Killing Time (16 page)

I shrugged. What was there to say?

She looked at me with her jaw set, but I had the sense she understood. Pushing away from the counter, she paused in the doorway. “Towels are under the sink. Yell if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

Nic gave me a shy smile. It made her look very young and I imagined its effect on Siska if he were to see it. “Yeah, well, if you tell anybody I was nice, I’ll shoot you and make sure it hurts.” She shut the door on my laugh.

I finished undressing with great care, wincing at the throb of cracked ribs, torn flesh, sore muscles…the usual assortment after losing myself to a frenzy. Worse than the physical pain—which sucked big time—was the deep shame of having lost control. I’d been doing so well, dammit. Not since that night in Dallas had I blown it.

I eased carefully into the shower, swearing as the pounding hot water did unspeakable things to my wounds. Pain and exhaustion conspired to keep the clean-up to maybe five minutes, a record for me. When I’d finished toweling off, I noticed that Nic had slipped in and left a T-shirt and sweatpants on the counter. Smiling to myself that she wasn’t quite the hard-ass she liked to pretend, I got dressed and finger-combed my wet hair.

Swaying with weariness, I opened the door and hobbled out into the motel’s living area. Nic was working on a laptop computer and grunted a greeting as I staggered to the oversize sofa. Easing myself down onto it, I grabbed two cushions and gingerly settled my knee onto them. The bent position and elevation helped, although the joint was still cantaloupe-sized. When I shoved up the pants leg, I saw that the chunk bitten out of my thigh was no longer bleeding, but it looked like raw meat.

“Heads up,” Nic called before tossing a rolled-up tan bandage at me. “Wrap your knee with that. It’ll help.”

“Strangely enough, I’ve done this before.” I smiled at her to soften my sarcasm.

She turned back to her computer. “That reeks.”

“Yup.”

Practice made for quick work and I had my knee bandaged in no time. Leaning back, I reflected on how different this suite was from the last I’d stayed in. And how different the company. Down that path lay dangerous emotion and impossibilities, so I stuffed it all into the deepest recesses of my mind.

Closing my eyes, I explained, “I need to rest so I can heal. Don’t come too close to me or make any sudden moves, though. Okay?”

I could feel her dark regard as she rotated her desk chair to look at me. “I can see rooming with you won’t ever be boring. Do you always warn people before you drift off to la-la land?”

Yawning, I shook my head. “You’re my first.”

There was a long silence. “It’s because I’m human, right?”

I cracked an eye open. “I don’t intend any insult.”

Her mouth twisted. “Nobody ever does.”

I couldn’t think of a response to that, so I shut my eye. Making a sleepy noise, I tried unsuccessfully to stifle another yawn. “No touching me, either.”

Her dry voice made me smile. “There go my plans for the night.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Geez.” Nic snorted. “I thought Siska was literal.”

I shifted my shoulders to get more comfortable. “What do you suppose is taking him so long?”

“Probably the mass demonstrations.”

“Huh?” I craned my neck to stare at the back of Nic’s head.

Without turning to look at me, she nodded. “Orchestrated using Twitter and Facebook, about an hour before the demonstrators were told to take to the streets. Not just Chicago. L.A., New York and Houston, too. There would’ve been one in Boston, but the weather sucked.”

“Are they all humans?” She nodded again and I winced. This couldn’t be good. “To what purpose?”

“Depends who you talk to.” She typed at top speed. “Chicago P.D. says at least fifty thousand are demonstrating here.”

“But why?” I started to sit up, but stilled when she turned toward me and waved me back down.

Nic rubbed a weary hand across her face and slouched in her chair, idly turning it side to side. “The ‘why’ of it is always fear when that many people take to the streets. Which easily morphs into anger, especially dangerous in a crowd that size.” Fingering a delicate turquoise necklace at her throat, she grimaced. “Philippe’s on-air bloodfest woke humans up. There will always be those who doubt everything they see, but the majority understand now that the world isn’t what they thought. Neither is their place in it. So they make their signs and parade through the streets, proclaiming their outrage and demanding
Somebody Do Something.
” Nic emphasized the words in a fake announcer’s voice, wrinkling her nose with distaste.

“As in the police?”

“Yeah. And city hall and Congress and the president and anybody else who’ll make the scariness go away. People want to rewind the last few days and pretend they never happened.” She smiled without humor. “The smart humans have figured out if bloodsuckers are real, then maybe everything else is too. And it’s the smart ones I worry most about.”

