Taming the Wolf King novel · Chapter 14 of 32

Chapter 14: The Thrift Gown

The cake sat between us with the smoke still curling off its candle.

"Eleven days," Caspian said quietly.

"He saw you hold your shape," I said. "He saw the whole room cheer. So he took a week away from you."

"I know what he did."

"Then you know it means he's scared."

He cut the first piece of cake very carefully and put it on Annis's plate.

"Eat," he said to her. "Please. You made it."

Annis ate it with her eyes on Raife's back as he walked out.

"Also," she said with her mouth full, "the ball's tomorrow, and you don't have a dress."

"I'll wear my blazer."

"Over my dead body."

After classes she marched me down the hill into the village.

There was one thrift store, next to the hardware shop.

Annis went through the racks.

Then she stopped.

She pulled out a gown from the very back.

Bottle-green velvet, long sleeves, a low back, at least forty years old.

It was two sizes too big and had a moth hole at the hip.

"Oh," Annis breathed. "Oh, that's the one."

"It's huge."

"It's huge now."

It cost eleven dollars.

Annis paid for it before I could find my wallet.

That night the tower kitchen turned into a sewing room.

I stood on a chair in the green velvet while Annis crawled around me with a mouthful of pins.

"Stop breathing," she said.

"I have to breathe."

"Breathe less."

Caspian came down for tea and stopped in the doorway.

He looked at me on the chair, in a dress pinned up the back with forty pins.

He didn't say anything.

He just kept looking.

"Out," Annis said, around the pins. "It's bad luck."

"That's weddings."

"It's bad luck for you. I'll stab you."

He didn't go out.

Keep reading free with an account. Start Taming the Wolf King from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.