“They choose this over thechanceof going to Hell,” he corrects with all too knowing eyes.
Chapter 5
The front door snaps open, sending a loud crash through the lobby. Gunnar stalks in with a scowl on his face, not even acknowledging the fact that he could have broken the door off the hinges.
He ignores the startled gasp from the front desk clerk and makes his way over to Grim and me. I’m still a little unnerved by the shade conversation with Grim, but I plaster a welcoming smile on my face to greet him. “Hey.” I pull free of Grim’s embrace as Gunnar steps up to us.
Gunnar’s eyes scan over me. Satisfied by what he finds, he takes a look around the lobby. His lips dip into a sneer. “Tell me this is only temporary.”
“It’s suitable for the day,” Grim answers. “What about the Nemean?”
“He shifted the moment we parked the car.” Gunnar shrugs indifferently.
I cover a yawn with the back of my hand. Sunrise is coming soon, and I’m pretty tired considering all I did was sit in a car for a few hours.
“Let’s head up to the room. The Nemean will be along shortly.” Grim places his palm on my lower back and urges me toward the elevator.
“Will it take him much longer?” I look between the two of them.
“A few hours at most,” Grim tells me.
“What floor?” Gunnar hits the up arrow on the elevator.
I pull the keycard from my back pocket and flip it over. “Fourth, room four-eleven. A few hours… so he can’t” —I wave my free hand around and raise my brow— “just pop up like you two once he’s shifted?”
Gunnar crosses his arms over his chest and widens his stance. “No, he can travel much faster than a car, but it will still take him time to get here.” The burnished gold door slides back, revealing a smallish elevator car. I get a nudge to move forward and the guys both follow me inside. Gunnar hits the button for the top floor, and the door lingers open for just a moment before gliding closed silently. “I’ll see about getting us a better place to stay this morning,” he says, not in the least worried about Calix and how long it will take him to reach us.
“I would prefer something more private.” Grim seems completely disinterested, almost apathetic, but for him to have spoken up, it must mean something to him. Gunnar jerks his head once, agreeing with Grim’s words.
The elevator dips before coming to a halt, and then the door opens to a brightly lit hall painted a cheery yellow with white accents. “This way.” Gunnar points to the left. Our room is only a few steps away from the elevator. I shimmy myself between them and tap the keycard on the lock. Once it beeps and the light glows green, Gunnar reaches for the handle and pushes it open with a hard shove. It bangs against the wall.
“Geez!” I glare at him. He looks a little sheepish for a moment, and then he lifts his hand in an invitation for me to enter ahead of him. I step into the darkness and my nose wrinkles. It stinks of cleaning supplies, creating an artificial clean smell, yet under that it reeks of staleness, almost like they’re using chemicals to cover up the scent of dampness and musk. Without any light, I can already feel how stuffy the room is. “Yeah, we definitely need someplace else to stay.” Disappointment seeps into my tone.
Someone hits the lights and a lamp near the one bed glares to life. I look around the tiny room, noting the two little chairs—I really hope Gunnar doesn’t try to sit in one of those, it will break for sure—and the tiny table between them. “One bed?” Gunnar steps up behind me. “Big spoon,” he announces in the next breath.
Grim steps around me and lumbers over to the long window, pulling the curtains back for only a moment before releasing the fabric with a flick. The closest thing to disgust I’ve ever seen is present on his face when he turns to me.
I let out a small giggle at the absurdity of his reaction. Death is appalled by a fairly mediocre hotel room. Hell, this place is nice compared to some I’ve seen. But I doubt you can rent this one by the hour either like a few I’ve been to. Grim straightens and smooths his features.
I wiggle my finger back and forth under my nose, blocking my nostrils. “It stinks.”
“It’s the humidity. Everything is always damp,” Gunnar informs me, still standing near the doorway. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I do not want to getusedto it,” I sneer. “At least it smells clean. I think they used an entire bottle of bleach in here.”
Gunnar drops himself on the edge of the bed and the frame creaks. Those chairs won’t stand a chance. Might be funny if he ended up on his butt. “What are you smiling at?” He scowls.
I wave my hand. “Nothing, Kitten.” The glower drops immediately at my nickname for him.
“I left the bags in the car. Think you could grab them?” Gunnar tilts his chin toward Grim.
“I don’t know where the car is.”
Gunnar smiles, but it looks more like a baring of teeth. “Well, if you hadn’t disappeared so quickly…” He leaves ‘you would’ unsaid.
Grim rolls his shoulders a bit. “How far is it from where we left you?”
“About two miles. There’s a truck stop service station. I parked it on the side, out of the way of the main lot.”
