Carrying my change of clothes draped over one arm and my glass of water in one hand, I went across the hall to the bathroom. After I set everything down, I locked the door, and sent a little of my magic out toward it, telling it that it wasn’t supposed to open for anyone except me. Whether that would really work, I didn’t know, but it felt a little better to know there was more than just a flimsy interior door lock between Simon and me.
This bathroom was large, with a separate shower stall and sunken jetted tub. The window on the far wall had been redone with stained glass, a stylized rose. It sent an odd, bloody reflection into the room. Not all that reassuring, but at least the patterned glass made an effective visual barrier.
I turned on the taps, then located the little canister of b
