyre slipped on the belt, then sat next to me and pulled on the socks and slid his feet into the shiny black loafers before stepping before the mirror again. His gaze scanned his reflection and then he nodded. “I’ll take it.”
“But sir, you haven’t tried on the other suits,” the salesman said.
Reyfyre turned to me and spread his arms. “Do I need to try on the others?”
I shook my head. “That fits you perfectly.”
“This one will do, along with the belt, shoes, and socks.” Reyfyre sat beside me and took off the shoes, shoved the socks inside them and handed them to the salesman. He undressed and handed over the outfit as well.
“I’ll be at the counter when you’re finished in here.” The salesman turned away and walked out of the room, but there was no excitement in him like when he came in here with the rack.
Reyfyre pulled on his clothes and glanced at me with a smirk. “I checked the tags before I chose that one to try on. I don’t think our salesman saw me do that either. The one I chose is close to what we paid for your dress. The rest on that rack are thousand-dollar tuxes,” he whispered as he led me out of the room.
No wonder the salesman was disappointed. I glanced at the rack and couldn’t tell the difference between the ones hanging there and the one Reyfyre bought.
As soon as we were outside with the garment bags slung over Reyfyre’s shoulder and the shoe bags in my hand, his light mood changed. “That was far more than we could afford right now,” he grumbled. “I may have to insist on payment for taking the boat south.”
I cocked my head and then nodded. “It would be nice to get paid for that.” I smirked at him. “Especially since it took me a bit to get my sea legs.”
Reyfyre suppressed a smile. “I’ll see what I can do.” He didn’t say anything more and once our clothing was stowed away in our closet, we headed off to the bar for another noisy night of serving drinks and hot wings to the younger crowd.
A new, more acute tension built between Reyfyre and me, one that could explode, and I wasn’t sure either of us could survive the fallout.