Mistletoe (Monsters of the Nexus Book 3) by Nancey Cummings

Author:Nancey Cummings [Cummings, Nancey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

Hal

“Yes. Give me a moment,” Emma said.

Hal heard the scrape of the chair against the floor and felt the loss of her presence as she left the room.

He climbed out of the tub, dried off with the towel, and pulled on the too-short provided trousers. Not to sound ungrateful. They were clean, and society generally discouraged one from going about without pants.

The kitchen was warm and smelled of fresh bread, apples, and the bar soap from the bath. It was cozy and comfortable. For the first time in ages—years, decades, a literal century—he relaxed.

He sat down in front of the fireplace, content to soak up the heat. His belly was full. His skin did not itch or pull. His mind felt mostly like himself.

Emma sat down on the floor next to him and laid a handheld mirror on his chest.

The silver handle tingled in his grip as he angled the glass to catch the firelight.

A thick scar crossed his face from ear to ear and over the bridge of his nose, but that was not what seized his attention. His face was not his own.

He was green. He knew that. It should not have shocked him, but it hadn’t been real. Abstract. This stranger’s face was very real.

His features were heavier, like someone smooshed the clay of his being, trying to sculpt his face from a poor description. His hair was too dark and too coarse, but he already knew that. His brows were thick, adding menace to his face without trying.

His hands trembled, dropping the mirror into his lap. Emma snatched it back before it could fall to the floor.

She sat patiently, not judging his reaction or offering empty flattery.

He didn’t know how to explain. His memory belonged to a version of himself that no longer existed. Now, his face was gone, too. He was gone. There was only a monster left.

“I don’t understand how you can look at me,” he managed to say. She should sob in fear and turn away in disgust, not sit patiently at his side. “I’m hideous.”

Emma held the mirror up, angling it to catch his eyes. Dark and sunken, they were the worst part. They were sharp, remote, and cold.

They were his brother’s eyes.

“You’re not so bad,” she said.

He brushed his fingers over the glass. “I’ve never seen my reflection before.”

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