Page 38 of How to Seduce a Slender

“It was me!” Melody blurted out, freezing as all eyes ripped around to her. “I broke it, um, it was a nightmare wolf, it lunged at me from the other side of the mirror and broke it.”

“Huh,” Dahlia’s hands fell down to her sides. “And do you normally see wolves in mirrors?”

Melody grimaced, shaking her head.

Dahlia glanced at Smith before she sighed and dried her hands on a kitchen towel. “You two are going to stop off at the Lord Commander’s house and tell Hazel there’s no need for the potion now. I’m so sorry Melody, but you’re cursed.”

“Don’t I fucking know it, wait...” She furrowed her brow, squinting at Dahlia in confusion. “What?”

“Well, I can’t do it,” Dahlia huffed, tossing her hands out. “I’m banned from the city now. Fucking politicians. My mother’s company fed that economy for years, supplied everyone from the King of Maylor to the Badlands guilds, and this is the thanks I get? Not fair, can’t even go grocery shopping in person.”

“Huh?” Melody glanced at Smith for a translation.

“I can... It’s a lot to explain, why don’t we eat breakfast first?” He motioned at the table, leading her into a seat. As she sat down, Sebastian exploded into the room with his arms tossed out to the side.

“Why is there a trail of necromantic slime on the staircase? Austin! I thought I told you to seal up those containers?” Sebastian stormed up to the table.

“Wasn’t me!” Austin bleated between large chunks of food.

Havershum, however, cleared his throat, immediately rising from the table. “That’s my cue! Where’d you see it go?”

“West wing—wait, why is that your cue?”

Havershum tossed his plate of breakfast down into his gullet before zipping from the room. Melody raised a tentative hand with another nervous laugh, “That’s also me.”

“Did your curse translate to a book now?” Dahlia cocked out a hip.

“That reminds me, my lord, are you and Greggory missing any haunted or possessed tomes? Specifically ones that can feed? Or possibly even grow legs?” Smith took up his coffee mug.

Sebastian’s masked beak twisted to look at Greggory at the breakfast table. The tiny, blue impish creature with large eyes and three fingers shook his head. Sebastian glanced back at Melody, “I’m afraid not, Smith. My dear, you’re cursed?”

“Oh, no, I said shewascursed. She broke a mirror when she saw a wolf in it.” Dahlia waved her hand flippantly before she kissed the side of Sebastian’s mask. “Do you want coffee, my love?”

“Yes, please. It seems I will need it...” Sebastian sighed, sinking down into a seat at the table and raking his fingers through forest green hair. With a sigh, he folded his hands on the table and addressed Melody once more. “Last I heard you two were sleeping together, and now there’s a broken mirror and a leg wearing, haunted book? What has happened?”

“We! Didn’t! Sleep! Together!” Smith snapped with each syllable.

Melody sat petrified in her seat with her eyebrows up on her face. Agatha was snickering over a plate of eggs and toast while Smith’s static went erratic. Greggory was elbows deep in a bowl of something, nodding along with the conversation as he chewed.

Dahlia returned to the table, setting the mug before Sebastian. A cute, pink, bendy straw was bobbing in the steaming liquid.

Sebastian sputtered, “When did we get these?”

“Ordered them a while ago in case we had company. Now, Melody, did the book happen before or after you and Smith slept together?”

She could hear a kettle going off in the distance as Smith threw his face into his hands. Melody spared him an apologetic look before taking up her fork, “I actually found the book in his wardrobe. It has like this skin like texture, and it’s got all these eyes on the front, they blinked at me and that’s when I lost it the first time.”

Sebastian hummed, slipping the straw beneath his mask. Melody tried not to laugh at the clear chugging of lava temperature coffee up a bendy straw.

“Holding out on us now, Smith? You starting your own library?” Dahlia snorted, swatting at the air above his head with a kitchen towel.

"I would never dare, Lord Rosemont would have my head.”

“On a platter,” Sebastian grumbled.

“But then where did the book come from?” Dahlia leaned against Sebastian, eyes drifting to the ceiling with curiosity. Melody continued to shovel food into her gullet as the whole kitchen seemed to drift into deep thought. With a dissatisfied huff, Dahlia returned her gaze to Melody. “No good, not a singular skin bound book with eyes in the Library of Madness. I have books with skin, or I have books with eyes, but I'm lacking one with both... Well, one that’s not a necronomicon, but I have all of those. None of those have left the library.”

“Then it’s a book that was created here in the material realm.” Sebastian nodded his head with a hum, “Havershum, any luck?”

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