held it, but Krys cut to the chase. “What do you think would look good on my figure?”
Sissian paused, and then, she flipped to a simple gown with flowing layers and sleeves that would have been made of a sheer fabric if they weren’t just hanging from the shoulders. “This one would be good.”
Kelnen was suddenly beside her with his arm around her waist. “I like that one.”
“Of course, you do. It looks like the offering gown only in a different colour.”
Kelnen asked Sissian, “Can it be made in dark blue?”
“Of course, Master Danforth.”
He nodded. “Good. That dress first for the ball this weekend.”
Sissian nodded and made a note of the selection, then she went through, and Kelnen chose half a dozen gowns and another dozen cocktail dresses, along with the shoes that matched.
Kelnen looked at Sissian. “Now, what do you have for maternity wear?”
Krys punched him. “It won’t be necessary for a few months.”
Sissian blinked. “Oh. Right. I didn’t bring that book.”
Krys sighed. “It is fine. I don’t need it for a while. I want to make sure I am in the less dangerous zone before I go shopping for pregnancy clothing.”
Kelnen growled. “Nothing is going to interfere with this child. Anyone who tries will find themselves flayed and burned alive. I have waited for you, and I am not willing to part with any part of you or us.”
Sissian cleared her throat. “Right, so I have everything. Is there anything else you would like?”
Kelnen rested his chin on Krys’s shoulder. “Lingerie.”
Krys blushed dark red, and the book was brought out, and he made his choices. She put her foot down on the thongs. “I am not having a wedgie all day, every day. For any day that it rides up, you aren’t going to touch me.”
She grinned when he agreed with her bikini brief selection. “Smart.”
Sissian chuckled and made her notes. A few questions about the fabrics and the colourations and they were done.
“Master Danforth, did you have any additional requests?”
He got to his feet and followed Sissian, adding a few requests that Krys didn’t bother listening to. Krys got to her feet, and he reached for her hand. “That’s it. We are done for this errand.”
He gestured and handed her a fat bottle. “Is this the right kind of vitamin?”
The word prenatal was on the bottle in large letters. She turned it over and read the contents. “This will do. Thank you.”
He smiled. “Now, can we go to dinner and discuss a few things.”
Krys chuckled and pried the container open. She fished out a pill and grabbed her bottle of water, taking one quickly.
“Why do you take those?” He asked it as they crossed the shop.
She wrinkled her nose as they headed to the street. “You have been here long enough to know that. I want to make sure that the baby has the best possible start as it takes nutrients out of me for development. I am trying to make sure that I cover all the bases.”
She asked him, “Why have the clothing made by magic?”
“There isn’t always enough power to customize your own garb.”
“No, I mean, why can’t I have human-made clothing?”
“Ah, the clothing that was selected today will also have blanking to allow for protective spells to be bound to the fabric. It will be like wearing a suit of armor at all times.”
“Oh. Well, I am guessing that is a good thing.” She smiled as he walked her down the road to an Italian restaurant.
He held the door open for her, and she stepped inside. There was the heavy weight of magic in the air. This wasn’t going to be a normal dinner.
Chapter Seven
Krys and Kelnen were greeted warmly by the host and seated in a delightful booth.
She ordered the angel hair pasta carbonara, and he ordered spaghetti with meatballs.
She was chuckling. “Somehow, I didn’t see you as a spaghetti-and-meatballs kind of guy.”
“Well, I can’t only eat food that I generate. There are a lot of wonderful things on this world that I have yet to experience.” He chuckled. “Ten years has not been enough.”
She sat and sipped at the water that had been brought for them. “So, how did you meet the magical people around here?”
He smiled and took her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb. “We did not arrive quietly. There was a shooting star, a pulse of magic, and then we were standing in a crater in a mage’s backyard. We explained who we were and how we had