Thorns of Fate: Serendipity Saga Book One

Chapter Twenty

The boutique wasn't entirely what I had expected. The outside of the building was decorated with lavish modern style, all silver and black. There were story tall advertisements along the walls with different images of jewelry. The front of the building was glass and I hoped we'd have some sort of relief from the sun.

It felt odd to be in the daylight after such a long time away from it. I hadn't consciously lapsed into a night schedule, but it had happened anyway. I felt surprisingly awake considering this was something like 3 a.m. for me. The sun burned down, though we didn't feel any discomfort in the SUV. I asked Carson about it and he quickly assured me that the windows had special UV resistant plating to allow us safe travel.

We pulled along the curb and filed out of the vehicle. As my skin entered the sun, I immediately felt the burn of daylight. Carson's hand clasped my wrist as he urged me forward into the shade and away from the damaging rays of light. My mother followed close behind, her head tucked low with her sister and niece on her heels.

Carson opened the glass doors, allowing us to enter. We were immediately greeted by Lady Stark and Liam and I noticed Liam's eyes shift cheerily to Kellic's. She smiled widely at him and greeted him, her hand held aloft in his as he pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

She actually blushed. Kellic actually blushed.

I wanted to snap a picture and hold it hostage but couldn't even overcome my shock.

"Lady Kellic," he greeted and I considered that this might've been the first time I had heard him speak clearly. His voice was laced with a British accent and though it wasn't as pronounced as Lady Stark's it was definitely there.

"Liam," she responded in kind, burying a giggling grin.

We were met by a saleswoman, who shuffled us to a sectioned off part of the room, dozens of mannequin heads lined up on a long table with various designs of tiaras atop their heads. She guided me down the hall away from that sitting area and Carson stayed close on my heels. My mother stepped forward, producing the garment bag that she had brought along.

She gave me a small smile and touched my arm, explaining. "We have to be able to see it all together." She joined Gabrielle and Kellic, finding their sits in the sitting area.

I took the garment bag and followed the saleswoman into a room off the hall. The inside of the dressing area was equally lavish. The seats were lined with black leather cushions and they hooks were made of solid metal, drilled well into the wall. It was obvious just from a look around that the room was high class. The door was a real door and closed fully in the frame, no gaps, no holes.

Carson followed me into the room, standing stoically before me as I slipped my clothes off and scooped them into a pile on the bench. His eyes roved over my nearly naked body and I had to swallow hard to keep pink skin from forming on my cheeks.

As I reached for the dress, he stepped forward, crashing into me and kissing me hard. I returned the kiss, letting his warmth encompass me. He was breathing hard as his kisses roamed my neck and chest. I had to fight not to stiffen when his lips grazed his favorite place to bite.

He drew back, pressing his forehead to mind and breathing hard.

"Excited are we?" I asked, playfully, gazing up into those liquid green eyes. He grinned down at me, though his smile was troubled. I flattened my hand against his chest. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

His jawline tensed as he took a deep breath. "No, I'm not." He replied. He pulled my dress from the bag and ran his fingers carefully over it. He helped me get my legs into it and shimmied it over my hips.