HEIDI
I should have worn foundation.
Now I'm staring at myself in one of Everbound's bathroom mirrors, and all I can see is my birthmark. Splotchy and pink and right there on my face for everyone to gawk at.
Asher, Ian, and Zak tried not to show it, but they weren't exactly happy when I told them I wanted to come to the Seeking being held at Everbound today. When I promised that I'm not coming here to look for matches and claimed I'm just trying to show everyone I'm not afraid of society despite everything being said about me online, I know they didn't buy it.
Kaenon wasn't bothered by us coming here, since he's lucky enough to already know we're mates thanks to his shifter sense of smell. But he had pleaded for me to attend this without hiding my face.
The rest of them had joined in, teaming up with their ridiculous hotness and pleading faces and sweet words like, "Please don't cover it up, Shorty,"and, "Ineedto see your face," and,"Keep the makeup off, but can I eat you out again before we go?"
That last one was Zak. I've decided that half-demon really, really loves to eat…me.
Which I am A-okay with, because that tongue piercing is one of my new best friends.
"This dress was theperfectchoice from the back of your closet," Jessica declares beside me, pretending to sit on the bathroom counter. "Sunflower yellow to match your House, but springy and cute. Look at you, all sexied up with your hair curled. If youdohave any matches here, they're going to be popping boners when they see you on the stage."
I groan, reaching up to touch my birthmark. "I don't want to be here long enough for the Seeking to actually start. I just want to help Crypt and Nivarrah find Veld, and then get out of here and go home with my guys."
Her eyes widen. "Yourguys? We certainly have come a long way from denial, haven't we?"
"A long, long way. I'm falling in love with them," I confess, helpless against all the feelings.
"Thank gods! Bone them, bone them, bone—" She pauses, gasping at me. "I can help."
"Help…bone them? Jess, I love you, but you're a ghost, and they're mine."
"Bitch, no—and don't forget, I've got my own sexy priest to corrupt," she adds before giving me a serious look. "Let me help look for Veld. I know Crypt did some kind of incubus dream-weaving stuff to get a bunch of people talking about you showing up here to spread the word and draw Veld in—but hello," she motions to her slightly translucent body. "For once, being a ghost might be useful. I can be a scout for you, and Athanis can help."
I raise my eyebrows. "Hang on. You're offering to float through a bunch of gothic castle walls and halls to look for a terrifying incubus stalking this area instead of listening to all thegossip that will happen at the big mingle before the Seeking? I thought for sure you would be dying to check out all the legacies here."
"I've got time for both. I'm selfless like that," she adds, tossing her blue ghost hair.
The door of this otherwise-empty public women's bathroom opens, startling me for a second. A woman with short, spiky, fiery orange-and-red hair and a nose piercing strides in, stopping at one of the sinks to wash her hands as she pops gum in her mouth. She's wearing a dark green, asymmetrical dress, which tells me she's in the House of Arcana.
When she notices me standing here staring at her like a dummy, her brows go up, and she turns to face me.
"Holy shit. You're the girl on the news. I heard you might be here. So it's true, huh—you're Commander Frost's little sis? Everett," she amends before I can say anything, rolling her eyes at herself. "Force of habit from the Upheaval. I worked with him a bit during that time when I was with the Reformists, but now I'm a rep at the RLHNA, and I need to lose the lingo. It's Heidi, right? I'm Harlow."
She extends a hand, popping her gum again.
"Everything about this girl screams baddie," Jessica whispers. "Look at that makeup. The points of her eyeliner could kill a man. And thehair?Godsdamn it, I should have dyed my hair like that before the Upheaval so I could die looking that good."
I look at Harlow's hand, feeling like an even bigger dummy because there's no way I'm about to shake it and make her feel all my nervousness and anxiety.
"I'm a bit of a germaphobe," I lie, laughing awkwardly and fidgeting with my dress.
Harlow barks a laugh. "Yep, you really are his sister." Her attention moves briefly to my birthmark, and for one terrifyingsecond, I'm sure she's going to say something about it. Instead, she gives me a serious look. "Hey, I know there's a lot of shit about you going around, but only an idiot would believe the things that chauvinist, Marwood, has been claiming about you. Especially since he tried to send people to attack you—that's fucking messed up. If anyone gives you trouble about anything, find me, and I'll take care of them. All right?"
"I want to marry her," Jessica announces. "Don't tell Athanis."
Unexpected emotion almost makes my eyes water. I was so ready for everyone I saw here today to stare at me and whisper, butgods, she's so nice. This is just what I needed to brace myself for facing a big crowd.
"Thanks," I smile. "Also, if you're here for matches, I hope you find them."
She grins. "Me too. I just got out of a long relationship, and I'm finally ready for a quintet. Anyway, see you out there."
Harlow leaves the bathroom. Taking a deep breath to brace myself and touching the charm on my wrist to remind myself that no strangers' emotions here are my responsibility, I leave the bathroom to join the other legacies mingling in Everbound Castle's ballroom.
