Page 59 of Road Trip with a Vampire
Doing my magic in here would probably be my best bet. Thisresort was crawling with people. Finding any other secluded spot where I could do my magic undetected probably wasn’t happening.
When I walked back into the living area, Peter was standing in front of the large window, looking down. Our view—a fourteenth-floor lookout onto a large parking structure and the fields beyond it—was the only downside to this hotel I’d seen so far. Given our location, the hotel was probably doing the best it could with what it had.
“I’m…um, going exploring,” Peter said. The way he wouldn’t meet my eyes probably meant thatexploringwas his code forfeeding.“I’ll see you later?” His tone was as close to casual as Peter got, but I could tell by the way he couldn’t stop fidgeting with his key card that he was invested in my answer.
He was nervous. But why? I didn’t let myself consider it.
“I’ll see you later,” I agreed, though I wasn’t certain what I was agreeing to. Right then, though, it didn’t matter. Now that the novelty of checking into a resort in the middle of nowhere had worn off, my hands were beginning to shake. I needed to conduct another experiment, and soon. “It might be a while before I’m ready to hang out. I have…things to take care of first.”
Peter nodded, understanding what I wasn’t saying. “Text me when you’re finished?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure.”
Peter lingered another moment at the window, the fading light from the setting sun bathing half his face in shadow. “Bye for now,” he said before striding from the room.
I hadn’t realized how grossstaying in that cheap motel, then driving all day, had made me feel until I slid into theelegant bathtub, lathered up with the little lavender soaps, and scrubbed the travel grime off.
Heaven. Time floated away as I luxuriated in the warm, soapy water. Maybe visiting the hotel’s spa wasn’t even necessary. This, right here, was all I needed. Why didn’teverybathroom have a tub like this? My mind was made up; I was installing one as soon as I got home.
I couldn’t fully enjoy myself, though. Even as I soaked in the blissfully warm water, the tension simmering in my bloodstream was ratcheting up, reminding me it was time to get to work.
I reluctantly sat up in the bathtub and closed my eyes, directing my attention inward to the place deep inside where my power eddied and pooled. I grabbed up a big handful of it, yelping in surprise to find it was hot to the touch. Nearly scalding.
That wasn’t good. If I wanted to find equilibrium and determine the minimum amount of magic I could safely get away with using without causing discomfort or risk starting another accidental fire, I clearly needed to go bigger than I had the night before.
My power buzzed insistently through my bloodstream as I gently but purposefully dipped my hands beneath the water, then raised them up again above my head. Magic poured out through my fingertips as half of the water in the bathtub shot up, up, up into the air. I sat there, shivering a little, as I played, parting the water into three separate streams and braiding it in the air. Each tiny movement of my fingertips moved the water, caused it to ripple and roil, and eased more of the tension I now realized had been building up inside me all day.
It was like the first sip of ice-cold lemonade on a blazing-hot day. Like finally allowing myself to breathe again after holding my breath a few seconds too long. The physical relief I felt was so acute I actually sighed.
I felt good.
No, not simply good.
I felt likemyself.
After what might have been five minutes—ten minutes, an hour—and with slow, careful movements so that the bathroom wouldn’t get drenched, I let the water slide back down into the tub like a lazy waterfall.
I sighed and did a full-body stretch in the still-warm water, letting my head loll against the edge of the clawfoot tub.
Another successful experiment. And still no urge to run off into the night and join a vampire circus. As I dried off from my bath in the most luxurious towel I’d used in years, my mind drifted to Peter. When I’d explained the general shape of my problems, he had only listened, wanting to know more. Maybe letting him in on some of what had happened in my past would be all right. He had been nothing but open and vulnerable with me about his situation; I had no reason to think he would judge me if he knew about mine.
Perhaps he’d even think some of what I could do with my magic was impressive. The thought of impressing him made my stomach do a weird sort of flip it hadn’t done in over a century.
No time to analyzethat, though. I wanted to grab dinner before the hotel restaurants closed. They would likely be the best offerings for miles, so after quickly dressing in a clean T-shirt and a pair of jeans I made my way downstairs.
There were multiple places to choose from, but most seemed fancier than what I was in the mood for. I opted for the relatively casual bar, even though it was crowded with what looked like drunken wedding guests who’d somehow escaped the festivities.
I eased my way through the crowd until I found a small table in the back. The menu was simple, but it did have the fries I wassuddenly craving, so it was good enough for me. As I waited for a server to take my order, I amused myself by watching an especially drunk guy try to impress a young woman with how quickly he could undo and then redo his bow tie. She was hardly paying him any attention.
“You can do better, honey,” I muttered under my breath. She seemed to think the same thing, abandoning him a moment later to join people at another table.
The server who approached ten minutes later looked so frazzled and overwhelmed I couldn’t help but wonder whether this bar wasn’t usually this crowded.
“I’m Sadie,” she said, plunking a glass down on the table so quickly the water inside sloshed against the rim. “What can I get you?”
“I’ll have a veggie burger and fries.” I leafed through the beer menu. “And a Sierra Nevada.”
“Anything else?”
