lock the car door.
She handed a little plastic
card to him. “That’s the key to get into the room. C’mon. I’ll show you.” She
tugged a small bag behind her that rolled on wheels and he followed her to the
stairs. She did something to the handle on the bag and suddenly she had a tote
bag. He grabbed it out of her hand to carry it for her.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him
and went on up the stairs. Alton followed, pleased that he’d obviously done
something right by carrying her bag. With human women, one never knew. They
were terribly independent.
It had bothered him at first,
when he’d watched Dax defer to Eddy on so many points, until he realized that
Eddy knew more about this world and her decisions usually made more sense than
something he or Dax might choose to do. It had taken some getting used to,
women who were so self-assured, who had no problem taking the lead, even in
battle.
He wondered what Ginny would
be like if she were ever to fight beside him. The image of her striking out at
that concrete bear when it had her cornered that night in Evergreen flashed
through his mind.
Ginny would be an amazing
warrior. Unfortunately, she was a mortal and no match for demons. Then he
remembered that Eddy had been mortal when she’d bested the demon king, and
she’d come through that battle in better shape than any of them.
He was still pondering that
when they paused in front of a door that looked like all the others along this
stretch. Ginny slipped her square of plastic into a slot on the door, waited
until a light blinked, shoved the handle down, and entered. It all seemed
relatively simple. Taron would love it here. His friend was fascinated by
technology. There were so many amazing things humans used to make their lives
easier—as well as a lot more complicated.
Alton followed Ginny into the
room. It was fairly large with two big beds and a small table with two chairs
sitting by the window. He really couldn’t let himself think about the beds, not
when he knew Ginny would be sleeping in one while he tried to sleep in the
other.
It was going to be impossible,
actually sleeping with her so close beside him, yet not with him. He put that
out of his mind. No reason to borrow trouble.
He opened a couple of doors
and found a closet and a bathroom. Everything they’d need for the night, though
he could have done without the extra bed. Ginny tossed her purse on the one by
the window and punched numbers into her cell phone. Alton left his bag on the
bed by the door and slipped his scabbard off his shoulder. He left everything lying
on the colorful bedding and went into the bathroom.
He still smelled the stench of
demon on his skin and in his hair. While Ginny was on the phone, he took a
quick shower. There were little tubes of shampoo and conditioner, similar to
what he used in Lemuria, though at home they came in ceramic pots set into the
walls of a natural hot spring in his private rooms.
He was scrubbed and out of the
shower in a matter of minutes, but he’d forgotten to bring clean clothing into
the bathroom. He ran his fingers through his hair and tossed the tangled mess
over his shoulder. He’d comb it out later, maybe braid it the way he usually
wore it. He’d hardly had time the past few days. Life in Earth’s dimension was
so much more complicated than Lemuria.
He glanced toward the closed
door and listened. Ginny was still speaking to someone, so he wrapped a towel
around his hips, grabbed his dirty clothing and walked back into the room.
Ginny’s back was to him. He
dug through his bag and found clean underwear and a new shirt. The jeans he’d
been wearing would have to do for tomorrow. He didn’t plan to sleep in them.
He dropped the towel and
slipped on a clean pair of the soft pants Eddy’d called boxer shorts. After
millennia wearing nothing but his flowing robes, he’d had a hard time getting
used to such restrictive clothing, but the navy blue knit shorts with the
narrow
She handed a little plastic
card to him. “That’s the key to get into the room. C’mon. I’ll show you.” She
tugged a small bag behind her that rolled on wheels and he followed her to the
stairs. She did something to the handle on the bag and suddenly she had a tote
bag. He grabbed it out of her hand to carry it for her.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him
and went on up the stairs. Alton followed, pleased that he’d obviously done
something right by carrying her bag. With human women, one never knew. They
were terribly independent.
It had bothered him at first,
when he’d watched Dax defer to Eddy on so many points, until he realized that
Eddy knew more about this world and her decisions usually made more sense than
something he or Dax might choose to do. It had taken some getting used to,
women who were so self-assured, who had no problem taking the lead, even in
battle.
He wondered what Ginny would
be like if she were ever to fight beside him. The image of her striking out at
that concrete bear when it had her cornered that night in Evergreen flashed
through his mind.
Ginny would be an amazing
warrior. Unfortunately, she was a mortal and no match for demons. Then he
remembered that Eddy had been mortal when she’d bested the demon king, and
she’d come through that battle in better shape than any of them.
He was still pondering that
when they paused in front of a door that looked like all the others along this
stretch. Ginny slipped her square of plastic into a slot on the door, waited
until a light blinked, shoved the handle down, and entered. It all seemed
relatively simple. Taron would love it here. His friend was fascinated by
technology. There were so many amazing things humans used to make their lives
easier—as well as a lot more complicated.
Alton followed Ginny into the
room. It was fairly large with two big beds and a small table with two chairs
sitting by the window. He really couldn’t let himself think about the beds, not
when he knew Ginny would be sleeping in one while he tried to sleep in the
other.
It was going to be impossible,
actually sleeping with her so close beside him, yet not with him. He put that
out of his mind. No reason to borrow trouble.
He opened a couple of doors
and found a closet and a bathroom. Everything they’d need for the night, though
he could have done without the extra bed. Ginny tossed her purse on the one by
the window and punched numbers into her cell phone. Alton left his bag on the
bed by the door and slipped his scabbard off his shoulder. He left everything lying
on the colorful bedding and went into the bathroom.
He still smelled the stench of
demon on his skin and in his hair. While Ginny was on the phone, he took a
quick shower. There were little tubes of shampoo and conditioner, similar to
what he used in Lemuria, though at home they came in ceramic pots set into the
walls of a natural hot spring in his private rooms.
He was scrubbed and out of the
shower in a matter of minutes, but he’d forgotten to bring clean clothing into
the bathroom. He ran his fingers through his hair and tossed the tangled mess
over his shoulder. He’d comb it out later, maybe braid it the way he usually
wore it. He’d hardly had time the past few days. Life in Earth’s dimension was
so much more complicated than Lemuria.
He glanced toward the closed
door and listened. Ginny was still speaking to someone, so he wrapped a towel
around his hips, grabbed his dirty clothing and walked back into the room.
Ginny’s back was to him. He
dug through his bag and found clean underwear and a new shirt. The jeans he’d
been wearing would have to do for tomorrow. He didn’t plan to sleep in them.
He dropped the towel and
slipped on a clean pair of the soft pants Eddy’d called boxer shorts. After
millennia wearing nothing but his flowing robes, he’d had a hard time getting
used to such restrictive clothing, but the navy blue knit shorts with the
narrow
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