Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1) - Linsey Hall Page 0,42
there’s no point having friends if they can’t bail you out of trouble.”
“What are you up to?” Quinn asked.
“Breaking into the city morgue,” I said.
“And if we get in trouble, we might call you,” Mac said. “We’ve already got the witches as an option, but they’re unreliable. You’re not.”
“That’s true. But why are you giving me a heads-up? Normally, you wait until you’re up shit creek to ask for a paddle.”
“Because we’re going to look different.” Mac dug into her pocket and held up two little potion bottles. “And we need you to know which two damsels to come rescue.”
“You’ve never been a damsel.”
“Damn right I haven’t.” She grinned.
She handed me a tiny vial of potion. “This one is for you. Specially formulated by the witches.”
“Thanks.” It was warm in my hand—unusually so.
“Same time?”
“Yep.” I uncorked the vial and raised it, waiting for Mac.
Together, we swigged them back. Mine tasted disgustingly sweet and syrupy, and a shiver went through my whole body, followed quickly by a shaft of pain. I doubled over, the pain turning to agony.
Were the witches trying to kill me?
Mac groaned and nearly collapsed.
Scratch that, they were trying to kill both of us.
As suddenly as it had arrived, the pain departed. I gasped and stood. Mac did the same, and I gasped.
Quinn started to chuckle, his gaze moving between the two of us.
Mac looked different. Like, way different.
And not in a good way.
In fact, she reminded me of a toad—green skin and all. The only good part was that she was still standing on two legs and not four.
“Wow, you’re hot!” Mac said.
“What?” I asked.
“Yeah. Totally hot. What do I look like?”
“Uh…”
“Come on,” Quinn said. “There’s a mirror behind the bar.”
We followed him out. The place was half full, but no one paid us any mind.
Well, that wasn’t quite true. There were some looks, a few cringes, but they didn’t point and laugh, so I considered it a win. Apparently, frog girls were normal in the Haunted Hound.
We reached the mirror and gazed at our reflections.
Mac screeched with indignation. “Those bitches!”
Holy crap, I did look hot. Like, hot in a men’s magazine kind of way. Wavy auburn hair and an impossibly perfect face, complete with impeccable makeup.
“I can’t believe they did this,” Mac muttered, rubbing at her green skin.
“This is one of their pranks, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” She glowered. “And I’m going to get them for it.”
“Man, we’re going to draw some attention.”
“No kidding.” She dragged a gnarled hand over her face. “This is almost worse. We don’t even look like real people.”
Quinn looked between the two of us, seemingly delighted by the drama playing out in front of him.
“I look kind of real,” I said.
“No, you don’t, honey. No one looks like you in real life. You look like you’ve been photoshopped. You should see your waist. You’re basically a Barbie doll.”
I looked down, surprised to see that she was right. I should be wearing a corset to get a waist like this. And did my feet look pointed? Like I should be perpetually forced into tiny plastic heels?
I tugged up my hood, shoving the mass of red underneath.
“You’ve got to give me five minutes,” Mac said. “I need a hood, too.”
“Okay.”
She hurried toward the hallway to go back to Guild City.
“Can I get you something, Miss January?” Quinn asked.
I shot him a look and gestured to my new Barbie body. “Oh, you like this, do you?”
“Actually, I prefer the real you.” He leaned over the bar and shot me a charming grin. “A lot. So, when you’re back to normal, if you’d like to get dinner or something, I’d be delighted to be your Ken.”
I didn’t want him, but I did like him. And warmth suffused me at his words. “Thanks. But I think…well, I’m going to have a lot on my plate.”
“That’s okay.” He winked. “I’ll try again later.”
Mac returned a moment later with a hoodie. She tore the tag off it and tugged the garment over her head. Suddenly, her face was cast in shadows, nearly impossible to see. I could get glimpses of her, and she still looked like hell, but the magic in the hoodie seemed to soften her features, making them hazy. Her green skin looked slightly sallow now, and she only sort of resembled a frog.
“What’s up with that hoodie?” I asked.
“Magic. I still look like me—or like Frog Me—but the hoodie makes it hard to get a good look.”