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Chapter Sixteen

The sun was al, predawn daaritaville There weren’t many people around this time of day, either Inderlanders or humans, and a quiet hush held our voices down It was either that or ere all too nu had retreated, but the gliot of the bay on the way in said that it would be a while before it lifted and I’d get a gli sky, I breathed deep to bring in the scent of salt, old garbage, exhaust, and the sticky se planters outside the hotel The air felt slippery fro to fit in a new skin The hotel stretching above us looked nice, I guess Ivy had made the reservations, so it would have to be Trent had a room here, too, which was convenient He was currently with Vivian and the door out of the trunk, then Trent’s Ivy already had her bag, and was heading in, the s quietly behind her I hurt all over, and I set the bags doith a click of plastic

"Jenks, stay close," I said when I caught sight of the pixies tending the huge flowerpots They looked al pixy was al vampire

Jenks darted frolinting on his sword "God, it feels good to be at sea level," he said, facing the unseen bay "S to Alcatraz It seeht end up there now "Sure Nice" But it did feel good to get out of the car "You want to go in and check the lobby for lethal charht be overkill, but we did have reservations, and I wouldn’t put it past the coven to hitthat Vivian had ridden almost the entire ith us and they probably didn’t want a credible witness tome a thumbs-up, he followed Trent inside when the doorman returned to his station to call a cab for Vivian She was staying down on the bay with the rest of the coven in so alone and looking like a door

"I don’t know if I should thank you or not," she said, her purse over her shoulder Her hair was mussed and her clothes rinkled She was far away and distant frorocery store this last spring The confidence was still there, though

She stuck out her hand, and I took it, feeling an odd sense of peace when her sers met " Hesitating, I pulledto talk to the hotel pixies "I’"

Vivian squinted as she ran a hand over her tangled, car-trip hair "I have to tell theled "Good Maybe they’ll begin to understand the inherent probleaze went to Pierce I didn’t knohat to think anyray a long tio, and there were no answers, easy or otherwise I couldn’t condeic unless I conde tried to kill Ku’Sox with the same Sure, Ku’Sox was bad, but so was Al That Al was ih reason Everyone was important to someone

A deep breath went in and out of Vivian, and she couldn’t meet my eyes "They’re afraid Hell, Rachel, I’ to want to bury everything and hope we don’t have to deal with it for another generation"

My gaze flicked back to Pierce It worked last ti heard her, Pierce turned, a mix of determination and irritation on his face "That’s what I’ve abided by all along, and look where it got ed She was one of six and the youngest

I carefully lifted my brides the solid sound echo It was as if the world was still asleep, here on the verge of a new day "They should be afraid," I said as I draped the dress over o away They have to do so inme a lobotomy, that is"

Vivian rocked back as her cab pulled up and the doorman opened the door for her "Well, thank you," she said, chuckling ruefully "It’s been an education" Her gaze went to Pierce, now standing beside et the chance to see you alone again, good luck"

Good luck I’d need it "Oh! Wait!" I said as she started to turn away, and I let Pierce take ot soed in

Vivian paused, and I held ers found the little Mobius-strip pin "This is yours," I said as I handed it over, feeling flustered for soht youas you don’t have oneanye smile spread across her face as she took it, pleasure and real gratitude in her expression "Thanks," she said softly, her s over the pin possessively "I’ll probably have to give it up because you touched it, but thank you Brooke-" Her words broke off and her gaze dropped "Brooke gaveit"

There were nerinkles at the corners of her eyes when she looked up, and a deep sadness Leaning forward, she gavehard into ain struck by how soht could be so powerful

"Thanks," she whispered as she stepped back, her eyes flicking to mine as if embarrassed She had smelled like redwood, and I wondered if she had sensed the stink of burnt amber on me when she turned and headed for her cab, her eyes unable to meet mine

The door thu worried as the car pulled away The sound of the engine was , and it was just Pierce andoutside a squat hotel in thefor the keys so he could park my mom’s car

Pierce hadwith a couple of bills, and the guy thankedPierce’s eyes widened at the ahteenth-century gratuities, and I don’t think a nickel would have done it The car vanished in the sasky The thought of earthquakes slipped throughback from Pierce It would be just like the coven to destroy an entire building to get toconspicuously fro as I headed to the double doors witha war zone

A h my aura as I passed over the threshold, and runted as he felt it, too, and I was guessing it was a rather expensive cal charm, temporary, to be sure, but effective

"This looks nice," I said as I looked over the deep reception/living rooned in solid blocks of color that were rich and sophisticated The ceilings weren’t that high, but they were decorated to hide the retrofitted earthquake support To ht clerk was talking to Ivy Trent was standing before it chatting a hundred-dollar bills again because the h, was having trouble, clearly not happy with the wo at her, a red dust pooling on her keyboard

"Trouble," Piercedown and put his hands behind his back, feet spread wide as he scanned the place

"Of course there’s trouble," I said as Ivy stepped fro into that eerie vaer, and I sighed, knoas co

"They lost our reservation!" Jenks shrilled "The Tink-blasted hotel didn’t hold the rooh falsetto "’Nothing we can do’ We drove two thousand miles, and we don’t have a room! No one in the city does because of the convention!"

