I’d been forced to revise my judgment of William Montague being an idiot.

  Not because trying to sneak into an already forbidden floor of a house trying to find one of your siblings wasn’t idiotic. But some allowances had to be made. I didn’t know any fourteen-year-olds who weren’t idiots.

  “I hought Father would actually do it, of course,” the fourteen-year-old told me, the scowl on his face deepening. “But Lewins looked like he was sidering it!”

  Right beside me, Gregory chuckled.

  “Lewins wouldn’t kill you, William, but he might have beeed to,” he said. “He probably was running every snide remark you’ve made at his expehrough his head. Weighing if blowing out your knee would be possible if he used the excuse of you being a shapeshifter.”

  You are oo talk, Gregory, I thought inside my head and only in there. As much fun as it would be, it wouldn’t fit the mask I’d crafted for tonight.

  “You’re oo talk, Gregory,” William Montague said, stealing my idea. “You easily needle Father, Lewins, in fact, everyohree times more than I do. It’s a wonder none of them have tried to kill you yet.”

  “You must be mistaken,” I interjected. “Why would anyone ever want to hurt Brregory?”

  William rolled his eyes, turning to look over at his brother.

  “How long has she known you, Gregory?” he asked.

  “I’ve been visiting the Temple of Tarver here iy for about a week,” I said. “I talk for myself, you know?”

  “Holy, William, you read too muto things,” Gregory said. “Sister Waters here is from the tryside, and I’m just helping her acclimate to the city.”

  “By invitio father’s ball,” William deadpanned, his scowl turning into an expression far too close to pt for my liking.

  “That’s my fault,” I said apologetically. “When I overheard Brregory talking about attending a ball and having a free one fuest, I insisted. Do you know how many balls they have in the tryside, Lord William?”

  “So it’s lord for me and brother fory?” William said. “Huh, I guess me outranking you in this stratle hierarchy makes up for you and her referring to each other like that. Makes it creepy knowing what’s going to happen ter.”

  “And what might that be?” I asked, and the strain in my voice wasirely faked.

  “Show you off as arm dy because it’ll irritate Father, make everyone else unfortable, and then ter doing the closest he to an anim-”

  A heavy hand spped William’s back, driving the air out of the boy’s lungs and sending him reeling forward.

  Behind him, a rge bearded man in an army unifave him a smile that never quite reached the eyes.

  “William,” the stranger said. “Finally old enough that father is letting you out of your room in the evenings, eh? Last time I saw you, you were barely up to my knee.”

  He turned his attention to me and Gregory, warmth sprouting in those eyes. He came over, arms outstretched. Gregory seemed both happy and wary as who I presumed to be his brged him, squeezing tightly. Eventually, Gregory begged to be let go before a rib cracked.

  “Henry,” Gregory said once released from the bear hug. “You’re back already?”

  “Came ierday on the Nover. It would have been earlier, but apparently, there’s been some chaos on the docks retly. You doing well?”

  “As well as I could be. This is Sister Danielle Waters from the church. Sister Waters, this my brother Captain Henry Montague.”

  “A pleasure,” he said. “I should probably go say hello to Father before William beats me there.”

  The you Montague had vanished, leaving only the three of us alone.

  “Probably going to accuse me of hitting him in the back of the head,” Henry said as he left. “We’ll talk more ter Gregory! And hopefully us as well, Sister Waters!”

  I gave a polite little wave as he left. His ing along had been , unfortunately had not been a good test of my mask.

  ing as Katheryn Fara in spirit was stymied by ohing in particur: a guest knew Fara, and I didn’t want her putting any pieces together. So, another mask was needed, and I had o together and on hand.

  Albeit one mainly structed from the novels I’d read, but I was an Infernal. They would be giving me side-eye anyway. As evidenced by William Montague. Danielle Waters would sit bad take verbal abuse. In theory.

  “I do apologize for William,” Gregory said. “Almost being shot must have leached all the politeness out of him.”

  “Did it?” I asked with fake cheer that anyone overhearing would detect. “Maybe that almost-bullet should have leached out his bile instead. Then again, it might have killed him if it did that. Clearly, venom has repced his blood.”

  That got me a dirty look from a few servants. Ah well, Miss Waters wouldn’t be living past tonight, so it's not an issue.

  They had other things to pay attention to, as the rest of the guests should be arriving soon. Add in the ck of outside help and the guards stuck guarding the estate instead of helping. They should speime gawking at the Infernal and more time doing their jobs.

  Oh, Hells, I was taking the sides of nobles against their servants.

