by Lora Edwards
“Hello? It’s Teagan Faelyn, I’m here for my fitting,” she called out.
“Dear, have a seat. Enjoy some biscuits on that table over there, and some tea if you like. I am just finishing up back here,” came a muffled voice from the back of the room where a door was slightly ajar.
Teagan sat at the nearby table and poured herself a cup of tea from the steaming pot on the table. One of the things she loved the most about being there was that everyone could make a good cup of tea. Perusing the sweets as well, she selected a shortbread cookie, content to sip her tea and eat her cookie while she waited for the person attached to the voice to come out.
After a few minutes, a short plump woman with rosy cheeks and a kind smile bustled out of the back room, her arms full of fabric and her teeth full of straight pins. “I am Mrs. Marie Bloom,” she said around the pins in her mouth. “My team and I make all the costumes for the adventures you people find yourselves in. Now, finish up with that and try this first dress on. You can change behind the screen over there.”
Finished with her snack and taking the dress and underthings from Mrs. Bloom, Teagan did as she was told and went about the process of dressing herself as a proper 18th-century lady.
Teagan tried on dresses and underclothes, dressing gowns, and even one set of men’s clothing. When questioned, Mrs. Bloom laughed and said, “For when you go undercover.”
Teagan tried to wrap her head around that, but instead she enjoyed the feeling of being costumed in the clothing from her favorite era. There were beautiful silks, soft muslin, pastel pink morning gowns, and a bright blue walking dress. She was even given a dark green velvet riding habit.
“Here, my dear, is the last piece—a ball gown. You will attend at least one, if not more while you are there, so we will be sending several with you. Let us try this last one on.”
Teagan took the dress and moved behind the screen again, removing the riding outfit and donning the ball gown. Moving back out to the center, and carefully stepping up onto the platform, she looked into the large mirror that was spread across the opposite wall. The other dresses had been pretty, but Teagan gasped when she looked at herself in that one.
The dress was a rich green velvet overlay with silver thread embroidered in a pattern that reminded Teagan of the delicate lace of frost on her windows on a cold morning. The design moved down the modest V-neck and across the shoulders, down the back where the gown pooled in a small train. The front opened to a cream-colored underskirt that shimmered like a pearl. It was elegant, understated, and possibly the most beautiful dress Teagan had ever worn.
Teagan tore her eyes away from the mirror and turned to thank Mrs. Bloom, but when she turned, she saw Bran standing there, staring at her with a smolder in his eyes.
They stood there for a few minutes, just looking at each other intently, the tension in the room ratcheting higher and higher until Mrs. Bloom bustled back in, oblivious to the moment. “Now, here Bran, your wardrobe is ready. We just added a few things to your existing pieces for that period. If they do not fit, just bring them back for adjustments.” Turning to Teagan, she smiled. “Oh Teagan, that dress is perfection on you! I do not believe any alteration will be necessary—it fits you like a glove!”
Tearing her eyes away from Bran, Teagan looked in the mirror at her reflection. “It is beautiful, and I cannot wait to wear it. Thank you so much Mrs. Bloom, for designing such a creation for me.” Stepping down from the platform and ignoring Bran, she swept by him, taking refuge behind the screen. She quickly dressed in her modern clothing, carefully draping the dress over her arm.
“Is there anything else you need from me Mrs. Bloom,” she asked as she handed the dress back to the seamstress, running her hand over the soft velvet one last time.
“No dear, your wardrobe will be sent through ahead of you so everything will be in order when you arrive in the 1880s.”
Thanking her once again and still ignoring Bran, Teagan turned to leave.
“Princess, meet me in the practice room in 30 minutes. It will be our last session before we travel,” Bran said, his voice a bit hoarse.
Nodding, she shut the door a bit more forcefully than necessary. Walking swiftly through the halls, her mind wandered back to Bran and his string of women. She did not need to get involved with that man, no matter how much she was attracted to him. Heartbreak lay that way, and it would be awkward to continue to work with him once he’d had his fill and tossed her away. Besides, from the looks of things, slim bookish redheads were not his type. He was more into sultry, well-built women.