Taking in Nic’s pallor and her restlessness, I noted softly, “You’re concerned about Siska.”

Habit almost made her deny it, then she launched out of her chair, the force of her move slamming it into the desk. “If it was just the anti-supernatural demonstrators, that’d be one thing. But we’ve got reports that there are
slayers
out there, Sephti. Hunters who know how to identify vampires and have the weapons to kill them. I can’t help thinking Siska is out there too. Without anyone to watch his back.”

“Without you.” I kept my voice gentle, sensing how difficult it was for Nic to be so candid.

She looked away. “Yeah, dammit. Without me.”

“Then go find him.” I waved toward the door. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

She blushed and stole a quick look at my face. “You were my excuse to not go with him.” Her tone told me how hard the admission was. “I was mad at him. It’s my fault he’s alone.”

“So what’re you waiting for?”

Hesitating, she bent and tore a sheet of paper from a pad next to her laptop. Handing the page to me, she took her jacket off the chair’s back and slipped it on. “I wrote down the directions to find Jack and Kate. They’re at James’s lodge in Canada, way out in the middle of nowhere.”

Looking at the incomprehensible scribbles on the paper, I did my best not to curse. That’s when it hit me. “You’re not planning to come back?” Surely, the demonstrations hadn’t already turned violent enough for the indomitable Nic to be worried? Concerned, sure, for Siska’s well-being with slayers in town. But not actually anxious about whether or not they’d be able to return to the motel?

Gleaning my thoughts from my expression, Nic flashed a grin. “I’ll be back to raise hell with you if you don’t get some rest and heal. I just don’t believe in leaving anything to chance, that’s all. The bad guys win too often when the good guys get complacent.”

I glanced at the note and forced out my own difficult admission. “Thanks for the directions, but…I can’t read.”

Something like sympathy softened her eyes before she masked it. “How good is your memory?”

Frenzies not withstanding? “Excellent.”

“Okay. It’s about a day and a half from Chicago. You’re going to take I-94 a couple hundred miles to US 52…” Nic told me the twists and turns I’d take once I got to Alberta and how to find the little road off the final two-lane highway that led closest to the cabin. “I’ve never been there, but these are the directions James gave Siska.”

“How’d you get them?”

Nic flashed a grin as she headed for the door. “I swiped them from his coat pocket when he left it on the bed.”

“Isn’t stealing against the law, Deputy U.S. Marshal, ma’am?”

“So cuff me,” she said, standing in the open doorway. “You’re sure you’re okay here alone?”

“Please.” I rolled my eyes. “Go find Siska.”

I hadn’t even finished the short sentence when the door clicked shut.

Squirming my shoulders to get more comfortable, I’d just closed my eyes again when it occurred to me—I didn’t have a bike. Siska hadn’t returned with it yet, so the directions Nic gave me were useless.

I bit off a groan. I could always get another motorcycle, but I wasn’t really up to it. I’d counted on briefly lingering here to rest and eat so my body could do its bioengineering shtick and heal well enough to hit the road. Having to track down criminals in a city I’d not yet reconnoitered, liberate their money, track down a satisfactory dealership, select another bike…Just thinking about it drained my remaining energy.

My brain kept spinning in loops, worrying about Siska and Nick, wondering about Koda, fretting about Halloween’s swift approach. Needing a distraction so I could sleep, I stretched out my good leg and snagged my backpack’s strap with my foot. Dragging the bag closer, I dug around inside and took out the iPod Koda left with me. I’d seen enough humans with the little players to get the basics and knew to plug in the ear buds. Figuring out how to get it to work was another thing and I poked at the circular dial on its front a couple of times before a cacophony exploded into my eardrums.

Snatching the earpieces out, I waited for my pulse to slow as I glared at the iPod and thought dark thoughts about the volume Koda’d set it on. A little more tinkering and I heard the music’s volume go down, but I was still cautious when I put the buds back into my ears. The song playing ended and then a soft flute’s haunting melody began. Concentrating on the music, I let my tense muscles relax, succeeding even more when I recognized the same lullaby Koda had sung to me.

