CRAVE (28 page)

“That would be funny in a sick sort of way. So will you tell us?”

“No.”

“How about a code? Like, if you look at me and laugh, I’ll know it was a joke and it’s really just some perfumey prank.”

“I know you, Leo, and I know what you’ll be doing tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll be gone before you can even stand up.”

“Hmmm. I guess you
do
know me. So, next time I see you.”

“Tell you what, the day after
your
Promise, we’ll talk about it.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. “Forget it. So what are you wearing?”

Crave looked stymied. “What am I wearing?” He looked down at his clothes.

“Yeah. You’re not wearing
that
. Aren’t you supposed to get cleaned up and put on somethin’ special?”

“Somethin’ special? Like what?”

Leo laughed. “That right there is why I told your crew we had to make sure you had somethin’ to wear. ‘Cause I knew you wouldn’t even think about it.”

“I never realized you paid so much attention to clothing.”

He shrugged. “I got help.”

“From who?”

“Your mom.”

“Oh.”

It was hard to argue with that.

There was a knock on Dandy’s bedroom door. She opened it, expecting to see her mother, but the person on the other side of the door was none other than Kellareal, holding a big box with a huge red bow.

Dandelion knew who Kellareal was, but he’d never spoken to her directly.

“Can I come in?” he said.

“Uh,” she looked back at her bedroom, “sure.” She stepped out of the way.

“Have a present for you from a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Someone who thinks a lot of you, but can’t come.”

“Oh.”

Kellareal handed her the box. “She said to tell you that she has no idea what Exiled wear on promise day, but that she knew you would be beautiful in this and… Hold on.” He fumbled in his pocket for a note, unfolded it and read, “And that the blood red would be perfect for your coloring. She also said to tell you that she’s so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” Dandy said, her eyes going to the box that she’d set down on her bed. “Please tell her thank you when you see her.”

“I will.” He turned to go.

When his hand was on her door, Dandy said, “Tell her I miss her.”

He smiled, nodded, and closed the door.

Dandy opened the box. Inside was a fitted jacket made from suede so soft it felt like a second skin. It was open at the neck, but had long sleeves, which was good because it was a cool night. She held it up admiringly and laid it on the bed, then took out the next item. It was a skirt with a tie at the waist made from thin strings of matching suede. It had dozens of layers of tulle that matched the color of the jacket. In the front the skirt stopped above her knee, but it was longer in the back. And Dandy was certain she’d never seen anything so marvelous.

Until she came to the boots.

She’d never seen boots that came up over the knee, but she fell in love with them at first sight. They were a dark coffee color. Simple. Low heeled. Just as soft as the suede on the jacket. Dandy couldn’t wait to get them on, but there was still something in the bottom of the box with a note on top.

Every girl should have sexy lingerie for her wedding night.

Inside was an incredibly delicate pair of lacey see-through panties and bra in the same blood red as the dress. Dandy didn’t know what lingerie was, but she figured out what went where. She was a little nervous about Crave’s reaction, but decided to trust that the gift giver knew what she was doing.

She’d decided that she was going to wear her hair big and wild the way Crave liked it. Like a windblown lion’s mane. While she was bathing in water scented with the dried petals and oil Flora had given her, she said the promise words over and over out loud, sure she’d freeze and forget them when the time came.

She had a towel wrapped around her when she heard another knock on the door. It was Trace.

“Trace! How did you get here?”

“Caught a ride with one of the males who made the great desert trek. Somebody close to Crave.”

“Close to Crave? Leo? Scape?”

“Um, Leo.” Dandy noticed that Trace looked away a little too quickly.

“Are you a pair?” Dandy asked.

“Don’t know. Too soon to tell. But this, today, is about you. Not me. I’m here to help you get…” Trace got a look at the outfit laid out on the bed and hissed in a long breath. “What in the names of all the holies is this?”

“It’s a promise gift from a friend who’s, ah, not from here.”

“Not from here?” Trace was wide-eyed. “Can you introduce me? I need a friend like this.”

Dandy chuckled. “I have a feeling that, when we start comingling with humans, there are going to be a lot of changes.”

“Well, let’s get you ready. I can’t wait to see what this looks like when it’s on a person. Oh, and I brought you these.” Trace handed her a box with little flowers, like miniature rosebuds. Blood red.

Dandy held them next to the dress. “How did you know?” she asked Trace.

“I didn’t! Guess it’s Fate.”

Ten minutes later, Trace stood looking at the finished package as Dandy turned in a circle. She whistled. “Crave is going to be on his knees.”

Dandy laughed, but liked the sound of that. “You don’t think people will think it’s too, ah, bizarre?”

It was Trace’s turn to laugh. “Every unmated female in the world is going to want this for her promise day. I know I do.”

There was a knock on the door. “It’s time to…” Trace opened the door for Dandy’s mother. When she first saw her daughter her eyes flared. Exiled females typically went through rites wearing pretty much what they wore every other day. After the surprise wore off, she said, “So that’s what was in the box?”

