The nimble girl pushed aside a stack of glossy fashion magazines and set two cups of coffee on the small table. Ayra thanked her, while I stared absently out the window at the snow drifting lazily from a gray sky. My fingers nervously fidgeted with a gold bracelet shaped like a snake.
“What do you think of this?” Irma pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the fitting room in a light brown silk dress.
“It’s a dress, alright,” Ayra snorted. “I’m more curious about how you stay in such amazing shape after having your second kid.”
“Guess it’s in the genes,” Irma shrugged, twirling around to draw attention to the outfit. “So, what do you really think of this dress?”
“I think we’re here to pick out a wedding gown for the bride, not for the bridesmaids,” the demoness shot back with a sarcastic edge. Irma rolled her eyes, then fixed her gaze on my face.
“A bride like this would look better in a shroud than a wedding dress,” she said, rustling over in her gown and crouching down to look into my eyes. “Ellery, you’re not yourself today. Did something happen at the Midyear Festival?”
I struggled to focus on Irma, biting my lip before turning to Ayra. The demoness leaned back against the soft cushions of the sofa and tilted her head questioningly.
“We don’t have another controlling jerk in the picture, do we?” she mused sarcastically, inspecting the tiny coffee cup in her hand. “I can ask them to bring some whiskey instead.”
“No,” I shook my head and instinctively touched my stomach, only to quickly pull my hand away. For some reason, I still hadn’t told anyone about the little secret I’d been carrying under my heart for nearly a month. The scariest part was confessing it to Dorain. Deep down, a nagging thought pulsed that he might react the same way Josef had.
Maybe I should ask Ayra to connect me with that trauma specialist again.
“Then what is it?” Irma tilted her head to the side. The girl who’d brought out another bridesmaid dress hesitated a few steps away from us. “Are you nervous about the wedding? Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts! I almost ran away before my own wedding. Dorain and Zagir caught me, sweet-talked me, and dragged me back to my groom… so just a heads-up, if you try to bolt, the chief prosecutor of Shedan will be the one hunting you down.”
At her good-natured threat, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. Irma jumped to her feet and turned to the salon assistant, but one glance at the new dress was enough for her to shake her head.
“Nah, I like this one better. I’m not trying on anything else. Ayra’s right—we’re here to pick a wedding dress. Ellery, come on, get up!”
“Alright,” I said slowly, standing up but unable to make myself move further. I stared at the carpeted floor, then turned decisively to Ayra. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, noticing my clenched fists, but didn’t get a chance to ask anything. Gathering my courage, I blurted out in one breath, “There’s a demoness I don’t know who keeps showing up around Dorain. A gorgeous blonde, a bit taller than me. My assistant says she appeared at the start of the new school year. She saw them together in town, and they were arguing.”
“Oh, no,” Ayra groaned, setting her cup down on the table and clutching her head in her hands. “She’s at it again.”
Irma and I exchanged stunned looks. My throat tightened with a spasm, but I managed to ask, “You know her?”
“I do,” Ayra said, looking annoyed. She glanced thoughtfully at the salon staff and waved a hand at them. “Give us ten minutes. We need a break.”
The girls nodded and left. I had to clasp my hands together to hide the trembling. Then I slowly sank back onto the sofa. Irma settled beside me, looking back and forth between me and the demoness with wide, curious eyes.
“Have you talked to Dorain about her?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I only found out about her the day before yesterday. I wanted to ask, but… I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Yeah, well, that tracks,” Ayra clicked her tongue. “You’re gonna need a few more therapy sessions. But why the heck didn’t Dor say anything? I’ve always said he’s more of a stubborn mule than a demon. Look, Ellery, no matter how this looks, you shouldn’t stress yourself out. Dorain is completely loyal to you. We could even test him with a truth artifact if you want.”