Smiling gently, I put all the anxiety, fear and ping-ponging emotions on hold and listened to the gentle, sweet music. Imagining that it was Koda singing brought a smile to my lips. My heart swelled with tentative joy and—for once, here in an anonymous motel room in a city I didn’t know, where no one else could see—I let the tender feelings come without fretting over all the reasons why it was unwise.

Relaxing deeper into the cushions, I held close to my secret heart the magic of Koda’s smile, the warmth of his touch, the sweet hunger of his kiss. And I drifted off to sleep.

“Sephti, wake up.” Siska’s soft voice called to me from a safe distance, drawing me immediately from sleep into full alertness.

I sat up and grinned with relief. “You’re okay.”

An irritated Nic grumbled, “Now can I come in?”

Siska shifted his bulk to let her into the room—he’d kept her behind him, standing in the open doorway while he waited to see if I’d go berserk upon waking. “Certainly, Marshal, ma’am.” Amusement laced his voice. “Our bittern is becoming tame as a neutered, declawed, geriatric housecat.”

I made a face at him, laughing as he gave me a smug smile.

“How’s the leg?” he asked, sinking into the desk chair. Nic sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, her expression neutral. I wasn’t sure if this was an improvement over her anger. After her eyes lifted to mine and she glowered, I decided to leave off trying to figure anyone else out—my own issues were tangled enough without looking for more.

“The bite is filling in and the knee’s swelling is down by more than half,” I said, unwrapping the bandages and eyeing the joint. “It ought to bear my weight now.”

“Which is fine if you’re going for a quiet stroll with somebody’s ninety-year-old grandma.” Nic rubbed the palms of both hands on her jeans-covered knees. “But can you fight?”

I bared my teeth at her in a feral grin. “I can always fight.”

“Boo-yah,” she growled, shooting a pretend gun.

“But should you?” Siska scowled at the two of us. “Where self-preservation is concerned, there isn’t an ounce of sense between you.”

I ran a critical eye over the bite-sized crater in my thigh and the pale pink of rapidly healing flesh. Rewrapping my knee and leaving the closed-over wound uncovered, I met Siska’s gaze. “Given that Philippe won’t wait for everyone to be at their strongest before he makes his next move. Given that the Dark king has no mercy or compassion in him. And given that my kind die in droves every time a lord gets his shorts in a bunch, what would you have us do?”

Almost involuntarily, Siska’s gaze found Nic before he shifted it to the floor. Stretching his legs out in front of himself, he folded his arms over his chest. I’d never imagined a vampire getting tired, but he looked close to exhaustion and I wondered when he’d last fed.

He said softly, “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish things were different.”

Nic stirred and her eyes lifted to meet his. “How do you think the world will become different if we don’t make it happen?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” There was no heat in his tone. Just weariness. “Pardon the old fart for saying so, but this is a war I’ve fought in for centuries. The immortal players remain the same. It’s the endless procession of human pawns and cannon fodder I’m so damn tired of seeing. The devastation. The wasted lives.”

Nic got up slowly and straightened, keeping her gaze on Siska. I sensed his awareness of her sharpen and could tell that he purposely kept his body relaxed. Like all wise hunters, he let her come to him. I don’t know which of us was most surprised—Siska, me or Nic herself—when she crossed the room and tentatively brushed his long, black hair back from his face.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Siska raised his hand, slow and deliberate, like you’d move around a wild deer that’s poised to flee. Cupping the back of her hand with his palm, he pressed his cheek into her touch, holding her dark eyes with his own.

The insistent, shrill ringing of a cell phone broke the magical spell and Nic snatched her hand away, putting distance between Siska and herself. Because she’d turned her back to him, she didn’t see the longing in his face as he watched her go. The grief.

He’d composed himself in the moment it took Nic to reach her phone and answer it. The roughness of her voice was proof that she wasn’t as unaffected as she tried to seem.

The conversation was short, with Nic mostly listening. The tension in her shoulders had Siska studying her and his alertness amped up my own. I knew with his vampire hearing, he could detect the caller’s words as easily as if he or she was in the room with us.

“Yes, ma’am,” Nic muttered into the cell, crossing the room to type something into her laptop. Bending to study the screen, she blew out a disbelieving breath. “The orders have just come across. Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there.” Clicking the phone shut, she put it in her pocket.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking back and forth between Nic and Siska.

“That was the U.S. Marshal herself,” Nic said.

“And?” I asked, not getting it.

