Page 44 of Blood of the Fairest

"I'm a what?" Eris prompts, his opalescent eyes searching my face.

Am I making this weird for no reason?

Only one way to find out.

With a shrug, I get completely naked. Eris's gaze drops for a moment, but he meets my eye again quickly.

He starts to speak, clears his throat, and tries again. "I thought you were impatient to bathe. Why are you just standing here on display?"

I'm momentarily distracted, studying my reflection in the mirror. It's like a mirage over Eris's image.

"I will. I'm just still not used to seeing myself like this."

"I imagine it's disorienting to wake up in a different body."

"That's the thing. This is my body, just in another world. Queen Rhinestone and I are perfectly identical down to our beauty spot," I add, pointing at the mark above my lip. "But she doesn't have my tattoos. I miss most of them—and my nipple piercings."

Eris makes a small sound I can't figure out before one sleeve of his poet shirt has his complete attention. He brushes it off, which makes me wonder if dirt exists in the mirror realm.

"I had no idea that people willingly pierce their…nipples."

"Yep. Sexy, right?"

"I really wouldn't know."

Huh. Okay, maybe he is a non-sexual spirit.

Turning, I approach the hot spring. It looks so divine that I'm surprised a chorus of angels doesn't herald my first steps into the hot water.

"Holy fuck," I sigh, quickly sinking down in bliss.

The spring starts at about the depth of a shallow tub, but it only takes a few steps before I can dip my head back so the water encompasses my hair. I can't help but moan, feeling the heat caress my scalp.

"Yesss. God, this is so fucking good."

"Maybe I will go," Eris says, his voice odd.

The pure pleasure of soaking off the last three days in warm water has my full attention, so I absentmindedly hum, "Suit yourself."

A few long, rapturous minutes later, I wade back to the shallowest part of the hot spring where I can sit comfortably while soaking. That's when I notice my mirror ghost is still here, after all.

"I thought you left."

"Momentarily. I noticed earlier that you sent away food, yet you barely ate yesterday. Are you starting to feel ill?"

"Not anymore," I sigh happily. "I'm pretty sure magic hot springs cure anything."

Spying the soap I forgot on the queen's vanity, I decide it's time to scrub-a-dub-dub. The second I stand up, water cascading from my body, Eris abruptly vanishes from the mirror again.

He reappears several minutes later, while I'm lathering up to my chin.

"You're very fickle," I inform him, squinting suspiciously.

He presses on like he never left. "But earlier, you were starting to feel ill from the thirst?"

That gets my attention.

I sit up, peering across the steam at him. "Thirst? You know about…?"