in here all morning drinking.”
Fraya grinned. “This is relaxing, but just wait until your spa appointment. You’ll be relaxed on a whole new level.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Nope.”
We tipped back our glasses. When I lowered my flute, a tanned, toned young man dressed all in white walked in, smiling warmly.
“Zelie?” he asked, looking between me and Fraya.
My eyes widened. I looked at Fraya, who smirked and pointed at me.
“Ready for your full-body Swedish massage?”
My what massage?
I stood up slowly, darting a glance at Fraya, who lifted her flute of bubbly wine and said, “Enjoy,” throwing in a wink.
I downed the remainder of my bubbly wine and set it on a table as I followed the young man out of the relaxation room. His short-sleeved white shirt showed off the sculpted muscles in his arms. He had close-cropped light brown hair, perfectly neat at the nape of his neck.
“My name’s Keith,” the hunky human said as he led me down a dim hallway lined with closed doors.
“I’m Zelie. Oh, wait. You already know that.” A soft chuckle blew past my lips.
Keith turned his head to smile at me. “Are you here on holiday, Zelie?”
“Yes. First time in the—to California, that is. It’s a beautiful—” Pit! What had Melody called it? It wasn’t a town or a province. I thought it started with an s. When my mind came back blank, I tossed out, “place.”
“I’m pretty new here myself,” Keith said. “When I visited from Iowa, I knew there was no going back to my hometown.” I nodded like I knew the area to which he referred. My head was still bobbing when he asked, “Where are you from?”
“Me? Oh, um.” I searched my brain for places Lark had mentioned vacationing when we were kids.
“England.”
Keith cocked his head to the side and squinted at me. Was that not a place?
“That’s—” He gave me a hard stare. “I wouldn’t have guessed the UK. You don’t have an accent.”
I forced a smile and shrugged. I kinda wanted to run back to the relaxation room. Maybe next time, Melody could glamour my mouth along with my ears. After this, I needed to stick with my friends. Clearly, I didn’t know how to fit in.
Keith opened a door and beckoned me into a dimly lit room that smelled like lavender fields. There was a padded table covered in white blankets in the middle. Soft, soothing music filled the small chamber.
“Go ahead and remove your robe, then settle in beneath the blanket. I will return momentarily.” My mouth gaped open as Keith stepped back. He nodded at the wall. “You can hang your robe on one of the hooks.”
He left, swiftly closing the door behind him before I could utter an objection. What in the great blue sky had Fraya and Melody gotten me into? If I had to guess, this was probably more Fraya’s idea than Melody’s. My friend had taken too keen an interest in helping her younger cousin plan out our spa appointments.
But I’d meant it when I said I was up for anything. Swiftly, I yanked off my robe, shoved it onto a hook, and dove onto the table, pulling the blanket up to my chin.
Lavender-scented steam rose from a contraption in the corner. The blanket felt like a luxurious cloud covering my body as I floated above the floor. Obviously, this wasn’t some kind of torture chamber. I closed my eyes and breathed evenly. A light knock came at the door before Keith entered. He didn’t make any more conversation beyond the occasional narration of his techniques or instructions to turn onto my belly and place my face into the round pillow with the hole in the center.
The scent of coconut joined the lavender as Keith oiled my body, rubbing the stiffness right out of my neck and kneading my flesh with skilled fingers. At first, I tried to muffle my groans of ecstasy, but after a while, I stopped caring. I was in a state of complete and utter relaxation.
State!
That was it. California was a state. I was starting to get the hang of this whole human thing after all.
After massaging my back, thighs, legs, and feet, Keith had me turn onto my back. He placed warm towels over my eyes that had me sighing happily. Oh, sweetberries. Sweet mangos, I amended, thinking of Ronin. I was beginning to think that I’d dreamed our kiss. I imagined Ronin’s hands skimming my breasts—Ronin’s and Reed’s, working together to explore every inch of my