Page 24

Disguise cards were fairly popular in Eurobis. Mother had kept a thick deck made entirely of disguise cards. She, like most, used the magic for perfecting her face, removing blemishes, adjusting her lips to just the right amount of plumpness or thinness, depending on what was the current style.

Remember, my little princess. It doesn’t matter what you are, only what othersthinkyou are.

Certain witches could see through disguises, and others could cast magic to dispel the enchantments, but out here it was unlikely we’d find anyone like that.

“You’ll have to be the one to cast it, of course,” he cajoled when I took too long, staring at the deck.

Right. Another reason to keep me around. Though voids had no magic of their own, they could unlock the magic stored in cards. Vampires, on the other hand, couldn’t do even that. As if their very existences were incapable of channeling magic.

Greymere blocked all mystical abilities, which meant it had been ages since I’d felt the tingle of magic at my fingertips. I twisted in my seat and lifted the card between us.

There wasn’t much to using the cards—all it took was a shred of will to power them up. The writing on the card faded into nothing, the enchanted paper turning white as magic bristled in the air between us. My heart filled at the sensation. I loved the electric sensation of casting magic. I hadn’t felt it in ages, but it was as familiar as the last time I’d used it. It twisted around Raphael, who shut his eyes as the spell activated. His hair darkened from white all the way to a gleaming black. His eyes snapped open as the magic finally settled, the tingle on my arms fading away.

Blueeyes.

“I take it by your expression the card failed.”

“No, it worked.” But such a weak card… it should’ve gone for the easiest route, darkening his eyes a shade to a less suspicious brown, shifting the white of his hair to bright blond. Not… this. Maybe vampires made magic work differently. Another puzzle I wouldn’t get to work out. “Let’s go.”

Raphael signaled Alphonse with a tap of his heels forward.

The inn had a friendly look about it, despite the rain. Any shelter would’ve looked marvelous in the downpour. The brick exterior was old but well maintained, a nice path leading to the front.

The entire space was charming. The scent of herbs and meat drifted in from the left, where there was a dining area similar to the tavern we’d been in earlier. To the right was a staircase, no doubt leading to the rooms upstairs.

But the biggest surprise was the boy who stood behind the desk.Thomas.

“Samantha! What a surprise.”

Chapter Eleven

“Thomas,” I exclaimed.

The boy from the card shop grinned, a dimple appearing on one side of his mouth. “Tom, remember?”

“How wonderful you two know each other’snames,” Raphael drawled.

I shifted on my feet, unsure why I felt so uncomfortable. Thomas’s gaze drifted from me to the vampire who stood at my side, smile collapsing slightly. He didn’t run away screaming; the disguise card worked fine. But he certainly wasn’t relaxed as Raphael stared him down.

“This is, um, my brother Mark,” I said quickly. “We got caught in the rain and were hoping we could spend the night here.”

The dimple returned in force. “You’re in the right place! The Royal Badger is always happy to give lovely, weary travelers a place to rest. Why don’t I get you a hot meal first?”

“I’ll go tend to Alphonse. Don’t wait for me.” Raphael disappeared back out into the rain, leaving me with Thomas, who relaxed immediately at his departure.

Thomas maneuvered out from the behind desk and gave me a wide grin. “Why don’t I take your cloak so it can dry?” He looked from my face to lower, eyeing my soaked clothes.

That did sound nice. Until I glanced down and flushed, immediately crossing my arms over my cloak, pulling it tight. The water had truly soaked me; my blouse was transparent as it clung to me, leaving me utterly exposed save for my chest wrappings. “I’ll just sit close to the fire.”

Thomas at least had the manners to look ashamed of having been caught ogling. Part of me wanted to retreat immediately up to whatever room we could get and order supper there. But… well, I’d been on display, and he’d looked. That was just what boys did. Right? It didn’t matter that I didn’t like it. He hadn’t actually harmed me in any way.

“I’ll get you a dry blanket, of course, so you can wrap it around yourself.”

“Oh. That’d be great.”

He went to the back and came back with a bundle of fabric. I accepted with a twinge of guilt for my earlierthoughts about him, and shrugged off my cloak, facing away while I slipped the dry blanket over my shoulders. Thomas told someone to bring the cloak up to what would be our room and led me over to the dining hall. He sat us at the bar top. I didn’t like having my back to the room, but I wasn’t sure what to say. With Raphael, it was almost easier to push back. With Nelson and the guards of Greymere, I’d known my place not to say anything. But with a random boy… was it wrong to assert what I wanted? He’d think me paranoid, and I had no desire to draw attention.

Thomas was oblivious to my turmoil over our seats and instead cheerfully spoke. “You’ve gotta try Cook’s lamb. It’s the best thing ever.”