Siska stood and took a large navy duffle from the closet. “She’s the highest-ranking marshal in the country, appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress. Nic’s boss’s boss’s…well, you get the point.” When he opened it, I saw that the bag was filled with neatly folded clothes. Siska reached through the bathroom’s open doorway to get a toiletries kit. Putting it into the bag, he zipped it closed and sat back down, giving Nic a triumphant grin.

She glowered. “So you win this one. I beat you packing in Denver.” She bent to retrieve a pair of sneakers from the closet floor and put it in the roomy pocket on the end of her own bag.

Siska shrugged. “Nobody told you to get all comfy here. We never stay anywhere long enough to unpack.”

Rolling her eyes at him, she didn’t bother responding.

Remembering how a similar situation had played out in Dallas when Koda left, I tugged the sweatpants leg back down so its cuff was at my ankle. I stood up, testing my knee’s ability to hold me and—despite a sharp twinge—decided it would do. Not looking at Nic or Siska, I walked with care to the bathroom where I’d left my boots and slipped them on.

When I returned to the bedroom, Nic said, “I’ve been ordered to go—”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” I interrupted, pretending disinterest.

She gave me a strange look. “To Columbus. It’s a city. In the state of Ohio. About six and a half hours from here.”

“Less than five, the way Nic drives.” Siska looked torn between amusement and irritation. “We’d like you to come with us, Sephti.”

Startled, I glanced at Nic and was even more surprised to see her nodding. Most of all, I was astonished by my own sudden urge to join them. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “What’s the date today?”

Blinking at the non sequitur, Nic said, “October ninth.”

“The walls between planes fall at midnight on Halloween. Before then, Philippe has to die so the vampires will desert their posts.”

“So you can kill the lords,” Siska muttered.

“The Cham too. I’m running out of time.”

“It is my fervent hope,” Siska said, “that an alternative presents itself before your suicide run.”

I bit back a snappish remark. “I’ve never thought much about dying. My focus has always been on taking out as many nobles as possible.”

Nic studied me. “And now?”

I shrugged noncommittally.

“What you’re doing is important.” Siska gave me a level look. “Go talk to Jack, but you be damned careful. He’s frantic about Kate’s going feral, so it’s not just her you have to watch out for. His protective instincts and territorial drive are going to be off the charts right now, making him very, very dangerous. Keep a safe distance and stay partially shaded the whole time you’re there.”

Touched by Siska’s concern, I nodded.

“What about a phone call?” Nic asked, reaching into her pocket.

Siska shook his head. “Jack hasn’t answered his phone since they left Dallas. Believe me, we’ve all tried.”

“I was going to order room service for you,” Nic said, which seemed apropos of nothing until she added, “but we stopped on the way back and bought a couple cheeseburgers and a milkshake instead. The food is kinda cold by now…”

Emotion clogged my throat and I had to clear it before I could speak. “They’ll be great, thank you.”

She handed me a medium-sized white bag and tall cup I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe I hadn’t awakened as fully as I’d thought because now that I was aware of the food, its scent set my stomach rumbling.

Nic scowled. “Well, goodbye then. Don’t get yourself killed.” She hoisted her dufflebag and disappeared through the door. Nonplussed by the abruptness, I watched her go.

“Nic told me she gave you directions,” Siska said, drawing my attention and handing me my bike’s key. “I’m definitely going to get a Ninja for myself, first chance.” He told me where he parked it in the garage and I nodded.

“I suck as much at goodbyes as Nic does.” Siska stood awkwardly at the door, his hand on the knob.

“Watch out for slayers.” I hesitated, wanting to say so much more but having no idea how to do it. “Siska…don’t let Nic…I mean, she obviously…even with her temper, I can see that she—”

“I know, Sephti. I know,” he interrupted softly. “Stay safe. Remember what I told you about Jack and Kate. And when you see Koda, give him my greetings.”

“I doubt he’ll—” I protested.

Siska made a rude noise. “Lie to yourself if you have to, but you can’t lie to a vampire.” He astonished me by crossing the room to kiss the top of my head. “You and Koda need each other, but you’re both too damn stubborn to be easy about it.”

Torn between surprise and irritation, I gaped up at Siska.

“Don’t bother calling me a hypocrite.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I intend to take my own advice.”

“Good. That’s really good.”

