“Whatever. It has nothing to do with that,” I answered, looking up at the sky. The sun was up and I needed to rest. “Where are the others?”
“Back at the motel. Nice place you picked out, by the way. A real shit-hole.”
“Nothing else around. I didn’t feel like driving anymore, either. Not with the two girls in the car.”
His eyes lit up with amusement. “You didn’t trust yourself?”
“They wouldn’t shut up,” I said, knowing it would make him laugh.
He did. “If you want, I’ll take the blond off of your hands. I could use a woman in my bed tonight. It’s been too long and I have a lot of pent-up energy. It’s driving me nuts.”
I grunted. “Too long without a woman? What’s it been, a week?”
“Three days. But, who’s counting?” he replied, smiling wickedly.
“Melody is with Chelsey in the room next door. She’s just like all the other fans, so I’m sure it wouldn’t take much for you to charm the pants off of her. But, I have to advise against it. They’re both going through a lot of shit and it wouldn’t be right.”
“It’s only wrong if I can’t put a smile on her face,” he replied. “And she probably could use one after the past few days.”
“Not from what you’re thinking.”
“You have no idea what I’m thinking,” he said, changing back into a lycan. “Race you back.”
I flew up into the sky and beat him back by three minutes. He may have been faster, but I owned the sky.
AFTER MELODY WAS finished with her shower, she hesitantly crawled into the bed next to mine. The springs creaked as she tried to find a comfortable position. “Nice,” she muttered. “I really freaken hate this place.”
“Do you want me to turn off the television?” I asked. I was flipping through the channels, curious to see if there had been any reports on our parents’ murders, or any mention of Club Nightshade. Nobody seemed to be reporting anything.
“No,” she said. “It’s okay if you leave it on. I can’t sleep when it’s too quiet anyway.”
“Okay. I’ll wait until you’re asleep and then shut it down.”
She turned to her side and looked at me. “How’s your head? Better?”
“A little,” I replied.
“There’s a soda machine outside. If you drink something with caffeine, it will probably help.”
I yawned. “Probably, but it will also keep me up and we both need to sleep.”
“Okay. Well, goodnight,” she said, turning over.
“Goodnight.”
Less than five minutes later, Melody was snoring softly.
Deciding that a bath might relax me, I turned off the television and set the remote control on the nightstand. Then I stood up and walked quietly into the bathroom, trying not to wake Melody. Locking the door, I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the girl in the mirror. The one with the haunted eyes.
And you think Slade is attracted to you? I thought, wrinkling my nose at my reflection. Who was I kidding?
After starting the water, I ran a hand through my auburn hair, pulled at a couple of snarls in the back, and sighed. I seriously looked like someone who’d been lost in the wilderness for days, and had just now stepped back into civilization. Ironically, Melody and I were both lost. We didn’t really know where to go, plus our only sanctuary was the rundown motel that someone else had paid for. I hated that feeling. Hated having to rely on someone else’s money, especially Slade’s.
I removed my clothes and stepped into the tub. As I lowered myself into the water, I looked around the bathroom, half-expecting to find a peephole. Even I had to admit, the hotel was creepy.
Leaning back, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of everything, but it refused to cooperate. Images of Faye in her gargoyle form, smiling evilly as she flew off with Susan flashed through my brain, followed by Slade’s handsome face as he stared down at me from the stage.
Groaning inwardly, I sat up and grabbed the soap. I bathed and then quickly washed my hair with the cheap motel shampoo and conditioner. When I was finished, I wrapped one towel around my torso and another around my hair. I washed my bra, panties, sweater, and jeans in the bathtub and then hung them up to dry on the shower rod. When I was finished, I pulled the towel off of my head, walked out of the bathroom, and slid under the sheets, falling into a deep sleep.
A LOUD KNOCK on the door woke both of us a few hours later.
“Housekeeping,” hollered a woman outside.
Melody groaned and sat up on her elbows. “What time is it?”
The curtains were still drawn and the room was dark. I turned over and looked at the clock. “It’s noon.”
“Noon? Hell…” Melody raised her voice. “Come back later, please!”
“Okay,” the woman replied.
Yawning, I sat up. “I can’t believe I slept that long in this crappy bed.” At least my headache was finally gone.
“Long? It’s only been a few hours. I could use several more of them,” she mumbled.
I slid out of bed, pulling the towel around my body. It had slipped off and I had to admit, sleeping naked under the sheets had been comfortable. “You may as well go back to sleep. Who knows when we’ll get the luxury of a bed again?”
“You worry too much,” replied Melody, yawning, too. “I told you, Slade’s going to take care of us.”
“Right.”
“You’ll see,” she murmured, as I padded into the bathroom.
I went to the shower and touched my clothing. They were still damp. Sighing, I used the bathroom and then walked out.
“Hey,” said a familiar voice.
“What are you doing in here?” I gasped, stopping dead in my tracks. Slade sat at the small table next to the window with his leg crossed over his knee, looking very comfortable. Almost like he’d been there for hours.
“I knocked. When nobody answered, I let myself in,” he replied quietly, now staring at my towel.
