“They did,” she sang out on a laugh as she stepped under the shower and pulled the stall door closed again.
“What was that?” Dante called.
“Never mind. You’ll see,” Mary responded as she picked up the body wash and began to lather some in her hands.
Mary had quite forgotten how time consuming and just plain annoying shaving your legs could be. But she simply wasn’t going back out there to the bedroom in just the T-shirt, her legs bare and imitating Bigfoot, so she took her time, performing the chore in a leisurely manner to ensure she didn’t cut herself all over the place. Going out there with bleeding legs or bits of toilet paper stuck to the cuts would not be attractive either, she was sure.
When she finally finished with her legs and under her arms, Mary stood under the water for a minute to rinse away the last of the body wash, then turned off the taps and grabbed the towel she’d slung over the door. She dried her hair and then her body, tossed the towel aside to reach for the T-shirt, then paused and grimaced. She didn’t really want to put her nice, newly clean body back in the shirt she’d worn while so slimy. There must be some residue on it and just the idea of pulling it on made her grimace.
Sighing, Mary picked up her towel again and wrapped it around herself sarong style, then used Dante’s brush to brush out her hair. He didn’t have makeup, of course, but she didn’t really need it. Her skin was flawless, her lips a healthy rose pink. She actually looked good without it, and Mary didn’t think she’d ever thought that about herself. Even when she had been young the first time.
Shrugging, she smiled at her reflection, then turned and opened the bathroom door.
Dante was seated at a small table beside the bed, a half-eaten feast on the table before him. He got quickly to his feet when she entered, though.
“I didn’t want to put the dirty T-shirt back on after showering, but I have no clothes,” Mary announced as she entered the bedroom.
“They are hanging in the closet,” Dante said. “Russell had the hotel launder them. You can put them on later. Sit now. Eat.”
Mary glanced toward the closet, but then made a beeline for the table. Now that food was on offer, she was suddenly aware that she was very hungry. Pausing beside the table, she admitted, “I’m starving.”
“I am not surprised,” Dante said, his voice a little husky. “You have not eaten in four days.”
“Really? All it took was four days for me to turn?” she asked with surprise. She would have expected longer for a transformation like this.
“You are still turning,” he assured her solemnly. “You are just through the worst of it. The rest will complete over the next weeks or months.”
“Oh,” she murmured, turning her gaze back to the food.
“As for how long a turn takes, it varies. For some it is faster, for some longer. Your injuries probably contributed to the length as well.”
“Right,” she murmured, wondering what her injuries had been. From what he’d said, they’d been life threatening, but had it been head trauma, or had she been pinned? Crushed? Skewered by a piece of metal?
Maybe she didn’t want to know, Mary decided, and admitted, “I don’t remember much. I know they drove us off the highway, and then it was like the RV exploded.”
“The RV did explode,” he said, but quickly added, “after I got you out.”
“Oh.” She sighed her relief and grimaced. “I don’t remember that. I just remember everything flying at me and—” She whirled and glanced around the room with alarm. “Where is Bailey?”
“She is fine,” Dante said quickly, taking her arm and urging her into the chair across from the one he’d been seated in. “She broke a leg in the accident, but—”
“What?” Mary cried, jumping to her feet again.
“She is going to be okay,” he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder to push her back down onto her chair. “She is at the veterinary hospital.”
“And they’ve kept her four days?” Mary asked with alarm, popping to her feet once more. Vets did not keep dogs that long unless it was terribly serious. Hell, she’d had dogs that were operated on and sent home the same day.
“Russell . . . convinced them to keep her for a few days because we thought it best she not be here while you were going through the turn,” Dante explained soothingly.
Mary didn’t need to ask to know he was talking about mind control when he said convinced.
Dante added, “It was for the best. We had enough on our plates looking after you and trying to keep anyone from calling the police to report a murder. We couldn’t watch Bailey too.”