Page 53 of Shadow Scorching

“Ready?” I turned to Penn.

“Let’s go find us a swanky hotel room,” she said, laughing.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Penn and I booked a room—undermy alter ego’s name—at the Hotel Savoy-Elish. It was a small but posh hotel that was more obscure than popular. A number of the Seattle elite chose to stay there when they needed a private getaway. The hotel was fully accessible, even though it was older. The owners had retrofitted it when they bought it.

An underground parking garage allowed guests to park below their lodgings, and the garage was well-lit with security guards stationed throughout. A doorman/security guard watched over the elevator to make certain that no unruly elements decided to crash the parties that were held here. The hotel was complete with gym, pool, restaurant, breakfast café, gift shop, and conference rooms for smaller, elite conferences.

I had called ahead to verify they had vacancies, and so when we arrived at the desk, I asked for a suite, primarily so that the others could hide away from Jet.

“Name?” the receptionist asked.

“My name is Kyann Sarasan, but I need to make the reservation under a different name. It’s for me, but…” I wished I had a natural glamour.

“Ms. Sarasan is a Supe-Nok celebrity,” Penn said, turning on the charm. “She’s here incognito to make some surprise videos.”

The wordsSupe-Nok celebrityhad an almost magical affect.

“Of course. What name would you like on the public registrar? We’ll have to keep your personal name in our files, of course, but the public never sees those.”

Grateful for Penn’s quick thinking, and her Fae glamour, I said, “Estelle Weatherford. And if anybody asks you to describe me, please don’t tell them what I look like. You can never tell with crazy fans.” I slid a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. “You know how it is.” I gave him a little wink.

He discreetly picked up the bill. “Of course, Ms. Weatherford. We have suites available on the first, the fourth, and the tenth floors. Which would you like?”

I thought about it. I didn’t want any distractions from the lobby.

“The fourth, please.”

“Very good. How many days?”

“Two—tonight and tomorrow night. I’ll be bringing my luggage by in a little while.” That gave us plenty of time. I paid for the stay, then Penn and I took the key up to the room and checked out the suite.

“What are you going to do when he gets here, expecting an elderly woman, and sees you?”

“Good point. I might wait outside. We’re near the ice station and vending machines, and I could hide there. I’ll text him to let himself in. I can tell him that I’m in the bath, and when he enters the room, I can run in behind him and lock the door so he can’t get out.” I peeked in the second room. It, too, was spacious. “Do you have the magic dampening grids ready to go?”

She nodded. “Not with me, of course. They’re not a one-use tool or spells. They’re actuallygadgets. I always chargethem after using so I don’t have to worry about the next use. We’ll need to swing by home so I can pick them up. We can do that before heading to Michael’s, and then come over here afterward.”

“Good gods, the color scheme on this sweet screams sex and money. Lady Marmalade.”

The suite was decked out in pinks and reds, the upholstery was white with black stripes and red hearts. With a mirror over the bed and red velvet throws, all I needed was a pink feather boa and a corset.

“It hurts my eyes,” she said.

“It hurts my aesthetic sense,” I said. “Okay, this will work. Let’s go get ready for tonight’s marathon.”

We locked the door behind us and headed out into the drizzle that spattered against the streets. The snow was melting, it was thirty-six degrees by now, and slush was beginning to line the gutters next to the curbs. All in all, it was a miserable day.

At home,we fed the cats, ate a light dinner—mostly protein with a few carbs—and then, after gathering all the components we would need for both the exorcisms and taking down Jet, we took off for the shop. My nerves were rising. I was worried about Penn, mostly. She was going to be doing most of the heavy lifting, and if we couldn’t keep the shadow man and the revenant at bay, then…well, I didn’t want to think about what might happen.

As we drove toward Michael’s, she said, “If I can’t wrangle the shadow man—or the revenant—we need to get the hell out of there.”

“I know. Err on the side of caution.”

She stared out the side window. “I’m going to prepare, so I’ll be silent for a while.” Which was a polite way of telling me to shut up and not bother her.

We arrivedat Michael’s right on time. Everyone else was there, waiting outside. Lazenti gave me a quick bow, then turned to Penn, but one look at her eyes—which were practically glowing—and he backed off. Dante started to say hello to her, but then backed off.

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