In another year, if I looked in mirrors with any regularity I would see more of this appearance than my human one from both my two decades combined.
If I live another year…The odds were increasingly slim. With the distance from the grimoire, I was less prone to those angry fits and surges of power, but I’d still be in close quarters with Raphael for the next two weeks. Even if the fledgling bond faded after our deal was completed and I fled, I’d be one woman—one witch—against three vampire kingdoms.
I turned my attention to the trunks, unpacking and hanging gowns in the wardrobes that lined the room so they could lose the creases.
I constantly felt off-kilter. I’d had no time to think about how I could use this trip to my advantage. I didn’t have Thea to practice my magic with, not that I’d had any luck. I hadn’t been able to take the grimoire with me. It was unlikely thatanything would stir my supposed power, not if traveling for days surrounded by vampires had done nothing to rouse it.
But what was I even supposed to do with that death-blessed power? The more time I spent with the vampires, the less certain I became in the cause. There were injustices. I knew that. They used donors… but now I’d felt the thirst and was beginning to understand why. They were killers… but not all of them. They were evil, using others for their own gain… but several were noble. Demos, even if he held a grudge. Larissa, and the others. They took away people’s humanity, turning them… but if anything, the humans in Damerel begged for it. And Raphael granted that “gift” sparingly.
I knew it was a vampire that had ripped my mother to shreds.
But it had been the king who’d set the starving vampire on her. The king who had kept a starving vampire in his dungeons as a tool of justice in the first place.
By the gods, what was I supposed todo?
The necromancer must balance the scales. Must bring the vampires to their knees.
The thought came quick and vicious. I rubbed a palm against my temple. The grimoire’s influence still held. This time, it was hard to dismiss.
“Headache?”
I jolted. I hadn’t heard the door open, since, well… “You couldn’t close the door?”
Raphael had padded into the bedroom behind me. I must’ve been too lost in thought to notice. A towel was wrapped around his hips. It didn’t seem nearly so large on him.
“Or dress?” I added, my eyes swinging up from the towel past his bare chest.
There were droplets of water curling around his forehead, his hair brushed back and already falling forward.
“Thought I’d make sure you hadn’t gotten into any trouble.”
“I can’t imagine what danger I’m in from soft cotton and emptied trunks.”
Since Raphael wasn’t making any move to give me distance or put on some actual clothing, I moved to the window that overlooked the bed. It didn’t quite face the ocean, but I still tasted salt in an exhilarating way when I inhaled. The sky had begun to lighten, weariness twisting around my bones. I untied the cords, letting the curtains fall to block any potential rays.
When I turned around again, Raphael had pulled on a light linen shirt with short sleeves and soft gray trousers that hung as low as the towel had on his hips. He used a smaller towel between his hands to ruffle it through his hair, biceps flexing from the motion.
He caught me staring, so I refocused on the bed. No matter how hard I willed it, it didn’t get any farther from the ground.
“We haven’t trained since we’ve been on the road,” Raphael said abruptly.
“Horseback riding doesn’t count?” My thighs ached like it should.
“You agreed to learn to harness your new abilities. We’ll resume tomorrow.”
I snorted. “I can’t imagine any laws of propriety allowing you to spar with your fledgling where anyone can see.”
Raphael was close now, his hand on the mattress, mirroring me. “I never much cared for laws of propriety.”
The vision of the towel around his hips came quickly. That was for certain. I supposed we could always go out of the city into some secluded spot, but I’d hoped Raphael would be too busy for that. Busy enough I could begin to snoop and find out why he’d truly decided to come to Limanos.
“Tomorrow, then.” I was more focused on the bed. With its solid base, there was no way to slip under it. Of course, I didn’thaveto go under the bed. I scanned the room. The wardrobes weren’t huge, but if I curled my knees, there was enough space…
“Get in the bed, Samara,” Raphael said, voice soft. “It’s okay.”
I stiffened. It wasn’t even about sharing the bed with Raphael, but… sleeping. Vulnerable. It had been bad enough in the carriage each night on the way here.
“I’ll stay awake,” he said.
