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When tears pricked at my eyes, I splashed more water on my face to chase them away before they could fall.I’m never going back there. Twelve years, gone. But if I was smart, careful, I could have a more than what they’d robbed me of.

Morewas a dangerous thought. But seeing the new color of my hair, feeling my skin without the weight of dirt and dust, it seemed almost possible.

A rustle in the forest snapped me from my thoughts. Raphael rounded the curve of the lake, coming into view past the border of stalks. I yelped and sank down to my neck, my hands crossed protectively.

“You said two hours!”

“At most. It’s been over an hour, anyway,” he said dismissively.

Had it really? First hell damn me, I’d lost track of time.

“Go away,” I snapped. “I need to dress.”

“But what if there’s a kobold?” His tone was as innocent as a child’s.

A mischievous child. I squeezed my arms tighter, hoping he couldn’t see into the water. “Then it’ll eat me. Now, go!”

He didn’t reply, but he took loud, deliberate stomps, unlike his usual silent steps.

I waited another beat, then exited the water, shivering as the night air surrounded me. The advantage of my clothing being threadbare was at least it didn’t need much time to dry. The fire had only half dried my skirts, but I was so glad to have them clean that I didn’t care. I tucked my few meager possessions back into their hiding spots.

Raphael stepped into view a moment later. He now wore a simple shirt and a cloak, hood down. A matching set was in his hands. Where had he gotten them? Stolen, certainly. From whom? I decided against asking—I didn’t want an answer, and I wasn’t too proud to reject stolen goods, so there was no point in posturing.

He froze several feet from me though. His jaw stiffened. The look he gave me had every nerve in my body screaming to run. Like I was looking at a barely restrained animal.

Like a cornered rat, I froze.

“What?” I asked when the silence stretched uncomfortably long.Maybe he’s not thinking of eating you. Maybe his leg had a cramp.

He shook his head slightly, and the predatory aura around him faded away like smoke. “You smell… different… without the stench of that prison on you.”

You’d be a wonder with fangs.

You smell different.

He was a wizard with compliments.

“Well, I didn’t have any perfumes, so it’llhave to do,” I huffed.

He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “The clothes help mask it still, at least.”

“Mask what?” I asked.

“No matter.” He tossed the second cloak at me. “There’s a village just a few miles away. We’ll rest early tonight and reach there midday tomorrow.”

Chapter Eight

A village shouldn’t havebeen scarier than a vampire.

But Raphael, whatever else he was, was only one person. The town was… so much more. Sounds and scents warred for my attention. The afternoon sun blazed overhead, warming the crown of my head. The cloak Raphael had gotten from who-knows-where was wrapped around my shoulders; Raphael wore a matching one, the hood drawn low to hide his red eyes and shield him from the sunshine.

My attention bounced between the different sights, my steps slow and unsure. When we’d finally broken through the forest onto the main path and the rooftops had comeinto view, I’d frozen in the spot. Raphael had reached for me, to urge me along. That had startled me enough that I kept moving, even though it felt like I’d spilled into another world.

A boy ran towards us, chasing a stray ball.

A child.

Gods, it had been so long since I’d seen one. My mind had convinced me the only other people who existed were men between fifteen and thirty-five, who served time in Greymere. But… here was a boy, with soft brown hair that stretched in every direction, and outstretched, unafraid hands that reached for the ball.