AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Free hotel rooms,” he explained.
“Oh.”
Dominic pointed south. “There was a place just down the highway. Desert Haven Something-Or-Other.”
“Sounds promising,” Malakai muttered, looking like he was trying not to say something rude—or punch Dominic out for what he’d said about dog-piling.
Max headed for the SUV. “It’ll do. Let’s go.”
Desert Haven Hotel was right on the highway. The rooms would probably be noisy, but he wasn’t about to be picky. They would hopefully only be here for one night.
Max waited in the SUV, window down, as Dallas and Blue, the latter glamored, went inside to book three rooms. Malakai and Aspen stood by the bike, talking quietly to one another, while Dominic leaned against the back door of the SUV, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his wrist.
They were parked in the back corner of the lot, avoiding being seen by the people who ran the hotel. It wasn’t as if they weren’t allowed to do normal things like rent hotel rooms, but it was best if they didn’t draw attention to themselves. And three Darkslayers from three different houses were bound to attract attention.
Especially when they’d nearly broken into Foxhill Rentals without disabling the security cameras first. Having to wait until tomorrow to continue his search was torture, but he had to admit it was the wise thing to do.
Besides, hacking wasn’t the answer Max wanted. He wanted to speak to someone, wanted more information than he could get from the database of the tiny business. The only thing the system would likely reveal was the fake name the rental car was registered under—something a hacker like Atlas could easily obtain. Max wanted to talk to someone with a brain and a pair of eyes—not a computer.
“Life’s been crazy lately, hey?” Dominic said, coming to lean his forearms on Max’s open window.
“Very.” He’d just about had enough excitement to last two hellseher lifetimes.
“What are you going to do when you find her?”
Max stared out at the cars breezing down the highway, tires clunking over the raised pavement markers separating the lanes. “I haven’t really thought that far ahead.” He didn’t want to jinx it—didn’t want to get his hopes up anymore than he should. And they were already sky-high.
“You’re not doubting that you’re gonna find her, are you?”
Max shrugged with one shoulder. “Still feels wild to me that she’s somewhere out there. That she isn’t…dead like I’d thought.” He swallowed.
“Blue said she liked Scarlet—Maya. They got along, apparently.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“I would’ve told you.” He took the black elastic off his wrist and tied his hair back. “She still reacts funny whenever I try to ask her about the facility.” He looked toward the office of the hotel, wings drooping. “She’s probably scared that if she talks about it, it’ll make it real again.” That was how Max felt about the night his house burned down and he’d lost Maya. He’d never gone to therapy out of fear of remembering that night clearer than he was already forced to.
Max’s attention snagged on Malakai and Aspen. “What are you two whispering about?”
Malakai turned his head dramatically slowly. Said through clenched teeth, “Does it matter?”
“No keeping secrets.”
Malakai gave him the middle finger, his ring glinting in a street light that flared to life.
Aspen grabbed his wrist and lowered it. “We’re talking about Jewels.”
“What about her?” Max’s eyes flicked between the two Reapers. “Everything okay?”
“Quit pretending to care,” Malakai retorted.
Max bared his teeth. “I’m not pretending, you jackass! Not everyone is much of an asshole as you.”
Aspen said, “We’re just worried about her.” She looked at Malakai, who was busying himself with watching the vehicles on the highway. Night was falling fast. More street lights flickered on, spreading pools of light across the sidewalks. “Don’t want to be away for too long.”
“Is it that bad?” Dominic asked.
“It’s the Tricking,” Malakai said. “Bad is all there is.”