  Trying to drive that unpleasant thought out of my head thhly, I turned my attention to the manor's interior.

  The mairance hall stretched up all three stories to the main roof, the only interruption being the railings of the sed-floor hallways that went all around the regle. sidering this doubled as a home, it was a bit strange, but apparently, all the rooms b the hall weren’t for living in.

  Servants scurried about, most w on preparing tables and chairs while a twelve-person band prepared their instruments for the evening’s festivities. The kit doors opened, carrying the strong whiff of food inside.

  Smelling that woke up the Imp.

  We head there first, it said inside my head. You have yet to feed me a single cow, and you sider the entire ba paying off the i.

  I couldn’t even guess how it knew about the cept of i. The food would be ter, and I’d keep my portions sparse. I was not having people ask how I was dev entire roast pigs.

  I’d get the damn thing it’s cows tomorrow. Dead, not alive. Live was the worst.

  “It’s a very open space,” I muttered tory. The servants were busy. This pce wasn’t as crowded as it would be ter. The mask could drop some.

  “Only orance open, though,” he said.

  That would only help some. F open windows or doors wouldn’t be challenging, especially not for people who could force their way through cracks. The only saving grace is I could not see that process being fast. Or easy on anything.

  “The guests will start arriving in half an hour. Anything you want to do till then?”

  “Give me a tour, maybe?” I asked. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be here again.”

  And maybe we could get to the third floor.

  ***

  In the end, we never even got close. I was ba the ballroom, attached at the hip tory on the far side of the assorted Montagues here to greet their guests.

  It was a slow affair, not helped by a too-heavy-on-strings band pying a plodding tune as the majordomo announced each group with every honorific they could possibly have. Hopefully, things would liven up as the guests arrived and chatter began. And the food. And potentially the dang?

  It would undoubtedly distract most of the party. I would not participate because the st five days hadn’t spared much time for dang lessons.

  We were oer edges, with Henry, William, and an uncle who looked at me like an rown lizard had wandered into his house, apanied by a son who mostly seemed ily curious in the way six-year-olds were.

  The female members of the family were oher side of Lord Montague, including his wife, who seemed just a few years youhan both ory’s sisters. We’d exged words, and she seemed more polite than her husband. Or step-daughters, who, while not being as blunt, seemingly sidered me little more than a prop their brother had brought to needle their father.

  Maybe that’s why there was a good eight feet of distaween us and Gregory’s family?

  Occasionally, a guest would greet Gregory after the rest of the family. It was a mixed bag of older folks and his peers, most of whom had a strange case of blindness regardiill Gregory introduced me by name.

  Going from the guest list, we were about halfway through as I listeo entary frory.

  “Oh joy, it’s the Melonones. She owes me money, and he wants me dead for something that was entirely out of my trol. Their son onsulted my piano-pying abilities, and there is the little brat right now.”

  “I am sad I haven’t heard you py at the temple yet,” I interjected. “It would be iing to hear it at some point.”

  For a cleric of a god of bards, I hadn’t heard a ory. I was beginning to doubt he could py.

  “Perhaps a private session in my room ter?” He asked, loudly enough that William heard us and rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Not low enough to evade my enhanced hearing.

  ‘Pying her like he pys his violin, and she’ll probably be just as loud’? I increasingly sympathized with Lewin and their near-shooting of William.

  “Oh, that would be nice, but I was thinking more of a performance here. Maybe drum up some inspiration for the band,” I said, gesturing towards the musis.

  It took effort for my eyes not to narrow as realization struck after that absent-minded wave. Was Lord Montague riough to afford musis as part of his perma serving staff? Whose word did we have to go on about no outside help being brought in besides Lord Montague’s?

  Hells. And until the arrival of the guests was doepping away would draw attention. The guest’s attention wasn’t too important, not if we caught the gers, but if the gers suspected who I was, any suspioves might make them spring into a.

  Twelve of them? That many could probably kill everyone here. I did my best not to look directly at them. Nothing about them stood out, but that could just be because they’d desighemselves to look that way.

  “Diwei Xang, killer of the demon Trr’Xxx’Lll, desded from the same great Xang who helped out queen-.”

  My head snapped back as the Majordomo practically destroyed his throat trying to pronouhat name. He recovered quickly enough to start listing other honorifics as my auered, her severe face already judging all of us lesser beings within.

  Perhaps I was being too harsh. She probably only sidered those with horns lesser beings. Her gaze went my way, and I could see that deepening of her face. How many times had I seen that face as a child, just for the crime of being in her view? I gave a polite smile and a small bow, not quite reag the proper ine I'd been instructed as for a child to show her respect, but deep enough so she could see all the modifications doo my dress.

