Page 40 of Monster's Mistake

I reach around to the back of my head and coax out the small snake who likes to live there. Her head is browner than Frank’s, and only about a third of the size. “This is Camille,” I say. “She’s the quietest of my snakes.”

“Hi,” Anja says, waving at the snake.

“What are the others called?” Meic asks.

“Mary, Philip, and Joyce,” I respond.

“And you named them when you were a kid?” Anja asks.

“Oh, no. Gorgons don’t get their snakes until puberty,” I respond. “I named them when I was twelve after the characters from my favourite mystery series.”

“What was your hair like before?” she asks.

“I can show you if Cethin will help?”

The dark warlock gives me an inquisitive look. “How?”

“Can you cast an illusion spell over me? I’d normally take a potion if I were going into the human world.”

He nods and holds out his hand until a puff of purple smoke fills the air. He pushes it towards me.

My skin tickles as it hits, though I know it isn’t doing much to most of me. The only part of my body that ever needs an illusion is my head.

“That’s so cool,” Anja says. “The green is so vibrant.”

I lift my hand up as if to touch my hair before remembering that it isn’t actually there. “That’s what it used to look like. Mum used to get so many letters home from school annoyed that it was dyed when it was always naturally this colour.” My skin stops tingling and I assume the spell has worn off.

“I like you with snakes,” Meic says firmly. “Even if they bite me.”

I laugh at the way he finished his thought, even while the first part makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I’ve had ten years to get used to having snakes for hair and I’m confident about them now, but that wasn’t always the case. Hearing my fated mate say he likes them just reassures me.

Though I suppose it makes sense. I like his horns just as much.

“So do the snakes just grow out of your head?” Anja asks. I can tell from her face that she’s curious about this and probably has been ever since we met. But I wasn’t exactly forthcoming in the beginning. I’m still not convinced by whether I should be now, but considering how much Anja and Cethin helped me last week, it’s fair I tell them some truths about gorgons.

“They work kind of like antlers,” I respond. “I always had spots on my head where they’d grow out of when the time was right.”

“That’s like my horns,” Meic says. “I just had tiny stubs until I was fourteen.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” I respond. “When my snakes started growing, my hair fell out. A bit like teeth, I guess.”

“Do they just keep growing?” Anja asks.

“No, this is as long as they get.” Which is definitely a good thing. Snakes down to my waist sounds like a nightmare. “The length varies a bit by gorgon, but most of the time, the snakes get to about shoulder length.”

“Makes you wonder how close they were when Meic got bit,” Cethin jokes.

Anja taps him on the arm. “Too soon.”

I manage a weak smile. “It’s fine. Everything is good now.” I look at Meic, hoping he feels that way too.

He flashes me a smile that seems like it’s just for me and reassures me more than he can possibly know.

The conversation moves on and I lean back in my seat, glad that everything is as comfortable as this. And looking forward to when I get to spend alone time with Meic again, away from our friends.

CHAPTER 15

Meic

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