“Of course not, dear. Don’t worry yourself. Leftovers are shared out around the city. No one goes hungry on Nova Aurora.”
Azura nodded, her mouth full of pancake. While she ate, Adela began to unroll the masses of silk and show her the gowns so she could pick one for the ball.
This party is really going to happen!
Panic tried to edge in on her contentment, but she refused to give in to it. Azura was nervous about acting as Onyx’s wife, but she was determined not to worry about it until the moment she had to take his arm.
Hours flew by that felt like seconds. Azura tried on gowns and shoes with Adela’s help while other women came and went, styling her hair or giving her natural cosmetics to wear. By the time the ball was about to begin, she hardly recognized herself.
They had chosen a gown of sky-blue satin with long sleeves and a very low neckline. The skirts were long but did not quite drag on the floor, perfect for showing off the matching satin slippers. Azura truly felt like a princess as Adela escorted her down to the main ballroom.
Waiting by a massive set of double doors was Onyx. He turned and smiled as he held out his arm for her to take. His tunic and pants were black, trimmed with dark ocher. She took a deep breath, but it made her lightheaded instead of calming her down.
“Are you well, my love?” he asked. She nodded. His words echoed around her brain.
My love.
As she stepped up to his side, the great doors opened. To her horror, there were hundreds of people on the other side, all of them watching as she and Onyx walked down the great staircase. Everyone began to clap and cheer.
“Announcing Lord Onyx and his mate, the Lady Azura!”
The crowd went utterly berserk. Onyx laughed and waved as if this were all commonplace, but Azura felt like she was suffering several heart attacks and an aneurism all at once.
As the excitement began to die down, she noticed Martin nearby, glaring at her. He looked very handsome in his party gear, but she could tell he was terribly upset and went to him as soon as she could.
“Martin, what’s …”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he snapped.
“Tell you what?” she asked, confused.
“That you’re with him! You’re with Onyx!”
“Oh,” Azura’s heart twisted in her chest.
She saw King Alyx and Queen Bella standing just behind Martin with Onyx, and she realized no one had warned her poor brother what was going on.
Throughout the day, she had been assured by the attendants that Martin was in good hands, that Alyx and Bella would introduce him at the party, and that he’d be an automatic celebrity because he was human.
“No one told you?” she said as her heart fell. He glared at her.
“Is this why we’re here? Because you have the hots for some alien?”
“Martin, calm down. It’s not like that.”
“Then tell me, what is it like? Why do you want to be with some weird shifter dude?”
“It’s not about what I want,” she snapped. “I’m still trying to understand it, myself. I’m really sorry I didn’t talk to you about this before. It’s very complicated.”
“Tell me,” Martin said darkly. “It can’t be that complicated …”
“Excuse me,” a soft voice from behind Martin cut through the conversation. Azura noticed Bella nudge Alyx and grin with excitement.
What’s going on?
“Hello?” the voice said again. Martin slowly turned around, and Azura looked over his shoulder to find the owner of the voice.
A stunning young girl wrapped in tight folds of emerald green stood before them. Her eyes matched the shade of her dress, and her hair fell in glossy, dark red curls over her pale shoulders.