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I think between the potential connection with Cade and my personal excitement over seeing my sister, there were any number of reasons the trip could have been cancelled for me up until now. Yet here I was, on my way to Nevada.
In spite of all the other garbage circling in my periphery, at least there would be some positive aspects to the next week.
Then, I remembered the stupid deal I’d made in the underworld, promising Charon the Ferryman I would give him the sun. The sun. He’d meant Sunny, of course, and I’d been idiot enough to agree. So there was a god in the hellish underworld, moving a boat back and forth across the River Styx, just waiting for my sister to be delivered to him.
And it was all my fault.
So much for my positive outlook.
Of course, there was a chance the following week might go off smoothly, and I’d actually get to enjoy spending time with my sister, seeing Cade, and avoiding my responsibilities and promises.
Provided I got through whatever scheme the temple had me going to Lovelock for.
Still, it was a town of two thousand people in the middle of Nevada.
How bad could it be?
Chapter Nine
Lovelock, Nevada, was on fire.
More accurately, the hills and dry landscape about seventy miles away from Lovelock were burning at a steady pace. The wildfire had blotted out the stars, covering the full moon overhead with a hazy smoke film. The brightness of the fires startled me as we pulled nearer, and by the time the Welcome to Lovelock sign appeared, I didn’t need to check my app to know why I was here.
Trouble was, aside from the choke of black smoke overhead, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. Even in the lingering darkness before dawn, I was able to tell the sky was clear.
We drove through the quiet, seemingly abandoned streets, where most of the small homes were swathed in darkness. I wasn’t sure how many people were still hanging around with the fires encroaching so close.
I pulled the car into the parking lot of the Lovelock Inn, the first motel we passed with its lights still on. A few soot-smeared trucks were parked in a line in the lot, and I assumed they belonged to the fire crews.
The sign in front of the motel promised it was both pet friendly and offered free breakfast. Given the state the town was currently in, I was just grateful they were open.
When Leo and I got into the lobby, an exhausted woman somewhere between thirty-five and sixty came to greet the sound of the door chime. She appeared perplexed to see us.
“Can I help you folks?” Her tone was polite enough, but we must have looked like precisely what we were: outsiders.
I set Fen’s carrier on the floor in front of me and pulled out my wallet, but she was already shaking her head. “Probably be
st if you keep on going.”
I bristled, ready for a fight, but there was nothing cruel in her expression. If anything she seemed more worn down to be turning us away.
“The sign out front said vacancy,” Leo announced.
“Well, we sure don’t have a sign that says hotel may burn down overnight, now do we?” This was said with forced, raspy humor. “I can rent you the room, but you need to know things aren’t exactly safe. We’re pretty much just waiting for the word to leave or for a miracle.”
Leo put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward. “Miracle. Room for two.”
Godsdammit. I resisted the urge to facepalm in front of the poor woman.
Yes, I was obviously here because of the fire. I didn’t need to open up iTithe to know that. But I preferred to work quietly, getting in and out, performing my task without anyone being any the wiser I was there.
Now he’d gone and told her who I was.
The woman’s eyes widened, and a faint tremble shook her hands where they were resting on the counter. “Are you…?” Tears shone in her eyes, but thank the gods she didn’t actually cry. “We prayed. I mean, we prayed, and we pooled our money, but these things are never a sure thing, you know?”
I did know.
“It’s really you?” She was staring at me with such awe I was starting to worry she might be mistaking me for Seth himself.
