Page 18 of Endless Terrors
He was right. Getting back on the road would only gnaw at us more. Eat at Gil’s control, Finn’s restraint, my endurance. I nodded at the werewolf, relenting, and he went inside. I touched Gil’s arm in brief, silent reassurance, then turned to follow. The only sound he made was the soft scrape of his shoe against concrete, crushing the butt of his cigarette. The first of many tonight, I suspected.
The lobby smelled like laundry detergent and pool chlorine. I checked in with the heavy-lidded woman at the front desk, who was even more tired than I was, if that was possible. She was so tired that she barely looked up, much less notice me enough to be influenced by my power. I was liking this hotel already. Never mind that I could see a spot of mold on the ceiling.
A minute later, the woman handed over two key cards and mumbled something I translated to “Enjoy your stay.”
I gave her a bleary nod and stepped away from the desk. Finn took my bag wordlessly, refusing to give it back every time I tried to tug at the handle. We walked down the hall, and he pressed the button for the elevator. I opened my mouth to ask why we weren’t taking the stairs, like we always did, since neither of my companions liked small spaces. A beat later, I figured it out. Of course—we weren’t taking the stairs because Finn saw I was on the verge of collapse, and he was thinking of my needs instead of his own. Quietly watching over me because I refused to ask for help. I closed my mouth and watched the number change above the elevator doors, afraid I might do something stupid and cry. Luckily, the doors opened a moment later, and the two of us went inside.
We found our room in silence. As the door opened, I saw this one was a carbon copy of all the others. Thin carpet, two queen beds, an outdated TV on a stand. The door closed with a soft knick, and my thoughts turned to something else that had been bothering me today.
“I still think it’s strange Lyari never answered my summons, or checked in with us afterward. Maybe she found something. Some new research, or someone who knows where we can find answers.” I set my bag on the bed, every movement sluggish. If Lyari did come, I’d need to be ready. I glanced over at the dinky coffee machine on the desk and mumbled, “I should shower. She’ll probably be here any minute with a fresh stack of books to read.”
Finn stood near the doorway, watching me stride across the room and reach for the coffee packets. “You need to sleep, Fortuna.”
“I will, I promise. Soon.” I filled the small pot with water and dumped it into the machine. After double-checking the amount of grounds I’d used, I jabbed the BREW button with my thumb and turned to open my bag. Good thing this motel provided shampoo, because I kept forgetting to buy a new bottle. I gathered an armful of toiletries, gave Finn a distracted, fleeting smile, and hurried into the bathroom. His concern followed me the entire way.
I could’ve stood beneath that hot water for hours. But even now, I couldn’t shake the sense of urgency. Just a few minutes later, I stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom, hoping Lyari had arrived.
I did a double take at the mirror hanging on the wall.
My heart was in my throat as I spun to face Collith. “Are you serious? You invited yourself into my motel room while I was showering? Okay, now this is getting—”
I cut short when something moved in the corner of my eye. Collith sighed and said, “I thought we agreed you’d sit this one out.”
Laurie pouted from where he sat on one of the beds, his stomach muscles taut from how he was propped up. The buttons of his dress shirt were partially undone, lending him a more casual air. “I got bored. This seemed way more fun than the state dinner I just came from. Mermaids can be so dull.”
I held onto the top edge of my towel with an unnecessarily tight grip. My gaze swept the room, confirming that my other companions were nowhere to be seen.
“How did you convince Finn to leave?” I asked tightly, refocusing on the faeries. Collith was the closest, so my eyes landed on him.
Laurie was the one who answered, though. He walked past Collith, who sat at the end of the other bed, his hands loosely linked between his knees. Laurie began to examine the room as he said, “The wolf may be unreasonably protective, but he’s not an idiot. He knows you’re safer with us than you would be with him. Where’s the vampire?”
“In the woods, probably.” I tried to hide my worry. Tried and failed, apparently.
“How cute. Is someone struggling with a little newborn guilt? Tell your fanged friend that human’s death was just natural selection at work,” Laurie said with a dismissive flick of his wrist. He finished his perusal of the space and faced me. I waited for him to comment on the atrocious wallpaper or the low thread count of the sheets. Instead, he lowered himself onto the bed in a single, graceful movement and patted the empty spot beside him.
I frowned. “Finn and Gil are coming back soon.”
Laurie cocked his head, his eyes going distant as he listened to something I couldn’t hear. “I got a room down the hall. The werewolf is making himself comfortable there. He just turned on the TV.”
“This is insane.” I shook my head and snatched up my pajamas. “Every second you spend with me, you’re putting yourselves in danger. Please, just go.”
“And miss a chance to see that towel fall off? Not a chance.”
Collith muttered something in Enochian as I turned back to Laurie. His expression remained serious, his voice so matter-of-fact, but it felt like he was allowing part of our old friendship to slip past the kingly shield he’d put between us. Seeing that was the only reason I gave in. Or so I told myself. I shook my head at him, as if I found him exasperating, and unfolded the T-shirt still in my hand.
I pulled my clothes on, keeping the towel strategically draped. Sighing, I crawled down the length of the bed. Laurie watched me very, very intently, his eyes gleaming, and I gave him a look that said I knew exactly what he was thinking. I dropped onto my side, allowing my spine to rest against the Seelie King’s rib cage, and stopped resisting the bone-deep exhaustion.
A second later, I felt the mattress dip in front of me. I didn’t open my eyes, but I picked up on that subtle scent of someone who had grown up amongst secrets and shadows. Felt the shock of his skin as he adjusted himself around me like a wing or a protective shell. Collith. I resisted the urge to press closer. There were reasons why I shouldn’t, even if I couldn’t remember any of them right now …
With Collith’s coolness on one side and Laurie’s warmth on the other, I felt safe. Safer than I had in a long time.
“I’m so tired,” I heard myself say. That voice didn’t sound like mine, though. That voice belonged to someone creaky and gray.
“We know. Go to sleep, Fortuna.”
I wasn’t sure which one of them was the speaker. It didn’t matter, anyway. I was already halfway over the threshold of consciousness, one foot on each side of the line.
Time became hazy. It overlapped with the past, and maybe a little of the dreamscape, too, images fading in and out of the dark. I was so far away from them that I couldn’t tell what was real. I knew Collith and Laurie had come, that was real, and I was lying between them. What I wasn’t clear on was whether I actually heard the conversation that happened next.
