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Riella dug her talons into her palms to stop herself from going after both men and tearing them to shreds. Gerret still lurked somewhere unseen, and she could not risk the other women getting hurt. She would have to be wise about her movements.
Madame Quaan waved her hand in Odeya’s general direction. “Take her to the washroom. Get her ready. She’ll meet the Count when he arrives.”
“Yes, Madame,” said Odeya, rising dutifully to her feet and indicating for Riella to follow her. “Right away.”
The washroom was behind one of many doors lining the hallway. Riella noted the dark recess at the end of the corridor leading to Madame Quaan’s study.
“I’ll run a bath for you,” said Odeya, closing the door behind them. As soon as they were alone, the golden-haired woman noticeably relaxed. “We’ll wash that lovely hair of yours, and we have plenty of dresses to choose from.”
The washroom was windowless, and constructed of white marble with dark veins running through it. A bathtub sat against one wall, next to a bench crammed with various bottles and jars of cosmetic potions. Garments bulged from a rack on hangers, in tulle and lace and silk of all colors.
There were also several full-length mirrors in the room, some facing each other. Riella stood in front of one, noting she could see every angle of herself.
“To make sure we look good from the front and back,” said Odeya, rotating the tap handles over the bath.
Riella frowned, turning this way and that. She was familiar with her own reflection, of course, but standing in front of the mirrors showed more detail than she’d ever seen before. The longer she looked, the less she liked what she saw. How did that work?
As the water rose in the tub, it drew the siren. Suddenly, she couldn’t bear to be out of the water for a moment longer. She stripped the smelly pirate garments from her body and stepped into the bath.
The water was hotter than she was used to, and devoid of salt, but the sensation was divine nonetheless. Her skin felt as though it was coming to life. With a contented sigh, she lay back and submerged herself fully in the water. The familiar silence and weightlessness made her heart sing.
But after some time, she began to choke. In her excitement, she had forgotten she needed to hold her breath underwater now, and inhaled a gulp of liquid. She sat up, coughing.
Odeya was staring at her in wonder. “How did this happen to you? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“A mage,” said Riella with a splutter, as she regained her breath.
“And how do you feel about it?” She tilted her head. “I can hardly imagine what it’d be like to wake up with a tail, and live in the ocean. To have the opposite happen must be very peculiar.”
“Feel?” repeated Riella.
Sirens weren’t encouraged to feel, much less talk about their feelings. But since Polinth had changed her, she couldn’t deny that her emotions had been stronger than usual. And more complicated.
She frowned, trying to find the right words.
“It feels lonely,” she said, surprising herself. “I feel a bit sad. And angry. And afraid. And . . . something else.”
“Excited?” suggested Odeya.
“Yes, actually. How did you know?”
The blonde woman smiled. “The way you look at everything around you. You’re fascinated. But that’s normal, don’t worry. Even scary things can be exciting.”
“Normal.” She kicked her legs in the water. “What a strange thing to be.”
Odeya washed the siren’s hair with suds smelling of flowers. When Riella was clean and the water began to cool, she reluctantly stepped from the tub and dried off.
The more Riella used her legs, the stronger she realized they were. If she could master how to operate them to their full potential, she could do a lot of damage. They were certainly no tail, but she could adapt.
“Where will you go when we escape this place?” asked Riella as the other woman selected undergarments and a dress for her, laying them over a chair.
“I dare not say, unless I know it’ll truly happen. I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
The siren furrowed her brow. “Of course it will happen.”
Odeya just smiled sadly.
She helped Riella into an overly complicated array of sheer, frilly undergarments. The clips and straps made no sense, and Riella was already resigned to the fact that she’d have to simply rip them off when the time came to remove them.
