Callan stood so that I could pass. I walked to the back of the carriage where the restroom was located. No wait. Perfect. I slipped inside and locked the door.
I emptied my bladder and washed my hands. One glance in the mirror told me it was time to relieve myself in more ways than one. My skin glowed with a faint silver light. Magic had a way of spilling out of me unless I used it in small doses to relieve the pressure. Too much magic and I risked being overwhelmed by it. Too little magic and the silver glow would give me away. I’d mastered the art of Goldilocks magic, thanks to my mother’s training.
I turned on the tap and focused on the water. I tugged at the water molecules with my mind until they started rotating in the same direction. It took a certain level of concentration to keep the waterspout contained to the basin. I watched in admiration as the liquid funnel continued to spin.
A knock on the door interrupted me and the tiny waterspout fell apart and splashed across the sink.
“Hurry up in there. Some of us don’t have bladders made of iron,” a voice yelled.
I quickly checked my reflection and was relieved to see the silver light had faded. Back to pale beige.
I unlocked the door and smiled at the elderly woman. “Sorry about that.”
When I returned to my seat, Callan gave me an appraising look. “Were they offering deep tissue massage in there? You look like you had a nap.”
“I guess I really had to go. I feel much better now.”
I settled against the seat and closed my eyes. If I was going to have the stress of a vampire companion on this journey, I was going to need all the rest I could get.
I awoke to the announcement of our arrival at the station.
“Welcome to Exeter, Sleeping Beauty,” Callan said. “You really should do something about that snore.”
“I don’t snore.”
The man with the book leaned across the aisle. “It was very quiet, like a soft motor.”
My cheeks grew warm. No need to worry about silver now. My bright pink face would cover it.
I retrieved my bag from the overhead shelf and we disembarked along with the other passengers. Once again, we had to show our passes to officers on the Devon side. The vampire on duty studied the passes for a beat longer than the one in Paddington, but handed them back to Callan without incident.
We left the station and I scanned the area for another mode of transport to reach Albemarle. A horse would be cheap but slow. A cab would be expensive and had the added disadvantage of a stranger behind the wheel who might take too much of an interest in us. There was a sign for car rentals, but growing up in the city, I never learned to drive.
“We should part ways now and plan to meet back here tomorrow for the return journey.”
Callan laughed. “What makes you think I’d be willing to leave your side?”
“We both made it to Devon. You know my destination to report to your brother.” I splayed my hands. “Seems like enough.”
“When I said I’d join you, I meant it. You’re in House Peyton territory now. You have no idea what to expect here.”
“I’m a big girl. I’ll figure out.”
Callan blew out a frustrated breath. “I won’t report the details to my brother. Whatever information you’re gathering, I won’t tell him.”
“Then why stalk me at all?”
“To placate him. Maeron can be rather difficult when he doesn’t get his way. Knowing him, he sent a backup spy to report on my actions.” Callan pinned me with those emerald eyes and I felt my resolve weaken.
“If Romeo finds out, he’ll make certain I never work in the city again.”
“You saved my sister. I owe you my cooperation.”
I stared at him for a moment, debating. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have extra muscle with me in an unknown place. “Fine. I’ll give you the background on the way there.”
“This way.” Callan began to walk with purpose toward the counter for car rentals.
“No. I can’t drive.”
“Then I suppose that’s where I come in handy. Wait here.”
He returned five minutes later with a set of keys and a satisfied expression.
“You seem pretty proud of yourself.”
“You’d be amazed at what I can do.”
We stared at each other for a beat too long.
He cleared his throat. “The car is parked over here.”
It turned out to be a dilapidated, rusty jeep that looked ready for the scrap heap. I burst into laughter.
“That might get us a mile down the road.”
He unlocked the doors. “It’s more capable than it looks.”
“Oh, then you two have something in common.”
“We do. It’s green like my eyes.”
I frowned at the jeep. “It’s black.”
He barked a short laugh. “You’re color-blind. It’s very clearly green.”
In a haze of gray, it was hard to discern the difference. I dug out my phone and used the flashlight feature.
“See? Black.”
He slid behind the wheel. “It doesn’t matter what color it is as long as it runs.”
Suppressing a smile, I climbed into the passenger seat.
He started the engine and the lights came on automatically, a standard feature in a world of perpetual darkness. I tossed my bag on the backseat and snapped in the seatbelt.
“Don’t you need directions?” I asked.
“I’ll figure it out.”
I groaned. Typical male. “I can tell you which way to go. I came prepared, you know.”
He glanced at me. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to get on that train, so I wouldn’t gloat about your preparation skills.”
We joined the road and headed south. According to the information I had, Albemarle was located on the edge of Dartmoor near a town called Ashburton.
“It’s only about twenty-one miles,” I said.
Of course, that was assuming we could take the A38, which was closed due to an accident outside Kennford, forcing us to switch to the A380. It was less direct, but it only added about fourteen miles to the trip—which would’ve been fine if the jeep didn’t look ready to fall apart en route.
We made it as far as Heathfield when the engine began to smoke. Callan pulled off the road to investigate.
“It’s overheating. We need water.”
I glanced in the backseat to see a container. “That’s probably what this is for.” I lifted the container to find it empty. Terrific. “We passed a sign for a pond about half a mile back. It won’t take long to go on foot.”
“You have water magic. Can’t you create enough water?”
“My magic doesn’t work that way. I can manipulate what’s there. I can’t create it from nothing.”
Callan bristled. “I’ll thank my brother for this humbling experience later.”
“You can stay with the jeep, Your Highness. I’m more than happy to retrieve the water on my own as your humble servant.” I made a show of bowing my head.
He snarled. “And I’m sure you’ll just happen to find your way to Albemarle without me. I don’t think so.”
“Fine. Do what you want.” I retrieved my bag from the backseat. No point in tempting fate.
“I always do.”
About two miles later, we arrived at a body of water.
“Looks more like a lake than a pond,” I said.
He swiped the container from my hand. “Does it matter? Let’s get on with it.”