Dandy looked down and smoothed a hand over the front of the skirt. “Yes.”

When she looked back up with uncertainty, her mother smiled. “You have friends in
high
places.” Her mother arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “And you look beautiful, Dandelion,” she said. “It’s time to go.”

Every Exiled from youngest to oldest was present. They stood in concentric circles with a path opened from east to west. Crave and Dandelion would begin at opposite ends and walk toward each other, meeting in the middle where their families, the Extant, who would officiate, and their closest friends waited.

Crave came into view first wearing the clothes his friends had chosen for him. Golden tan doeskin pants, new boots, and a cream-colored raw silk shirt that reminded her of pirates in picture books. It draped his powerful shoulders and fell loosely around his waist.

Dandelion thought that she’d spoken too soon when she’d told Dread that Crave was the most beautiful male in the world. She was sure he was the most beautiful male ever born. He was so breathtaking she temporarily forgot all about her nerves.

At the other end of the circle, Crave’s breath caught when Dandelion came into view. It was clear he wasn’t the only one when an excited murmur rippled through the crowd. At first, she wasn’t sure if the reaction was due to admiration or scandal, but a quick look at Crave assured her that all was well. He was grinning ear to ear and looking at her like she was a walking marvel.

They joined hands in front of Free and Serene.

“The son of Exiled, Crave, and the daughter of Exiled, Dandelion, make their pledge to each other with our people as witness this night,” said Free.

“What say you, Crave?”

Crave turned and looked at Dandy, holding both her hands and her eyes, aware of other people, but seeing nothing but her.

“By those who made the sun and stars and full moon above, I give my promise to you, Dandelion. For as long as I live I will be yours and yours alone. Your good is my good. Your desire is my desire. Your need is my need. Never will I desert you or stand against you. This I promise.”

And that was when the worst possible thing happened to Dandy, the thing she’d feared most in the world. A tear fell from her eye and trailed down her cheek. In her mind it was the same as an hysterical outburst, a spectacle broadcast to all of Exiled that indeed she was too weak to be a warrior.

Crave knew everything there was to know about Dandy, including how she felt about crying. He reached up, tenderly swiped the tear away with his thumb, and said loudly enough that everyone could hear, “I was fortunate enough to see when I was still a child that this female has a heart big enough to adopt the children of our enemy, big enough to love even someone like me. I was fortunate enough to get her promise before the other males realized that she’s a treasure like no other.”

Dandy was both appalled that Crave had made spontaneous declarations in the middle of a sacred ceremony and charmed beyond words. When joyous noises of approval rose from the crowd, Crave leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’m hard as a rock and cannot wait to get you out of this incredible thing you’re wearing.”

She sucked in a breath. She was thrilled by Crave’s private admission, which wasn’t entirely private. Dandy guessed by the smirk on Charming’s face that he was close enough to hear. She was also distracted by the tingles Crave’s words had raised on various body parts, so distracted that she was afraid she’d forgotten what she was supposed to say.

Free said, “What say you, Dandelion?”

Dandy looked up into Crave’s face like a frightened deer. He watched her beautiful lips part, but nothing came out.

“Just look at me. Just think about me.” He squeezed her hands as he whispered, “By those who made the sun and the stars and full moon above.”

“By those who made the sun and the stars and the full moon above,” she repeated.

“I give my promise to you.”

“I give my promise to you, Crave.”

He smiled. “For as long as I live, I will be yours and yours alone.”

“For as long as I live, I will be yours and yours alone.”

“Your good is my good. Your…”

At that point her brain had reengaged. “Your good is my good. Your desire is my desire. Your need is my need. Never will I desert you or stand against you. This I promise.” She smiled.

He picked her up by the waist and twirled her around as people shouted congratulations and music began to play. The entire village followed the couple to the door of the former jail, then kept going to the banquet set out at the Commons.

Crave and Dandy closed the door, leaned against it, looked at each other and laughed. Then they looked up and took in the handiwork of their friends.

The fire was lit and burning cheerfully, as were candles all around the room. There was a long narrow table in the hallway set with a feast. Roast meats, succulent fruits from the valley, three kinds of bread including cinnamon rolls, and pretty desserts designed by humans, also brought from the city below.

The window had been draped with layers of muslin forming a cover that was practical and sensual at the same time.

Someone had spent hours intertwining ivy through the bars of the cell, transforming it into something that looked more like a secret garden boudoir. Last, there was a bed in the center of the room, large enough that Crave wasn’t sure how they’d gotten it inside the cell. He was much too interested in Dandelion to spend too much time attempting to solve that mystery. Of all the lovely things in view, she was by far the most appealing to the eye.

“This is…” he said.

“Wonderful.” She finished the sentence. “Are you hungry?”

Crave turned so that he was facing her and pressed her back to the door with his body. He reached behind her and she heard the lock click into place.

“Yes.” He smiled, showing the tips of his fangs, just before he began nibbling on her neck.