Chapter 16
Krys blinked awake and stretched in the passenger seat. Virgil had given him a break hours ago and was now pulling into the motel parking lot. Fourteen hours straight in a car was exhausting, but Krys felt rejuvenated after sleeping for the past two hours.
The saturated colors of the setting sun illuminated the tacky blue paint on the building. He didn’t care about the quality of the room, and you couldn’t raise your expectations too high when it came to Breed lodging. As long as there was a bed and a toilet, that was all he needed.
He peered into the back. Cleo was lying on her side, a hood pulled over her head. “How long has she been asleep?”
Virgil put the car in park. “Long enough that she’ll be up all night watching TV. I thought it was a cat thing, but Eden doesn’t sleep all day.”
“She’s a kid. She’ll grow out of it. All teenagers do is eat and stay up all night. Is this the motel on Montana’s list?”
“Yep. Looks bright and cheery.”
“Looks like a place where people get murdered.”
Virgil shut off the vehicle. “Don’t say that around a Gravewalker. You’ll jinx me.”
Krys heaved a sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
After unbuckling his seat belt, Virgil opened his door. “Weirdly enough, motels aren’t a hot spot for specters.”
“Nice to know the cheap décor and bedbugs scare more than the living.”
Krys scanned the parking lot on the way to the office and spotted an expensive Mercedes.
Normally, in a dump like this, fancy cars would raise eyebrows.
But Breed motels attracted all types who didn’t want to stay at a place where humans were allowed.
He didn’t worry about Vampires. They didn’t sleep, so they didn’t stay in out-of-the-way places like this.
The thin walls alone would drive them away, especially since Shifters liked places where they could shift after a long drive.
The only thing they had to worry about was paying for damages.
Cleo strolled beside him as they neared the door and entered.
A dark man barely glanced up from behind the curved wood counter across the room. The damp air reeked of stale cigarettes, musty newspaper, and fifty years of travelers passing through.
Krys rested his arms on the counter and noticed the man was working on a crossword puzzle. “We need a room.”
“We’re all booked up.”
That would be the standard answer for any establishment keeping humans out. “Nothing for three Shifters looking for shelter?”
“Well… let me check one more time.” He moved his attention away from the crossword and squinted at a clipboard listing occupants, dates, and room numbers. No computer or reservation book. A fucking clipboard.
After reviewing his list, he glanced below the counter. “You’re in luck. I’ve got two singles.”
“We need three rooms.”
“Two is all I’ve got. They’re next door to each other. Take it or leave it. You won’t find another Breed motel for fifty miles, and they’ll be booked by the time you arrive.”
“Then we’ll call.”
The man returned to his crossword and sighed. “Good luck with that. In these parts, it’s first come, first served. If you want reservations, stay at the Hilton.” He scribbled in a word.
“Fine.” Krys signed the clipboard with his alias.
“Do you have any drinks?” Cleo asked. “I’m thirsty.”
“No drinks, no candy,” the man replied. “Try the shop next door. One is a regular pawnshop, and the other sells all the essentials you’ll need on your travels.
There’s also a restaurant behind us if you’re hungry.
They look closed, but that’s to keep humans out.
Knock on the back door twice followed by three knocks if you want in.
” He handed Krys the keys, and they were actual keys attached to a small piece of wood with the room number carved in.
Krys tossed them to Virgil. “Unload the bags. I’ll be there in a second.”
Virgil and Cleo took off while Krys negotiated the price.
This sort of place never had a flat rate.
Sometimes the owners adjusted the rates based on the customer’s vehicle or how they were dressed, but there was always room to haggle.
When he told the guy about Virgil’s convenience store fiasco, he got fifty bucks knocked off their bill for making the man laugh.
After grabbing the remaining bags from the back, Krys shut the hatch and headed to the room.
When he reached the open door, he dropped the bags onto the floor and stared at the bed against the left wall.
The maroon bedspread with its gold designs suggested they didn’t use their profits to upgrade rooms. At least it had an air conditioner.
A flush sounded from the bathroom, followed by water running.
Krys approached the wood door to the right of the bed and slid it open.
There was another door behind it that connected to Cleo’s room, and each had their own locks.
They’d built these long ago for families.
The connecting room was unremarkable. Cleo’s bag was on the bed, the drapes still closed.
