Page 58 of Fanged Desire
They were unsettlingly pale, translucent gray irises, with only the faintest pinpricks for pupils. My heart lurched, a prickle of fear worming its way through my chest, settling heavily in my stomach. Forcing a polite smile I attempted to look nonchalant, as if I didn’t know exactly who – and what – she was.
“All right, just going to wash my hands, and we’ll get started.” I squeaked the words out, hoping the edge in my voice wasn’t obvious. Without waiting for a reply I turned and moved briskly to the corner of the room where a small washbasin sat behind a soft, curtained partition.
My hands shook slightly as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, fingers clumsily finding Hunter’s number and tapping at the keyboard.
She’s here. Cathy. At the Spa.
I stared at the message for a beat, and then hurriedly addedSOSfor good measure.
Tucking the phone back in my pocket I took a steadying breath and turned on the tap, splashing water onto my face.
I was here to find answers, but standing just a few feet away from her, I couldn’t deny the sense of dread clawing at my gut.Taking a shaky breath, I straightened and stepped back into the room, hoping my nerves wouldn’t betray me.
When I emerged Cathy was still seated, sunglasses in place, gazing at me with that same cool politeness. She didn’t look the least bit suspicious, but somewhere in the back of my mind distant alarm bells were beginning to ring.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” I skipped over to her, forcing my warbling voice to sound slightly more confident than I felt.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and ignored it. Either Hunter had got my message and was on her way or someone else wanted me, and whoever it was, they could wait. I had to keep my guard up, had to convince this woman that I was Wendy, the sports scientist, and nothing more.
I stepped forward, pressing my hands together to warm them up, running through what little I’d come up with on the drive over.
“So… what are your main areas of tension?” I asked, hoping I sounded professional and not at all out of my depths. “Let me know what you’re looking to ease and we’ll take it from there.”
Cathy tilted her head, reflective lenses settling on me in that unnervingly intense way I’d seen from her in video footage.
“Oh, shoulders, mostly,” she replied lightly, though the smile on her lips didn’t match the subtle jibe in her tone. She shrugged off her jacket, revealing alarmingly bony shoulders under a thin tank top. “But then again, maybe you’d know better what my body needs than I do.”
The back of my neck prickled. I forced a smile, moving to stand behind her, my hands poised just over her shoulders.Focus, Addison. I had to act like I had nothing to hide, to pull off this massage as smoothly as possible, even if my heart was thundering right out of my chest.
Just as I began to knead her shoulders, Cathy spoke again, her voice soft but edged with something that made my pulse jump.
“I must admit, I was curious when Esmerelde told me about you,” she murmured, tone light and conversational. “It’s not every day we find someone… uniquely qualified for a role like this.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I struggled to keep my voice even as I replied, “I’m glad she decided to give me a chance. I hope this works out well for the both of us.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that it will,” Cathy replied, tilting her head back to get a look at me through those massive shades. “In fact, Esmerelde mentioned a few… curious things. She said that when you came in, she noticed something rather distinct about you.”
“Really?” My fingers froze for just a second before I forced them to keep moving. “What might that be?”
“Your scent.” She said it casually, way too casually considering the absurdity of her words. “It’s unique. Quite rare, I’d say.”
My stomach twisted, and I focused intently on her shoulders, digging in just a bit harder than necessary.
“That’s… interesting,” I managed. “I must’ve used too much perfume.”
She laughed softly, a chilling sound that made my shoulders tense. “I don’t think it’s that simple, Wendy. There’s something else. Something… intriguing about you.”
I swallowed, internally scrambling to keep my expression composed.Play it cool, play it cool,I chanted in my head.
“Well, I’m sure Esmerelde overestimated me. I’m as normal as they come,” I replied with a forced laugh.
Cathy didn’t respond, and that silence was somehow more unnerving than any words she could have spoken. My phone vibrated again. I took another steadying breath, hoping to calm my racing heartbeat before stepping back out to face her. As soon as I returned to her line of sight, she tilted her head, that faint smirk curling at her lips.
"You know, my sister also mentioned something else that I thought was quite interesting." She flashed a smile, and I noticed her oddly pointed teeth – and the very concerning fact that she’d just referred to Esmerelde as hersister.
When I didn’t respond, choked up and suddenly sweating, she crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee. "Apparently, two women showed up at the spa, asking after me. I hear they have taken quite an interest in my affairs."
Cathy’s words lingered in the air, and a shiver crawled up my spine.