  Let her be angry at either my seemingly ignorant disrespect or a dress of her prided culture having been mutited at fn hands.

  I didn’t reize my cousins, who had grown older, but their expressions were perhaps only a mite warmer. She’d probably involved them in the family business despite a distinct ck of demons to kill.

  Their entrance did draw the guests' attention, and several ventured over to greet her and talk as soon as she was doh Lord Montague. We weren’t nobility, but dest from one of Her Majesty’s panions and a known lineage of demon hunters brought perks.

  The majordomo cleared his throat as two familiar figures stepped through.

  “Mr. Voltar and Dr. Dawes, detective, and author.”

  Well, it wasn’t going to be very hidden what Lord Montague’s opinion was, having that as their honorific. Why not announce you ht didn’t want them here?

  If we’d arrived ter, I wonder what mine would have been. Maybe he would have left that to William.

  If it bothered my two erstwhile allies, it didn’t show as they stepped in and immediately got mobbed to a greater extent than my aunt’s family.

  I will admit, my demonic heart took a little joy in seeing aunt Diwei’s expression at being upstaged.

  The two of them had been heading towards us before they’d been swarmed, and I wished them luck trying to push through that crowd of curious nobility and upper crust.

  Another familiar figure ehe ballroom, and immediately the slow dirge turned into a faster-paced, more joyful tune.

  The urge to roll my eyes was overwhelming even as the Majordomo pronouhe guest’s name and easily a couple of dozen honorifics.

  At this point I began to think Lord Montague was trying to destroy any possibility of a match between her and his heir.

  I nudged Gregory’s hand as Lady Karsin stepped into the hall.

  He g me, a little shocked, but I nudged him again.

  The best way to test the mask is exposure to someone who’d met you under another.

  Of course, being the guest of honor in all but took forever to reach Lady Karsin, who seemed to have Lord Montague glued to her side permaly.

  Much to the displeasure of Lady Montague, whose smile seemed more straihe longer her husband endio Lady Karsin.

  By the time we reached her, Lord Montague had spotted us long ago, and his froell set.

  “Gregory,” he said, tone warning. “You’re already trying my patiend now this?”

  “I’m so sorry,” I apologized with faked nervousness. “I kind of begged him to meet her. I am Danielle Water, an apprentice cleri the Temple of Tarver. It’s just…I’ve never heard of an elf noble before. My apologies, your dy.”

  The curtsey I did was deliberately sloppy and did get awitch out of the elvish noble.

  “It is unon,” she said. “I don’t suppose you’d like to hear the story sometime?

  “I’d be very ied,” I said. “But I don’t know how often I get out of the temple.”

  “Yes, it’s very strange,” she said. “Actually, I’m more than a little fused. ’t Infernals not el the light of the divine?”

  “Yes, of course,” I said, stammering. “Well, teically not.”

  “Gregory,” Lord Montague said warningly.

  “It’s alright, Bartholomew,” Lady Karsin said, staring at me ily. “I spare a few moments for what is clearly su iing aberration. You el the light of Tarver, then?”

  I met her gaze, a somewhat stunned, unfident grin on my face. Whatever her involvement in this, she had to be w, had to be thinking about who I was.

  I held my palm up, and a small ball of light formed, faint music barely audible while beh my flesh sizzled. Murmurs broke out among the crowd even as burn marks appeared on my skin.

  “Yes, it just hurts a lot,” I got out before the ball of light vanished suddenly.

  Lady Karsin’s expression was one of shock, matched by everyone else around us.

  “Sister Waters,” Gregory said, rec first. “What did I tell you about doing that? Let’s go aside. Let me see what you’ve doo yourself.”

  I let myself get pulled away, closing my hand to keep my skin covered. And make sure nothing i spotted.

  Some people were too easy to fool. Illusion for the ball. Incorporating a heat projector in my hand for the warmth and some of the damage to my skin that resembled the divine burns eled through the diabolic. A small tube running parallel to my vein, ready to poke out just a smidge at my wrist to carry the music pying from a box in my purse. Finally, small pockets of acid were waiting to be released and plete the illusion.

  Behind me were a few jokes about exactly arts of my skin Gregory wao examine from the quickest rec members of my impromptu audience, as well as a very fused Lady Karsin.

  Partial success. She was suspicious, but she didn’t know for sure. And she wouldn’t be thinking of possible ways I could have dohat till ter, at which point Danielle Waters was a finished identity.