When he walked back into his room, Virgil was spread-eagle across the bed.
“Don’t get too cozy,” Krys remarked. “You can’t sleep here with my wolf.”
“I’ll stay with Cleo.”
Krys leaned against the mahogany dresser across from the bed. “We’re not her pack anymore. I don’t think it’s a good idea if her cat sleeps in the same room with a wolf.”
Virgil eased up on his elbows. “Then where am I supposed to sleep?”
He gestured to the bathroom.
Virgil rolled around on the bed and then propped his head in his hand. “Why can’t I have the bed and you sleep in the tub?”
“Guess what happened the last time my wolf was locked in a bathroom?” He scratched his chin while his gaze fastened on the open jar of peanut butter on the bedside table. “Is Cleo looking for the ice machine?”
“She’s in her room.”
No, she wasn’t. Krys was just in there. His stomach twisted into a knot, and he flew out of their room to search the corridor.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Virgil complained.
Krys peered back inside the room. “What?”
Virgil pivoted to face him. “Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“Stay here. I’ll find her. She probably got curious about the shops.”
“If you go to the store, look for sheets.”
Krys slammed the door before searching the motel grounds.
After cutting through the middle of the motel and passing the pool, he veered left and spotted two brick buildings with metal shutters covering the windows and doors. He ventured around back and initiated the secret knock. A second later, the door opened.
When he entered the pawnshop, he didn’t have time to assess the aisles of goods or weird paintings on the walls.
Cleo stood to his right, watching a Hispanic man by the nearby register holding his hands out.
Her eyes were saucer wide as he manipulated metal objects in the air like a slow-moving cyclone.
Obviously a Mage. They weren’t magicians, but they each had at least one rare gift that made them appear magical. Krys had never seen one who could move objects around in the air, however.
A fork stabbed the wall, and Cleo applauded.
Krys seized her arm. “Why did you run off? You scared the hell out of me! Don’t do that again.”
She suddenly shifted. Her tail pushed out from behind her shirt and curled around her.
The man stared wide-eyed at her ears before he lowered the objects onto the counter. “Perdón.” He abruptly flashed down one of the dimly lit aisles.
Cleo jumped onto the counter and crouched, her tail swishing angrily back and forth.
“Sorry, kid. I didn’t mean to scare you, but you can’t take off like that without telling anyone.”
She cocked her head to the side and gave a predatory gaze with her catlike eyes. It was jarring to have an animal looking at him with Cleo’s face. Not just looking but judging him. Assessing if he was a threat.
The man returned and presented Krys with a small dagger. “The finest protection on the road. Guaranteed authentic. I sell anything you can think of… and some things you can’t.” He stirred with laughter. “Impalement wood? You’re on the Breed road, so you need protection.”
That seemed like a sensible idea. They hadn’t packed weapons, and Krys wasn’t sure where the hell they were going. “Two of each.”
The man’s face lit up.
“The cheapest you got.”
His expression immediately fell before he went to retrieve the items.
Cleo jumped down, her attention focused on a nearby shelf.
She smelled each item, and it occurred to Krys that her most animalistic feature wasn’t her nose or ears; it was her pale grey eyes.
Animals looked at people differently, and even though she shared her body and headspace with her leopard, her animal was definitely present.
“You’ll see places like this in Cognito,” he told her. “Our pawnshops, clubs, and restaurants restrict humans.”
“How do they keep people out?”
“Clubs have doormen. Restaurants go by reservation only. It’s up to the owners.
Some places don’t care who they serve as long as they make money.
You need to get used to the idea of going into places with other Breeds.
It’s not like Storybook. You won’t know those people, and that means you can’t trust them.
When you’re old enough, the higher authority will assign you an alias and fake ID to move around in the human world.
” Krys glanced across his shoulder when he heard the store owner heading toward them.
“You’ll meet immortals who can do things that seem… ”
“Magical?” she supplied.
“Yeah. Don’t show interest or surprise. If you look na?ve, people will take advantage of that.”
The man returned with a sack. “Two hundred.”
“Show me what’s in there.”
The short fellow laid two push daggers and two puny impalement sticks on the counter. They were small push daggers too.
Krys picked one up. They were sheathed but didn’t have straps. “How am I supposed to wear this?”
“Put them in your shoe.”
“And the chopsticks you’re selling?”
The man shrugged.