Ivy’s lips were pressed tight, her anger in check Las Vegas h Rynn Corht," I said as I tried to think, but I was too nu" A park bench Maybe the parking lot of the local Wally World Yeah, that’d be safe I could wear ht in with the kooks

Trent ambled our way, a hotel envelope in his hand He looked too satisfied to live The e of adrenaline when he dropped it on the luggage trolley with Trent’s My protest died, though, when Trent s smile of his and handed both Ivy and o up?" he asked pleasantly

Ivy closed her eyes in a long blink, then tossed her bag onto the trolley, keeping her sht where it was, over her shoulder

"Sweet mother of Tink," Jenks swore "What did you do? Buy the place?"

"So like that," Trent said, his s back even if he was still in jeans and a casual top "You don’t have a room because I booked the top floor for us Can we hurry up about it? I have an appoint for the elevators when theand how to call for a car, pointed theain, and my tension slipped away

"Thank you, Trent," I said as I hung ered the little plastic card It was srief it had just saved us "I don’t kno you do it I ether"

Trent angled in front of Ivy to push the elevator button, and I smiled I hadn’t known he was a button pusher Jenks was, too I couldn’t care less who hit the buttons as long as we got there "I bought the place last year," Trent admitted, then turned to look past me to the lobby "This is nice I should come out here more"

Jenks and Pierce ith the bellhop, as clearly not going to accoh a secondary elevator The elevator before us opened to show a lift the size of

"Rachel," Pierce said loudly, interrupting my sudden panic attack "Jenks and I will h room in the lift nohow"

I stifled a shudder as Itwo more bodies in here anyway, even if one could fly "See you up there" Just get ht as the doors slid shut again I wasn’t claustrophobic, and I didn’tfrom?

Trent reached past Ivy to push the topht a whiff of cinnaears shifted, and we headed up, far too slowly for ht ed away from me as Trent chuckled "I didn’t know you were afraid of elevators, Rachel," he said, his voice holding a light ave Ivy a worried look My thoughts flashed back to Kisten and our first kiss in an elevator, and she prettywhat I was thinking but tasting theht as Trent looked between us, amused

"It’s not the elevator, it’s the coven," I added when the elevator finally dinged I held my breath as I waited forever for the doors to open, but it was Ivy as first out, brushing past me in a spicy wave of vampire incense that , "It’s when I’ to have to be careful"

Oh, really? I thought, htly patterned carpet as I stepped from the elevator into the hallway, slowly, so it didn’t look like I was bolting

"We’re on the end, there," Trent was saying as he checked his envelope, but Ivy again was ahead of us, steps fast as she strode to the end of the short hall where the biglooked out onto a fire escape She tried the last door, and I could hear her sigh when it opened She was inside and gone before Trent and I were even halfway down the corridor Either she had some intestinal problem she had to take care of or my fear in the elevator combined with thedown the hallith Trent, both of us carrying the s up on the trolley I caught glilike fake s, and again I was struck by the idea that ith each other but not together Like the night on the boat when it had blown up under us, and ere the only two to survive-Trent because I hadthe connection h his familiar, and then me because he’d pulledof hypothermia

But now, as alked down the hallway, there was a neareness-not of kinship, but an understanding And it

"Hey, Rache!" came Jenks’s hail from behind us, and the rattle of the trolley as Pierce helped the bellhop at the distant end of the hall "Top floor," Jenks said proudly "We’re in the penthouse suite Where’s Ivy?"

"Inside already," I said, and Trent ran his card and held the door open for er to see what a penthouse suite looked like Nice I think the ould be "nice" Or really nice I’d go as far as friggin’ nice

"Wow," I whispered, stopping so roo each other, a coffee table in between decorated with stuff to ht was a s a pleasant place to eat if the sh There were fruit and cold cuts laid out, and bread-fresh, by the smell of it I think the maid had baked it in the oven while she tidied the place

Looking past the living roo room with a bank of s It was on a platfore TV between the two rooms that seemed to rotate on a swivel A wet bar took up one side of the upper living room, and it all looked out on a spectacular view of the bay I hadn’t realized ere up so high in the hills, and though it was still foggy, I could see the tops of the bridge poking through A room with a view-of Alcatraz

Trent dropped his small satchel on the coffee table "This is pleasant," he said, gaze darting to the closed doors off the raised living room, which had to be the bedrooms, not closets "Better than roadside hotels, anyway"

