Well, she’d withhold judgment until she saw herself. Nia hurried to the tiny, private bathroom attached to the office and gaped at her reflection in the mirror above the small sink.
Her black, waist-length hair, honey skin, and even her amber eyes were gone, replaced by a stranger with blonde hair, a fair complexion, and brown eyes.
Wow. So pale and flawless.
Even the shallow dimple in her chin had vanished, along with the several gold studs she wore in her left ear and the tiny one in her nose. Man, she already missed her piercings.
“I’msooonot me. Even my mouth is thinner…” She peered closer, studying her narrower lips. “It’ll definitely trick Kas. If Niki were here, she would chortle her ass off at this new me.”
“Then she’d go after Kas with a dagger,” Saia added from behind her, having followed her to the bathroom.
“True.” Their other friend had a protective streak a mile long, but she was currently overseas, consoling her mother, who was going through yet another divorce.
Nia fingered her silky hair. The texture appeared finer and straighter than her natural wavy mane. “All I want is to go about my normal daily life and not worry if I’ll survive to see the next day.”
“It should work. If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have known it was you,” Saia said. “But you might have to explain to your boss who you are in this disguise.”
Crap, she hadn’t thought about that. Now, she’d have to call in sick. Something else she wanted to skewer Kas for!
With a deep exhale, she trailed Saia back into the office.
Riley turned from the one-way window and scratched his unshaven jaw, studying her. “It will only last two, maybe three days at most,” he told her. “A glamour that’s not self-formed has a shorter staying span. But I won’t need that much time to find and kill the demon.”
Nia nibbled her lower lip and nodded. If Saia could handle being at literal Hell’s gate and survive, then she needed to stop being a wuss. She straightened her shoulders and glanced at the jam-packed place.
There was only one way to find out if the mask worked. “I’m going to hang out at the bar with Zac and test this glamour.”
Saia slipped her arm through hers. “Yes, let’s go drink top-shelf booze while my hubby lays a trap for the bloodsucking mosquito.”
Nia huffed out a laugh as they walked out, and for the first time in days, her spirits rose a little. Maybe this would work.
Dammit. If one more drunken fool hits on me, I’m going to clobber him.
“No, I don’t want to dance! I’m with him.”For God’s sake!Nia flicked a thumb to Zac, who gave the drunk a narrowed-eyed stare. The guy scurried away.
“Do these donuts not understand a no means no? That I’m not going to change my mind ten minutes later?”
“Donut?” Zac’s bronze face split into a grin. He shook his shaven head and set another drink in front of her. “Fits. He probably has a huge hole in that brain.”
Nia scrunched her face, picked up the glass, and gulped down the chilled orange juice, minus vodka, for this round. She was alone since Saia had gone off to the office to answer a call from her father.
“Don’t worry. If that mofo comes in here, he’s dead,” Zac said, then he smirked. “Still can’t get used to seeing you like that, Sunshine.”
Nia laughed. “As long as it helps me.” Then she frowned. “It’s nearly midnight. It’s unlikely he’ll come in here, knowing two demons run this bar.”
“No, not if he wants to live.”
Breathing easier, she set her glass down and hopped off her stool. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
A few minutes later, she walked out of the restroom and down the corridor, shaking her head, unable to get used to the new her. She straightened the tan suede jacket Saia had loaned her over a black sweater. Since she was two inches taller than her friend’s five-five, the borrowed black jeans ended at her ankles. With her low-heeled boots, everything worked well.
Flipping back her hair, she paused in the dimly lit entryway to the busy bar. Men glanced her way, but she ignored them, searching for Kas. The door swung open?—
Holy crap!
The door swung open and the atmosphere shifted, as if reality itself bent around the man who entered. The crowd stilled, all eyes drawn to him.
He stood there for a second, his cool stare assessing the place. His classically hewn features appeared as if sculpted by masters of old. Man, drop-dead gorgeous just took on a new meaning.
