Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
New Terrain
Our plane taxied on the runway in Atlanta.
Now that we had made our connection, I could finally relax.
In the window seat to my left, Camazotz read a yellowed copy of The Grapes of Wrath.
He laughed at me when I suggested he get an e-reader or tablet for the trip.
He said being current was my job and insisted some people still read paper books.
Then he offered me a copy of Cannery Row, stating Steinbeck was a modern genius.
And that was that. To be stubborn, I ordered The Winter of Our Discontent on my tablet, so we were both engrossed in Steinbeck when takeoff pressed us firmly into our seatbacks.
I had been sneaking looks at him the entire day.
At first glance, he looked completely human, wearing his “I’m on my way to Cancun” disguise I had picked out for him during our last trip into town.
If I had truly believed he would balk at wearing the noisy Hawaiian shirt I had found for three dollars at the thrift shop, complete with multi-colored Woody vans and a hibiscus flower background, then I would’ve been wrong.
He put it on without blinking an eye. Together with the ripped jeans and leather flip-flops, he looked like a hippie tourist from another time who planned to make an ass out of himself and everyone near him on his booze trip.
The problem was that his bearing was all wrong.
He carried himself with the grace and confidence of a prince, not a youngish man about to cut loose.
We had agreed his human form should be younger than normal to match me and to further his disguise.
While his face fit his thirty-something body, his eyes held an eternal wisdom, as if by simply looking at you, he could read your darkest secrets.
I convinced him to change his irises to the darkest brown, but while it was an improvement, there was just no way to hide his expression once he took off his sunglasses.
Those sunglasses are my favorite. I know the rest of the outfit was a joke. I’ve seen how everyone else dresses, Corvus.
Wait ‘til we get to Mexico. Trust me, you’ll blend right in. Glad you like the glasses though, but most people don’t approve of wearing them indoors.
The glare is bright through my window.
If you were a gentleman, you’d have offered the window seat to me, you know.
I turned my attention back to my book, which was brilliant if depressing, and pretended to ignore the warm press of his arm against mine.
Good thing I am only your Monster then.
I let out a sigh that was part chuckle, shutting down any further thoughts that could betray me.
The flight passed quickly, and before long, we were belched out into the humid heat of the Yucatan Peninsula.
We took the shuttle to our resort and checked in with a group of passengers from our flight.
I had picked a hotel built in the same style as the pyramids nearby, at least from the outside and only at first glance.
The middle of the hotel was a huge atrium filled with oversized plants, with the rooms situated around it.
The whole thing had a false, manicured feel to it, but I had stopped taking the world for granted after my real-life fall through the looking glass when I had wandered up my Monster’s mountain.
Who knew? We could be on an ancient burial ground where the spirits walked at night.
Camazotz looked around in wonder while I checked us in.
I tried to take it in through his eyes but couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.
Maybe I would take him to Disneyland once we survived our ordeal to really mess with his head.
But when we finally entered our oceanfront room, complete with a wall of glass showing nothing but glittering blue, anxiety crept over me.
We were traveling as husband and wife. It made sense to book a single room with one big bed.
But I hadn’t considered what it would mean when it came time to sleep.
Would we even be sleeping here, or would he decree we turn into shorebirds and begin our reconnaissance on our first night?
I dropped my bag on the bed and turned to find him standing at the slider, admiring the view. The ocean was a color I’d only seen in pictures, the impossible, light azure too beautiful to be real. Was that the real color, or was I processing my strange world differently now?
“Should I bother unpacking, or are we heading out tonight?”
He turned and looked at me, dark eyes unnerving. “Let us do what our alter egos would do.”
“You mean go down and eat dinner and then get stupid drunk?”
“Is the last part important?”
“Depends on whether or not you want to sell our personas.”
“Then yes, let’s convince the world we are two ordinary humans here to act like imbeciles.”
I laughed, unable to stop myself. When he offered me his arm, I took it.
The hotel restaurant was filling up by the time we were seated at our table overlooking the pool.
I ordered a pitcher of top-shelf margaritas and some appetizers while we looked over the menu.
