When Elera and Rath returned, Char and Iris were on the sofa talking, with a respectable distance between them. Char’s immediate tension at the sound of the door opening morphed into resigned irritation as Rath tromped toward them with a smirk and an armful of packages.
“Ready for a fashion show, Char?”
Char put the mental image conjured up by that question out of his mind and glanced at the clock. It was midday. He hadn’t realized how much time he and Iris had spent talking after he got her to stop crying. While he would have loved to stay longer—and see what Iris looked like in clothes that actually fit—they were pushing their luck as it was.
He gave her an apologetic smile and stood. “We need to get back to the barracks.”
“What?” Rath dropped the brown paper-wrapped packages onto the sofa in what had been the spot between Char and Iris. “Why?”
“We’ve been gone too long. I don’t want Kelnor looking for us. Come on.”
Elera cleared her throat, her blue eyes dancing. “I think you’re forgetting something, Char.”
“I didn’t forget, Mother.” He went to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye.”
“And Iris?”
The back of his neck warmed. He looked over at Iris, whose head had jerked up from studying the packages to stare at him and Elera with wide brown eyes. She had been relaxed and comfortable with him when they were alone, and if his mother and brother weren’t here, maybe he’d kiss her goodbye now. But maybe not. Reading her signals was still tricky.
He decided to keep it simple. “Goodbye, Iris.”
She gave him a relieved smile that stamped itself in his mind and replaced any lingering imaginings Rath had planted there about a fashion show. “Goodbye, Char.”
He headed out the door, smiling to himself. She was nothing like most of the girls he knew, but somehow, having to work at figuring her out made every step forward that much more rewarding. And her smile really did something to him.
“That’s it?” Rath asked, jogging to catch up to him in the street. “No kiss?”
Char shot his brother a glare. “This isn’t the place.”
Rath groaned. “Fine. How about this? You give me a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question you know I want to ask, and then we can save the rest until we get back to the barracks.”
That seemed safe enough. Char knew the question Rath wanted to ask, too: did he kiss Iris?
“Alright, then. Yes.”
Rath pumped a fist in the air, grinning from ear to ear. “Knew it!”
Char wasn’t ready to concede Rath might be right about him being in love, but he had no trouble admitting the more time he spent with Iris, the more he liked her. Any doubts he might have had about putting his reputation, career, and maybe even life on the line for her had flown out of the mountain.
But he wasn’t in love with her. Not yet.
“Rath!”
Char registered the excited female voice and shimmering silver hair in his peripheral vision a moment before Misa launched herself at Rath. If his brother had been less sturdy or more off balance, the couple would have ended up on the ground when she threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.
Char cleared his throat and looked away.
But Rath was quick to recover. He gave Misa a smirk and settled his hands on her hips. “That’s quite a hello.”
“You’re coming to my party, right?”
“Tonight?” Rath glanced over at Char.
“Yes, tonight. Although there won’t be as many people as last night. Kara said everybody from the magic school is in trouble over something.”
The idea hit Char like a slap in the face.
Crazy? Yes.
Could it work?
Yes.
“We’ll be there.”
Rath raised an eyebrow at Char in question.
Char smirked. “Didn’t you want to see Misa in that new dress you bought her?”
“You didn’t!” Misa squealed, and then she kissed Rath again.
“He said he saw it and thought of you. Eight o’clock again?”
“Yes.” She gave Rath another kiss. “I still have a lot to get ready, so I have to go. See you later!”
She waved and dashed away, leaving Rath dazed, confused, and turning to his brother for answers.
“What are you thinking?”
“Come on. You have a dress to buy.” Char grabbed Rath’s arm and pulled him along.
“Char.”
“Anything for a party in those packages?”
Rath gaped at him. “Seriously? That’s your plan? I thought we were hiding her.”
“You heard Misa. Nobody from the magic school will be there. Most people don’t know who she is, let alone what she looks like.”
A grin spread across Rath’s lips again, one that matched the one Char wore. “This is really nuts, you know that?”
“Yeah, I got that. So, do I need to buy her a dress?”
“Of course you do. Mother wasn’t looking for party dresses, was she?”
