Page 63 of Of Mercury and Mist

“Ouch,” I complained, holding Lily’s hand in a death grip while she muttered encouraging words and noises. “What the hell,” I whispered.

“It's okay, it's worth it. You’ll be super smooth just the way God intended. Think of it as the luxury it is.”

Glaring at my friend, I retorted, “Are you even human? This is torture.”

Lily glanced up, her mouth sliding to the right. “Honestly? I don’t know anymore. I’ve drank so much blood; I might not be.”

My face hit the pillow, and I groaned. “Of course you’re not. How could you be?”

“Hey, I’m a person too. Don’t be species-ist or prejudiced.”

I had to laugh. “I’m sorry but beauty is painful. Why doesn’t the numbing cream work?”

“It does,” the technician offered. “You’re just sensitive because it's your first time.”

“Makes sense.”

My friend rubbed a soothing hand down my back. “You’ll feel like a million bucks after. And you’ll have more than that in your bank account. I’m so excited for you. I hope your patron is lovely and handsome. Matthew only allows quality candidates. I can’t wait to meet yours; I bet he’ll be stunning.”

“He better be.”

The technician started massaging a cooling lotion into my skin. “This will soothe your skin, give it a glow, and prevent bumps and ingrowns,” she announced, as I sighed over the relief.

Next, it was time for my hair to be tamed. After a heavenly scalp massage, my hair was trimmed, deep conditioned, a smoothing treatment rubbed in, and high-end products applied. The final result was magazine worthy, and I marveled at the shine and definition. My hair had never looked as healthy as it did that very minute.

My thoughts went back to when Micha gently combed his fingers through my hair, sculpting each and every single curl while I leaned against him on his bathroom counter. That was after he’d somehow locked me in the shower stall. At this point, I knew he had to have used some kind of magic to force the door shut. He hadn’t wanted me to escape. He’d known I would’ve run away first chance I got.

Or at least tried. It was doubtful I would’ve gotten very far.

Lily’s face loomed in front of mine. “What’s wrong? You don’t like your hair? You look sad.”

“It's not that. I love the hair, its perfect.”

“Then what’s wrong?” She watched me intently as I stood up, the technician guiding us to a massage table.

Once I was situated, two young men came in and began working the knots out of my back, one on each side of the table.

“There was someone before... I’m not at liberty to say. We didn’t even have a relationship, not really. He was awful to me but also, I don’t know. I can’t explain it but there was definitely something there and I miss him.”

She nodded and frowned. “You love him, don’t you?”

“No,” I insisted, “there’s no way. I was just used to having him around. There was chemistry for sure, between us. We don’t even like each other.” Guilt welled up inside as the words left my mouth. I really felt like I was doing something wrong, agreeing to a sponsor.

“Oh my God, you’re in denial. Why did you agree to be sponsored if your heart is elsewhere?”

One of the young men loosened a particularly tight knot that had me letting out an embarrassing moan before I could reply. “You don’t understand. I’m not allowed to talk about it but essentially, we’re dead to each other.”

“That’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard. He’s not human, is he?” She lifted one of my curls and released it after sliding her finger along the length.

“No,” I said, carefully. “He’s not.”

Was it sad I was potentially in love with a monster? Yes. I suspected everything would be a lot different right now if only I’d been able to explain myself. Granted, he’d been a dick before that, but I didn’t know what battles he’d been fighting. We’d never had the chance to really talk to each other about anything in depth. Why would we when he was my boss? The closest we’d come was the day I told him stories about my youth.

“Things have a way of working out. If it was meant to be, it would’ve happened. This is a new chance for you; the man could be everything you ever dreamed of and the two of you fall in love. I’ve seen it happen before.”

I dozed off in a perfect state of relaxation and when I woke up, the woman who’d been guiding me through the process held up a bathrobe, Lily right by her side.

“I feel fantastic,” I stated, rolling my shoulders. “I can’t remember the last time I felt so limber.”

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