Page 31 of Cinder's Trial

Wait, did I say that out loud? A glance showed him looking out the window.

My shoulders relaxed. What was wrong with me?

The hotel loading dock door somehow knew to open as I neared. I pulled inside to see Hannah waiting.

She took one look at my gummed hair and probably still sticky face and whistled. “Hot shit, look at you.”

I grimaced. “I’m a mess.”

“We’ll get you cleaned up,” she promised. “Follow me.”

“Just a second. I need to gather my friends.” Izzy crawled into my arms, while the mice raced up my sleeves to ride on my shoulders.

To her credit, Hannah didn’t say a word about my menagerie. She led the way to a service elevator that took us to our floor. When she stopped in front of a door, Levi barked, “She’s staying with me.”

Hannah whirled around so fast I worried about whiplash.

“With you?” she questioned.

“I have two beds.” Said almost defensively.

Hannah glanced at me then Levi before she drawled, “Good point. I’m a rough sleeper. I might kick Cinder if we shared.”

The door for Levi’s suite proved to be farther down the hall and opened onto a decent-sized space. A corner unit with windows on two sides and the promised two beds. It also had a small kitchenette, a couch, and even a round table with two chairs. Homey.

The mice cheered as they scampered off to explore. Izzy turned his nose up at the carpet.

“I know, buddy. You prefer wood flooring. This is temporary.”

Hannah and Levi whispered at the door before he said more loudly, “Why don’t you shower. I’ll be in the hallway if you need me.”

“Oh yes!” I might have yelled it a little too happily.

The door to the room shut, and I stripped, quickly immersing myself under the hot spray. Spider goo sluiced from my flesh, and I sighed in relief, especially since it didn’t seem to have left behind any skin irritation. Since I had my eyes closed, I didn’t immediately notice the tub filling with water. When it swirled around my ankles was when I took note. I must have accidentally stepped on the pressure plug.

The murky water, covered in a layer of suds, meant dipping my hand in to swish around looking for the round metal cap so I could press it. Something brushed past my fingers and startled me enough I jerked, which, in turn, unbalanced me, and I landed with a splash on my ass. The jolt whooshed my breath, meaning I didn’t even manage an audible squeak.

As I pushed to stand, something slid by my hand again, and on reflex, I closed my fingers around it. I lifted it from the water to blink in surprise at the fish I’d caught. A squirmy little bugger that flapped its mouth open and shut before chomping me!

“Ow!” I dropped the fish and barely had time to wonder where it went after it splashed before the door slammed open.

Levi stood on the threshold, once more gun in hand, expression slightly crazed as he barked, “What is it?”

I scrambled from the tub and pointed to the water. “There’s a fish.”

“A fish?” he repeated, his expression confused.

“Yes, a fish in the tub. It bit me!” I held out my hand to show the red mark.

Despite his frown, he knelt by the side and reached in, finding the plug, and with a suctioning noise, the water began to drain. Even before it fully evacuated, the fish appeared, flopping on the bottom, orange-scaled and kind of fat. It reminded me of an oversized goldfish.

“What the ever-loving fuck?” he muttered as he reached in to snag it by the tail.

“What are you going to do with it?” I asked, standing there shivering despite the towel I’d wrapped around myself.

“Gonna save it for the bureau.” He plopped it into the sink, which he filled with water. “Finish your shower.”

“I’ll wait.”

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