The air in the car felt cramped and stifled. Though, that may have just been me. It wasn't the easiest being in the same vehicle with the man whose lips were attacking your own a short while ago, the man who saved you from being assaulted not once, but twice, and the man who did assault you the previous night. Bouns points for the utopian hopes that man number two would saved you again.

"Why are you accompanying us?"

I kept my head directed towards the blurring trees beyond the window but darted my eyes towards Zev when he asked Jaxon why he was tagging along.

Jaxon grunted and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "I need to get fitted for a suit." His voice lowered. "And need a damn drink," he growled under his breath.

Zev scoffed. "It's not even midday."

"It is somewhere."

"Why not wait till tonight and drink at home? I prefer not to drag your inebriated carcass back to the car. "

Jaxon sighed heavily. "Because I want to get drunk now. Plus, I need the hard stuff and Cassius banned it from the manor after the previous incident."

Ezra burst out laughing beside me, making me jump. Zev chuckled.

"Can't blame the man," Zev said as he took another drag. "I would too if I had to be sealed in a room with Kale for hours just to talk him down from murdering you. He secretes the scent of a thousand rotting fish cooking in the blistering sun in a burning car. I can't begin to imagine how long it took Cassius to scrub that scent from his memory." He tapped his fingers on the door. "Just be warned, though I may drag your drunk ass home, I'm not stepping between you and ol' Lennon this time."

Jaxon grunted a chuckle. "Don't. It's about time he learnt his lesson."

His words sent a spread of ice through my veins. They were too similar to the ones he had spoken to me.

It's time you properly learn your place.

Hot and cold chills battled their way down my spine. My hands tightened.

"I'm just kidding man," Jaxon said, grinning at Zev- I just now noticed the scowl adorning his lips. "I won't mess with the old man. Goddess knows he's only a strong breeze away from a broken hip." He turned the car sharply, sending me flying into Ezra. "All I'd need to do is blow on him and he'd turn into the pile of dust he should have become a century ago."

I tightly gripped Ezra's arm.

"Are you okay?"

Warmth encased my trembling, stiff fingers. I looked down to find Ezra's long fingers holding mine.

I looked into his worried eyes and smiled before moving away and looking out the window at the passing trees.

Was I okay?

More than okay.

I was too okay.

I felt like an anomaly.

My eyes widened as I found myself being pulled by an arm around my waist. Ezra pulled me back until I was half sprawled against him.

He smiled down at me. "I didn't like the distance," he simply remarked before looking out the window like he had done nothing as his fingers played with the tips of my hair.

As the racing of my heart slowed, the silence in the car became loud.

As my sweating palm rested over Ezra's hard stomach and my cheek pressed into his chest, I could feel two sets of eyes lasering into me. I gulped as my eyes collided in the rearview mirror with hard, darkening, golden ones.

* * *

Before my feet could touch the ground, Jaxon had already slammed his door shut, tossed Zev the keys, and darted off through the crowd like a lumbering giant. People jumped out of his way when they caught sight of him barreling towards them. He left behind words of finding him at the Dwarves Hole when we were done.

If there were actual dwarves at the establishment, they would be feeling tiny once he arrived. Granted. He would make anyone in a room feel tiny when you walked in with him towering well over six feet tall.

"Where to first?" Zev asked as he watched Jaxon brush off a guy who pushed him back.

Ezra looked up at the sky as grey clouds started to fill the once clear sky. "There's a chill in the air and it looks like it may rain soon." He looked down at my bare legs, making the cold caresses of the breeze more apparent on my skin. The fact I had shaved a few days prior made the cold impact greater. "Let's get a coat first."

He surprised me when his hand grabbed mine. First at the wrist before dragging down and cupping my fingers in his. I could feel the warmth of his touch spread from my hand, up my arm, and into my reddening cheeks. I peeked up at him. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Zev as he spoke before looking further down the street ahead of us.

"Winter is also nearing. We might as well get her the proper attire to stay warm during those days as well."

Zev took another drag and just looked at him for a moment. His eyes briefly flicked to me. "You do know this is just for the Introduction party, right Ezra?"

Ezra's hand stiffened in mine. "Yes," he answered, looking at Zev less kindly than before. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it with my own coin.