Wrenching open the door to her apartment, Teagan went straight back to her bedroom to don her workout clothes. She could handle this attraction to him. She was smart, capable, and responsible, and she knew things could not go anywhere so there was no reason to continue to dwell on it.
Grabbing an apple off the table, she swung out again and made her way to the practice room for her final lesson with Bran. She could handle one cocky dragon, she was sure of it.
An hour later, Teagan lay on the practice mat, wiping sweat out of her eyes. Handling him may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she was proud to say she’d held her own. Bran lay next to her, panting hard, sweat staining his t-shirt. She may not have overtaken him, but she had given him quite the fight.
“Okay Princess, I think you will be just fine if some ruffian decides to give you a hard time,” Bran said, between pants.
Teagan smirked in his direction; the big, bad dragon had thought he was going to own this session, but he had been wrong. Teagan had taken all her mixed-up feelings about her family, the changes in her life, and the attraction she felt for Bran and channeled all that energy into the practice session.
“If I can show a dragon, some Victorian ruffian from Whitechapel shouldn’t be hard, though I will be encumbered by the clothing of the day.”
“They didn’t show you the tricks in the dresses in wardrobe?” Bran lifted his eyebrows and rolled on his side.
Teagan sighed to herself as she watched his abs bunch under his tight t-shirt. He was staring at her, and she brought herself back to the conversation. “What tricks?”
“The dresses, they have pull strings. You pull and the skirts come off, leaving you in just the bodice and the pantaloons, so you can fight.”
“Hmmm, Mrs. Bloom didn’t mention that.” Must have been because she left when Bran came in during her fitting, but she was not about to tell him she had left because of him and not because the fitting was over. Teagan would make it a point to stop in to wardrobe to apologize to Mrs. Bloom and to learn the tricks of the garments.
“That is good information to have, thanks. I will stop in and have a chat with wardrobe to make sure I have all the ins and outs. Now I need to hurry up to the library, my grandpa runs a tight ship and will not appreciate my being late.”
Bran rolled to his feet, making the move look effortless, to her chagrin. He recovered much faster than she had, but from the sounds of it, he’d had much more practice with intense fighting.
Teagan looked up to see Bran extending his hand to help her up. She put her hand in his and instantly recognized her mistake. A tingle traveled from his large hand straight up her arm, the attraction that always simmered behind the scenes, flaring to life. Teagan watched as his eyes turned darker with desire and his gaze moved to her lips. She stood frozen, unable to move, to break the moment as he slowly brought his mouth down on hers.
Sensation flooded her body as his firm lips covered hers, and she felt a shock go through her. With a mind of their own, her arms went up around his broad shoulders and her hands buried themselves in his thick hair as the kiss turned from gentle to carnal.
Teagan felt as if she was burning from the inside out as Bran’s mouth slanted over hers again and again, as if he could not get enough of her taste.
As abruptly as the kiss started, Bran ended it, giving Teagan an accusing glare before he turned and stalked out of the room, leaving her there,
hand to her still tingling lips.
Shaking her head to regain her wits, Teagan quickly gathered her things and left the practice room. She needed to be on point today—she would travel to 1888 with her grandpa, and she needed to be clearheaded for the jump. She texted him to let him know she was going to swing by wardrobe to pick up her dress then quickly walked in that direction.
Mrs. Bloom was pinning a confection of sea foam silk to a mannequin and humming to herself when Teagan rushed in.
“Mrs. Bloom, I am so sorry I ran out on you earlier today. I thought our session was finished.”
“It is quite all right dear, Bran has that effect on many of the young girls here.” She smiled wickedly at Teagan. “He is a hottie, that one. If I were a few decades younger, I would give you a run for your money.”
