Chapter 8
“Let’s head for my car. I’ll bet that’s where we’ll find Flo.” I began walking, only to realize Ulseere didn’t followed. A glance over my shoulder showed him scowling.
“Now what’s your problem?” I huffed. The elf changed moods more often than I ate chips.
“You’re acting as if you’re the one in charge.”
“And?”
“As a member of nobility, I outrank you.”
“Maybe in your dimension, but here, I’m the one with the advantage, or disadvantage depending on how you look at it, because Gryvak is after me. I know the city better, and I have the magic to send you home to Infernal. Meanwhile, all you have is a sword and a pretty face.”
He gaped at me.
“Would it help if I said you had a hot bod too?”
“No!” he snapped.
“Don’t be so uptight. I’m taking charge right now because it’s necessary. You can take charge later when I don’t have a clue. Sound good?”
He shook his head and muttered something I didn’t catch, but he must have agreed because he stalked to my side and remained there as we headed for my car, where, as expected, we found Flo and Cedric waiting, the latter sitting on the hood looking nonchalant like only a cat could ever manage.
“There you are. I was so worried.” My bestie flung her arms around me and hugged me hard. I squeezed her even tighter, anaconda style, because damn that had been close for both of us.
“Ulseere got us out in the nick of time,” I stated.
“Beatrice had to use some of her magic, or we might not have made it either. She conjured some kind of shield and held up part of the ceiling until everyone had passed.”
“Speaking of Beatrice, where is she?” A glance around showed us alone.
“She took off to help the folk who don’t fit it in so well find a new hiding spot.”
“How pissed is she at me for wrecking their home?” Because, technically, Gryvak and the destruction could be blamed on my presence.
“She’s not,” Cedric replied. “The market and its people move around often because someone always opens their big mouth and ruins it for everyone else. When a location is compromised, they move on to the next.”
“I’m glad to hear they’ve got places to go.
” Whether or not I’d be welcome, though…
Guess that depended on if I could fix the Gryvak problem.
I still couldn’t believe he’d sauntered up to me so casually and struck up a conversation.
Also, I couldn’t believe someone supposedly so evil could be so pretty. Shouldn’t there be a law against that?
“What’s the plan now?” Flo asked, seemingly undaunted by the danger.
Wish I could say the same.
“Getting away from here would be a good start,” Cedric’s dry retort.
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes. “Ulseere says we should be able to do a hotel for the night since Gryvak will need to formulate a new plan.” Speaking of Ulseere, he remained slightly apart, on high alert, handle on the hilt of his sword. Kind of hot.
The late afternoon sun indicated twilight quickly approached, as did sirens. Someone must have noted and reported the ground collapsing.
“We should get moving before someone in uniform arrives and starts asking questions,” Flo stated as the voice of the reason.
“I’d be more worried about the demons who will be rousing and hunting soon,” said my unhelpful dark prince, a reminder that didn’t help my nerves.
“Can you drive?” My hands shook.
“No problem.”
Luckily, I’d kept the keys tucked in my jacket and handed them to Flo. We piled into the car, me and Cedric in the back, Ulseere sitting by Flo in the front. We headed out with me asking the most obvious question. “Any suggestions on a cheap hotel?”
“Cheap means little to no security,” Cedric pointed out.
“Yeah, well, we don’t have much choice because I’ve got less than a hundred bucks on me, and my credit card is in my duffel buried under a shit-ton of rock.” Because my dumb ass grabbed the Grimoire but forgot my wallet.
“Payment won’t be an issue,” Ulseere stated.
“Pretty sure your Infernal currency won’t be accepted,” my riposte.
He glanced over his shoulder at me. “I will handle the financial aspect.” Then to Flo, “Bring us to an establishment in the heart of your city where there will be many witnesses and security.”
“The chateau it is,” Flo exclaimed with excitement, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier being on the upscale side.
I glanced at my dusty clothes. “I doubt the doormen will let us inside the door given we look like we just crawled out of a dirt pit.”
“They will provide accommodation.” Ulseere spoke with firm confidence.
Guess we’d soon see.
Flo pulled the car up front, and I had to wonder what the valet thought as he came to grab our keys to park it. A brightly smiling Flo grabbed the tag the valet offered and dropped my keychain in his hands with a chirped, “Thanks.”
Before heading for the main doors, Ulseere held up his hand. “A moment please while I cast a glamour.”