“Then we’re buying two dresses.”
They spent the next hour in a dress shop. Char hadn’t realized how hard it would be to find a dress that would hide Iris’ amulet, and Rath didn’t know where to start with a dress for Misa. The helpful sales lady put up with—or maybe took advantage of—their cluelessness, and they finally settled on a black strapless dress covered in gold and silver glitter for Misa and a backless royal blue dress with a halter top for Iris. Char hoped the line of loose folds tumbling from the keyhole over the chest down to the bottom of the short skirt would be enough to conceal the slight bump of the amulet.
The sales lady thought both dresses were for Misa, of course. She kept gushing about how generous Rath was to splurge on not one, but two outfits for his girl. Outfits, not dresses, because she reminded them Misa would need shoes, too.
And then she switched her attention to heavy flirting with Char during the shoe shopping.
The brothers finally left the shop with two expensive dresses, two expensive pairs of pumps, and an open invitation for Char to come and see the sales lady anytime. Rath teased Char about that the rest of the way back to the barracks.
“Okay, what’s next?” Rath dropped his load of packages on the coffee table and himself on the sofa in their living room.
Char added his to the pile and took the other end of the sofa. “It’s pretty easy to sneak a girl in here after a party.”
“Hiding her in your room, right under Kelnor’s nose? That might be a little too crazy, Char.”
“Who said anything about hiding her here? The issue with flight is how cold she gets, right? So, if she wears enough layers and bundles up in enough blankets, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Rath frowned. “No, but where are you planning on taking her during your midnight flight?”
“Can’t tell you.” Because Char didn’t know yet, but it would come to him eventually.
“Char.”
“The fewer people who know, the better, and I need you to cover for me with Kelnor until I get back.”
Rath sighed and slumped against the sofa’s backrest. “Yeah, well, at least one person should know. Ideally, the person doing the flying.”
“Hopefully, I won’t be gone longer than a day,” Char continued, ignoring that remark.
“Hm. Tomorrow’s Sunday. Nothing to do anyway, and you’ve spent the whole day in bed sleeping off a bad hangover before.” The corner of Rath’s lips tipped up into a smirk. “This might work.”
“Now, to convince Iris,” Char muttered.
“And Kelnor. Sneaking out and breaking rules two nights in a row might be too much right now. I’ll go in an hour or so to ask him for permission to go out tonight.” His smirk widened. “This’ll really throw him. Us asking for permission?”
“Just don’t push it.”
Rath waved his hand, as if to dismiss Char’s concerns. “Don’t worry about it. I know how to work him. Now, how about that kiss?”
Char averted his eyes and shrugged. “I kissed her. What else is there to say?”
“Just one kiss?”
“...No.”
Rath leaned toward him. “How heavy did it get?”
“C’mon. You know what she’s been through this past week.”
“Oh, I get it.” Rath sat back again. “You’re playing up the chivalry angle. Seems like the right approach for her.”
“I’m not ‘playing’ anything.” Char met his brother’s eyes and set his jaw. “She’s a great girl, and I’m just trying to get to know her. I don’t want to push her into anything she isn’t ready for.”
Rath’s grin widened. “You are so in love.”
“I am not in love. I only met her a week ago.”
“Yeah, so? Ever heard of love at first sight?”
“That isn’t a thing.”
Rath laughed. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Several hours of needling and brainstorming later, Rath and Char were on their way to their mother’s house for dinner. Char still didn’t know where he would take Iris, but Rath had obtained permission from Kelnor for them to go out tonight, so that was one small victory. If all else failed, the brothers had several secret hideouts Kelnor still didn’t know about, and Char could shift Iris from one to another while he figured out something more permanent.
More permanent. He wasn’t sure if there would be a ‘more permanent.’ He didn’t know what he was doing, or what he was getting himself into, but he already knew he was in it for the long haul.
But he didn’t love her. Did he?
He and Rath entered their mother’s house without knocking, as usual, and headed into the kitchen to kiss her hello, but when they saw who was standing over the stove, Char stopped dead in his tracks.
Iris. And she wasn’t wearing his mother’s old nightgown and robe anymore.
