Page 39 of How to Seduce a Slender

Havershum floated through the floor, his ghastly head trapped in the pots and pans chandelier. “None yet, my lord, but I’m hot on its trail! I suspect we’ll have a better trap set when Ms. Deathless goes to bed.”

“Well, then, in the meantime, as you two are heading into town. On a personal note...I need some supplies if we’re going to hunt down a haunted book, and Dahlia needs some things as well. And as Gods are not allowed inside the city, this is opportune for everyone.” Sebastian jabbed a finger to the sky, summoning a long piece of parchment and a quill. “I shall make a list.”

“I love a good list,” Agatha sighed dreamily.

Melody turned to look at Smith in question, he shook his head. “I’ll explain later, it seems we’ll have plenty of time to discuss that particular lore in the city.”

She had no idea what that meant...but as she finished devouring Dahlia’s delicious food, she figured she was in danger of finding out. Shortly after she took her last bite, Agatha whisked her upstairs to change.

Chapter Fourteen

Smith

“Andsonow,Dahliais The Hungry One.” Smith finished explaining as he came to a slow stop, realizing Melody had frozen in place. He retracted himself back to her side. Melody’s lips were slightly ajar, but also moving like she was trying to form words. Yet her eyes were narrowed on the sidewalk in complete and utter bafflement.

“Wait, so she’s like a god now?”

“Basically, yes. And Gods aren’t allowed within King’s Fall by default. They reject across the board to keep the sanctity of the city intact. Many cities have burned over less.” He inspected her face as the cogs within her head turned.

“And...and she read me a bedtime story,” Melody whispered in shock.

“Well, just because she ascended doesn’t mean she’s changed. The only thing different about her is now she often casts spells, and I’ve caught her, on occasion, staring into the distance when she’s searching her library for something. Other than that, my Lady Rosemont has stayed utterly true to herself. I think it helps that she’s grounded by Sebastian. They keep each other in check.” Smith nodded, motioning for her to lead the way into the art shop.

Melody shook her head, looking winded. “And to think she makes me hashbrowns in the morning.”

“What do you expect Gods to look like and act like?” Smith teased, holding the wide, frosted glass doors open for her.

“I don’t know, maybe weird configuration of rings with a thousand eyes and golden wings? Or just some...big, buff, red dude with horns?” She shrugged, stepping off the concrete and onto the rainbow marble floor.

The artist emporium was a two-story building with wildly inappropriate, uneven, spiral staircases and floors that floated on bouncing clouds of purple magic. A white brick building in a sea of metal and crystal, with pink shudders, rainbow marble flooring, and frosted windows. There was a new mural painted onto the back side of the building every week. They commissioned new artists to rotate out new designs. Inside the building was a daydream, he could see it written on Melody’s face. Her cute fangs bit into her lower lip as she bounced on her toes.

“Oh! I never get to come in here! I never have the coin to buy new stuff.” She whirled around, gasping in awe as a whole display of palettes for paint. “Ooooh! What do you think? Do I look like an ar-teeest with this?”

She whirled, pinching a paint brush between her upper lip and nose like a mustache while holding up an oversized palette in one hand. She took a broad, wall painting brush and swiped across the empty palette. Smith clenched a fist in front of his face, nearly shoving it in his mouth to keep him from barking out a laugh...or confessing his undying love for her, as she proudly proclaimed herself an artist. Then, of course, the paintbrush fell from her lips and Melody scrambled to pick it up. Which only made her knock over a small cup of other brushes. Smith’s sides ached as he lurched to help her without laughing.It didn’t work, he was chuckling the whole time as she hissed ‘fuck, shit, wait, no, fuck’over and over under her breath.

As he stood, wheeling his artist away from the display, he directed her toward more appropriate tools. “How about these?”

“Ooooh! Canvases!” She flounced across the floor in that cute, bell sleeved dress...with fucking roses on it.

Smith was going to stab Agatha. Like he didn’t notice the second Melody came down the steps the smug, shit eating grin on Agatha’s face.Did she whip that dress up last night?!He’d never seen it hanging in any of the wardrobes and he helped in the great ghoul hunt three years ago! For everything he did for that banshee, and this was the thanks he got? The beautiful, vivacious, delicious Melody Deathless in a flowy red dress with hazy black rose details along the fabric? She even had it part on her right knee, the way it fluttered as she walked without a moment of hinderance. Melody spun for him, asking him what he thought while Agatha just grinned at him.

She was going to make him rue the day he told her about Melody.And they saidhewas nosey! Agatha was a mischievous little shit stirrer who wanted Smith to combust in public.

He couldn’t stop watching the way her hips swung or how pretty her skin prickled in the cool breeze. Winter wind still cut through King’s Fall, even though they’d left the snow out in the woods. A hundred wizards maintained the perfect weather of King’s Fall, but they couldn’t make it warm all the time.

Melody held up a pack of canvas’ above her head, making the dress rise and his blood pressure sky rocket.I’m going to murder that banshee...I’m going to murder her and suck the ectoplasm from her translucent bones...and...and...

But for all the ire he felt about Agatha’s instigation, he couldn’t help but thank her because when Melody wore a dress...sheworethat dress. Her breasts pressed against the heart shaped top of the design, her hips and strong legs gave the dress body. What he would give to have her run from him in that dress. The way it would flutter behind her, the sleeves flapping as she pumped her arms...the feel of it when he...

“Smith! What color should I paint Moonpie’s petals?”

“Oh!” He choked on his own salacious tongue before the inside thoughts could become outside actions. “Well, I think it would be nice to paint Moonpie their wedding colors. Here.”

Stop. Imagining. Things!Smith was trying to be a good friend, a support system, someone she could come to—what would she do if she knew that he imagined what it would be like to shove her face into the dirt of the Endless Woods and hold her there while he showed off all the appendages of him that were long...andslender.

“This is Agatha’s fault,” he muttered under his breath, jogging after an enthusiastic Melody. If she dressed Melody in regular dresses or clothes like Dahlia, he wouldn’t be—oh who was he kidding. It didn’t matter. He was a hungry beast, and she was the only meal he wanted to eat.

“What?” Melody panted, cheeks flushed, eyes bright, as she stopped at a stand of sealants.

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