“Welcome to Motel 6,” he said. “Checking in?”
“Do you have any rooms available for the day? I know the timing is awkward.”
“When will you be checking out?” the receptionist said, glancing at the clock.
“Sunset,” Melissa replied.
“I’ll have to bill you for two nights.” He shrugged in apology. “Or you can wait and check in at noon.”
“Two nights is fine,” Tarian replied. “Do you have a room?”
“Two rooms,” Melissa put in.
The clerk checked his computer before nodding. “There’s one standard king bed non-smoking available.”
“Anything else?” Melissa asked. “Or at least something with separate beds?”
A few more clicks of the mouse were followed by a headshake. “All booked. That’s our last room.”
Of course it was. Melissa wondered if she could shake her fists at the universe without having her sanity questioned. Looked like her bad luck had struck again.
“The king is fine,” Tarian said as he pulled out his wallet. “Paying by cash.”
After only a few minutes, the receptionist handed over the key. “Second floor, on your right,” he said.
Melissa followed Tarian into the elevator. Though it wasn’t the outcome she’d counted on, at least they’d secured shelter from the sun.
That left only one other rising problem.
“This isn’t too bad,” Tarian said as he unlocked their room. “The curtains look thick. You should be safe for the day.”
“Excellent news,” she said, eying the phone on the bed stand.
The room was far more spacious than their last one. At least this motel boasted a cheap level of cleanliness and comfort. If worse came to worse, she could sleep in the small closet to escape the daylight.
“We can get back on the road as soon as you wake,” he told her.
“Sounds like a plan. Want to use the shower first?”
His lips curved as he moved away from the window. “I can do that after you’re out,” he said. Reaching the side table, he grabbed the phone and disconnected the plug and phone jack. “Not that you were trying to get rid of me, I’m sure.”
Melissa sighed. “Is that really necessary?”
He turned back to her, phone in hand. “Do you trust me?”
She stayed silent.
“Then it’s necessary. Can’t risk angering your vengeful father more than he already is.”
He opened the door and disappeared into the hall.
She chewed on her lower lip, debating whether a phone call was worth fighting over. He didn’t have her vampiric strength after all. If he didn’t use his magic, she could overpower him.
But that was a dangerous “if” to bet on.
Tarian reappeared, his hands empty. For a moment he simply watched her, back against the closed door.
“Make any decisions?” he asked.
She turned away, not liking that he could read her thoughts so easily. “I don’t want to fight again.” Ignoring him, she crossed to the wide bed and collapsed backward onto it, bouncing twice on the springy mattress. The tight muscles in her body unwound, as if she’d been waiting for this moment the whole night trapped in the cramped car. It felt so good to simply stretch.
Closing her eyes, she tried to block out her partner and enjoy a few moments of respite.
The mattress dipped beside her, and she opened one eye to see Tarian, one arm bent to keep him upright while he lay by her side.
She’d been speaking the truth when she’d said she didn’t want to fight. It took too much energy she didn’t have. Instead, she allowed her eyelids to fall once more and avoided thinking about the man beside her.
Silence stretched, wrapping around them far more intimately than it had in the car. She supposed that’s what happened when you added a bed into the equation.
She didn’t want to open her eyes. Didn’t want to acknowledge him. Just for a moment she wished she could push pause on the chaos she’d been dragged into. Three days ago she’d been doodling his name on her files, and now he was both her enemy and her rescuer. The ground was shifting beneath her feet, and she had no idea how to regain her balance.
There were a thousand questions she should put to him. Information she should seek about Dominic and the rebel necromancers. About their trip and what would happen when they reached safety. About him and the reason he’d dated her in the first place.
But it was a far different question that slipped passed her lips.
“Would you ever have told me what you are?”
He didn’t reply immediately, and she didn’t open her eyes. The question was revealing. It showed a vulnerability she’d rather have kept hidden. But exhaustion and the intimate silence were working against her.