Page 90 of A Whisper of Cinders

I push myself away from the door and head into the bathroom, turning on the shower head. I undress and happen to catch my reflection in the mirror.

My curls reach halfway my neck, they definitely need to be freshened up, but since I’ve been in bed for five days and only did a quick wash when I awoke, I think they look fairly decent. I’ve never seen my hair this long and it’s something I have to get used to. The colour seems different too, not as black as before, more a shade of the darkest brown. But that might be the light.

My cheeks have filled up a little, my high cheekbones accentuated, but not in an unhealthy way. My lips are still full and when I lift up my upper lip, my canines look sharper and elongated.

My skin has a healthy glow and when I finally meet my eyes in the mirror, I see a spark in them that hasn’t been there in a long while. They look more golden now, with hints of brown in it. I push back my hair to reveal my ear, feeling for the slightly pointed tip that is surprisingly sensitive.

When I look at my body, I notice the difference there too. Probably due to the training with Conláed and good nutrition. My body looks stronger, the muscles more defined, my breasts look fuller and so does my backside. And for the first time since knowing the scars on my skin make me stand out, I am not as bothered by them as I used to be. Especially not when I see golden red lines running through them, creating what looks like a shimmering drawing of lines on my arms and hands.

A smile spreads across my face, my mind wandering to places it probably shouldn’t. Calling myself beautiful would be a bridge too far, but I look better than I did before.

I hop into the shower and take my time to clean and scrub everything, until my skin smells like flowers and feels like satin.

And when I’m wrapped up in a towel and take one more look in the mirror, I’m surprised to see my fae self still looking back and I wonder if this is a gift of my own mind, since it is the first time I can look at myself without disgust.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Aknock sounds at my door and I’m not surprised to see Ami’s head once I open it. “Are you hungry?” I wasn’t really paying attention to the time, but now that she mentions it, my stomach growls. Loud. Ami laughs. “That is answer enough, come on, let’s head downstairs.”

I quickly grab my sweater and let her pull me out of my room. She is strong, but that’s nothing new. I can’t help but wonder what other powers she might have, and since she is my best friend… “What powers do you have?”

If my question surprises her, she doesn’t let it show. “The powers I wield are air, snow and ice. That’s why I always worked outside. Shoveling snow was how I got close to my nature.”

What does that even mean?

My expression must be showing the same thing, because with a wave of her fingers, a lazy breeze rustles through my hair and a very detailed snowflake floats in the palm of her hand.

“Huh, that’s pretty cool. I suppose we’re opposites?”

“Yes, sort of. But that won’t stop me from being your friend. The more you burn, the more I’ll freeze.”

Now I’m the one who’s laughing. It’s such an Ami thing to say. We enter the restaurant and wait in line.

“And there is something else I can do.”

I look at her, full of anticipation, but someone taps on her shoulder and they dive into a conversation I can’t participate in. I take the opportunity to take a look at the lunch options. I’ve never heard of mushroom risotto, but based on what the chef tells me, it sounds pretty damn delicious.

Ami pauses her conversation to order another dish I’ve never heard of and continues talking. When we pick up our trays, the fae she was talking to, has left.

“Sorry about that, it’s been a while since I’ve been here and a lot of friends wondered where I was.” Of course they do, not surprised that she’s popular at all. “Aramis saved us a spot. You don’t mind, do you?” She quickly glances over her shoulder and smirks. “Of course you don’t.”

I stand there, unsure of what to say.

So what, we nearly kissed twice.

So what, we were interrupted both of those times.

It happens, right?

Deciding it might be wiser to ignore it, I try to return to our previous conversation. “What were you saying?”

“Oh, we can also —”

“Ami, over here!”

Ami walks in the direction of the voice and it takes me a couple of seconds to reorient. She reaches the table first and the only familiar face I see is her brother’s. But watching him brings up all the burning memories and feelings I try to temper. Instead, I look at the others at the table, trying to see if I recognise anyone.

I’ve seen the guy with the messy black haircut streaked with rebellious pink before, I believe his name is Enver. His skin, like burnished mahogany, suits him well and so do his brilliant eyes, which resemble the colour of a molten rosy gold.