“Yeah, it is.” Siska’s grin broadened. “Now I really have to go. I’ll see you—and Koda—soon.”

“Sure.”

But the truth was, I didn’t know what to hope for or if I even dared to try.

I made short work of the two cheeseburgers before trying the milkshake. Its thick, sweet taste flooded my mouth, bringing on a near-swoon as I drank it down. About halfway through, my head began aching in the strangest way. Maybe from the cold? No matter. Nic had introduced me to my new favorite drink and I intended to have many more before Halloween.

In no time, I found my motorcycle right where Siska had said. Upon starting it, I saw that he’d filled the gas tank for me and it was several minutes before my eyes stopped leaking and my vision cleared enough to drive.

Following the directions I’d memorized, it took some effort not to make a hard push straight through to the cabin. I longed to face Jack and learn what he knew. To get my plan underway. Hell, to get it
over.
Especially since the sharp urgency that had driven me was beginning to soften.

Hard-headed I may be, but I wasn’t stupid. With my current injuries and the incipient weakness brought on by blood loss and my body’s effort to repair itself, I was careful to take frequent breaks and to eat well each time. I was amazed to learn how easy milkshakes were to procure and I treated myself with every meal. One waitress, to whom I swore eternal gratitude—which either amused her or freaked her out, I wasn’t sure—told me that shakes come in many different flavors. Delighted by the news, I ordered one of each and drank them all down. For some reason, the waitress’s manager found this disturbing and asked me to leave.

Humans.

I stopped that night about two hours after sunset, riding a good distance off the highway in search of a depression deep enough to hide my bike and me from the road. Blending into the darkness on such occasions was just one reason I always chose black clothes. Another was that the color hid blood, but I was hopeful that wouldn’t be an issue tonight.

I dozed lightly, keeping my senses alert to any potential threats, but the hours passed uneventfully. My knee, thigh and cracked ribs were much improved by the time the sun rose and the bruises were all but gone when I lifted my shirt to check. Feeling pretty cheerful to be moving a bit more easily, but chilled to the bone, I got reorganized, climbed on my bike and went my way.

About midmorning, I fully shaded for the border crossing. Needing to keep it brief so I wouldn’t burn too much energy, I gunned the bike’s engine and headed straight for the narrow gap between the long lines of parked cars. With just enough space to shoot between the customs booth and the minivan being examined by cautious officers, I couldn’t help howling with laughter at the stunned expressions as I roared past on my invisible motorcycle.

Maybe it wasn’t sporting to alarm the nice humans, but it sure was funny.

Once well clear, I allowed the bike and my form to resolidify and slowed to a legal speed. Continuing to pace myself, I planned to stay one more night on the road so I’d arrive at the isolated lodge by midmorning tomorrow. But as I rode steadily north, the temperature continued to fall and the wind increased. The chill sank deep into me, setting my teeth chattering and making me feel like I’d never be warm again. Before half the day was gone, the idea of a hot shower, soft bed and more room service was beyond my ability to resist.

Swinging onto Highway 93 for a long stretch—and picking up a brutal headwind—I followed Nic’s instructions, the roads getting narrower and more winding until I was climbing into the most rugged mountains I’d ever seen. At first, the hassle of contending with vacationing humans’ slower vehicles was an aggravation. But then the remoteness of the area weeded out all but the most determined back-country travelers and I was able to let my nimble bike go, flying through the corners and hugging the hairpin curves.

Late afternoon, I came to a small resort nestled above a brilliant blue lake. Pulling into the parking lot, I shut off my bike’s engine and sat, staring and wondering how the humans had managed to dye such a large body of water.

“Grand, isn’t it?” a voice asked.

I firmed up my camouflage and took off my helmet with cold-stiffened fingers. A blond, bearded man knelt five yards away, tying the laces of his hiking boots and regarding me with a friendly expression. “Yes,” I said. “How’d you get it so blue?”

He laughed and stood up. “I wish I could take the credit. The water is that shade because of sediment from the peaks around it.”

I got off my bike and stretched my stiff back, setting my helmet on the seat and keeping the human in my peripheral vision.

“Do you need a room?” he asked.

I studied the lodge’s thick log walls, its three-story height and considered the way it was situated—two sides protected by tall, rocky peaks, the third by the lake itself. Only the entrance was open, which meant a single point of vulnerability. Pleased, I nodded. “Yes. For one night.”