The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,81

handed over a small leather pouch holding one of the necessary ingredients for taming the Azad, and my chest lightened. We were getting closer.

We waved goodbye and carried on. Peeling off the main road, Kost veered right and headed toward a quaint cottage with faded wooden shutters, redbrick masonry, and a periwinkle-blue roof. Lively flower beds with spire-like purple blooms shot upward around an arched teal door with gold trim. Wispy curls of smoke streamed from the chimney, and a buttery glow oozed from the windows.

Kost rapped on the door three times. “Fiora? It’s Kost.”

“Kostya?” A woman’s animated voice bellowed from somewhere deep in the house.

“Kostya?” I raised both brows.

The tips of his ears burned red. “It’s my full name. Only Noc and Fiora use it.”

I whirled on Noc. “Since when?”

He shrugged and bit back a smile. “Usually when I’m angry, though that’s rare. I think I’ve only called him that once in front of you.” I racked my brain to remember, but Kost’s rapidly reddening jawline and neck were distracting.

He cleared his throat. “That’s enough, I think—”

With more force than necessary, the door flung open to reveal a curvy woman with coiled brown hair piled high atop her head. Round eyes the color of autumn and just as warm raked over us. Her flowy gown was protected by an apron brimming with loose thread, and her small hands were covered in scars and faint-pink scratches.

She wrapped Kost in a hug that made him sputter. “It’s so good to see you, dear. Two visits in such a short time! I think it was a couple weeks or so back when you said you needed women’s clothes for a visiting—”

Kost cut her off just as more heat flooded his face. “Fiora.” He removed himself from her embrace and jerked his chin in our direction. “I’ve brought guests.”

“Ah!” She beamed at us with a smile wide enough to reveal all her teeth. “Please, please, come in.” She hurried inside, the hem of her gown sweeping the wooden floors beneath her feet.

Kost sighed and followed with the rest of us right on his tail. Fiora’s home was cozy. Paneled walls with floating shelves were packed with bolts of cloth and vibrant threads. A black sewing machine with antique gold patterns foiled right onto the base sat beside the bay window. The foot pedal was raised, and a garment vaguely resembling a blouse was draped off the side. Fiora kept moving through the main room, passing a desk and armchair laden with pincushions and scraps.

“You’re in luck. I just made a fresh pot of tea.” She ducked into the kitchen with a little sashay of her hips.

My gaze immediately went to the wall of vibrant fabrics. She’d taken a rainbow and magnified it, somehow finding colors I hadn’t even known existed. Lightly, so as not to soil them, I ran my fingers along the bolts. “These are beautiful.”

“Oh, hon.” Fiora returned with a tray holding five cups and a bowl of sugar cubes. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” She did a quick once-over of my body before quirking her brow high and turning to Kost. “She’s the one you had me tailor for, right?”

“What?” I glanced at Kost.

He took a teacup and ignored me entirely. “It was the most prudent thing to do before we left for Ortega Key.”

“I can tell by your build.” Fiora nodded to my cup, urging me to take it. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or embarrassed that she read my figure so easily. “I wanted to go bolder, grander, but Kostya insisted I stick with the bare minimum. Not to mention he gave me the slimmest of turnaround times. It was rude of him to stifle such creative genius.” Ozias snickered into his tea. Noc leaned against the only open wall space he could find and chuckled.

Kost still refused to look in my direction. “This time, Fiora, we need all the flair you can give.”

Her eyes lit like a fire. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“But, like last time, we don’t have time for custom pieces,” he cut in before the wheels could go too far off the rails. Though judging by the way Fiora bounced, I’d bet a handful of gold aurics she already had.

She waved him off without the slightest pout. “Winter Crest is two days away. I have so many leftover creations that I’m sure something’s bound to fit.” She rolled her eyes and set the tray down on a low coffee table. “You know