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Oz opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, in waltzes the most beautiful woman. She is breathtaking. Tall, leggy, and blond. She is dressed in a harder style, all torn denim and leather. Her makeup is dark and severe, but it suits her. “Wren, this is Charlee, my sister, more or less.”
I reach out my hand to shake hers on instinct when she knocks it aside and pulls me into a hug instead. She is fast. It catches me off guard, but it is such a good, solid hug that I quickly return it. She smells like something flowery and wood smoke. The mixing of the scents is oddly comforting. “It’s so nice to meet you. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have more feminine energy around here.” Her accent has mild European vibes. She pulls back from the hug. “I’ve got a bunch of clothes we can work with, so you don’t have to keep wearing Oz’s sweats.”
Oz’s? So this is his room?
“Thanks. It’s great to meet you too. Are there not a lot of female vampires?” I have so many questions.
“We have a fair amount of women in our coven in general, but staying here, in particular, you two are the only ones.” Charlee rolls her eyes.
“It’s because my brothers are ridiculous. They have kind hearts, don’t get me wrong, but they are very aggravating.” I smile. It sounds like a family.
The woman’s face with laugh lines flies into my mind again. Family. Is this my mother? She is gone almost as fast as she came. “I look forward to meeting everyone, but uh, I have a question about my clothes…” I gesture to what I am wearing. “What happened to what I had on?”
Oz wouldn’t look at me. “I, uh, I changed you out of them. They were covered in glass and blood and soaking wet from the lake.”
He changed my clothes…
“And I’m sure he was the perfect gentleman about it,” Charlee interrupts. “Knights and all, the wholehonorthing. It would be dull if it weren’t so endearing,” She teases. “Off with you, Oz, I’m going to help get Wren here presentable, and we’ll meet you boys downstairs in a bit.”
Heading for the door, Oz looks back at me for a brief moment. His expression is hard to read. I get the distinct feeling he wants to tell me more than he has. Maybe it just isn’t the time or place. In any case, Charlee reaches into the hall and pulls about four bags filled with clothes into the room before shutting the door. “No memory means you don’t even know what style you liked to wear, so I broughtoptions.” She lays the clothes out on the bedspread.
There are jeans, leggings, skirts, dresses, shirts, blouses, and sweaters. Any style I could enjoy has some outfit possible out of these options. I am getting stressed out from the choices, though. “I’m going to go take a shower first. I still smell like the lake,” at least, I think that’s the smell I can’t get out of my nose.
Charlee nods. “Go right ahead, bathroom’s through there,” indicating the door I saw the night before. “I’m going to run your cup downstairs and get some of my makeup.” She winks at me and leaves the room.
She seems genuinely happy to have another woman to do this sort of thing with. Her zest for life is contagious. I step into the bathroom and see my reflection for the first time.
I gasp.
Uncertain as to why, but I thought my reflection would be gone.
Was that random vampire knowledge that happened not to be true?
My hair is messy, and I curse that it had looked so unruly the whole time Oz and Charlee were in the bedroom. I fiddle with the knobs in the shower and get the hot water pouring in, steam rises and fills the bathroom quickly. A fresh towel is folded neatly with its other towel brethren on a storage rack. I move it to hang it on the hook by the shower, marveling at its softness.
Everything is the best material.
It seems when you have forever, you can amass a bit of wealth.
The shower feels heavenly. Hot water cascades over my body, and I let it wash over my face for several minutes before looking for soap. Grasping some body wash, I give it a sniff. It is passably decent. A masculine scent. Woodsy tones, like pine, which makes sense since we were in the mountains.
Oz has given up his room for a random woman in a car wreck because he couldn’t stand to let me die. I smile and reach for the shampoo. This one smells like lemongrass. Like Oz. I scrub my hair and rinse it thoroughly. I finally feel clean, unable to smell a hint of lake anymore.
Cutting off the water and wrapping myself in the thick fluffy towel, I grab another for my hair. I am gently scrunching to get the water out. A comb sits on the sink. Perfect. I take it in hand, but I pause before I can put it to my hair. A copper-toned strand of hair is stuck in the teeth. A closer inspection reveals a few more just like it.
Had he combed my hair too?
It probably shouldn’t be surprising, but it touches me that I was treated with such care and consideration when I can’t even remember it.
What was it Charlee had said? Chivalry and honor? Knight? I guess Oz was old. Centuries old. That is certainly intriguing.
Charlee is waiting back in the bedroom, and together we find something I like and feel nice in. It is simple leggings and a T-shirt with a button-up sweater. She declares I must have had a “cozy” style when I was human. “I own a shop in Callery,” she says. “I’ll grab a few things from there that will fit you and your vibe. Till then, I’ll leave some jeans and tops.” She went above and beyond what I expected in the clothes department.
After dressing, I can do nothing to deter her from wanting to do my makeup. “Not too much,” I say, biting my lip. I get the feeling that I wasn’t good at makeup. It frightens me to see all the products.
“Look, makeup is an art form,” she states, brushing color onto my eyelids. “Wear it for yourself, for fun, and you’ll always look beautiful. Not that you need any help there! Your skin is gorgeous, and I absolutely love your freckles. Being a vampire has a lot of benefits. Clear skin and tiny pores are probably my favorites.” I let her carry the conversation. I have no memory, so it isn’t like I can offer anything other than questions.
When she moves on to blush, she holds my chin to keep me steady. The smiling woman is in my head again. She held my chin this way once, then leaned back when she was done dabbing something on my face before declaring I was- “Perfect!” Charlee squeals, breaking me out of my memory. “Oh my God, Wren, go look at yourself. I’m a genius!”
