Once that was done, I climbed out and assessed the damage. The tub also featured several shower heads which were set into the walls at various angles, hence the curtain that cordoned the area off from the rest of the bathroom.
The shower curtain was a rich burgundy flecked with gold - and now blood. But unless you peered closely at it, you wouldn't realize the spatter wasn't part of the intended pattern.
Some of Jake's blood had also sprayed onto the marble tile in front of the tub. I grabbed a burgundy washcloth, wet it, and used it to mop up all the stray flecks and specks. I also cleaned off my knife and tucked it back up the sleeve of my dress. The smell of warm copper filled my nose, but I blocked it out - along with the murmur of the marble under my feet. Instead of the dark tone I'd expected, the stone practically sang with giddiness - as though having fresh blood spilled on it made it happy.
The noise made my stomach twist.
I worked quickly, quietly. It had taken me less than two minutes to kill Jake McAllister. Nobody should have missed him yet, but I wasn't taking any chances by moving slowly. Once I had the blood wiped up from the floor in front of the tub, I drew the curtain, hiding it and McAllister's body from sight.
In addition to the tub, the bathroom featured two toilets made out of what looked like real gold. They lay opposite two sinks done in a burgundy marble with streaks of white swirled through it. A gilt-edged mirror flanked the wall above the counter. I stared at myself in the glass, assessing the damage Jake McAllister had done to me with his dying struggles. The bastard's coughing had spattered blood all over my chest. I used the wet washcloth to mop up the blood on my exposed skin, then wrung it out, wet it again, and scrubbed the remaining blood out of my wig. It was harder getting the gobs of blood out of the fake blond tresses, but I managed well enough.
Once that was done, I went to work on my dress. I used some liquid soap from a bottle on the counter and rubbed it into the biggest blood splotches. Since the fabric was black, you couldn't tell what the stain was, just that I'd gotten something on me. But I managed to get most of the blood out.
My eyes swept over the bathroom again, but there was no visible sign anything out of the ordinary had happened in here tonight. I carefully folded the burgundy washcloth and laid it back in its original spot next to the bathtub.
While I waited for the damp spots on my dress to dry, I rummaged in my purse and pulled out a pressed powder compact I'd brought, along with some lipstick. I'd gotten sweaty during my struggle with Jake McAllister, and I touched up my makeup into its heavy mask once more.
I'd just popped open the lipstick to finish fixing my face when the door to the bathroom opened - and Mab Monroe stepped inside.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
For a moment, we just stared at each other, her black eyes on my faux blue ones. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what the Fire elemental could be doing here - and how I could get away from her.
But since Mab Monroe didn't immediately scream for her giant guards or worse, reach for her Fire elemental magic, I assumed she hadn't heard me kill Jake McAllister - or clean up the mess. Only one way to find out.
Somehow, I plastered a smile on my face. "Oh, hello there," I said in a cheery tone. "How are you?"
Mab frowned. "This is one of my private bathrooms. You're not supposed to be in here. "
The Fire elemental's voice was soft, breathy, with just a hint of a rasp, like silk rubbing together. But there was far more power and menace in her light tone than in any else's voice I'd ever heard. At the sound, I felt that strange, primal sensation surge through me again. Enemy, that little voice muttered in the back of my head. Enemy, enemy, enemy.
But I tuned out the voice, widened my eyes, and put on my best oh-no-I-just-totally-fucked-up face. Then I gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sugar. I just didn't know. Nobody told me, you see, and this is my very first time here at one of your parties. "
Mab stared at me, her eyes dark and thoughtful. Her gaze went to the fuchsia lipstick in my hand, then moved down my body. Her eyes lingered on the damp spots on the front of my dress. "What are you doing in here?"
"Oh, just freshening up a bit. Lot of competition out there tonight. Girl's got to look her best at one of these things. "
The Fire elemental stepped farther into the bathroom.
I gave her another smile, leaned forward, and reapplied my lipstick. Mab just stood there, staring at me in the mirror. She might be able to intimidate everyone else in Ashland with her hard stare, but not me. But that didn't mean I was going to do something stupid, like insult the Fire elemental to her face in her own bathroom - with Jake McAllister's cooling body lying ten feet to my right.
Antagonizing Jonah McAllister in my own restaurant was one thing. So was killing his son after he threatened to rape and murder me. But Mab - Mab was different. If only for the simple fact that I didn't know which one of us would come out on top in a fight. But one of us would die, and I didn't want it to be me. I had promises to keep to the Foxes, promises I wouldn't be able to fulfill if I got into a battle with Mab.
So I kept my eyes on my own face and not hers. But in my peripheral vision, I could see the magic glimmering in her eyes. Unlike Jake McAllister, Mab's eyes didn't turn red when she reached for her Fire magic. If anything, they got darker, blacker, until they seemed to suck the light out of the room. Mab was also one of those elementals who leaked power. Well, more like radiated in her case. I could feel her Fire magic pouring off her. It pricked at my skin like a thousand hot, tiny needles.
"What's that on your dress?" Mab asked. "Those spots?"
I capped my lipstick and slid it back into my purse.
My fingers brushed the hilt of my silverstone knife, but I didn't reach for it. Killing a punk like Jake McAllister was one thing. He was reckless, stupid, sloppy. But Mab Monroe was the most dangerous woman in Ashland. I had no doubt she could fry me alive with her magic before I even got the weapon out of my purse.
So I closed the tiny bag, turned to face her, and widened my smile. "Well, you see, that's why I came in here in the first place. The gentleman I was with got a little too. . . excited about things. A real early bird, if you know what I mean. "
I let out a laugh. Mab didn't join in.
"Anyway, I came in here to mop up some of the damage, before I made the rounds to see if any other gentlemen were interested in my services this evening. "
Mab's black eyes never left mine. "And who might this gentleman be? This. . . early bird?"