“How did you get in? I thought the door was locked.”
He held up a white plastic card. “I have another key.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, she’s out cold, I see.”
I held the front of the towel tightly to keep it from falling open and looked back over at Melody, who was once again, sound asleep and snoring. “She could sleep through a war,” I mumbled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a girl snore like that,” said Slade, chuckling. “She should see a doctor for that.”
“She can’t help it,” I snapped. Normally I would have laughed, too, but he had a way of really pissing me off. Hell, he didn’t even have to speak and he annoyed me.
“Sorry,” he said, sitting up straighter. I noticed that he’d changed clothing and was now wearing a new pair of faded jeans, along with a plain white T-shirt. He stood up. “You’d better wake her and get dressed,” he said, looking at my towel again. “We’re leaving in an hour.”
“Leaving? Where are we going?” I asked, feeling my cheeks turn pink as his eyes lowered to my thighs and then up to my cleavage.
“To a hangar about two hours from here. You have very nice legs. Are you a dancer or a gymnast?”
“Neither. Do you mind looking above my waist?” I said stiffly.
Looking slightly embarrassed, his eyes met mine and there was a strange fiery light there. He smiled crookedly. “Sorry. You really do have nice gams.”
My eyes widened. “I have nice what?”
“Gams. It’s an older expression for legs.”
I relaxed. “Oh. Uh, thanks.”
“What did you think I said?” He smiled wickedly and eyeballed my chest. “Nice mams?”
“No,” I snapped, pulling the towel up slightly.
“I’m sure they’re very nice, too.”
My face turned scarlet. “Seriously, would you stop?”
He laughed. “Blushing becomes you.”
“Whatever.” Still e
mbarrassed, I quickly changed the subject. “Uh, you mentioned a hangar. As in an airplane hangar?”
“Yeah.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. “So, uh, you’re going back to Europe today?”
“Yes. Dublin. We’re all going. You included.”
“OH NO… WE are not leaving the states,” I said quickly.
He sighed. “I don’t think you have any other choice.”
“You can’t honestly think that we’re just going to drop everything and follow you to Europe?”
“What’s to drop, besides that towel?” he said, obviously trying to be funny. “Seriously? There is nothing left here for you.”
His words didn’t bring a smile to my face. It brought grief and despair. My heart felt heavy as the direness of our situation really sank in. There was no family waiting for us at home. My best friend Susan was gone. He was right. There really wasn’t much holding us here. But, I still had my education and my parents wouldn’t have wanted me to give that up. They’d been so proud of what I’d already accomplished. “I’m in college,” I said. “I have tests coming up. Studying. I just can’t leave it all behind.”
“So, you’re actually planning on going back home?” he asked in disbelief.
Even I knew that returning to my parents’ house was a stupid idea. “No, I’m not returning directly home. But, I can’t give up college. I’ll move in with a classmate, if I have to.”
His smile was grim. “You know, that’s suicide… and not to mention, murder. They’d kill you and your roommate.”
Dammit. He was right again. I’d be putting everyone’s life in danger. “Fine. I’ll move to another state and transfer my credits to a different college. Melody can join me. At least we’ll have each other.”
He folded his arms under his chest. I could tell he thought I was being foolish. “You really think it will be that easy?”
My eyes filled with frustrated tears. “I don’t know. But, you’re asking us to make a hasty decision like this. In an hour. It’s just too much.”
His eyes softened. “I wish there was another way.”
“There has to be.”
“I have to get on that plane, Chelsey. And if I’m going, you should too. If you don’t, both of you could end up like your family.”
“It’s just such a hard decision.”
“I’m sure it’s an overwhelming decision. Especially for someone as young as you.”
“Well, I’m not that young,” I replied stiffly, brushing away the tears from my lashes.
“Right. What are you, twenty?”
I pursed my lips. “Almost nineteen.”
He shook his head, grinning humorlessly. “Not that young…Christ, you’re a babe.”
“I know it sounds young but… I am an adult. I’m capable of making my own decisions. So is Melody.” Although, I knew she would follow him to Hell and back, if he asked.
“True, but I think you should still consider the situation you’ve been thrown into. I highly doubt you’re prepared to deal with immortal assassins like the Roamers. You need protection from someone as formidable as us. At least for now.”
I didn’t reply.
Sighing, he walked toward the door and then turned around. “Okay, tell me this… if you stay, what will you do about your financial situation?”
I shrugged. “That shouldn’t be too much of a concern. My parents each had bank accounts. They should have had money saved.”
“They had money saved,” he repeated, smiling at me like I was naive. “Do you honestly think that the bank is going to allow you to empty out your parents’ checking and savings accounts?”
“I’m sure I’m their beneficiary.”
“And how are you going to prove that they’re dead? You’d need a copy of their death certificates to claim any kind of inheritance or life insurance policy.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. His points were so valid that it was making my head spin. “Melody and I will just have to get jobs and find a place to live. Someplace other than Montana.”
“Great idea. Get a job and within a few days, Faye’s goons will show up at your new place of employment. You may as well just send her a postcard.”