Teagan stood, open-mouthed as the plump older women bustled around the room, gathering the bits and pieces of the wardrobe Teagan would need for the jump with her grandfather.
“Now, as you rushed off earlier, I did not have a chance to show you the simple trick we put into each of these gowns. See this piece of ribbon here?” Mrs. Bloom showed Teagan a small ribbon at the waist of the gown and Teagan nodded. “Give it a good tug and the skirt will fall away, leaving you in an improper state of dress for the time to be sure, but giving you more room to maneuver. It may even buy you time as it may shock your attacker.”
Teagan nodded again.
“Here are your things dear, you better go—Hugh does not like to be kept waiting,” Mrs. Bloom said as she ushered her to the door.
“Mrs. Bloom, just so you know, there is nothing going on between Bran and me. We are just partners on this mission.”
Mrs. Bloom smiled at her. “Yes Dear, if that is what you need to believe. Now hurry along, I won’t have your grandpa blaming me for your tardiness.” She gave Teagan one more slight push out the door.
Teagan frowned as the door shut behind her and made her way to the library, muttering to herself along the way. She did not have a thing with that jerk. He was attractive, and he was funny when he wasn’t being arrogant, and he had been kind to worry about her ability to take care of herself…but despite all that, he had proven his true colors when he had walked out that afternoon without a word. She was sure he was angry with himself for slipping up and kissing the nerd girl. He was probably worried she would fall at his feet and pine for his affection.
He would be so very wrong. She would show him that they were only partners on this mission. The kiss had been a mistake, the result of all that adrenaline in the air from the fight…and maybe some from his superior abs. It was just lust, and she didn’t have time for lust.
Still grumbling, she pushed open the doors to the library. There stood her grandpa, dressed in clothing befitting an upper-class man of the 1800s.
“Where have you been, Girl? Get dressed, we have some traveling to do.”
Teagan nodded and rushed through library back to her grandpa’s quarters. Dressing as quickly as possible in the many layers of Victorian dress, she sent out a thanks to Mrs. Bloom that the corset had hooks. When she was ready, she rushed out to the library, her heart pounding. She was about to see 1800s London, a place she had studied and dreamed about for years.
“Okay my girl, are you ready for our grand adventure,” Hugh asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yes,” Teagan said breathlessly, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Taking his hand, she followed his instructions, forming in her mind the photographs she had seen of London in 1888. The next sound she heard was the clop of a horse’s hooves and the sound of wagon wheels on cobblestones, and the smell—good God the smell!
“You did it Girl, we are here.”
Opening her eyes, Teagan took in the sights, completely in awe.
The hustle and bustle, the noise of London put a smile on her face; no matter the time period this city was vibrant and alive. The noise of cars honking was replaced by the sound of carriage wheels and the shouts of people greeting each other.
Hugh took her arm and they walked down the strand a bit; Teagan stumbling as she got used to walking in the long skirt. Eyes wide, she could not believe she was actually here, that she was actually witnessing the playground of the infamous Jack the Ripper—well, not the actual playground as they currently strolled past similarly well-dressed gentlemen and ladies, but at least the same time period.
“Well Girl, what do you think,” Hugh asked, a smile in his voice as he looked at her taking it all in.
“I must look like a country bumpkin come to the city for my coming out the way I am gawking at everything. It is so different, yet so much the same.”
Hugh just nodded. They spent a pleasant afternoon taking the air, as it was called then, strolling around the park, and watching others do the same—young ladies with chaperones, young men on the prowl. It was fascinating to see history come to life. Returning to the institute, though, Teagan was grateful to once again be clad in a t-shirt and jeans.
“Thank you for a lovely afternoon, Grandpa. It was amazing to be able to see some of the sights I have been studying. I cannot wait for the mission tomorrow, to be able to explore the hunting grounds of Jack the Ripper.”
“Let’s meet for tea before you go. I would like to see your face one last time before you embark on your great adventure,” Hugh said as Teagan walked away, a worried frown marring his brow.