  As I walked away, Lord Montague remained nearby, not succeeding too much at hiding his joy at our brief enter.

  There were too many guests around, so I leaned intory. He stiffened even as I tried to close the distao his ear before whispering.

  “Pretend that you’re taking your ‘friend’ for a private discussion in a er up on the sed floor,” I murmured. “In one just publiough to needle your father.”

  Gregory stiffened just a tad more as he gnced my way. I drove down the instinct to kick him over those obvious tells.

  Only a light kick, but the urge was there.

  We found a part of the upper floor balies that none of the uests had ventured up to yet. Just withihat if anyone was looking for us they’d spot us in one of the for now isoted ers.

  Well, they’d spory, and maybe part of me.

  I hadn’t realized he would be this close, what was maybe a foot but felt like half. His ha up against the wall near my head.

  “So, you wao talk?” He asked.

  It was hard to focus with how close he was. Green eyes met mine and they were se.

  “Uh, yes,” I said before colleg myself. “I think we call this mask a success.”

  “You know I was half-worried you got repced by a shape-ger,” Gregory said.

  I idly looked down at the entrance hall below us. There were a few errant looks, amusement, and anger down there.

  No one paid enough attention to us that I o maintain the mask fully. He was leaning in enough, and lip readers would be stymied at this distance.

  “I’ll take that as a pliment,” I said. “At the bare minimum, I think I firmly vihe one person here I wao.”

  “Lady Karsin?” Gregory’s eyes narrowed. “Why her specifically?”

  “Something is suspicious about her being targeted,” I said. “But truthfully? She’s probably the only person here who’s both met me before and doesn’t know I’m here in disguise. I hope.”

  “We didn’t tell her. Father was certain she wouldn’t show if she knew you were here.”

  “Well then, I feel much more fident in my disguise for tonight,” I said.

  “Or you could have asked me,” Gregory said. “I feel like I’ve had a stranger on my arm this eime.”

  “You’ll have to endure. Listen. All the servant’s entrances are sealed, correct?”

  Gregory raised an eyebrow. “They should be.”

  “And no one besides those on the guest list was supposed to get inside, right?”

  Gregory was qui the uptake. “There are more people ihan there should be, aren’t there?”

  I nodded. “If I had to guess, in servant’s livery. Duplig guests would be picked up on too fast. I tried finding out who the spares were, but the party is moving too swiftly, and there were too many people. We’ll need spare eyes to try and spot the duplicates.”

  “Or we focus on the servants,” Gregory suggested.

  “It’s a guess, not a certainty,” I said. “They could be showing up as well, a generic group of the upper crust, ting on everyone else to assume your father knows them from somewhere else.”

  “And Father remains busy monopolizing Lady Karsin,” Gregory said.

  “Your brother is ohird floor, isn’t he?” I asked.

  Gregrimaced. It was impossible to miss this close. “I heard him screaming from there this m.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s still there,” I tered. “And your father is ag far too casual about all of this. Were the musis on the guest list?”

  Gregory frowned. “The musis?”

  “Yes, the musis. Unless your father employs twelve musis just to py ambient music for your house.”

  Gregory’s eyes narrowed. “He wouldn’t.”

  “He did. More headaches. Well, I suppose we’ll have to deal with it.”

  Silence followed my statement and tinued onwards as Gregory turo examihe ballroom down below, then turned back towards me.

  “You knoill have to sell this little charade you’ve purposely set up for us,” Gregory said, leaning in even closer, emerald eyes staring piergly into my own. There were only inches between us now. His hand reached around, settling in the small of my back. His ski so smooth against mine, soft and untouched by bor. My traitorous tail reached up and looped around his wrist, keeping it there. “I do wonder precisely why you picked this one?”

  Because it’s how Lord ash takes Lady Mar’s first kiss iarting chapters of- I cut that errant thought off. He gently pulled me closer and with each a heat bloomed in my chest, growing in iy. This close, he smelled of violets. Hesitatingly I brought a hand up to grab the back of his head, fingers going through brown curls till they found skin. A sed ter his other hand did the same.

  “Well,” I said, any flushed appearany cheeks defio sell the ruse and for no other reason. “It o fit into something you should do, and something that wouldn’t appear off to anyone below, needed a reason for us to get away from the party but not disappear because that would cause even more suspi, and-”

  “And I think you o stop talking,” Gregory said, hand on my back gently pullio him. “Don’t you?”

  The fire inside me burst into an inferno. I could practically feel the warmth of his skin already as he closed the rest of the distance.

  “Gregory!”

  I wasn’t quite sure if I wao kill or thank Lord Montague.