“How would they find us if we moved away?”
“Your social security numbers. Caleb could easily track you down as soon as your new employer registered them. You’d both be as good as dead.”
I swore. He was right. I hadn’t even thought about that.
“Chelsey, face it, you don’t really have a choice. Without money or people to hide you, the Roamers will find you. And kill you.”
“He’s right,” said Melody, who I’d noticed had stopped snoring some time ago. She sat up in bed. “We need their protection or we may as well put a gun to our heads and pull the trigger, before someone else does. I don’t know about you, but I’m doing whatever Slade asks.”
And with great pleasure, I thought.
I chewed on my lower lip. Our situation was hopeless. “I guess we don’t really have a choice, do we?”
“OBVIOUSLY WE DO have a choice. Die or go with them,” said Melody, getting off of the bed. “The answer is simple.”
“I suppose,” I said, still frightened of the idea. I’d never even been out of Montana, let alone flown on a plane that would take us to another country.
Slade ran a hand through his hair, which looked slightly damp. “Okay, I can see that you’re still nervous about it, Chelsey. It doesn’t have to be a permanent thing, though. I can offer you the sanctuary you need, until it’s safe to return to the U.S.”
“And when will that be?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t have that answer. But, who knows, you might just enjoy living in Romania. You may never want to come back to this country.”
“Romania? I thought we were going to Ireland?” I replied, looking at Melody. Not that it made a difference. We’d be lost in both countries.
“We’re going there first, but my home is in Romania. The others live in Ireland and that’s where our studio is.”
“Let me guess – you own an old castle in Romania, and have lived there for hundreds of years,” I replied with a half-smile.
He smirked. “No. I own a condo near the Black Sea in Constanta. Liam owns a castle in Ireland, though. If you’d prefer a fortress, he’s the man who can give it to you.”
“Uh, Liam. He’s the werewolf?” asked Melody.
“The lycan,” he corrected. “Don’t ever call him the other.”
She smiled. “Oh, right. Well, I don’t know about Chelsey, but I’d be more than happy to stay in your cozy little condo.”
“It’s actually quite large. In fact, it takes up the entire upper level of the building, so there is plenty of room for you both, there,” he replied. He looked at me. “But, it’s up to you. I’m sure if I ask, Liam will allow you to stay at the castle. His staff would take very good care of you.”
“Wherever you want to put me,” I replied, still feeling queasy about the whole idea. “I really don’t care at this point.”
Slade looked at the clock. “Well, there is plenty of time to think about that on the plane. Either place is fine with me. He may own a castle, but my condo is pretty swank. I just had some remodeling done last summer.”
“Oh, I already know your condo is totally awesome,” gushed Melody.
He frowned. “What do you mean you already know?”
She blushed. “Um, well, I saw a couple of pictures in one of the tabloids, a few months back. They said you bought the entire building and were renovating it.”
“I’d stay away from that trash if I were you,” he said, looking irritated. “They profit on lies.”
“I didn’t buy it,” she said quickly. “I was getting my hair done at a salon and was just paging through some of the magazine. Bored, you know?”
“Right,” he said. “Anyway, the choice is all yours.”
“Like I said, I don’t care where we stay,” I replied.
“But, wouldn’t a castle offer more protection?”
“Sometimes bigger isn’t always better,” he replied.”
“I don’t know about that,” giggled Melody.
He shook his head and looked at me.
I rolled my eyes.
“Girls, the condo is secure. That’s all you need to know.”
“Is there a pool?” asked Melody.
He nodded. “Actually, I just recently had a private rooftop pool installed.”
She squealed in delight. “Yes. Chels, we are going to have so much fun.”
I grunted. “Yaay. Fun. Can’t wait.”
His sighed. “I understand your lack of enthusiasm. I really do. But, you’ll be safe and that’s the important thing. In fact, I’ll hire a couple of security guards to keep an eye on you both, while we’re touring.”
Melody’s smile fell away. “You’ll be touring?”
“Yeah. We have several concerts coming up in the UK as well as Australia. Lots of traveling involved.”
“I could join you. I mean,” she nodded toward me, “we could join you.”
“That’s something we’ll have to discuss later. I can’t make the decision without my band members anyway.”
“I understand,” she replied.
There was a loud knock on the door. Slade opened it up slightly and stuck his head out.
“They ready?” asked a voice I recognized as Liam’s on the other side of the doorway.
“Almost.”
“You helping them get dressed or what?” joked the drummer.
“I’m just explaining what’s going on,” he said tightly. “I’ll be right out.”
“Take your time,” answered Liam in an amused voice. “Do it right.”
Shaking his head, Slade turned and looked back at us. “You know, I’m just going to wait for you outside, with the others.”
“Okay,” I answered, moving toward the bathroom. I knew my clothes were still damp, but they were all I had.
“Slade, you wouldn’t happen to have any extra concert T-shirts or anything?” asked Melody as I was about to close the door. “I’ve been wearing this outfit for the last few days. I mean, I did take a shower, but...”
Slade (Venom Series) Book Two Page 4