Page 29 of Kiss of Light

“Absolutely. Come on. Give me that sucker.”

He rolled his eyes but obediently held out his little finger. Tala hooked hers around it.

“I solemnly promise to letyoudecide what happens in Colorado. And I will never, ever interfere with you again while you’re asleep.” She grinned mischievously. “Not unless you ask me to.”

Lemar’s eyes glittered as he looked down at her.

“You are a very strange demon.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Fine. But if we’re heading to Colorado, then I’ll drive. I can smell the tiredness on you.”

“I can go without sleep for days if necessary.”

“It’s not up for debate. I’ll drive for a few hours.”

“Fine. Wake me before sunrise.”

He took the wheel and she settled herself in the passenger seat. The night air was warm and she took off her jacket, slinging it in the back seat. He watched surreptitiously as she cranked down the chair as far as it would go. Then she curled up like a cat, yawned, and fell asleep.

He shook his bead, amused.

What the fuck was he doing, making a deal with a demon? He must be insane. Then again, everyone else in the world seemed determined to kill him. She was the only one who wanted him alive.

Not because she gives a crap about you,he reminded himself.She just needs you to sort out the political shit in Nush’aldaam.

Still. There’d been that moment when she’d pressed against him. When she’d told him he wasn’t a monster.

And for one tiny second, he’d almost believed her.

Twelve

Lemar drove through the night, stopping just once at a service station for fuel. His skin began to prickle around five am and a wave of fatigue washed over him. Sunrise was around the corner.

He pulled into an old motel with a flickering neon sign. “The Oasis,” it said. “Your Home From Home.” He highly doubted that. The place looked deserted.

He paused before he woke Tala. Her blonde hair had fallen over her face and she looked impossibly young. But from what she’d told him, she was probably older than he was.

He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. She went from asleep to awake in less than a second and he found the point of a blade just inches from his throat.

“Pleasant nap?” he asked mildly. She sat up.

“Sorry. Not a morning person. Where are we?”

“Near Amarillo. But daybreak is nearly on us so…”

“No, this is good. Nice and isolated. I’ll get us a room.”

The night clerk was deaf and drunk, and watching TV with the sound turned up to full blast. He gave them a random key and left them to find their own way.

The room was on the far side of the motel, overlooking the parking lot. It was decorated in a hideous shade of institutional green and only came with one double bed. Tala and Lemar gazed at it silently.

“I can take the floor,” Lemar said at last. “I sleep soundly anyway.”

“The floor looks gross,” Tala said. “You can’t sleep on that.”

“Then where do you suggest?”

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