Dreamwalker (Stormwalker #5)(98)

“Cassandra,” I said, leaning on the counter. “When I was dreamwalking—in my coma for a couple weeks—you kept this place going without a hitch. I was impressed.”

“We’ve had this discussion,” Cassandra said, her cheeks reddening. “I told you, I don’t want to take over the hotel.”

“No, but I realize I can ditch it for a little while and not have everything fall apart. In fact, it’s probably safer when I’m not here. Walls tend to stay solid.”

Cassandra gave me a faint smile but looked worried. “What are you trying to ask?”

“I want to take Mick on a road trip. Kind of capture the magic we had when we first found each other. I owe him that. We’ve had a couple of vacations, but I’ve never felt comfortable leaving the hotel for too long. But you have it covered.” I tapped my fingers to the counter. “So, I’m going to take off.”

Cassandra looked alarmed. “You’ll let me know how to get hold of you, won’t you? Just in case.”

“Like I said, the danger will more likely follow me. But sure. I’ll buy myself a dozen cell phones and make sure at least one of them survives. And I’ll have a shard of the mirror. Or you can always call Mick. He’s way more reliable.”

Cassandra nodded, but her gaze had gone past me, her hotel-manager expression returning. Two guests had come to check out—the goblin couple.

Mrs. Goblin stood a few steps behind her husband, her fingers clutching an old-fashioned fold-over handbag. Her long skirt hid her legs, and she wore low-heeled pumps.

Her husband was in a tan suit, his dark brown tie loose. He laid the key to their room on the counter, along with a stack of cash, the price of the room for however many nights they’d been here.

Mr. Goblin gave Cassandra a nod and me a warm smile. His teeth were somewhat pointed.

“This is a beautiful hotel,” he said.

“Um.” I choked and cleared my throat. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Goblin gave me an equally pointy-toothed smile as her husband turned away. “We’ve already decided—we’re coming back here for our two-hundred and first anniversary.” She leaned a little closer to me. “We had a wonderful time.”

She beamed at us both, turned away, took her husband’s arm, and let him lead her out.

I dashed to the front window as soon as the door closed, craning my head to watch them. They climbed into a perfectly ordinary Buick sedan, Mr. Goblin started it up, and they rolled sedately out of the parking lot.

They turned onto the highway that led west from the Crossroads. After a few moments, the air above the pavement shimmered with heat waves. When they cleared, the car had vanished.

“Well,” I said. “You don’t see that every day.”

Mick’s hand came to rest next to mine on the window frame. “What are you talking about?” he rumbled. “We see shit like that all the time.”

“Good point.” I turned to look at him, my tall, sexy man with the untamed black hair, stark tatts, and beautiful blue eyes. “I was just telling Cassandra I’d like to head out on the road with you for a while. See the sights. Go the hell away from vortexes, dragon compounds, and Magellan’s woo-woo magic for a while.”

“I heard you.” Mick lifted a duffel bag from the floor. “I’m packed. So are you.” He lifted a second, smaller one. “Let’s go.”

Without waiting for my response, he carried both bags out the door. I followed quickly, catching up to him in time to watch him load the duffels into the saddlebags on our bikes.

Mick pulled on his driving gloves, gave me a long, heartfelt kiss, straddled his larger motorcycle, and started it up.

I lost no time sliding into the chaps he’d laid over my bike’s seat, tugging on my own gloves, and tucking my hair into a ponytail to go under my helmet. Mick popped on his sunglasses, to look badass as well as keep off the glare, grinned at me, and motioned for me to lead the way.

I started up my Softail, the bike gleaming darkly in the early morning sun. I sent a loving smile back at Mick and headed out of the Crossroads, following the same highway west the goblins had.

We didn’t vanish into the heat waves, but the sun warmed us as it rose behind us, lighting the sky with red, orange, fuchsia, and the gentle blue of morning. It pointed the way west, toward the high volcanic summits waiting for us down the road, and I followed its direction.

We had a lot to talk about, Mick and I—our upcoming wedding, fixing the hotel, his worry about our lifespans, and other nitpicky problems a Stormwalker and her dragon might face. But for now, I was with the man I loved, and we were heading out to be alone, to be just Mick and me.