The Fortunates (Unfortunate #2) - Skyla Madi Page 0,41

and celebrating a new arrival, we are the hosting house for the next month. The other three main houses and everyone that dwells inside them will eat each meal here.

With me.

I’d rather stay in bed, but John Milano has announced his presence at breakfast and I feel I should apologise…or thank him for the room. He should hate me. It’s because of me his wife was shot in front of everyone…but he doesn’t. He still allows me to reside in his house. I wonder why…

Exhaling, I kick off the blankets. I’ve probably left Kaden waiting too long. A second longer and he’ll kick my doors down, raging like the bull he is.

I get dressed quickly. From my cupboard of seemingly endless garments, I choose the one least likely to draw attention. Though the mission seems impossible as I flick past elegant gown after elegant gown, I finally find a hidden gem halfway down the rack.

White. Plain. Unremarkable. Perfect.

I slip into the dress with ease and pull my messy hair around my shoulders. This feel fake. Who would have thought I’d ever miss my battered tunics? Shifting uncomfortably, I adjust the skirt and tug on the dress’s long sleeves, covering the scrapes and bruises along my arms. I analyse myself from head to toe. Every inch of my body is covered in a thin sheet of white cotton, save for my neck, head, and my toes that peep out from underneath the hem. Its fabric is soft and lovely. It’s how I imagine fluffy clouds to feel and it’s nothing like the scratchy tunic I’m used to.

I rake my fingers through my hair a few times, working out tangles and knots that accumulated while I was sleeping. I do everything I can to stall leaving the room. I even contemplate climbing back into bed, but as I turn toward it, there’s a knock at the door.

I freeze.

The knock is soft, yet impatient. The knock has Kaden Sario written all over it. I drag an inhale through my nose and hold it in my chest as I cross the room to the door. Exhaling, I grip the handle and turn it. Creaking, the door opens and Kade’s fresh face is revealed.

His furrowed brow smooths out at the sight of me and I wait in silent panic as his dark stare sweeps over my body. Is the dress too plain? Not plain enough?

Unexpectedly, an amused gleam sparkles in his eyes.

“Your dress is on backwards,” he points out, his lips quirking at the corners as he fights a rare smile.

Is it? I glance down. How can he tell?

Kade steps forward and I step back, letting him into my room. With calculated grace, he kicks the door closed behind him and it slams shut. I swallow, a little embarrassed I didn’t successfully dress myself.

“Arms up,” he says and I do as I’m told.

Kade’s large hands slide against my hips as he bunches the dress in his fists and lifts it up and over my head. I avoid eye contact with him, but I feel his amused stare on my face as he turns the dress around and lifts it over my head.

“You’re pouting,” he states as I slip my arms into the sleeves. “Why?”

“I want to lead an army, but I can’t even dress myself?” I tug on my sleeves to cover my blemishes. “It’s pathetic.”

“You have me.”

I peer up at him and just about lose my breath. I’ve never seen him so content. Lips that are typically pressed into a firm, thin line curve so effortlessly and his eyes—eyes that are usually void of humour and light—now glimmer with specks of his soul. Did I do that? Did the promise of our union do that?

“You ask a question, I answer it. You make a mistake, I fix it.” He glances at my dress. “You put your dress on backwards, I turn it around. We’re a team.”

The thought warms my heart.

“You’re not mad that I’m late for breakfast?”

Kade shakes his head and saunters over to the wardrobe. “I wasn’t down there holding my breath, that’s for sure.”

He laughs as he bends low and pulls out a pair of white flats. Straightening himself, he holds out the shoes and says, “Come. There are some blueberries with my name on them.”

∞

I clench Kade’s arm tighter in my hand as the curious stares of other Fortunates stick to me. I cower beside him, unable to bring myself to feel the same mock-confidence I felt last night. Kade, however,