31. The Bone-White Dress

Sona woke up drenched in sweat.
*It was a dream*. A godsdamned nightmare.
She jerked to sitting, trying to banish the remnants that felt impossibly physical. She felt the warmth of his skin, the weight of his muscular body—
No. *Stop thinking about that, Sona!*
Gods, it felt so real, as if it really happened…
Her fingertips went to her lips. His had been so gentle… She hadn’t wanted him to stop. To kiss her…touch her…
*“Let me fuck you, Sona.”*
She stifled a yelp when there was a knock on the door. Her voice shook when she called, “Who is it?”
“Me,” came Cerise’s smooth tone.
Sona hurried to make sure she was dressed and throw herself out of the bed to open the door to find the Dog Rose Princess dressed surprisingly modestly. It didn’t dim her extraordinary beauty, even if her expression hinted at irritability. “Good morning, Princess. You look beautiful.”
Cerise lifted one shoulder; though she didn’t blush, she still basked in the compliment. “Even in the ungodly hours, I must present myself. Even if my brother refuses to let me enchant powerful males.”
“*Your protecting me is just a tightening cage, Taos!”* she had shouted at Taos earlier. “They would be honored to meet you, Princess.”
“I told you I don’t like suck-ups.” Cerise slipped inside. “Change of plans in your outfit. Taos wants you to wear this.”
Sona padded back to the bed where Cerise had dropped said outfit. It was bone-white with ironically no bone adornments. Not including the armband of tiny bird skulls. *“You belong to the Redbone Alpha now.”*
Cerise perched on the stool at the vanity and crossed her legs. “Go ahead. Don’t worry, we’re both taken for.”
There was no point in arguing or being shy, but Sona changed swiftly—into a stunning dress that rivaled Goldwater craftsmanship. It was silk, a staple of Redbone fashion, its neckline baring the curves of her breasts and plunging to just above her navel. There were slits on either side of her thighs up to her hips. 
“It fits,” Cerise murmured thoughtfully. Her dark eyes roamed Sona’s body in a similar way to her brother’s—intense, calculating, intrigued. But the heir was not leering at her the way Taos did. This look was reminiscing. 
“Does it belong to someone else?” she asked.
“Did.” 
Ah. Sona was wearing something that once belonged to a departed female. A sister? Her mother? Another layer to the mystery of the Redbone dynasty. 
“Sit.”
Sona sat. The young heir’s presence was twice her size and her temper was an aura. She could tell why she and Taos got along well from what little she’d seen and gathered because they were two halves of the same wolf. He was the brawn, she was the mind. A dangerous pairing.
“What are you to my brother?”
A dangerous question. *Fucking in my dreams, apparently*.
In the reflection, Cerise narrowed her eyes at Sona when she heard her heartbeat lurch. “What caused that I wonder?”
“I am his healer, nothing more. I didn’t mean to come as an intruder—”
Cerise started to do Sona’s hair roughly, yanking with every twist. “Of course you didn’t. He basically snatched you. This is a sad prison, isn’t it? The sick, dying, and dead? And we’re supposed to believe Taos when he says you can save everyone? I have ears everywhere even in my own home, Goldwater. There is no cure to wolfsbane. You should just go back to your own damn pack.”
Sona bore the physical and emotional pain. *Believe me, there’s other places I’d rather be*. “You’d rather I die than hurt your brother.”
Cerise didn’t answer; it was as good as one.
She disliked Taos Redbone greatly. But she had no intention of hurting him in any way. “I’m a healer, Princess. It’s against my—”
Cerise finished the braid with a final yank. Sona tensed when she felt claws scrape against her throat, where one slash could have her bleeding out with little hope of healing. “You hurt him and I’ll eat out this lying heart.” Her palm pressed Sona’s breastbone, and she heard her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
“My last intention is to,” said Sona quietly. 
“Then prove you're worthy of wearing this dress.”
Cerise released her with a jerk and padded to the door. Sona whirled, but she had already slammed it behind her. It was only a second after that did voices raise. 
“You threatened my future wife?” Taos bellowed. 
“You protect me, I protect you!” yelled Cerise. “Stop getting distracted by her tits and ass!”
“You said her tits and ass look great! I’m attracted to her eyes too! Have you ever seen such a blue?!”
Cerise snarled wordlessly and stormed off. A few moments later, a soft rap on the door and Taos’ question, “Were those good compliments, trinket?”
A shiver went down Sona’s spine at the sound of his voice. Her body kept drawing up the dream’s frighteningly real sensations. “Somewhat. You can come in.”
He did, and when she saw him, her every muscle went taut. And damn him to hell, he noticed, which prompted his infuriating smirk. “You like what you see, Mistress Mai?”
*Yes*. “No,” she said, looking back at her reflection. To not much avail, of course, because Taos stalked into the frame until he was inches away from her. She waited for him to put his hands on her waist, maybe even yank her back to his chest, but he just…stood there, watching her from over her shoulder.
The smirk faltered for the briefest of seconds, his dark eyes somehow darkening further, but it happened so fast that Sona almost believed it was just her imagination. “It suits you.”
“I looked blended together,” she told him, matching his too-light tone. “Brown skin, brown dress, dark blonde hair? Nothing stands out—”
“Except your eyes.” Now his palms rested on her waists, fingers pressing gently into the flesh over her hipbones. Once again, the touch grounded her, and it was ironic that he was the very thing making her feel adrift. “Deeper than midnight.”
“How poetic,” Sona said before she could stop herself. 
Taos’ brows knit quickly, but he masked it by leaning forward, his fingers twisting her braid and draping it over one shoulder. “You look magnificent. Shall we go make a scene?”
That was the last thing Sona wanted—to cause trouble. She didn’t want to see Conri; she feared embarrassment from Goldwater’s Alpha, Eldor, who she hadn’t seen in ten years and had no idea if he would still dote on her or condemn her; she’d never met Leto’s Alpha.
She said, “You will even if I say no.”
“You know me so well, darling. Come, let’s show Grayhide what he’s missing.”