I would have gotten angry with hi that nasty shower I’d dragged him out of, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the bathroo a silver dust, Jenks buzzed out of one room and tucked under the door of another Ivy’s faint shout to leave filtered in, and Jenks darted back into the living roos out At least we knehere Ivy was

"I’d just about kill for a shower," I said as the trolley rattled in, Pierce holding the door for it His eyes widened upon seeing the room, and he stumbled out of the bellhop’s way

In a burst of noise, Ivy’s door was flung open The bellhop’s spiel faltered as she strode forward, grabbed her bag, and then vanished behind her door again I flopped onto the couch withto the second bedroo to bet Trent would clai his little elf-questthing

"She’s a little cranky," Jenks said, distracting the bellhop, who looked aret you the front desk," the bellhop started again, glancing fro to e Trent’s bag was headed in with Ivy until Trent cleared his throat and-sure enough-claiuess I’ve got a couch," I said, and the bellhop sie in the entryway Jenks was still checking the place out, and Pierce had joined hi when he found the bathroo else, Mr Kala when Trent bodily took him by the elbow and delicately propelled hi hi back for the trolley "No deliveries Leave the calls, except from me A table for dinner would be pleasant, say about ten Family style if at all convenient Chef’s choice Heavy on the vegetables No deep-fried anything It’s been a long trip"

"Yes, sir," the , now in the hall with the trolley "Thank you, sir!" he added when Trent handed hi and nodding, Trent shut the door in his face He waited until the faint sound of the trolley creaking away cahed, his shoulders slu for all of three seconds before he pulled the out the faucets in the bathroom, and I smiled as I draped my arms across the top of the couch "This is nice"

Trent flashed , he headed for his room "Excuse me," he said, and I would have been hurt but for the reh I could relax for a while, his quest was just starting He’d given himself three seconds to relax That was it Three

From the bathroom, Pierce said, "You could wash a cow in here"

"Look, Rache," Jenks said froe they’re always ya The one Nick drove off is way bigger Hey! Look! There’s an island"

Oh, great The fog had lifted "Alcatraz?" I said, turning to see, but he’d darted toso fast I couldn’t see theerly felt it I had a pain ae, but it wouldn’t work here Maybe they had aspirin in the lobby

"I gotta get changed," Jenks said as he slipped into the pocket that had been designated as his "Trent wanted to leave, like, five oing into the kitchen and opening the cupboards to see what there was In a burst of silver dust, Jenks popped fro to be okay here with Mr Adventure?"

My gaze slid to Pierce, then back to Jenks "Go have fun Don’t let him kill you, ’kay?"

Jenks nodded, then tossed his head to get his long, curly hair out of his eyes In a flash of dust, he had darted into Trent’s bedroom with a wad of clothes I hadn’t seen him this excited about a run since Matalina died, and it was depressing in a happy way

I wasn’t too keen on Jenks leaving Every tiot into trouble That everyone would think Trent was still in the roo as I didn’t leave, either But there orse places to be a prisoner The hair on the back of aze drawn to theand the newly exposed bay

Yep, there it was I stood for a moment, twenty feet back from the , and just looked at the dark blob that was Alcatraz

The sht my attention, and I moseyed over to the kitchen A little sandwich of overpriced crackers and cheese would wake up my appetite, and I made four of them "Oh, this is ’ood," I said aroundas the salt and bite of the cheese hit the sides "Pierce, you’ve got to try the white cheese It’s sharp"

Pierce gave me a noncommittal oodies I didn’t knohere Trent wanted to be dropped If I left it up to Al, he ht leave them on top of the needle-the outside of the needle

Trent’s door wasn’t shut, and I tapped on it with s, and then Trent’s distant "Come in"

It had co the cracker crumbs off, I pushed open the door "Hey, Trent Where do youWow, this is nice"

If the living room and kitchen ell appointed, the bedroom was opulent, with more pillows on the bed than we had in the entire church Wallpaper and uised the retrofit for the earthquakes, and I’d be willing to bet the canopy over the bed was sturdy enough to handlewhere Trent was until I heard hi to Jenks fro to walk in on hi that as an invitation, I crossed the roo the lack of even a hint of an echo It felt nice in here The first room I peeked into was an office, but the second was clearly a bathroo at the door

"Depends on who you ask"

Rollingthe tile work Trent didn’t look up fro toward the ed out of his jeans, and I hesitated, drinking hiht black two-piece of spandex and cotton Not only that, but he earing it extremely well, and I stood for a moment and just appreciated what he usually hid behind his suit and tie, all leanlines His fair hair was slicked back, and the slightly darker color and flat look changed his entire appearance,him look less professional boardroom and more professional bad boy A utility belt rested on the counter, holding ere probably thief tools