Page 58 of Midwinter Night's Prince

He didn't bother to add that he was coming either way.

Blair found herself growing self-conscious as they approached her room on the top floor. She wasn't the tidiest girl out there, and if she remembered well, her walls were currently bubblegum pink and blue. She'd changed them as often as she changed her hair.

"Do you have your keys?" Jack wondered at the door.

She shrugged. "I never locked my door here. I mean, there's a klepto fox, but he always gives back what he takes—and he tends to leave girls' rooms alone, anyway."

Seth frowned as she turned the knob.

She was surprised and relieved to see the room had been aired and tidied up—gone were the couple of dirty mugs of coffee she knew she’d left on her desk, and the clothes on her small sofa were neatly folded.

Her walls were still pink and blue, but it could have been far worse.

Her friends must have asked Night Hill's caretaker to clean up for her. She was glad not to be greeted by dust and cobwebs.

"I won't be long. Make yourself at home."

"I will." Walking past the two-seater, Seth headed to her bed and flopped down on top of her covers.

"Hey! Shoes off."

He rolled his eyes, but obeyed nonetheless.

Blair closed her eyes and lifted her hands. When she opened them again, the walls were blue, with golden filigree running through like twisted vines.

She'd gotten the hang of this specific spell a few years ago, and she'd used it almost every month since, so it came naturally. Usually, it used up some of her strength. Wasteful to use it on decor when they had a confrontation with Aveka in the morning, but she knew she'd regain her energy overnight. To her surprise though, she felt no fatigue.

"Nice. Can you do sofas?" Seth asked. "Cat picked far too much beige for my liking."

"I knew you hadn't decorated that house!" She laughed. "It's far too tasteful."

Seth closed his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. "I had it designed and picked a thing or two, but I did ask my sister to take care of the rest while I was otherwise engaged. I like the house. I don't like beige."

IfBlair was honest, neither did she. She liked his stupidly ornate style. "I'll see what I can do."

She raided her wardrobe first, grinning at her neatly arranged pairs of boots. Pulling out a suitcase, she shoved them in there, before adding the gear she used to wear when she trained with the huntsmen—soft, reinforced fabric, made to move comfortably. Then, she opened a cabinet and pulled out a knife, a dagger, half a dozen throwing stars, and another knife.

"You know Aveka's going to have you searched, right?"

"My clothes have a lot of pockets. And my boots can hold knives, too. She might get most of them, but I'll keep one or two."

She placed them neatly on her clothes before making her way to the bathroom.

The reflection looking back at her in the mirror wasn't familiar.

Blair had changed. She hadn't realized how much until this very moment, but here, in her dorm, where she used to see her old self every day, each difference was obvious.

Her hair was longer, for one, and her cheeks, fuller. She'd known she'd lost muscle, but an irregular diet consisting mostly of cheap fast food had also given her curves. Those, she didn't dislike. Her skin was a little more tanned, which was no wonder, but it also was dry, her lips chapped. The months of rough living had left her nails broken.

She placed her fingertips on the mirror, unsure what she was up to herself, until waves of magic jolted out of her hand.

"Blair?"

Seth was at the door with a frown until she turned to him. Gone were the boring black locks—her hair was pink-tipped again, and her skin looked glossier, healthier.

"I was just playing with a spell."

A spell she hadn't known until then, had come to her effortlessly, and she'd executed without tapping her reserve of energy.

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