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“That had better not have been your honeymoon suite, Minnie,” he said scoldingly, making her wheeze.
“Any room’s a honeymoon suite if you cuddle afterward!”
Nox laughed and beat his fist against the Plexiglass. “True. Has Old Eddie’s suite been…?” He cringed hopefully.
Minnie rolled her eyes as she puffed. “We vacuumed and changed the sheets and the bathroom’s been sprayed down,” she replied. “But Eddie was over at the diner when he passed. He was sittin’ at his usual spot at the counter eatin’ his steak and eggs. Which probably contributed to Eddie’s demise. And he was old.”
“We’ll take both rooms,” Nelson said as he reached around Nox to slide his card through the slot at her.
Checking in only took a few more minutes, thankfully. Minnie still had Nelson’s details from their last visit. “You’re staying across the parking lot, hot shot,” she told Nelson as she pushed two sets of keys at him.
“That’s…fine.” The ache in Nelson’s gut had turned into a burning ulcer. He pulled his antacids out and popped two into his mouth as Nox hustled him out of the office.
“Are you going to be alright? We could have shared the honeymoon suite again,” Nox said, towing Nelson with him under the overhang.
Nelson hitched a brow. “I doubt there’s much a level 20 moon druid can do to make this place less of a nightmare. Unless you’ve got that jar of salt water in your pocket and you think that room has been warded with sigils since we last saw it.”
“Probably not,” Nox said with a wince. “Having me closer will help,” he argued, but Nelson shook his head.
“Not in the mood I’m in.” He never liked himself after he raised his voice or acted like a bully. In Nelson’s mind, the louder and more aggressive a person behaved, the lower their IQ and quality dropped in his estimation. For some reason, Nox had found that attractive and Nelson didn’t want to be more confused about the intense sensual connection they shared. Especially if there was going to be another lecture about free will and why they shouldn’t do what they were already doing in Nelson’s dreams and Nox’s raunchy fantasies. “We should eat.” He nodded at the diner.
“We both know there’s nothing on that menu that you’ll eat,” Nox said sadly.
Nelson snorted, his irritation cresting as he anticipated a long night in a disgusting hotel room with an empty, acid-scorched stomach. “This is what free will looks like for normal people, Nox. I get to spend another night in hell because I had to wait for you to get out of class and the sheriff thinks I’m a clown and he can waste my time. I’m stuck here because of the time and the weather and you and there’s no place to eat but that shitty diner. The only choice—the only bit of will I get to exercise here tonight—is what I do or do not eat.”
With that, Nelson put his head down, avoiding a blast of cold drizzle, and ran across the parking lot to the diner.
Sixteen
It is a universal truth to most religions and schools of philosophy that the road to hell or existential chaos and torment is paved with good intentions. Nox was abundantly aware of that maxim and spent a sleepless night in Minnie’s godforsaken honeymoon suite pondering his own intentions. He had believed they were pure in regards to Nelson, but Nox was left with heavy doubts and serious questions after they shared a lonely, dismal dinner in the diner.
Nelson had been distant, ordering a side of whole wheat toast to go with his stale black coffee, then ignored it to stare morosely out the window in silence. If Nelson was hoping to punish Nox, it had worked. Seeing him angry, hungry, tired, and hurting made Nox miserable and he felt guilty because much of it was his fault.
Not intentionally, of course. Nox had only tried to help by handing Nelson the case of a lifetime and pulling strings to keep him on it. Nox had kept—and was still keeping—secrets that were relevant to the investigation because he was afraid of freaking Nelson out and scaring him off. And Nox was doing his very best to resist temptation and respect Nelson’s consent. His instincts had warned that an aromantic asexual might not be as adept at nonverbal flirting. And Nelson could be too literal and a touch naive. Nox’s conscience had forbidden any fooling around until they were sure Nelson was in full charge of his will and consenting.
What if Nox had accidentally trampled all over Nelson’s consent and his will by trying to help and protect him? And, dear gods, what if Nox had got it all wrong and made Nelson feel unwanted by being too careful? If the horrible pit in his stomach was any indication, it seemed likely that he had.
Nelson was miserable and now, neither of them were sleeping.
Nox’s night had been spent pacing and coming up with a plan that would fix things with Nelson and help their investigation. He had everything worked out when he heard the Continental’s engine start at 4:00. He peeked behind the curtains and watched as Nelson put yesterday’s suit in the trunk, brought the car around, and parked it in front of Nox’s door.
“Good morning!” Nox stunned Nelson by pressing a quick kiss to his cheek when he slid into the passenger seat ten minutes later. “Last night was terrible without you. Let’s never do that again,” he said cheerfully despite his dry, burning eyes and punchy mood.
A slight smile twitched at the corner of Nelson’s lips. He was pale and his eyes sunken, dull, and carrying deep bags. “It was terrible. Do you want to eat before we head back?”
Nox wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I think this place has finally managed to kill my appetite. But I’ve been thinking about what you said about not having more than old wives’ tales and I think we should get a look at the MacCrorys’ place before we leave.”
Nelson had his antacids out and glared at Nox as he popped one into his mouth and chewed. “It’s too early for this. You know I can’t go out there without a warrant.”
“Not in an official capacity,” Nox said as he held up a finger. “But there’s nothing wrong with a quick drive-by, is there? Why leave here completely empty-handed when we’re already in the neighborhood?”
“Nope. I can already tell it’s out of the way.”
“Come on!” Nox gave him an encouraging punch but Nelson shook his head.
“There aren’t any neighborhoods out here. And something tells me the roads won’t be paved out where the MacCrorys live so the quick drive-by part is obviously a lie.”
“Not a lie, just an understatement. But look at all this extra time we have! I don’t have to be back in Georgetown until 10:00.”
