Moira and I exchanged glances before I got up and dusted the clinging leaves from my hands. Simone led me down several hallways until we reached a room with two large double doors. She pushed one open and gestured me inside. I balked the second I stepped into the room.
A massive four-poster bed sat pushed against the back wall, covered in a satin bedspread the color of midnight. A large white box with the same color ribbon sat in the middle of the bed.
“It’s there,” Simone said, pointing at the box. “He’s instructed you to wear this to the event.”
One of my eyebrows rose. “Instructed?” I echoed, rage spiraling through my veins.
Simone shut the door behind us. “Evie.”
I turned at the urgency in her voice.
She came closer and took both of my hands in hers. “Listen carefully,” she whispered. “Something is going to happen tonight, and I believe you’re involved.”
“What is it?”
She shook her head. “Not even Caelan knows. Please wear this dress. I know you and the Lord have issues, but he has your best interests at heart. It is primed and may help you if there is an attack this evening.”
“Primed?” I questioned.
She lifted a shoulder in a helpless shrug. “I do not know. Caelan said you would know once you unpacked the dress.”
Curious, despite myself, I tugged the ribbon, watching it unspiral and fall away from the box. The lid lifted easily, exposing a mass of tissue paper. I folded the paper away, exposing a stunning ebony dress with hundreds, possibly thousands of multi-colored, hand embroidered flowers.
I let out a soft gasp and pulled the dress from the box. It unfolded in a mass of satin. The dress’ neckline was straight across and strapless with a tightly cinched waist and voluminous skirt. And though it would look spectacular on, that wasn’t what made me catch my breath. My fingers trailed over the embroidery only to feel the faint hum of life in each meticulously crafted pistil inside the center of the flower.
“What in the world?” I breathed. Setting the dress carefully on the edge of the bed, I sent a tiny pulse of magic through one of the embroidered pistils only to feel an answering hum. Concentrating, I sent my senses through the dress and felt thousands of answering pulses. A brilliant smile broke onto my face even as tears filled my eyes.
Caelan had succeeded in finding the perfect gift and the perfect weapon for a Floromancer. Each pistil possessed either a seed or a cutting of a dangerous plant, carefully preserved with a spell. I sensed Water Hemlock, Belladonna, Oleander, flytraps, mundane thorned vines, Poison Ivy and oak, Castor beans, White Snakeroot, Rosary Peas, and others. This dress, if worn by the right person, would be the deadliest thing in the room, even if said room was occupied by seven Shifter Lords.
Caelan was placing an insane amount of trust in me with this gift.
“Does it meet your approval?” Simone asked.
“I will wear the dress,” I said hoarsely.
“Good,” the Omega breathed. “I will leave you to it, Evie. Please be careful tonight.”
“Thank you,” I said, unable to take my eyes off the gown.
The door clicked shut behind me.
With more care than I showed most things, I carefully stowed the dress away, carrying the box from the room and into the ballroom. After I placed it next to my purse, I took a more detailed look at the place we were decorating and realized someone had deliberately placed numerous heavy potted plants around the room.
Caelan expected tonight would go wrong and had given me a hefty advantage.
“Are you alright?” Moira asked quietly.
“Not here,” I whispered. “I’ll tell you when we head back to the shop.”
Moira nodded. “Then let’s hurry up and get out of here. I need to scrounge something together to wear for the dinner.”
I got back to work, even though my thoughts lingered on Caelan and his generosity, marveling at his clever gift.
Chapter
Thirty-Five
Moira whistled low when she saw me a couple hours later. “Holy shit.”
