Chapter 14

Ava POV

I'm sure it would come as no surprise to anyone that I had never been in a helicopter before.

"Sweet ride," I said, a Human expression I thought would make him laugh.

Instead, he nodded solemnly. "Twin-engine Sikorsky S-76D with a range of 441 nautical miles and a top speed of 155 knots. Rated for 7.5 million hours with seating for twelve. It's already a quiet ride, but I had extra soundproofing done for wolf sensibilities."

"Yeah, wow," I said, trying to sound impressed. Well, I was a little impressed, certainly, but I had no idea what those words meant, except the soundproofing part.

"My lady," he said with a smile and a bow.

I frowned. "Acting Luna."

He looked at me. "It's just an expression."

I showed a little teeth. "Not in Wolf Territory."

He smiled uncertainly. "I apologize."

"You just called me a whore."

Now he looked horrified. "My sincere apologies."

I shook my head. "Just call me Ava, like always, and we'll be fine."

He nodded so readily I couldn't stay angry.

The pilot came out and nodded, then at a look from Chris he bowed. He opened the door, and as I crawled inside I saw several rows of passenger seats and smelled "new car." Soon enough, Chris was beside me showing how to work the seatbelt. The propellers overhead and to our rear whirled, and we were gently aloft.

I loved the way the ground shrank below us and pressed my face eagerly to the window to see Moonstone Territory spread out below us. I turned to Chris, expecting him to laugh at me for acting like a child peering at treats through a shop window, but he merely seemed pleased I was enjoying the ride. He motioned to his headset, and I figured out how to use the mic.

"The world looks a bit different from up here, doesn't it?" he asked over the radio.

I nodded, ignoring how all this electricity around me rankled my spine. But he was right that the view was incredible. In moments we were over the water with no horizon in sight, and I realized the two-hour trip by ferry would only be a few minutes this way.

Another thought occurred, and I smiled at Chris with an allowable edge of pride. "You don't have to worry about me for your party."

"What do you mean?"

"I brought the white robe of an Acting Luna."

He didn't smile back. "The white robe?"

"Uh, yes."

"That sounds great, but what about your dress, if you don't mind my asking?"

I shrugged. "I just thought I'd wear what I have on."

His eyes looked over my olive green pants and beige, long-sleeved sweater.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

He looked apologetic. "In the Human World, the kind of party we're going to, you'll be expected to wear a cocktail dress."

My distress must have been obvious. He leaned forward and placed the lightest of touches on my left arm. "You'll look lovely, of course, but I'm worried you might feel out of place when we get there. I'll be wearing a tuxedo."

Ah, that I understood. Human World gatherings fell into clear ranks: casual, business casual, formal, black tie, and white tie. A tuxedo meant black tie, and my casual pants weren't going to cut it no matter what robes I wore.

He burst into a smile the likes of which I hadn't seen on his face before. "That means we can go shopping." He leaned in close with a conspiratorial grin. "Olivia would be so jealous."

I smiled back. How could I not with that expression aimed my way? But I didn't really know what he meant, and I didn't care what Olivia would think.

Soon after that, the helicopter landed in the Human World, or more specifically on a helipad on top of a tall building.

From there, we rode down the elevator Chris summoned with a keycard and walked outside to a waiting a limousine, another novel experience for me. Soon we were pulling up to the largest shopping mall I had ever seen.

"The Galleria," he told me as we sat in the back seat with me craning my neck to see. "They have a great Saks to get us started, and then a perfect French haute couture shop so exclusive they don't like to give their actual name." He laughed at that.

I smiled gamely.

"Ava," he said, taking my hand so gently I could pull away without anything being awkward, which I did, after a moment. "We're going to have some fun."

I didn't, I confess, think much of Saks Fifth Avenue. We were fawned over, but there was an edge to the whole thing, especially when they were dealing with me. I felt a little insulted and had no idea why. But Chris bought two dress shirts in a style he said he liked. I saw a flash of a price tag that made me choke slightly.

The "French haute couture shop" was much more fun and had no tags on anything. The d�cor was all Art Nouveau, with little benches and statuettes everywhere. The personnel seemed familiar with wolf customs and treated me like a princess. I was complimented on my "flawless" skin and "brilliant" brown, curly hair, which was a little ridiculous, considering it would never behave. But I enjoyed the fawning, I must confess.

Instead of going through racks of clothes while a salesperson hovered, we were sat down in room with cups of excellent tea and watched models walk down a short runway. I hardly knew what to think, but after Chris just nodded and frowned at a couple outfits, I relaxed into the experience.

The fifth model walked out wearing something that took my breath away. It was this dark shade of blue that reminded me of the ocean when it reflected the moon with sparkles at the collar that made the rest of the dress seem that much more streamlined. Chris smiled at my little gasp and nodded to the style-forward woman running the show.

I was then whisked away to a salon that was part of the boutique.

An hour passed, maybe more, as my hair was styled into a sweeping cascade of curls and my nails were painted in a silver sparkle. My eyes were accented in smoky shades that made them look twice as large, and the rest of my face was turned into pure marble with makeup I could hardly feel. I was tempted to think the aestheticians were magical.

After that, I was given the dress to wear and asked to select from a range of shoes and purses that all went with the dress but varied greatly in mood. I chose the stylish but nicely wearable pumps in nude leather that sort of made me look like I was standing on tip-toe and a simple silvery clutch.

I came out to see Chris wearing a tuxedo the Goddess herself must have designed considering it fit him like it had been sewn on. His eyes widened. Then he nodded and seemed quite pleased. But then he frowned at a call on his phone and left for the front room, leaving his credit card behind.

For the first time since all this began, I was alone with the men and women swarming around me, and one of the women, young and attractive even if I found her eye makeup ridiculously heavy, came up to me, obviously excited.

"You work with Chris? I'm so jealous," she gushed, fluttering her false eyelashes as though they might work up the drag to let her fly around the store.

I smiled at her as best I could. She looked to be barely legal to drink, let alone old enough to hold an interesting opinion, but she was beautiful, with perfect if overly white teeth, clean skin, brown hair with blond highlights. I could see Ethan falling all over himself to please her.

Chris returned, phone back in his pocket and a charming smile on his face. His beauty struck me again, almost like a weapon my heart had to fortify itself against.

"Chris," the young woman beamed. "I was just talking to your assistant." Her eyes turned flirtatious. "I thought I might learn more about you."

"How clever of you, Anna," he said, stepping up smoothly to my side. His gaze took in my dress, hair, and face with open delight. "My beautiful Luna is indeed the holder of all anyone could need."