Zev eyed him carefully before eyeing our joined hands. Nodding, he flicked the cigarette to the ground and ground his foot into it. Little cracks of ice spread from under his foot. Once he lifted it, the ice evaporated into steam and small strands of green grass slowly shot up from the crushed grounds.

Zev didn't argue further. Turning, he led us through a crowded street in the opposite direction from where Jaxon was headed.

Ezra gently tugged my hand as I stared in open mouth awe at the small white flower that began to bloom.

The next few hours were spent going between a few shops. I had lost track of Zev around the third one for socks and scarves Ezra had dragged me into. I was excited at the thought of having warm softness to protect my feet from the harsh coldness of the cement floor, but I wasn't too thrilled about the thick cashmere scarf he had forced me to accept. I had yet to use a scarf properly to this day.

The routine was the same for each shop we enter. I would try not to touch anything for fear I would ruin it. Ezra would 'suggest' some options to chose from. I always picked the one that looked like it cost less.

I couldn't stop repeating to myself that he was wasting his money on me.

My panic started rising as he found more items I needed. Shirts, pants, a coat, shoes, socks, a scarf, and mittens. I think he was only suggesting the cheaper items at first to make the more expensive ones seem more alluring. He stopped suggesting them after I kept picking the worse option. Not having the illusion of saving him money made my anxiety rise.

After a break where we had grabbed some delicious sandwiches and fresh juice from a cart, Ezra decided to pull his phone out and message Zev.

"He'll meet us at Miss. Cynthia's," he informed me as he grabbed the light blue wrapper from my fingers to toss.

"Can't we just get what we need without him?"

I had been enjoying my time with Ezra. The fun carefree air hand returned, but with a little hint of heat. His kind lingering eyes held heat that stroked my skin as they passed over me. His soft, warm touches had become pronounced, and reassuring.

I liked it.

I liked how he held me because he wanted to.

I liked how he smiled at me.

I liked how his lips felt as they lingered on my skin after he kissed my temple.

I liked Ezra.

He chuckled against my temple as he pulled me close. "I'd love to have you all to myself for a bit longer, but we actually need Zev for this part. The stuff we've gotten so far is more of what I wanted to make sure you had. The next stop is to get the clothing for next week."

We walked down the street. The sun was low, close to the horizon and blazing vibrant oranges, pinks, and yellows. It backlit the building that lacked the old withered structures that were sprinkled between new when I had gone out with Timothy and Kai. The crowd began to thin as we continued down the street.

The area we entered gave a cold air of sophistication. Women wearing black uniforms stood guard as we approached a gated-off section. The gate was open, but the guards stationed gave no illusion that one would be able to enter.

"Good evening, Officer," Ezra said as we approached. A woman with her auburn hair slicked back into a bun stepped forward to meet us.

"Identification, please," she asked, feet wide, shoulders back, and hands clasped in front of her.

Ezra smiled kindly as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a glass-like card. "Lord Ezra Larsen. This is my wife, Damanea Riar. We will be meeting Lord Zev Dubois at Miss. Antwauns."

I almost gasped when the woman waved the card over a small, circular, green crystal and like sci-fi movie gadgets, the small crystal reflected a holographic image of Ezra and the listed other information along with it.

The guard nodded her head and handed Ezra back his card before turning to me.

"Identification."

My mouth dried at the command. I didn't have any identification, especially not for here.

"She's from the rural lands," Ezra jumped in. "She doesn't have any proper identification created yet, but you can see her listed as my wife in the marital status section. You can do a blood verification if necessary."

I paled at the mention of blood verification. What the hell was that? I didn't like anything with the mentions of blood.

The guard glance at the projection before glancing at me then back. "No need. You can proceed, Lord Ezra. Lady Riar." The guard dipped her head in respect before stepping aside and letting his through.

"What was that about?" I leaned towards Ezra and asked.

He slipped his ID back into his pocket. "Only certain classes are allowed in this section of the market. They're stationed to keep the lower classes out."

"So, they're there to keep poor people out?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Not necessarily, but the way society is structured, yes. A higher breed still who is poor would still be given access due to pedigree. A lower breed who ranks high in society may still be denied. Ranks and class usually go hand in hand with breed. Higher the breed, the higher the social standing."

We walked the clean, near-empty street lined with white buildings. The only pops of colours were the giant white vases that held green plants along the walkways or the displays in store windows.

