I sighed and wandered over, stepping up onto the pink velvet box wedged between the three mirrors, holding my arms out as if I were an airplane.
A tape measure wrapped my waist first, Magda making a face then that I saw too clearly in the reflection. “My, you have put on a few centimetres, haven’t you?”
I swallowed, studying my fuller figure. Now that I could see myself from three different angles, I finally saw what David meant. My butt and thighs were at least one size bigger. But it didn’t look terrible. I looked. . .
“You look so healthy,” Magda said, stepping back a bit. “You’ve got that lovely pregnancy glow, and your immortally seventeen-year-old body has finally taken on the shape of a woman.”
“You think?” I ran my hand down my hip.
“My darling little girl, this is you all grown up.” She offered the scene before me.
I took a good, long look at myself in the mirror, and in the kind tone of the way she presented me, I actually saw the beauty in my reflection. “Do you think I’ll stay like this even after I have the baby?”
“One could not be sure, sweet. Does it really matter to you?”
I shrugged. “I kinda like having curves.”
Magda laughed. “Try eating a bit more then, and those curves will stay on your hips as long as you want. Now—” She lifted my arm and laid the tape measure to my rib. “Let’s get this done.”
I twisted and turned and jerked about as she measured every inch of me, keeping my eye on the length of the shadows outside. It was getting dark, and I hadn’t had time to discuss a very important matter with Jase yet. If this took much longer, it’d be dinnertime before we knew it, and then I’d have to wait until tomorrow. But time was running out. David was meeting Arthur in the morning to get that dagger. And yeah, he promised to wait until the baby was born before he used it, but I didn’t trust him. Not one bit.
“Lift your top up there for me, lovey. Just want to get a proper measurement of that belly.”
I slowly drew my shirt up to my ribs, noticing a slight chill in the air as it touched my bare skin.
“Now don’t go sucking yer gut in, girl.” She slapped my bottom softly. “It won’t help your dress fit any better on the day.”
I let my stomach out to its natural position, and both Magda and I drew a quick breath. I hadn’t seen my belly when I was standing up like this, uncovered by baggy shirts, and it seemed to disappear if I laid flat or sat down, like it almost tucked itself in. So, seeing the almost bowl-like bulge coming from just between my hipbones was a little of a shock—for both of us.
“There it is,” she said kindly. “You mustn’t try to hide it so much, Amara.”
“I just . . . I only just found out I was pregnant. I thought I was just fat.”
“Well, you’re not. You’re perfect.”
“You think so?” I asked, running both hands down my belly.
“I prefer a time when women stayed hidden until they birthed,” David said.
Magda and I turned quickly to where he stood in the now open doorway.
“What are you doing in ‘ere?” Magda said, waving him off like a fly. “No men allowed.”
“I’m the king. I can go where I please.”
“Well, make yer business known and be off with ya, lad; I’ve a fittin’ to finish and a dress to make in just three days,” she tittered, and lifted my top again, tossing the measuring tape around my waist.
I tensed, wishing I could pull my shirt down or suck my gut in again. “Did you need something, David?”
When he didn’t answer, I dared to look at him through the reflection, but his eyes were on my belly, his lip lifted in disgust. “Pregnancy really is quite offensive. I fail to see the beauty in a heinous protrusion sticking out from one’s abdomen.”
“Your Majesty!” Magda gasped. “You’ll break the poor girl’s heart.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry, seamstress. Ara doesn’t have a heart to break. Look at her—” He angled his head toward me. “Nothing I say ever matters to her.”
Magda looked up at me, shaking her head.
“Okay, so I’m fat and disgusting.” I tried to sound pragmatic, but I just sounded kind of angry. “What else did you come here to say?”
“I need a swatch.”
“For Mr Granger?” Magda asked, jotting numbers down on her page.
“Yes,” David said.
“Well, I’ve not talked fabrics, yet, so Mr Granger will need to meet with me later to coordinate the outfits.”
“Very well.” David laid both hands behind his back and turned on his heel, leaving the door open after he left.
“Never mind him, lovey.” Magda lowered my top for me. “Men are like pet dogs; once you get pregnant, they ‘ave to play up a little to make sure they’re not left out.”
I laughed, wiping a small, cool tear from my cheek.
“Let’s have none of that. This is happy times.” She patted my hip, bending to measure my leg again. “Now, we’ve got these measurements all sorted. Time to talk fabric.”
I smiled, just wishing this was over so I could go down to the Training Hall and toy around with my powers for a while. That chat with Jason would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, all I wanted to do was bust up a few boulders—and maybe any unsuspecting vampires that happened to pass.
Chapter Thirteen
For a vampire, he wasn’t really all that alert. I half expected that, as soon as I pushed the creaky secret door open and then closed it, he’d jump up and put a blade to my throat, dropping it in shock when he realized who was in his room at this hour. But he just laid there, sleeping peacefully, breathing deeply like all his worries had been blown away in the wind. And I knew it was my recent confession of love that had eased his soul so much. A big part of me wished then, in seeing him this way, that I could forget David and just love Jason. It hurt him every time I tried to hold on to David, I knew that, but David had my heart first. I guess I just needed to be sure all hope for us was gone before I could give my heart away again. Jase understood that. He was good like that.
I wandered over and climbed up on his bed, a huge smile sweeping my lips for how cute and kind of sweet he looked when he was sleeping. “Jase,” I whispered, poking him softly in the arm. “Jase.”
He groaned and rolled over a little, snapping awake when his eyes met mine. “Ara.”