When she was out of earshot, he said to himself, “That girl is too full of herself and is bound to get into trouble. It is a good thing the others will be there to watch over her.”
Oblivious of her grandpa’s worries, Teagan walked up to her apartment to eat and change for one last drink before the mission. Ovidia said it would be their new tradition, as if Teagan remaining at the institute was a foregone conclusion.
Even with all the excitement of traveling to different lands and times, with only a thought, Teagan was not sure if this was the life she wanted.
She missed her apartment, her students, and her studies back at Duke, and she was not sure she was ready to hunt supernaturals full time. In fact, Mr. Draconus had not talked of her continuing after this mission; Teagan was not sure it was not a one-time offer.
“Well my dear, right on time. I have a stick-to-your-ribs supper all prepared for you, and a little something special for dessert. A little bird told me you have been missing some of the comforts of home.”
Teagan walked into the kitchen to a heavenly smell.
A large loaded pizza sat steaming on the counter, next to a huge slice of key lime pie. “You didn’t!” Teagan squealed, diving for the plate and scooping up a slice dripping in cheese. Taking a bite, she groaned. “Fiona, this tastes just like the pizza at this local place around the corner from my apartment. It is amazing, thank you so much.”
“It should—your grandpa was worried that you were missing your home, so I called and, using a little magic, finagled the recipe from the owner; it will be our little secret. Now, I must be off. I will be back in the morning to see that you get a proper breakfast before embarking on your journey.” Fiona gave Teagan’s arm a little squeeze on the way out as she smiled over her slice.
Leaning against the counter, Teagan finished the slice and grabbed another. She had not said anything; how did her grandpa know she had been missing this? It didn’t matter. She quickly devoured the slice, then one more, and looked longingly toward the pie. There is no way I can eat that right now, but maybe after drinks…
Quickly changing into skinny jeans, buff ankle boots, and a flowing ivory top, Teagan walked over and knocked on Ovidia’s door, yelling,” Vid you look fine, come on!”
A minute later it swung open to reveal Ovidia looking stunning in tight jeans tucked into knee-high boots and a long, snug, royal blue silk tee. “Keep your pants on, I’m ready. By the way, I love that top.”
“You should—you bought it. It was part of the gift from the closet fairy.”
“That explains why I l
ike it so much, I do have great taste.”
Teagan snorted and Ovidia giggled.
The two friends swapped stories about their day as they made their way to a bistro near the institute, found a table, and ordered their drinks.
“You ready for tomorrow?” Ovidia asked, taking a sip of her Pimm’s and Coke.
“As ready as I will ever be. I went with Grandpa today on a short jaunt, got some of the gawking out of the way. Was it that way the first time you went?”
“I am not into history like you are, and the first time I went was to Ireland in the time of King Arthur. I was too busy fighting to really look at the scenery, but that is a story for another time.” Ovidia took a long drink and blinked away the haunted look in her eyes.
Teagan wondered what had happened to her friend on that first mission, but she knew better than to press and changed the subject. “So, you are to be my companion—does that mean I get to boss you around?” Teagan raised one eyebrow in Ovidia’s direction. She knew this topic would erase the sadness from Ovidia’s eyes. As predicted, fire sparked in her gaze.
“No there will not be any bossing around. I am there to make sure you are safe and help you catch a killer—making sure your virtue is safe is just a cover, and not one I am likely to need to make a reality.”
Teagan blushed at this last part, causing the ever-observant Ovidia to lean forward in her chair and ask, “What happened? Did you and Bran…?”
“No! Nothing happened…well, maybe a little kiss.”
“A little kiss does not have you blushing like that Teag—what happened?”
“Okay fine, it was more than a little kiss. It felt like I was caught in an inferno it was so hot. My lips were still tingling for a while afterward, but there will not be a repeat performance. He just walked away, no explanation, nothing, just glared at me and left, so I do not think my virtue is going to be in any danger on this mission.”