Chapter 31

Chapter 31

VEE

T he bell chimed a friendly greeting as Vee opened the shop door and stepped inside.

“Welcome, welcome!” The Demon behind the counter turned to greet them with an unctuous smile, spreading his arms wide. “How are we today, my lovely?—”

His face darkened, his smile turning into a scowl as he recognized her.

“You,” he hissed, pointing a scaly clawed finger at Vee. “Out! I want nothing to do with you and your group of thieves, you miserable?—”

Vee simply stepped aside, smiling sweetly at the shopkeeper as the Witch behind her entered the store. The princess glanced around her curiously, taking in the racks of clothing, the wooden forms modeling various wares, and the swatches of fabric hanging from the walls.

The shopkeeper stumbled, words dying on his tongue and his eyes going wide as saucers. Vee could practically see him counting gold as he recognized the royal heir and realized the gold mine that had just walked into his store.

“M-my princess,” he cooed, that unctuous smile plastered back on his face as he bowed his head to her.

“My friend here,” Vee put emphasis on the word, smirking at the Demon, “is in need of some new clothing, and I thought to myself—who do I know that has the best wares in the whole city, hm? Why, my dear buddy Franky, of course!”

The scowl Franklin shot Vee's way disappeared the moment the princess looked at him. For her and her money, he was all smiles.

“Of course, of course,” Franklin said, coming around the shop counter to greet them properly. “I would be simply delighted to help in any way that I can.”

Delighted ? Vee almost laughed. The only thing that delighted Franklin was the thought of more gold in his pocket. Which was probably why he looked ready to skin her alive.

After all, the last time she’d seen him was three years ago when she and Jayce had managed to make off with about half the gold in his till. It didn’t surprise her that he still held a grudge. Dear old Franky never forgot anyone who cost him money.

Vee gave Franklin a wide grin, flashing her canines at him and walking into the shop like she came here all the time. There were plush armchairs near the dressing rooms, set up as a comfortable place to rest for attendants and mates, and Vee slid into one of them, dangling her long legs over the armrest.

“Franky, dear, could you get the princess and I a drink? We’re simply parched from the walk from the palace.”

The scales that bordered Franklin's hairline quivered with rage at having to wait on a mutt like Vee, but he bowed and said in a perfectly well-mannered voice, “But of course, ladies. What can I get you?”

“A glass of sparkling water would be just fine,” the princess answered casually. She was distracted by the clothing, picking a few items from the rack and examining them.

“Tea for me, Franky,” Vee said, her smile smug, as the shop owner kept scowling at her. “The fancy stuff.”

“Of course, I’ll be but a moment.”

By the time Franklin returned with their drinks, Vee could tell the princess was starting to get overwhelmed. Perhaps she’d never gone to a shop like this, never had so many options available to her. Luckily for the princess, forcing Franklin to wait on her as though she were a highborn lady was only one of the reasons Vee had picked this shop. The truth was, Franklin was damn good at his job.

The princess probably had people to shop for her, Vee reasoned. Hell, she probably had people to do everything for her. What she needed was someone who could take control, who could help her out. Hence, Franky.

Right on time, as though sensing the princess’s discomfort, he swept in, his smile less oily and more subdued.

“If I may be of assistance?” Not waiting for an answer, Franklin stepped around the rack, removing a few items of clothing. “I would say these would be a good fit for Your Highness. I have some truly magnificent gowns, fresh in from the second octant, in the back that I could bring out as well, if you would like?”

“She’d like some pants,” Vee called from where she lounged. Meeting Franklin’s eyes, she took a big sip of tea, trying not to gag. Goddess, this stuff was simply awful. How did those rich Witches stomach it? “Casual clothes, only. No gowns.”

“Ah, but of course, then I have just the thing.”

Franklin was a sartorial force of nature, moving around the store, holding fabric swatches up to the princess’s face to judge coloring, pulling items seemingly at random. He skillfully took charge, and Vee couldn’t help but appreciate how at ease he made the princess.

By the time Franklin had shepherded the princess to the dressing room, Vee had given up on her tea, setting it on the small table next to her chair. Who cares if fancy people drank it? It was clearly some sort of trick. A joke that people low born like her weren’t in on. Vee abandoned it and instead got up to look at the clothing herself.

She picked a few items from the racks. A tan leather jacket, some new boots, a few pairs of pants. She piled them all on the shop counter, knowing a princess wouldn’t think twice about a few extra gold added to the bill. It had been too long since she’d had any new clothes, and Vee deserved a little treat. And it’s not like someone swimming in gold would notice. Hell… the princess could probably feed every stray in their gang for life and not even bat an eye at the cost.

The thought made her chest tighten a little in anger.

