Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi

feeling the anger and embarrassment drain out of me. What was I fighting for? If
I was honest with myself, the prospect of what Genya was offering was
tempting. “Fine,” I said. “Do it.”
“Thank you!” exclaimed Genya, clapping her hands together. I looked at her
sharply, but there was no sarcasm in her voice or expression. She’s relieved, I
realised. The Darkling had set Genya a task, and I wondered what might have
happened to her if I’d refused. I let her lead me back to the chair.
“Just don’t get carried away,” I said.
“Don’t worry,” said the redhead. “You’ll still look like yourself, just as if
you’ve had more than a few hours of sleep. I’m very good.”
“I can see that,” I said. I closed my eyes.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You can watch.” She handed me the gold mirror. “But
no more talk. And stay still.”
I held up the mirror and watched as Genya’s cool fingertips descended slowly
over my forehead. My skin prickled, and I watched with growing amazement as
Genya’s hands travelled across my face. Every blemish, every scrape, every flaw
seemed to disappear beneath her fingers. She placed her thumbs under my eyes.
“Oh!” I exclaimed in surprise as the dark circles that had plagued me since
childhood disappeared.
“Don’t get too excited,” Genya said. “It’s temporary.” She reached for one of
the roses on the table and plucked a pale pink petal. She held it up to my cheek,
and the colour bled from the petal onto my skin, leaving what looked like a
pretty flush. Then she held a fresh petal to my lips and repeated the process. “It
only lasts for a few days,” she informed me. “Now the hair.”
She plucked a long comb made of bone from her trunk along with a glass jar
full of something shiny.
Stunned, I asked, “Is that real gold?”
“Of course,” Genya said, lifting a chunk of my dull brown hair. She shook
some of the gold leaf onto the crown of my head and, as she pulled the comb
through my hair, the gold seemed to dissolve into shimmering strands. As Genya
finished with each section, she wound it around her fingers, letting the hair fall
in waves.
Finally she stepped back, wearing a smug smile. “Better, no?”
I examined myself in the mirror. My hair shone. My cheeks held a rosy flush.
I still wasn’t pretty, but I couldn’t deny the improvement. I wondered what Mal
would think if he saw me, then shoved the thought away. “Better,” I agreed
grudgingly.
Genya gave a plaintive sigh. “It’s really the best I can do for now.”
“Thanks,” I said tartly, but then Genya winked at me and smiled.