Chapter 189: Modern Magic
Blaise looked just as befuddled as I felt.
"I have no idea, only Damon would know," he said in a low voice, mindful of any possible ears that could still be listening in on our conversation.
He held my hand, and I knew where we were about to go― to Damon’s room, where Dahlia would finally, for once, not be present. I let Blaise lead the way, my mind too confused with the implications of my missing mating mark to pay attention to things like directions.
Did Damon somehow remove my mark? Was such a thing even possible? I still felt his emotions, so surely it couldn’t be anything more than a cosmetic change. But then, our bond has been weakening since we hadn’t renewed it in a long while.
Could marks fade if there was no renewal between both parties? Was it possible for the bond to die, the same way that a seed left to fend for itself amongst the unfavorable elements would inadvertently fail to sprout and bear fruit?
I wanted to know, yet I was also afraid to find out. I had only recently discovered the existence of fae magic― it wouldn’t surprise me if it could indeed break a bond of fated mates.
Did Damon want me gone from his life for my own safety?
It also didn’t escape my notice that Blaise was jealous over the new mark Damon left behind. I bit my lip as I glanced at his side profile; how was I supposed to make it up to him?
In no time at all, we entered Damon’s room. Damon was lying on his bed, his upper body exposed after Dahlia had heartlessly ripped his shirt apart. The tattered remains of his clothes were littered all over the floor, but Damon paid them no mind. He was seemingly relaxed for once.
He cracked one eye open when he saw us enter and let out a hum of approval, his face lighter than I had ever seen him. Yet, all I could focus on was the lack of a mating mark on his shoulder.
Blaise closed the door and locked it before mouthing the words, ’Coast is clear?’
Damon nodded. He must have checked his room for hidden recording devices before we arrived.
"Fucking hell, she’s gone for now. Finally, I have some peace and quiet. I hope she continues to sob through the night."
"That’ll not be peaceful or quiet in the least and you know it," Blaise complained as he took a seat on the bed, with me next to him. He asked the question that was burning at the tip of my tongue, "So, where’s your mark? Don’t tell me you peeled off your skin?"
"I wouldn’t do something so ridiculous. Why would I mutilate myself for someone like Dahlia?" Damon scoffed.
However, I was still in disbelief, my eyes on his broad, unmarked shoulders. He caught my eye and found the need to explain further.
"Harper, it’s still there, it’s just hidden. I wouldn’t destroy the mark you gave me."
Damon rolled himself up and pressed his fingers against the spot where my mark should be, rubbing at it quickly. To my utter shock, my mark was slowly revealing itself, while a cream color residue ended up on Damon’s fingers.
Oh my god. I had expected fae magic shenanigans. I had not expected the marvelous magic of modern makeup.
"You... you’re using concealer?" I gawked, pointing at the revealed mating mark in shock. "Where did you even get this?"
Meanwhile, Blaise let out a low wolf whistle at his brother’s ingenuity, raising a thumb to congratulate him. "Damon, you’ve really surprised me. I thought you wouldn’t even pay attention to such things at all! It was lucky Dahlia didn’t touch you."
Damon smirked. "After this mess, she won’t dare to take such liberties with me again. Thankfully, she has better taste in makeup than she has in wedding dresses. This tiny bottle didn’t smudge on my clothes, once it dried."
"You stole her concealer?" My mouth fell open at Damon’s audacity. "Wait, how did you actually steal it?"
"She had so many of these tiny bottles lining around on her vanity table that she wouldn’t miss me borrowing one," Damon shrugged casually, getting up to grab it. Apparently, he had stored it in the underwear drawer, beneath his boxers.
"Let me put it back on first, just in case," Damon said, and he began to reapply it with expert precision.
"Brother, you really have a talent for this," Blaise snickered. "Do you want to consider doing makeup as a sideline? Fangborne’s she-wolves would love having their faces made up by you."
"Oh, fuck off!" Damon kicked Blaise’s heel, but there was no heat in it. "The first thing I would do would be to dump this to conceal your whole face. It’s ugly."
"We have the same face, you dumbass," Blaise let out a bark of laughter. "You might as well pour this on yourself."
Meanwhile, as the brothers bantered between themselves, I couldn’t help the jealousy rising within me as I contemplated Damon’s words.
Damon admitted that he had seen her vanity table, and a vanity table would, of course, be in Dahlia’s private room. Someone as proud as Dahlia wouldn’t have wanted Damon to see her bare face, nor would she let simply anyone else find her stash of makeup.
Which meant that Damon entered her private rooms, most likely by her invitation. How long did he stay there for? How often was he invited?
I knew that such feelings were irrational in light of our circumstances, but I couldn’t help it. I gritted my teeth as my eyes darted over to the drawers.
Damon had unearthed her concealer from a pile of underwear. There were a lot more pairs of underwear that I remember Damon packing for this trip since we were only planning to stay for a short while.
Did Dahlia buy more underwear for him?
How dare she! She had no right!