In front of one of the larger storefronts stood Zev. He had another cigarette light and hanging from his fingertips as he leaned against the wall by the entrance- a hand in his pocket. He flicked it to the ground and stubbed it out as we approached. Like previously, a small plant started to grow as he moved to enter the shop.

There were so many things to looks at. I couldn't take everything in. The front doors opened into a large lobby. I could see all the way to the glass ceiling above. The area above the lobby was open and the floors above overlooked it- railing and glass panels all that kept individuals from a high drop. The floors seemed to be colour-coded as they went up. The first floor seemed to comprise of red fabrics, the next was filled with oranges, followed by yellows, then greens. This continued up in the order of the rainbow.

The main floor we stood on seemed neutral. Whites, creams, and beiges branched off into the separate grouped areas that consisted of a floating platform, a seating area, and floating mirrors- areas to try on clothing while showing others. They littered over the front of the shop where everything could be seen from the large panel windows and was in the direct line of sight of the receptionist who sat behind a black receptionist desk.

I wrapped my hand around Ezra's biceps as we followed behind Zev as he headed towards the orange-haired man that sat behind the reception desk. Ezra's hand squeezed mine in response.

"Hello," the man greeted. "Welcome to Miss. Antwauns! How can I help you today?"

"Hi," Zev spoke. "We have an appointment scheduled under Cassius Montgomery."

"Give me one moment, please." The man turned towards his computer screen and typed in a few words before flashing his ridiculous smile back up at Zev. "Yes..."

"Lord Zev."

"Yes, Lord Zev! We have selected a few items in the sizes that were provided. They should be ready in the private rooms we've prepared. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your prepared rooms." He grabbed a clipboard from his desk and jumped to his feet. He scanned the employee ID card he had around his neck on a lanyard on a small black square on the white wall behind the desk that blocked the view of what was behind the reception desk.

I stepped back when the air in front of him wavered. The straight wall eye cut off the front of the store from the back- only broken open in two areas on either side of the reception desk to allow entry. A slight discolouration that I had not noticed before disappeared from the entrance point we stood in front of.

"Would you like some refreshments?" The man asked as he continued to lead us down a long, bright, white hallway.

"Bring us a few glasses of wine. Keep a bottle of mead on ice in case we have an unexpected guest stop by."

The boy nodded and walked off after we reached the appropriate door. Opening it, we walked into a plush room filled with white couches, white tables, and white chairs. There was so much white.

In front of the couches and coffee table was a raised platform in front of a semi-circle of mirrors. On either side of the mirrors were an array of colourful dresses. A burst of colour in a sea of white.

When we entered, Zev headed strains of the door in the back corner of the room. I became aware of where it led when I could hear the steady stream of him relieving himself faintly through the walls.

While Zev took care of his business, Ezra explained to me how all I needed to do was trigger a switch off to the side for the curtains that framed the stage to shut so I could change in private.

While Ezra situated himself on the couch on the other side of the curtain- the sound of Zev joining him and the orange-haired man returning with refreshments drifted through the thick material- I began looking at the various dresses that thing on metal rods, waiting to be tried on. There were fabrics of all kinds in almost every colour imaginable. Some dresses were long, some were short. Some were glamorous, others were casual. Some were light, with, soft pastel colours, others were heavy with bold, vibrant colours.

My eyes caught on a peach-coloured knee-length dress. It had a straight corset top that hugged the torso. The neckline was straight and flat and was held up by two thin spaghetti straps. At the waist, the dress poofed out in a tulle skirt until it reached just above knee length. As it dug its way into my heart, a sinking realization made itself glaringly clear.

My eyes darted from dress to dress. From neckline to neckline.

Shit.

All of them would leave my neck bare. A few would even put the splotches of blues and purples on my torso on display.

"Come on, doll, we don't have all day," Zev's voice complained.

I swallowed and stared at the dress.

It would be fine. It was just a few bruises. They were nothing.

Yet my heart wouldn't stop racing in panic.

I stripped and carefully put on the dress. Soon my worries turned from exposing my damaged skin to accidentally ruining the delicate and soft fabric I was handling. By the time I had the dress situated, I had forgotten about the deep stain that covered my skin. I was just happy I didn't tear the fabric.

I pressed the button on the wall and the curtains parted.