“What was that?” I asked softly.
“A special blend.”
Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I asked, “A blend of what?”
She hesitated.
“Tell me, Delaney. The truth.”
“I mixed blood with that fruity sangria you like, to try and help with the taste.”
“So it’s true? This isn’t some weird hallucination. I’m not having a nightmare?”
Delaney shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Ego.”
“Delaney, are you sure about this?”
She stood back, appraising my appearance. I looked like the same old Ego that the fans expected, except she’d had to run out and get me theatrical foundation and other stage make-up to get me back to my normal appearance. Staring at my reflection and seeing how pasty white I was had come as quite a shock. Seeing myself looking back at me at all had come as a happy surprise since I wasn’t sure I’d still have a reflection. According to Delaney, that was a myth, which was a good thing because not being able to see myself? You might as well kill me.Again.
“You look great.”
“And you’re sure I won’t—” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “You’re sure I won’t hurt anybody?”
After my first drink from the goblet last night, my hunger had grown insatiable. Delaney had stayed with me, whipping up her special blend every couple of hours.
“No, you’re going to be fine.”
She reached out and touched the oxidized, Byzantine silver chain she’d hung around my throat. She tapped the black tourmaline amulet that hung in the center.
“This is strong fae magic. It’ll keep you nose-blind. You won’t be able to smell the blood pumping through the veins of the musicians on stage or the audience.”
“But what if I get hungry?”
It felt so weird not to saythirstywhen it came to drinking, but what I felt went beyond simple thirst. It felt like my insides were trying to eat me from within as the need for blood hit me over and over again.
“I have a couple of water bottles filled with the mix and ready to go. You’ll take them out on stage with you, and every time the hunger hits, take a drink.”
She gripped my shoulders.
“Ego, it’s important that you take long drinks as often as possible. Just because you’re on stage and wearing the amulet doesn’t mean that the insatiable need won’t be building when you’re distracted while performing.”
“I feel like a baby. Isn’t it newborns who have to eat every few hours?”
Delaney snorted. “Does that make me your mama?”
We both went,“Ew,”at the same time.
She stepped in and wrapped me in a hug. I appreciated it, but it also freaked me out. If there was one thing Delaney wasn’t known for, it was coddling me. “Don’t worry about anything. Dean is going to stay with you at all times.”
That was good. I’d always felt safest with Dean, my head of security. A lot of the other guys found him a little too stoic, but I thought his grumpiness was part of his charm. Unless… “Is he… something paranormal?”
“No, but he’s trustworthy and loyal. He’s too professional to ask questions about your behavior shifting, and he’s too practical to get suspicious that it’s anything otherworldly. He’ll just keep his head down and do his job.”
I blew out a breath—a habit I’d come to realize I didn’t actually need to do anymore—and nodded. “Okay. I’m ready to do this.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Dean’s deep, raspy voice asked, “You ready, boss?”
Delaney reached out and cupped my face between her hands. “You don’t have to do this, Ego. We can cancel the rest of the tour and get you home.”
