“I had this made for you.”
I blinked. “For me?”
“It’s a disguise device.” He held it out carefully. “Most of ours are more advanced, but this one was rushed. Cloaking and facial alteration only.”
I took it slowly, turning it over in my hands.
“This is actually genius,” I admitted out loud. Relief loosened something in my shoulders as I looked at it.
“I was starting to get nervous about going out looking like…” I gestured vaguely to myself. “This.”Especially since I still can’t remember who shot me.
Rack’s fingers curled tighter around the watch before letting go. His eyes drifted toward the windshield, expression sharpening.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “Until we resolve that issue, hiding your appearance feels safer.”
The tension in his voice made me cover his hand instinctively. The second my skin touched his, his fingers loosened, and air magic lifted the watch from my palm.
I jerked slightly as it moved around my wrist in smooth spirals before locking itself into place.
“I thought your magic couldn’t touch me?”
Rack smirked then, smaller and more genuine.
“It can’t.” The watch rotated once around my wrist. “I’m affecting the object. Not you.”
Something about the way he said it made warmth creep into my cheeks. Like he enjoyed finding loopholes.
“How do I use it?” I asked before I made a fool of myself for blushing too much. His grin widened just enough for me to notice.
He leaned closer, pointing toward a small button along the edge.
“Press there.”
The second I did, something cool washed over my skin, the soft, prickly sensation rippling before it settled on my skin.
I flipped the visor mirror down and found a stranger staring back at me.
Bright green eyes. Chestnut hair. Softer nose. Rounder face.
I touched my cheek carefully, but nothing distorted beneath my fingertips. All of it felt real.
“Holy shit.”
Rack laughed quietly beside me. “Most supes hate using disguise magic,” he said. “Too prideful.”
I couldn't help but think that tracked. Supes were naturally gorgeous, so why should they ever cover it up?
“Then why do you use it?”
His gaze slid toward me knowingly.
“Sometimes being left alone is worth more than pride.”
That hit harder than I expected, because honestly? Even after becoming a vampire, I still wanted the same thing I’d wanted as a human. Peace. Space. The ability to exist without being hunted, watched, threatened, or used.
Maybe that had less to do with species and more to do with me?
“Come on,” Rack said, flicking his fingers lightly. My door immediately popped open. “We can’t have you stealing our clothes forever.”
