I wanted to roll my eyes at him. Instead, I vigorously swished more mouthwash. However, minty rancidness continued to coat my tongue. If the alcohol could kill bacteria, certainly it would kill whatever was floating in my mouth. I gagged even as I thought it and quickly spit in the sink.
“What advice, exactly, are you looking for?” I rasped.
“How do I make Dewy less jealous?”
“Well, coming here won’t help.”
“She doesn’t know I’m missing. A friend is filling in for me.”
My brows arched in surprise, and he immediately looked offended.
“Not like that. He’s just sleeping next to her. She likes to snuggle.”
I shook my head. For a creature so earnest about being loved, Piepen was clueless about giving it.
“First, stop letting your friend sleep next to her. That’s not what a boyfriend does. It should be you next to her. And if you don’t want her to be jealous, stop showering your attention on other girls. Show Dewy that she’s the only one you’re interested in.”
He sighed, nodded his head, and reached down to stroke himself thoughtfully. Again, I gagged, but this time at the flaring scent of his lust.
“It’s time for you to go, Piepen.” I shooed him from the bathroom and followed him to the window. “Please stop visiting me.”
“I’ll try. Thank you for sparing my life tonight, Eliana. You truly are a goddess. My mark couldn’t have gone to a more worthy woman.”
He zipped out the window into the predawn light, and I quickly slammed it shut.
“A goddess trying not to throw up,” I mumbled as I hurried back to the bathroom.
I brushed. I flossed. I gargled. No matter what I did, the acrid taste didn’t fade in the slightest.
Desperate, I went to the entertainment room and searched for chocolate. However, thanks to Mom’s inconsideration, the refrigerator was empty. So was the box I’d hidden behind the TV. She’d even found the single bar I’d stashed behind one of the portraits of Oanen’s feathered ancestors.
I debated texting Mom to see what else might remove the nastiness from my mouth, but I
already knew the answer. She’d tell me to feed on a more appropriate creature. I stomped my foot in annoyance then hurried downstairs. Every accidental swallow was torment.
Searching the cupboards for some non-chocolate possibilities, I found a bag of organic jalapeno chips. The handful I ate set my mouth on fire but did nothing to dim Piepen’s nasty taste. Tossing the bag aside, I went to the fridge for the lemon juice. A mouthful of citrus was only marginally better than Piepen’s flavor. And as soon as I swallowed it, the skunk taste returned twofold.
Blindly, I stared into the refrigerator, remembering the mark on my chest and how Fenris had noticed its lingering scent. Was I doomed to taste Piepen forever?
A large container caught my eye. It was the Death by Chocolate cake I’d made with Ashlyn almost a week ago. I didn’t care if it was old; I needed the taste in my mouth gone. I seized the container, tossed the lid aside, and shoved a handful of cake in my mouth.
I let the chocolate coat my tongue and exhaled a ragged breath from my nose as Piepen’s skunkness faded. Saliva pooled, forcing me to swallow and mash more cake into my mouth.
“Eliana?”
Turning my head, I met Mrs. Quill’s shocked gaze.
“Biff ident wa id uck ike.” Chocolate fell from my mouth as I spoke, and a hint of Piepen returned. I took another handful and stuffed it in.
“Sweetie. Stop. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
The container disappeared from my fingers and reappeared, empty, on the counter.
My wail of despair was muffled by my mouthful of cake, and I quickly swallowed.
“No, you don’t understand. I wasn’t eating the cake. I was trying to—”
I stopped myself from admitting I’d fed on a brownie. Better that she thought I was still craving chocolate than feeding on the wrong species. Or worse, that I was interested in feeding directly on “sprinkles.”
A full-body shudder shook through me.
“Eliana, what’s wrong? You’re worrying me.”
“Nothing.”
Mrs. Quill gave me a disappointed look wrapped in a layer of motherly concern. At one time, I would have rushed to reassure her worry. Now her expression only served as a reminder of how capricious her affection ran.
“You know what? Think what you want. You will anyway.”
I left the kitchen and jogged upstairs to get ready for school. My quick shower included a very thorough face-scrubbing and a breath-defying two-minute gargle while I washed my hair. The mouthwash still didn’t help. Like the glowing stain between my breasts, Piepen’s taste was determined to stay.
With a growl of frustration, I decided I could ignore it. Mind over matter. I would not let one more thing control me or my life. However, my resolve broke by the time I’d finished dressing.
I rushed to the bathroom and poured myself another capful of mouthwash. I tried letting it sit on my tongue longer to burn away the taste. While swishing, I used the blow dryer, then styled my hair.
The taste didn’t wane, but I found myself less distracted by it, which caused me to panic. I didn’t want to get used to it. I wanted it gone.
I gripped the counter as anger painted my thoughts dark. I should have killed the insignificant creature. At the very least, his persistent invasions should have been stopped. With one word from my lips, he would have ripped off his own wings and eaten them.
The horrid thought brought me back from the sinister place I’d gone.
Blinking at my black-eyed reflection, I took a calming breath.
“You are better than this, Eliana Magdalene Margarete Howland. One annoying brownie will not turn you into the monster of your father’s nightmares,” I muttered to my reflection.
After a few more breaths, my eyes turned back to their normal brown. Grabbing my things, I headed downstairs once more and let thoughts of Ashlyn further distract me from Piepen. The druids had to be at the Academy today. Adira would never allow students to be gone more than a week without a very good reason.
As soon as I found the trio, they could reverse whatever went wrong in their spell and bring Ashlyn back. Then, I could finally focus on Megan’s return and spend my hours daydreaming about how she’d deal with all the insufferable adults meddling in my life.
I strode into the dining room and stopped short at the sight of Adira sitting at the table. She turned her head, disturbing the cascade of hair that fell over her shoulders and down her back. Her ice blue gaze pinned me as she smiled.
“Good morning, Eliana.”
My morning had been far from good, and I highly doubted it would suddenly become pleasant with her visit.
“Good morning,” I answered politely, keeping my thoughts to myself.
“Please, sit.” She gestured to the chair across from her.
“No thank you. I don’t want to be late.”
She considered me for a moment.
“Your mother said you fed from Fenris last night.”
Adira’s strategic pause would have drawn out a stammering explanation from a student less familiar with her ways. I maintained my silence and wished I had been fast enough to stop Mom from talking to her. I had no doubt the ice giant would use this news to make my life hell in some way. Her next words confirmed it.