page43 (1/2)

Steph groaned “Do we have to?” She could just ie her harshly for the decision she had made

Elora opened her door then, her expression brooking no arguht of the repercussions before you ran off”

“Great,” Steph said, not

She could still sht scent of the sunscreen Mehdi had rubbed on her back still lingering on her bedding She secretly hoped housekeeping didn’t change the sheets while they were gone She wanted another chance to breathe it in

“Co,” Elora said impatiently

“Okay, okay Let o”

Elora grunted so the door behind her, clearly gru to face her family in the wake of Steph’s actions Still, Steph knew her mother would be by her side, and that hat really mattered

Reluctantly, Steph shed her clothing and stepped into a hot shower It was nothing compared to the one she had experienced in Mehdi’s palace, but it still got the job done She took a little extra time to enjoy the hot water on her tense shoulders before stepping out and dressing, braiding her hair to keep it in place

When she stepped out into the living roo a little worse for wear

“Are you all right, Dad?”

Jerry sniffed, but with one glance at her hter

“Just a little jet lag Nothing some fresh air can’t help”

Steph nodded She could see he wasn’t terribly thrilled about this outing either

The three of them made their way out onto the street and hailed a cab, which drove them to the northern part of the city There, the car pulled up in front of a large, teal-colored house

“Here you are,” the driver said

Elora paid thethe vehicle, and they all stood in front of the building, preparing the afternoon Steph had been surprised to see that she had slept into the afternoon, but she was grateful Sunset would come all the faster for it

They walked up to the front door and rang the bell, and a young girl opened it almost immediately