Page 14 of Queen Takes Sunfires 1
Karmen
Ijerked awake, disoriented and sick with sudden fear. My throat closed off. My heart pounded frantically. I sat upright so quickly that I smacked my head on something hard. The small pain helped push the dregs of sleep away.
"Hey," a man said softly, holding his hands up peacefully. "It's okay. You're safe."
It took me a moment to remember who he was. Eivind, the wolfman, who'd given me a ride from the hospital. For the first time, I could see more of his features. Shaggy reddish hair hung around his shoulders and covered his chin. Brown eyes with a hint of amber watched me carefully, as if I might bite or run away. He wasn't sure which.
To be honest, neither was I. But where would I run? I didn't know this place, world, or time, as if I'd been in another dimension entirely. Until I understood more about this world, he was my only source of information. He'd been helpful so far, though I didn't appreciate his doubts. I supposed that I couldn't blame him. Maybe nobody knew what sunfires were in this world. If so, they were extremely lucky.
Then it dawned on me. I couldseehim clearly. I turned my head, ignoring the stiffness in my neck from sleeping in the car. A fresh wave of terror flooded me, making me gasp softly. The sky was lightening with the rising sun. It was dawn. It might already be too late.
"We're here," he continued. "I called ahead to make sure we could get a room to your specifications. I don't know how nice it'll be, but they do have an interior room with no windows. The manager thought I was crazy asking for it. Evidently, it's their overflow room and they only have guests in it during racing season, when all the hotels closer to the city are booked."
Breathing hard, I fumbled at the door, trying to figure out how to open it. I thumped on the glass, but it wouldn't budge. In my panic, nothing made sense. I couldn't find the right lever or button.
He got out and came around to open the door for me. "Here." Holding up a dark-colored coat, he helped me slip it on over the top of my hospital gown. "Fewer questions. We need to go through the lobby to get to the room."
“We need to hurry.” I clutched the coat around me and ran for the door. I didn’t pay attention to the surroundings in my panic. Only the sky, casting fearful glances over my shoulder. I stumbled, and he gripped my elbow, just long enough to make sure I didn’t fall. Then he released me, remembering how I’d reacted the night before.
“What are you looking for?”
“The sun.”
“Sunrise will take another twenty minutes or so.”
“But the sky is lightening now. It may already be too late. They’ll come with the sun.”
“I thought you saw one last night in the hospital.”
“I did, or at least a hint. They’re weaker in darkness, but when the sun rises, they’ll be unstoppable.”
He pulled the door open for me, and I hurried inside with one last glance back. I strained to hear the crackle and spark that might indicate they were close, but the drone of voices drowned out any early warning sounds I might be able to detect. A musty smell made me wrinkle my nose.
“Yeah,” he said beneath his breath. “Nothing to be too excited about. It’s small and off the main road, so it’s harder to find. “
“Have you hidden here before?”
He grunted sourly, which I took to be an affirmative. Questions buzzed in my head, but I didn’t voice them. Why had he needed to hide? How long ago? Had he been here with other people? I didn’t know him well at all, but I knew the answer to that question was no. He was definitely a lone wolf, other than the sister he’d mentioned.
Pausing in front of a high desk, he passed something to the waiting man.
“Good evening, Mr. Smith.” The man gave me a lecherous wink. “The room you requested is ready. Hospital kink? Now that’s a new one.”
I blinked in confusion but kept my face smooth. He’d given a false name, so he didn’t trust this place or man either, even though it was supposed to be relatively safe.
The man jerked his head toward the left hallway. “All the way down at the very end. Not too many guests in that wing, so no noise complaints. If you know what I’m talking about.”
I started walking in that direction, letting Eivind follow. I didn’t like the stranger’s eyes on me. It made my skin crawl. Or was that my nerves? My internal warning? We passed a black box where the voices were coming from. I clenched my jaws tighter and quickened my steps until I was almost running down the hall. Even indoors, I still felt exposed.
Heat grew inside me. The sun burned, rising slowly in the sky. My blood heated. My heart pumped energy through my body. I didn’t feel insubstantial and weak any longer.
I felt alive. Burningly alive.
The roof of my mouth throbbed, startling me. I probed with my tongue and found a hint of something sharp. Two fangs, barely distended.
What am I?
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