I showered, put on the nicer of the two pairs of jeans I owned, and allowed Tanya to style my hair. I’d never been a fan of my hair—it was brown, long, and thin. Boring. The only thing good about it was that it was easy to take care of.

Tanya did some fancy medieval braided hairstyle for me and brought me over to the mirror to see. Of course, I had no makeup on—humans in the Vale had no access to makeup—but with my hair all clean and done up, it was the prettiest I’d felt since I’d arrived.

It was the first time I felt like a human and not like a slave.

“Thank you.” I turned to Tanya, my eyes filling with tears, and gave her a hug. “Really.”

“Anytime.” She did a final adjustment to my hair, bringing the loose parts over my shoulders. “Now, are you ready to party or what?”

“I’m ready.” I smiled, surprised that it wasn’t a total lie, and followed her out the door.

* * *

I’d never seen the streets in the village so alive. People drank, chatted, and even danced in the main square. A tree had been placed in the center. People had wound what looked like rolled up bed sheets around it, and used common kitchen items as ornaments. Mainly forks, knives, and spoons, but there were a few decorated cups thrown into the mix as well.

It wasn’t much, but at least they’d worked with what we had to create some feeling of festivity.

Tanya and I found the rest of the group from the Tavern, and the moment they saw us, they pulled us into their circle and complimented me on my hair.

“It’s all Tanya’s doing,” I said with a shrug. “I just sat there and let her work her magic.”

“Well, it looks great,” one of the guys—Kyle—said, handing each of us a beer.

I refused and opted for a soda instead.

“By the way, we were just talking about Mike,” Kyle added after I’d taken my first sip.

“What about him?” I asked, instantly going on guard. Because while I didn’t want anyone to know, I was worried about Mike. Camelia had said the job he needed to do would only take a few days.

It had been over two weeks, and there was still no word from him.

She would have let me know if something had happened to him… right?

“Shouldn’t he be back by now?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, since Camelia had never told me the exact day he would be returned. “I guess his job in the palace is taking longer than they anticipated.”

“I wish I’d been chosen for a job in the palace,” Tanya said dreamily, gazing up at the majestic building on the mountain. “I wonder if he’ll be allowed to tell us what it’s like there?”

“Even if he isn’t, we need to force him to tell us,” one of the other girls—Valerie—chimed in.

I nodded in agreement, although I couldn’t push the worry away.

Hopefully Mike would be back soon.

“What do you all know about Camelia?” I asked, wanting to change the subject. “The witch who works for Queen Laila.”

“Nothing,” Kyle said. “Except that she upholds the boundary around the Vale.”

“And that she’s the reason why the temperatures here are bearable,” Valerie added. “We would probably all freeze to death if it wasn’t for her magic.”

“Anything else?” I asked. “Do you think she’s honest?”

As in—would she lie about what she truly needed Mike to do? Because what if she didn’t need him for a job in the palace at all? What if she took him for something else?

What if he was never coming back?

“I don’t know.” Kyle shrugged. “It’s not like she’s ever talked to any of us.”

“Yeah.” Valerie finished off her beer and started a new one. “Not even those of us who grew up here!”

I sighed and gazed up at the mountain. The palace was so close, yet so far away.

What were the vampires doing in there right now? I imagined their Christmas celebration was incredible and decadent.

“Don’t look so glum,” Tanya said to me. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Thanks.” I forced a smile, although I could tell she knew that it wasn’t real.

“I love this song!” She grabbed my hand, pulling me to the center of the square. “Come on—let’s dance!”

I allowed her to drag me away, because I didn’t feel like standing there and discussing Mike for any longer. The others followed, and soon enough we were all dancing in the square, singing along and cheering each other on. It reminded me of what my life had been like before.

And while I knew it wouldn’t last for long, I was determined to enjoy it.