Chapter 166: Chapter 166

~ NYSSA

“Jean Luc has agreed to take us in this morning,” Aria said as we hopped into the car. “Once we’re done with him, we can go check out the venues for the ceremony.”

“Venue?” Eric perked up from his spot in the driver’s seat. “Ceremony? I feel like I missed a Chapter.”

My cheeks warmed. “Rowan and I are having a ceremony… in a week.”

“Five days,” Aria corrected me. “And there is still so much to be done.”

Through the mirror, Eric watched me, his lips curving up into a small smile.

He said nothing as he drove quietly to the boutique, and he followed behind us as we were led into the same dressing room as the last time I was here.

“Nyssa!” Jean Luc exclaimed as he walked into the room. “I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be seeing you again.

His hair was a bright shade of red, with pink at the tips.

“Your hair!” I noted and he smiled.

“I got bored of the old one. Please, sit, do you have any idea what kind of dress you are going for?”

“Something simple,” I answered immediately.

I didn’t know much else, but I knew for certain that I needed my dress to be simple. The idea of the mating ceremony in itself sounded daunting. If it were up to me, Rowan and I would just do it on a random day with no one else involved.

Jean Luc frowned. “Well, I suppose we can leave the extravagance for the coronation. I have some beautiful pieces you might like. Let’s get you into the dressing room.”

I tried on dress after dress, each one more beautiful than the last, but none of them seemed to stick for me. Everyone said that when I saw the one I would know, but so far it was beginning to feel more like a fallacy.

“Some people don’t find their right dress on the first try,” he assured me softly once I was back in my clothes. “We can always come back tomorrow and try something new. What do you think?”

I nodded, not because the idea of trying on more dresses sounded exciting, but because I was looking for any opportunity to get the fuck out of there. I was exhausted, and it wasn’t even noon yet.

He waved us off, smiling wide but even his smile couldn’t hide the slight furrow of his brows and the concern in his eyes.

“Well that was a bust,” I mumbled. “I really hope the rest of the day isn’t like this.”

“Don’t be pessimistic,” Aria hissed. “You’ll get bad energy into the air.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

She didn’t say much, merely shot me a lethal glare.

It turned out that she was right because I ended up having the same experience with the venues. Nothing seemed right. The places were beautiful, but they just didn’t seem like me.

“Maybe we should just pick somewhere on a whim,” I suggested. “It’s just a ceremony.”

“It is not just a ceremony,” Aria snapped, whirling on me. “It is your ceremony and it has to be perfect for you.”

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Aria, I don’t care about it. I just want to be mated to Rowan, I don’t care where it happens or how.”

“You will! You only get one mating ceremony, Nyssa, you’re going to look back on these pictures and know that you didn’t have the day of your dreams.”

“But I really don’t care—”

She ignored me, murmuring to herself as she began to pace. “I can search for more places and call up a few more…”

I tuned out the rest of what she was saying and turned to Eric who was standing next to me, his hands crossed over his chest as he watched us carefully. His brow rose in a silent question that I didn’t know how to answer to.

Aria still spoke to herself and the more she did, the more fed up and frustrated I got.

“Maybe a walk will help,” Eric whispered to me. “I’ll… talk to her.”

“If you can get across to her in this state, I will be the happiest person on the fucking planet,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

His lips curved. “Go, a few minutes alone will do you some good.”

With a sigh, I did as he asked, walking away from them and down the stone path towards the trees. I heard Aria call out to me but I ignored her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eric step into her path and speak to her.

I had no idea what he said, but it was enough to calm her down and I bought myself a few moments of silence.

I walked far enough that I couldn’t see or hear them anymore and took a long breath. Surrounded by trees, all I could see was green in the distance and blue skies up ahead. It was peaceful and only my breathing and the sound of rustling leaves filled the air.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, just enjoying the silence and the sound of my heart beating in my chest. I felt myself begin to relax, felt the weight of it all begin to bleed out from me when I heard rustling behind me.

I turned, expecting to find Eric but my blood ran cold when I realized there was no one there.

“Hello?” I called out. “Who is there?”

I heard the rustling again, this time in front of me and I peered closer into the woods, taking a slow step forward.

I saw something move behind the trees, a dark figure.

“Nyssa.” I screamed when I felt a hand on my shoulder, my shouts echoing through the silence. “Whoa! Are you okay?”

I blinked twice, relaxing considerably when I realized it was just Eric.

“I’m fine, I…” I trailed off when I turned back to the trees and found nothing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is something there?”

I shook my head. “No… I think we should go, now.”

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