A smirk appears on her face, pulling my gaze to her mouth. My eyes catch on her full upper lip, and the temperature in the room seems to suddenly jump.
“It always pays to be prepared.”
“And where do you plan to do this swimming?”
“The pool we passed after checking in.”
“The one with the candy wrapper floating in it?”
I don’t mention what else I spied floating in the pool, but I’m one hundred percent sure she’ll catch a disease if she so much as dips her toe in that water.
“It looks refreshing.”
It’s my turn to smirk. “Do you feel the need to cool off?”
Her eyes flare. She opens her mouth to say something, when there’s a knock on our door.
“One sec,” I say with a wink that causes her cheeks to redden further.
Messing with her is easily becoming my new favorite pastime. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone so easy to make blush. It paints a rosy hue high on her cheeks that I’m starting to find particularly appealing.
With a spring in my step, I go to the door, looking through the peephole. There’s a woman standing there with a tray in her hand.
Glancing over my shoulder, I ask Haven if she ordered food, and she shakes her head.
“Do they even have room service here?” she asks.
Suddenly, unease prickles my skin and I tense.
“You have the wrong room. We didn’t order anything,” I call through the door.
The woman looks up, and as if she can somehow see me through the slab of wood, her gaze locks on mine. A snarl twists her lips, and as I watch, her eyes go completely black.
Rearing back, I cast a quick glance to the window. We’re on the second floor. Otherwise, I’d grab Haven and leave that way.
Swearing under my breath, I rush to my bag, digging through it for a weapon.
I’ll use my magic if I have to, but this isn’t an empty forest. It’s a hotel with humans nearby. A weapon won’t draw as much unwanted attention as my magic.
“Becks,” Haven says. “What’s going on?”
“Get in the bathroom!”
The woman in the hallway bangs on the door hard enough to rattle the security chain.
“Just a sec,” I call. “I need to throw on some clothes.”
The demon-possessed woman is blocking our only exit. Without another escape option, I’m going to be forced to subdue her. The best I can do is buy myself a few moments to prepare.
“Becks,” Haven whisper-hisses, her feet still rooted in the same place, her skin leached of the color that so prettily tinted her cheeks just a few moments before.
“I’ve got this. It’s going to be okay.” Even as I say that, scales roll over my forearms before disappearing again. Haven catches the flash of teal, and her eyes go impossibly wide.
I toss her my phone. “I need you to get in the bathroom and lock yourself in. If anything happens to me, call the number programmed in there.”
The bang on the door jolts Haven, and I hear the unmistakable sound of wood cracking. The demon is no longer pretending. It wants in, and a couple more hits and it will be.
“Go!” I say to Haven, and with a quick nod she finally flees.