I ordered him carne asada and a large salad for myself, since I was not getting enough leafy greens while existing on his mountaintop.
When the waiter left us to our chips, salsa, and giant margarita glasses, I took a large gulp of the sweetened tequila water, let out a sigh, and leaned back in my chair.
“Content, Corvus?”
“Please believe me when I say calling me Corvus will not help us blend in. If you must stick to the crow analogy, then how about Raven? At least that sounds like a normal name.”
“I prefer crows to ravens.”
I rolled my eyes and finished my margarita. Camazotz poured me another glass, having taken a long sip from his goblet and finding it satisfactory.
“Guess you’ll have to call me Morrigan then.”
“As you wish, Corvus.”
He looked around while I munched on the guacamole.
“I don’t see anyone wearing a shirt like mine,” he said eventually.
“No, you’re probably right. You have the most colorful one, that’s for sure.”
“And yet your dress looks a lot like what the other women are wearing.”
“What’s your point?”
“I am worried you are not taking this trip seriously.”
I burst out laughing. His eyes narrowed, but instead of yelling at me, he only frowned.
“Drink your cocktail, Benny. This may be our last night of fun, and we deserve to live it up. You’re much too serious.”
“Benny?”
“Don’t bother shooting daggers at me, Mister Bat God Man. We are here to fit in. No one’s going to believe our disguises if I call you by your real name.”
Hush, Corvus. Talk about something else.
He spoke forcefully in my head but casually scanned the restaurant, hardly turning his head.
“See, I told you not to leave your sunglasses in the room. Light sensitivity isn’t restricted to daytime.”
Good. Keep going.
“Want me to run up and get them for you, sweetheart?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. How about we get another drink at the bar?”
I glanced at the mostly full pitcher on the table, scrambling to keep up with him. Our dinners hadn’t come out yet, and we had already run up quite a tab. I looked around for our waiter and spotted him halfway between us and the bar.
“Yeah. I don’t like these weak margaritas anyway. Maybe we should just stick to beer.”
Camazotz stood and held out his hand. I took it but then pulled him in the direction of our waiter, pausing to ask him to cancel our order and put everything on our room’s tab before allowing him to lead me to the bar.
We found an open barstool near the end of the bar. Camazotz pulled it out for me, and I leaned over to flag down the overworked bartender. He nodded at my request for two Coronas, and I settled back, surprised to find a strong chest against my back.
Someone is watching us, so put on your best tourist face. Pretend to be in love with me if you can stand it.
The desire to look for the person watching us was strong, but it would’ve been an instant giveaway. I needed to find something better to do with my eyes. And mouth. Feeling reckless, I tilted my head back and kissed his jaw, grabbing his arm and pulling it tight around me.
It was too noisy where we were now to talk, which was a relief since I’d never been good at mindless small talk.
I couldn’t imagine Camazotz being even halfway competent at it.
He didn’t react to my snarky thought. Then again, he was distracted.
I should’ve been worried about the person who had caught his eye, but all I could concentrate on was the feeling of his strong arm around my waist. The warmth of his skin still lingered on my lips.
Good, Corvus, keep it up.
Our beers arrived; otherwise, I would have pressed him.
Instead, I squeezed his lime into the pale liquid and handed the bottle to him over my shoulder.
I squeezed my own lime and then downed the first big gulp, shoring up my courage.
Aware he could still hear my thoughts, even while distracted, I tried not to think about anything besides the cold liquid coating my throat.
When his arm loosened, and he took a drink, I swiveled my bar stool around until I faced him.
He looked down at me and stepped close. Our eyes met. My hand went to his neck, pulling his head down to mine. I was the one who kissed him, and this time, I didn’t freeze.
His lips were softer than I remembered from our first brief contact, his breath cold and smelling of lime, beer, and corn chips. I pressed my body against his and threw my other arm around his thick neck, enjoying the sparks dancing down my back.
He pulled back too soon, and I almost cried. He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.
Sorry about that. I figured that would convince him we were at least in lust, if not in love.
Do not apologize, Corvus. You are welcome to attack me anytime.
I looked away, sure I was blushing. What the hell were we doing?
He took a drink of his beer.