He had been right. The sight of her in well-fitting clothes was a shock to his system.
The waistline of the sleeveless dark green dress hugged hers, and the full-length skirt followed the curve of her hips and then hung loose, leaving him guessing about her legs. She turned to greet them, and the intricate embroidery crawling up from the front of her waist to just under her bust drew his eyes to the shirring that emphasized her form and left him speechless.
Rath elbowed Char in the ribs, bringing him back to reality. “Hey, Iris. That looks good on you.”
“Thanks.” She averted her eyes, pink dusting her cheeks and a shy smile on her lips as she carried a pot from the stove to the table. “Hope you don’t mind my cooking. I thought Elera could use a break after her late night.”
Char cleared his throat. “Not at all.” He strolled into the kitchen and set his package on the counter next to Rath’s. “Need help setting the table?”
“If you don’t mind. What’s all that?”
“Your escape plan,” Rath said.
Char shot Rath a glare. “We’ll talk about it over dinner.”
“There are my boys.” Elera gave Char a knowing smile as she entered the kitchen. “I didn’t think you could stay away for long.”
“Ah, this might be it for a while,” he said, exchanging glances with Rath. He hadn’t thought about how their mother would take this.
Judging by the trepidation on Rath’s face, neither had he.
Elera frowned. “Why?”
Kelnor could take lessons from her, Char thought, swallowing as he met her stern blue eyes. “I think I can get Iris out tonight.”
“Tonight?” Elera and Iris exclaimed in unison.
“But she just got here!” Elera added.
“I told you she couldn’t stay long, Mother. Let’s just sit down to eat, and I’ll explain everything.”
Iris had made a venison and vegetable soup, and that kept Rath quiet while Char ran through his idea. Elera also ate in silence, although her furrowed brow told him she had her doubts.
She sighed and massaged her temple when he finished. “So much could go wrong, Char.”
“That’s what makes it fun,” Rath volunteered.
Elera silenced him with a look.
“I assume one of those is supposed to be a party dress?” She nodded toward the packages on the counter.
“One for her, one for Misa,” Char replied. “That was our cover. They’re about the same size, and as far as the sales lady knows, Rath bought both dresses for Misa.”
Elera shook her head. “They aren’t the same size, but hopefully they’re close enough. What about shoes?”
“Got those, too.”
“Misa’s size?”
“Yes?” Char’s voice ticked up, his uncertainty making it sound more like a question.
Elera sighed again, the sound even heavier than before. “Well, if they don’t work, it’s common enough for girls to kick off their shoes at these parties and go barefoot. What about her wardrobe?”
“I… guess it stays here?”
“Guess again. How many blankets do you have?”
Char and Rath exchanged glances again. “Two.”
She gave them a rueful smile. “Well, it’s a good thing you told me first. I had a feeling something like this would happen, so I bought you both new clothes when Rath wasn’t paying attention. I can bundle Iris’ clothes inside yours, wrap it all up in a few blankets, and take it to the barracks. That way, we’re safe if anybody wants to investigate, although I doubt Kelnor will question it. He knows you two would be in rags if it weren’t for me. Iris, you and I will see about the dress and shoes while these two clear the table and wash the dishes.”
“There’s another problem.” Iris sounded hesitant to speak up, and she bit her lip. “I’ve never been to a party.”
“That won’t matter,” Elera reassured her. “Nobody knows what they’re doing at these things, and that’s before the alcohol starts flowing. You’ll be fine. Come on, let’s see what the boys picked out for you.”
Char jumped up and grabbed the correct packages from the counter. “These are for her.”
Elera took them from him, leaning in to speak in a voice too soft for anybody but him to hear. “You just want to dance with her.” Then she turned away and walked across the kitchen. “Alright, Iris.”
Iris followed Elera, sending Char a final worried look before she left.
And then Rath burst out laughing.
“You’re going to lose it when you see her in that.”
Char scowled at him and started collecting dishes from the table. “Shouldn’t you take that dress over to Misa?”
“No way.” Rath hopped to his feet and went to start the water in the sink. “I’m not missing this."12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGMTZlKIe1