“Vee? ”

The voice coming from the dressing room sounded lost. Vee set the bag she was admiring down and turned. The princess was there, face poking out from behind the dressing room door, looking terrified.

Had Franklin said something to upset her? Something roiled in Vee’s chest, something white and hot she didn’t recognize. Had Franklin done something to hurt her?

“I… I don’t know if I can wear this,” the princess told her quietly. “It’s…well, it’s quite scandalous.”

“Oh, come on, you can show me.” Vee flashed her a smile. The princess liked her smile. Vee could feel the way it made her heart beat a little faster, the way it brought blood to her cheeks. It worked. With a grimace, the princess stepped out of the dressing room and turned to look at herself in the tall mirrors.

Wow .

Franklin knew what he was doing. The pants were a fine, expensive linen, light and flowy in a pale cream that complemented her skin tone perfectly. They were high-waisted, which was good because the top he’d paired it with in matching cream cut just below the ribs, revealing two full inches of smooth midriff.

Amalia twisted and turned, looking at herself from all angles in the mirrors.

“I look…” she frowned.

“Beautiful,” Vee finished, her voice husky. Amalia’s eyes snapped up to hers in the mirror, and a soft blush rose to her cheeks, even though Vee hadn’t been smiling at all.

But it was true. She did look beautiful. Without the layers and layers of lace from those ridiculous gowns, Princess Amalia looked… older. Not so much like a girl, but a woman. The outfit showed off her thin frame and long legs, while still looking like something a highborn aristocrat would wear.

“I was going to say powerful,” Amalia admitted, glancing down at herself and smiling.

Powerful ? Vee considered her, cocking her head to the side.

Yes. She did look powerful, didn’t she? She looked like a proper queen.

Instinctually, Vee reached for that power. She hadn’t considered Amalia to be powerful before. Everyone in the city already knew the princess had just a fraction of her mother’s power, knew she was barely a proper heir at all…

And yet… yes. There it was, that pulse of power under her skin. Power was a force like gravity, pulling lesser beings into its orbit. Alastair had that pull. So did Uncle Jas. Fey’s pull was like a vortex, drawing everything that existed closer to her.

Vee was surprised to feel Amalia had it, too. It was… muted, somehow, muffled so much she hadn’t noticed before. Even as she stood there watching Amalia admire herself in the mirror, that pulse grew a little stronger.

Huh…

Amalia’s fingers traced the visible skin of her belly self-consciously. Vee frowned. No, that wouldn’t do. Heading back to where she’d found her new leather jacket, she flipped through the clothing, pulling a piece out and jogging back to where Amalia stood.

“Here,” Vee held the jacket out for her to try, and Amalia gave her a curious look before slipping her arms inside and letting Vee straighten it on her shoulders.

“Perfect,” Vee said, giving her a big wolfy grin as they looked in the mirror.

The jacket was the same cream coloring as the rest of the outfit and fell to mid-thigh on her. It was fitted, but it managed to give the outfit just a modicum of modesty.

“Wow,” Amalia murmured, looking at herself.

Wow was right. The woman in the mirror was someone to be reckoned with, a powerful, beautiful Witch on the cusp of adulthood. Amalia twirled, giggling as the jacket spun, showing off the lilac lining that added the perfect feminine touch. Something felt stuck in Vee’s throat as she watched Amalia spin, laughing for the first time since they’d met. That pulse of power grew a little more.

“Ah, yes! Yes, you are a vision!” Franklin exclaimed, returning from the back with even more clothes. He clapped his hands together, excited. “The jacket is an excellent choice, Your Highness.”

Amalia paused, smiling, and Franklin’s claws picked at the fabric, pinching places. “It will need some minor tailoring, I think. Yes, we can bring the shoulders in just a bit. And the pants, we can hem them, if you would like to forgo heels?”

“Yes,” Amalia said, breathlessly. Her smile was so wide it looked like it might hurt. “Please. I think I’ll do away with heels for a while.”

“Very good, very good,” Franklin murmured. A pen and pad of paper appeared in his hand, and he began to sketch out numbers, his eyes roving over the outfit and calculating.

“We’ll take the set,” Vee said, smiling. “And a matching set in any other colors you might have.”

Franklin paused, raising his brows at Vee, before glancing back to the princess.

“Yes, I think so,” Amalia grinned. “You can charge it to the palace.”

This time, when Franklin looked at Vee, there was no scorn in his eyes, no more scowl. His eyes were wide, glistening with thoughts of gold. “N-naturally, Your Highness! Ah, yes, I believe I may have some similar styles you may enjoy as well. And, perhaps, shoes?”

“Shoes are a must,” Vee confirmed, smirking as she settled back into the armchair. “Don’t you agree, Princess?”

Amalia turned to smile at her, and for just a moment Vee forgot how to breathe, and the smug, satisfied smirk on her own face disappeared completely.