Page 22 of The Princess of Portals

Nevada reached for the black dress.

“Troy would like the black one best,” I said again. “But I think the pink one is your style.”

Nevada’s gaze shifted between the dresses. She bit her lip, considering. Finally, she grabbed the pink one. Good for her. She shouldn’t change herself for anyone, no matter how cute he was.

“How about you, Savannah? Do you see anything you like?” Nevada indicated the dresses she’d hung on the neighboring cabin door.

“Do any of them come in fireproof?” I groaned. “Just in case.”

Chuckling, Nevada handed me a dress. “Try this one.”

I held back a sigh that really wanted to come out, then stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind me. I stared at the dress for a few seconds, mentally preparing myself, then I started changing.

“Do you think it would be so bad if I went to the Ball alone?”

Nevada’s teasing response echoed off the walls of the neighboring cabin. “Is the problem that you don’t have enough boys? Or too many?”

“That’s cute, Nevada. Real cute.”

“Sorry, Sav. The Castle’s gossip mill loves to talk about your two boyfriends.”

“They aren’t my boyfriends. They are friends who just happen to be boys.”

“No one says you can’t bring a friend to the ball. In fact, no one says you can’t bring two friends.”

“Bring Kato and Conner? Oh, that would go over well with the General, bringing a Rebel to the ball. Actually, maybe that’s a good reason to do it.”

“The General isn’t in charge of the Castle anymore,” Nevada reminded me.

“Oh, I wouldn’t count him out just yet. I have a feeling that when he’s knocked down, he rises even stronger than before. And even so, Senator Gaines probably isn’t fond of Rebels either. No one in the Government is. They also wouldn’t be thrilled if I took Kato to the Ball. We wouldn’t want to risk any of my anarchy rubbing off on him, now would we?”

“So where does that leave you?”

“Going to the Ball alone, I guess. Unless I go with Dante. Surely, no one can complain if I go with my own brother.”

Nevada laughed quietly. “No one but a dozen disappointed girls.”

“Yeah, there is that.”

“Dante is very popular with the ladies. I saw three girls ask him out during breakfast. And many more looked like they wanted to.”

Of course they did. Dante was good at everything he did. At some point, ‘everything’ seemed to have expanded to include getting a date.

“Well, then I guess we’re back to plan A: going without a date. Or maybe not going at all. Do you think anyone will notice?”

I stepped out of the dressing room. Nevada looked me up and down, smirking.

“Oh, I think a lot of people will notice, Savannah.”

I looked down. The dress had much higher side slits than I preferred. Those slits showed a lot of leg when I moved.

I tried to duck back into the changing room, but Nevada grabbed my hand, spinning me around. The skirt twirled up, and I had to admit, it was very pretty. But it still made me feel too exposed. I would have preferred armor.

I needed armor.

For some reason, the thought thrust itself into my mind and stuck there. Instinct, I guess. The same instinct that compelled me to throw myself over Nevada, tackling her to the floor. And just in time. Something crashed through the shop’s front window. No, make that someone.

I peeled my gaze off the floor and there he was: a big, hulking figure covered head to toe in a shining suit of techno armor.