“For some reason, I don’t think these tricks are going to be very fun.” Rose eyed the bag warily.
Vreene laughed. “Think of me as your own personal spa female. I promise to make this painless. Really, the only thing that might hurt is shaving, and I amnotdoing that part. That’s all you.”
“Agreed,” Rose said, quickly.
“Excellent.” Vreene nodded. “Now, you go shower and shave, and when you’re done, I’ll take care of the hair and makeup. Have you noticed any scales on you yet?”
Rose froze halfway to the bathroom door. “Scales on me?”
“You are mated to a snake, QR. That means your beast is going to be what his beast is.”
Rose wanted to face-palm herself. Of course, she knew that. She’d lived with supernatural beings for half a decade. She’d seen some of the human females become mates to KOS males. How many times had it been explained to them why they were taken, the wholeanimusthing, and what would happen if they chose to take a mate? She’d even thought about it while on the plane ride with Nico, but then she met Talbot, and all she could think about was how gorgeous he was, and how sensual his voice had been when he spoke to her, and that it scared her a bit to desire him so much, so fast.
“No.” She finally shook her head. “I haven’t seen any.”
“That’s okay,” Vreene said, perhaps hearing the disappointment in Rose’s voice. “For some, it happens right after meeting their mate, and for others, it takes a little longer. It doesn’t mean you’re not meant for him.”
“I’m that obvious?” Rose asked with an unamused laugh.
“Talbot’s hot. I mean, don’t worry, he’s not my type. But I can appreciate a good-looking male. And he’s very kind. I understand why you’d want him.”
Rose’s stomach churned uneasily. Did Talbot see that last night when they’d talked? Had she come across as desperate? She seriously hoped not. “He seems like a really good guy.” Rose tried to be nonchalant. “It’s a rarity these days.” Good grief, like Rose would know anything about the dating scene when she hadn’t been a part of it in a while. She mentally kicked herself. She was going to have to pull herself together and not act like a besotted, lovesick fool. Desperate was not attractive.
“He is. Now, if you want to not be late for your good guy, get your butt moving.”
An hour later, Vreene had Rose sitting in a chair while she styled her blonde hair.
“Your hair is a very unusual color,” Vreene pointed out. “It’s beautiful. And it’s going to be lovely against the dress.”
“Thank you.” Rose had always liked her hair. She didn’t think that she was anything to write home about, but she got compliments on her hair.
“I’m going to leave half of it down. It’s too pretty to knot on your head, even if the updo is lovely.”
Vreene continued to work on Rose over the next hour. Once the hair was done, she moved on to the makeup.
“Should I take my nose ring out?” Rose thought people might be offended if she wore a nose ring while being named queen of their kingdom.
Vreene shook her head. “Nope, it suits you. Not to mention, you don’t need to change yourself for the sake of KOV or Talbot. You be who you are, and as long as you’re not a dick, everyone will be happy with you.”
Rose couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re blunt.”
“When you live as long as we do, you get tired of stumbling around truths. Just tell it like it is, in a non-dick manner. Okay, now let’s see if we can get your beast to come out.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”
She pulled Rose to her feet and walked her over to the big mirror. She almost didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her. “You’re good.”
“Naw, I just had a great canvas to work with. I’ll see you at the coronation, QR. You’re going to do great. Remember, just don’t be?—”
“A dick.” Rose chuckled. “Got it. But what about the beast thing you just mentioned?”
She looked at Vreene’s reflection in the mirror. A wicked grin curved her lips up. “Don’t worry. You’ll be in good hands for that part of getting ready. Not quite as good as my hands, but almost.” With that, she walked out the door, whistling some cheerful tune.
Rose turned in front of the full-length mirror, still hardly recognizing herself in the emerald gown that hugged her curves before flaring out in a graceful train. As Vreene had said, the color set off her white-blonde hair strikingly, making it shimmer. The green also made her hazel eyes stand out. She looked like a queen from one of her favorite TV shows.
“You are breathtaking.”
She turned to see Talbot watching her from the doorway, his green eyes glowing with appreciation and a hint of awe. Her cheeks warmed at the open admiration on his handsome face.
