Page 51 of House of Ruin
“Likewise, Leigh,” Alecto said once they shook hands. Then she turned to Jolene with an arched brow. “You mentioned me? Really?”
Jolene shrugged one shoulder. “We shared things about our lives in our letters. You’re part of my life, aren’t you?”
Alecto ignored the overwhelming warmth overtaking her body, flooding through her at Jolene’s words. She smirked, offering the girls a nod before turning and walking back to the procedure table.
“And now we’re going to share an exceptionally intimate moment,” Alecto said, sitting down on the table. “You should get a drink, Leigh.”
Jolene chuckled, settling back on the sofa. Leigh came over and sat right next to her. Alecto had to admit it—they looked great together.
“It’s not that bad,” Leigh commented. “I had the hair-removal treatment for my bikini zone last year, and it was painful but reasonable. I think getting the laser hair removal in the mortal world would be so much worse.”
“You’re familiar with the mortal world?” Alecto asked.
Leigh smiled, nodding. “I’m a quarter mortal. My grandmother fell for a mortal soldier, and so they had my father.”
“How interesting.” Alecto nodded. “I’ve never understood the appeal of mortal men, though. They seem…”
“Ratherdullcompared with warlocks?” Leigh laughed.
Alecto wanted to sayincompetent, butdullwas a way nicer way of saying it. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
The door opened, and this time it was Svetlana Greed. She entered the room dressed in a white clinical robe, her snow-white hair rolled in a low bun at the nape of her neck. Quickly, her golden split-pupil eyes scanned the room, as if assessing everything, and then landed on Alecto.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” she greeted them, strolling over to the procedure table. “Miss Black, I’m going to need you to get naked to your waist down and lie down on your back.”
Straight to business, this woman.
Alecto cleared her throat, pushing away the embarrassment as she took off her boots. Slowly, she shimmied her pencil skirt down her hips, letting it fall on the floor. Then she rolled off her fishnets, and despite herself, heat bloomed on her cheeks.
None of the witches seemed to mind her stripping in front of them. It was a normal thing, after all. Only Alecto had an issue with it, some sort of weird shame even if she was walking around in short skirts and open shirts all the time.
When she stripped out of her panties, she placed all her clothing at the foot of the procedure table and quickly lay down on her back.
“Legs up, bent at the knees,” Greed instructed, slipping her hands in black surgical gloves. Alecto did as she was told. “Spread wider, please.”
And so Alecto did. She laced her fingers together over her chest, clenching them so hard, it hurt.
“We’re going completely naked?” Greed asked, coming to stand at the end of the procedure table. She had a container of some sort in one hand and a brush in the other one.
“Yes.”
Greed nodded. Alecto flinched as something cold and wet touched her pubic bone.
“It’s going to hurt a little bit while I pluck the hairs out,” Greed explained when she was done painting Alecto’s bikini zone with the concoction. “I’m going to work fast, so it’s not going to last for very long. And the second part will be completely painless. I’m going to put a salve that’s going to ensure the hair follicles are destroyed permanently and soothe the burning. Nothing to worry about.”
Svetlana Greed lied. When she plucked the first hair out, it hurt like a bitch.
“So, Leigh,” Alecto got out through clenched teeth, turning her head to the side so she could see the girls, “where did you go to school?”
“Darkmire,” she said, smiling. “Class of 2019.”
So, she wasn’t that much older than them. And Darkmire School of Witchcraft was in the top three witchcraft universities in Inathis. From her grooming and outfit, Alecto guessed Leigh came from a good family as well, even if her name wasn’t recognizable.
Alecto hissed, tears springing to her eyes as Greed quickened her pace, plucking a few hairs at a time, closer now to her most sensitive part.
Oh, this was going to be a long afternoon.
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