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, only to end up speechless because suddenly we no longer looked out of place.
Ulseere went from being dressed as if he were about to set off on a larping quest to wearing a proper suit, and his gray-hued flesh turned tan.
Flo, who’d not had time to change from her comfy sleep clothes suddenly appeared in a matronly dress that went midcalf.
A glance down at myself showed me still in my very dirty and dusty hot-biker-girl outfit with a bulging leather jacket. “No disguise for me?”
Ulseere’s lips pursed. “For some reason, my spell is having difficulty changing your outward appearance.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning you and Cedric need to remain close together, as I’m sure felines aren’t common in such an establishment.”
“I’m sure the pair of us walking in together won’t look strange at all,” I drawled.
“You won’t because no one will notice either of you,” Ulseere muttered as the air in front of me blurred.
“What did you do?” I could see a haze, no matter where I turned my head.
“The prince put us in a mirror bubble, basically making us invisible,” Cedric replied.
“Since it doesn’t touch you, it appears to be working,” Ulseere added. “But we should quickly secure our accommodations, as I don’t know how well or how long it will hold. Be sure to avoid people too, as touch might shatter the illusion as well.”
We strode in through the main doors and, despite the people milling in the lobby, only a few gazes slewed our way, or should I say stared at Flo and Ulseere.
They did make an attractive couple, a thought that clenched my fists.
Cedric, who strode by my side, tail held high, muttered, “Calm down, you’re agitating your magic. ”
What? I almost asked what he meant until he added in a low tone, “And don’t talk. The mirroring only hides us from view. It doesn’t erase sound.”
I zipped my lips tight but made a note to interrogate him later.
Ulseere strode to the reception desk with the confidence of a man used to giving orders and getting his way. “We have a reservation.”
The woman glanced at him and offered a fake smile until she got a good look. “Evening, sir. Could I get your name and number?”
Rather than give her what she asked, Ulseere leaned slightly forward, and I’d have sworn he glowed a bit as he purred, “You know who I am. You’ve been expecting me because I am very important.”
“So glad you could make it, sir,” the woman murmured, her expression slightly dazed.
“Our reservation is for the largest available room. It has been prepaid with instructions to give us extreme privacy.”
“Of course. The presidential suite is ready for you.” The receptionist immediately began typing on her computer.
“If anyone inquires about our presence, you will say nothing because we were never here.” Ulseere still glowed a bit, and it occurred to me he used some kind of mental power, the kind that had the woman not asking for identification or payment.
Useful. I wondered if I could do anything similar.
Wouldn’t that be cool? I’d never have to pay for drinks at the bar again!
“Never here,” the receptionist repeated in a monotone before handing over two coded cards. “Here’s your keys.”
Ulseere frowned at them, and Flo leaned close to whisper, “They’re electronic.”
His brows lifted. Guess he’d never seen that kind of technology before.
We hightailed it to the elevators, with Ulseere hesitating before getting inside. Flo punched in our floor, and when the cubicle lurched, his fists clenched. Ah, look at him enjoying his first elevator ride.
We headed to the top floor, the location of the luxury suites, not something I’d ever been able to afford.
The quiet hallway had only a few doors given the size of the rooms, and the moment we opened ours, I gasped, “Damn.”
It wasn’t just a room but an apartment. The spacious space held a living room, a dining area featuring a table that could sit eight, and a bedroom with an inviting king-sized bed.
The view from the windows overlooked the city. The twilight sky illuminated with pinpricks of light stole my breath. So this was how the rich folk lived when they travelled.
The couch invited flopping, so I collapsed and sighed. “This is nice.”
Ulseere glanced around before grunting, “It will do.”
Sounded like someone was used to even better. Just how richly did an elf prince live?
Flo, looking herself again, plopped beside me. “Think Gryvak will find us here?”
“If he didn’t have us followed, then I imagine it won’t be long.” Ulseere remained as reassuring as usual.
“Always such a positive ray of sunshine.” I’d known the elf a day and already had him pegged. “Are we going to have to rent a different hotel room each night until you do something about your buddy?”
“Possibly. However, we won’t likely have to move around for long. With his demons mostly decimated, Gryvak will be desperate to find Charlotte and the Grimoire that he might bring over more reinforcements.”
“Meaning we could be attacked tonight.” I sighed. “I’d better get a chance to shower before he shows up. Really wishing we’d been able to bring my duffel.” Putting back on my dirty clothes would suck.