Page 75 of Insidious Monsters
I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “I wish you could come with me.”
“Trust me, I would in a heartbeat if I could.” She hurried to the door. “Let me just grab my tongs.”
I took the dress off and laid it on the bed. I still had an hour before Lothos picked me up.
I’d planned on using it to nap but it looked like I’d be getting my hair done now.
Nandi returned with her makeup bag and hair accessories. “How’s Telarion with not being invited?”
“He wasn’t pleased about it when I told him, but he didn’t mention it again. Just zoomed off to feed when the sun went down.”
“And you?” She patted the seat at my dresser and I parked my ass.
“What about me?”
She tugged a brush through my hair. “Do you need to feed?”
Her words reminded me of the gnawing in the pit of my stomach I’d been ignoring. “I’m fine. I can go another day or two.”
“And then Telarion will feed you, right? The no-kiss thing doesn’t apply to feeding, does it?”
I’d filled her in on the boundary Telarion had set, but I hadn’t thought about how the no-kiss rule would affect feeding. “It shouldn’t apply.” Telarion wouldn’t do that to me. He knew I needed him. “It’ll be fine.”
“Okay then.” She began to section my hair. “Sit still and watch me work my magic.”
Going to this Failte was the last thing I wanted to do, but the pretty dress, the shoes, and the whole going-out aspect made it exciting nonetheless.
I smiled as the first loose curl brushed my cheek.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a chore after all.
* * *
When Lothos saidhe’d pick me up I wasn’t expecting him to arrive in a convertible, or to look so beautiful, because that was the only word to describe him. He’d pulled his hair back from his face in a half pony and laced it with golden ribbons. His eyes were rimmed in kohl, giving him a devil-may-care look, and the gold shirt he wore was tucked beneath a form-fitting midnight-blue corset with golden ties. His skin shimmered as if it had been dusted with gold flecks.
I’d never seen a man in a corset before, and if someone had told me how hot it would look, I’d have called them insane, but damn, Lothos managed to pull off the whole look.
“Bloody hell,” Nandi muttered from beside me. “Just…fuck.”
He’d called to say he was coming up the drive and we’d headed out to the front of the house to meet him, and here he was walking toward us, heat rising in a mist off his hot body, the stunning car a perfect backdrop to his splendor.
Nandi and I groaned in unison.
“Not fair,” she said. “No guy should look that good.”
A small smile played on his lips as he approached, because of course he knew the effect he had on people.
“You look ravishing,” he said.
I glanced down at my shimmery dress, which a few moments ago I’d thought made me look like a princess, but it was nothing compared to Lothos’s getup.
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to outshine your date.” I arched a brow at him. “Like literally…” I leaned in to get a better look at the triangle of skin visible above his shirt collar. “Is that gold dust?”
The corners of his smile dimpled. “You’re too kind, and obviously unaware of your allure.”
“Oh, she’s not being kind,” Nandi muttered.
Lothos’s gaze flicked to her and held there for a long beat. “And how are you feeling, Nandi?”
