Page 60 of Entranced By the Basilisks

I’d mentioned as much during breakfast and Ari only nodded, considering. Now he’s attached a framed mirror to the wall in the training room and I have no idea what his plan is.

“I admit that I had multiple reasons for taking our training slow,” Ari muses as he straightens the mirror. “I didn’t want you to become too frustrated, but I also wanted you to be more comfortable with me before I pushed you too hard.”

“And now you’re going to push?” I ask.

“Just a little bit. Tell me the truth, Emilia. Have you seen yourself in the mirror since this happened?”

“I—”

“Without the glamour?”

My mouth snaps shut.

“I thought not. Come, my ember. You’ve spent days trying to alter your appearance and shift, but you’ve kept yourself ignorant of your current state.” He holds out a hand and I hesitate.

The glamour necklace is in my pocket like it always is during training and I’m tempted to slip it on and pretend that I don’t have snakes sprouting from my head like the revamp of a myth. I don’t though, Ari says it’s important to our training not to have a glamour distracting me.

It’s easier to go through training and be around Ari with the snakes exposed if I can pretend they aren’t there.

“They won’t turn me to stone?” I ask and immediately feel silly.

Ari’s lips twitch. “You’ve sheathed your gaze, but no, your own gaze won’t turn you to stone.”

I take a deep breath and place my hand in his. The caress of our palms causes a spark of excitement. I may have given him and Jasper permission to woo me, but we’ve all been taking things slow. Cuddles on the couch, touching while training.

My brain and heart are grateful for the slow pace… but my body is ready to stage a revolt.

I haven’t inspired Jasper to climb in my bed with my nightmares again and it’s a little embarrassing how disappointed I am. It had been nice to wake in his arms.

Ari pulls me to the mirror and at the last moment I squeeze my eyes shut. It should be impossible to feel the man beside me smile, but I do. He steps close to me and the brush of his clothes against mine distracts me from facing the inevitable.

“Emilia, do not fear. You’re a fierce and powerful woman, with or without the symbol of the Goddess bestowed on you.” Ari steps behind me and wraps an arm around my waist, his hand spreading over my stomach, bringing my back to his front. “Behold your beauty.”

“But if I see it, then it’s real.” My words are too close to whining for my comfort.

“Oh, sweet ember, when you became Chosen, your life changed. It will always be real, but it is your decision whether you embrace it. You have the control here.”

His words are harsh but sweet, like the sour candies I’d been obsessed with in sixth grade.

“Be brave for me,” he says like he can pull my own affirmations from me with a draw of his deep voice.

I open my eyes and hardly recognize the woman staring back at me. Days ago, my face had been tired and tearstained, and I hadn’t wanted to analyze my appearance since. I’ve quickly done my makeup each day without letting myself really look, scared that I’d see the same terrified and panicked woman I’d seen then.

She’s gone. Her struggles had been mine, but I’ve adjusted since then, adapted to this new phase in my life, and it shows. I’d chosen a deep-red lipstick today and it goes beautifully with my complexion. My skin glows with nights of good conversation and sleep not interrupted by nightmares, for the most part.

The only detraction to it all is the writhing snakes on my head.

Each snake is different, one is blue, another is a sleek black. Green, yellow, red, the colors almost blur together in my mind. Some have patterns and others have textures.

“What are they?” I ask, hardly knowing what information I’m looking for.

“Most of them are vipers. All of them are venomous.” Ari’s hand frames the blue serpent. “This one is a white-lipped island pit viper.”

He points at the smooth black one. “This is an asp.”

“Like Cleopatra’s asp?”

He smiles playfully. “The very same.”

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