Part 6 (1/2)
”Do you think Samuel will let us have the book? Or will we have to do another break in?”
Mason's eyes dropped to the floor and he unraveled his arm from Avery's shoulders.
”It's more complicated than that.” He admitted.
”Adalyn will be there, won't she?” Avery asked.
It made sense considering that Samuel was Adalyn's father. Mason had flown from Portland instead of California which explained how quickly he'd arrived in Moose Pa.s.s. Before Mason could even get the idea, she commented, ”Don't ask for her help. She just tried to kill me.”
Mason scooted away to break their closeness and pushed his hands into his hair.
”She'll know we're there. Even if we do cloak and dagger, she'll feel the magic from that close.” He pointed out.
The magic in their bodies, Mason's more than hers, did have a way of radiating out an energy signal. Though weak, select harpies could sense it a mile away.
Especially those who had spent time with them-- especially harpies like Adalyn.
Avery groaned, thinking of the dooming complications. Mason and her relations.h.i.+p aside, she refused to even acknowledge Adalyn after the Patrick hit man experience.
”What do you plan to do about her then?” Avery asked but her question came off harsher than intended. Mason still had feelings for Adalyn and at the end of the day, those feelings would ultimately skew his better judgment.
”I can go without you. I never told her why I left so I can go, sneak in and get the book.”
Avery took a breath to resist going overboard. She suffered through with logic.
”What if Patrick comes and kills me while you're gone?”
Mason shot her a calculating look.
”We'll both go to Portland. You'll house up somewhere not far away and wait. It's our only choice. If Mikhail gets that book, then there's nothing stopping him from making another amulet and coming back at us full force.”
He stood up and went for the doors. Avery bit her lip and managed to stay quiet. Though she still had a number of discrepancies to work out, Mason had a point. They needed to move quickly and she'd pick apart the problems later. Avery headed back for the hotel room. She needed to tell Nate she was leaving. She needed to tell Nate to cover for her and protect Leela. He would do that, he had to. He was at the edge of Harpie world, and she was being pulled in deeper.
Eight.
Avery let out a deep breath. Only ten minutes in Portland and they were already having problems. It wasn't the current situation that had her on edge. She was still unsettled from the choppy flight into the city, the lack of sleep, and the pain medication sitting in her empty stomach. Her wound still stung but she had it properly wrapped and hidden underneath a jacket.
Though Moose Pa.s.s was barely a day past, it certainly seemed far away now.
”I'll need your identification with the credit card.” The hotel clerk across the wooden bar got her attention. For the second time in two days, she was trying to get another hotel room. This time, she wasn't with Nate and she absolutely lacked the confident swagger he had. Worse, Mason had also picked one of the cla.s.sier hotels in Seattle, located near the very edge of the city and immersed in a more rural, wooded area. To Avery, that meant only one thing: more scrutiny to her ident.i.ty. She was waiting for the clerk to call her out on being under-aged.
”This isn't going to work.” She hissed to Mason when her harpie companion strolled back to her side. His eyes were on the crimson carpet and his mind clearly clicked over something else. He did focus a bit more at her words.
”It will. I'm not under-age.” He mentioned. Avery wasn't entirely sure how old Mason was but this wasn't the time or place to quiz him on it. She rubbed her arms, despite not being cold.
”Then cough up some harpie ID with a picture and a number or I'm gonna be busted. Or worse, my mother will find out and that means my brother Chase will kill me.” She hissed. The clerk had disappeared into the back room with her driver's license and her credit card, presumably making photocopies. Every second the clerk lingered was another second he had to figure it out.
”If we picked a cheap hotel I wouldn't be having this problem. They'd take ten bucks and shoo me off. But nice hotels care about age.” Avery reminded him of the logic. While the interior of the hotel was beautiful, equipped with a fireplace and golden chandelier, Avery would have gladly given it up to feel more comfortable.
”It's the only hotel close to Samuel's compound. I can't put you across town in case I need to get to you quickly. Patrick would have had enough time if he decided to come straight here. We can't take that chance.”
Avery opened her mouth to respond but the hotel clerk finally shuffled out of the backroom. He gave them a long look.
”Avery Zane.” The clerk slid her identification card back over the desk. ”And Mr. Zane,” He nodded toward Mason, ”Enjoy your stay.”
”Whoa, wait. Mr. Zane?” Mason lifted his eyebrows. Avery elbowed him before he could get out another word. She hit his ribs hard enough to earn a gasp. Reaching across the table, she s.n.a.t.c.hed the papers from the hotel clerk and grabbed Mason. Giving the harpie a rough shove, she sent him down the hallway.
”Trying to bust our cover?” She griped. Her face still burned pink and she couldn't help but be more embarra.s.sed than mad. It wasn't an unfair a.s.sumption for the hotel clerk to make when two people showed up renting one room. But knowing Mason, he wouldn't let it go.
”Mr. Zane? Is that some human custom? Like we are married?” He said as expected.
Even though Avery knew the awkward onslaught was coming, she couldn't deal with it. It felt like all the air had been sucked from the room and Avery struggled to breathe right. She'd have given anything to have Mason leave the subject alone. She needed a distraction and she needed one quickly.
”You know what, we should get food. I'm hungry. Food. That's right.” Her eyes went to the rotating gla.s.s doors of the hotel and she hurried for them. She remembered a coffee shop across the street.
”Even if we did get married, I wouldn't be taking your surname. That's not how it works with harpies. Besides, you would be Mrs. Mason--”
”Are we really talking about getting married right now? That guy just made a stupid a.s.sumption.”
”We're not talking about getting married. But it was better than focusing on the a.s.sumption that we were shacking up. And you have to learn not to be so jittery about things. It's a compliment if he thinks you're actually my wife.”
He cracked a c.o.c.ky smile and Avery couldn't look at him any longer. Mason got too much enjoyment from messing with her head. Cheeks still on fire, she refused to look at him.
”I hate you.” She shot at Mason, sticking her tongue out for a fleeting second, and then she turned her attention back to the street A cozy coffee shop sat on one side of the street. Hopping jazz filtered from the shop's speakers along with the rich scent of coffee and cinnamon. Despite her vertigo, Avery's stomach grumbled and called out for sustenance.
”There. Let's grab something.” She didn't ask but told him and pushed him into the coffee shop.
Eyes bigger than her stomach at the moment, she ordered the biggest m.u.f.fin on the rack and settled in at a table in the back. Mason slid in next to her.
”I can't wait too long or our cover will be blown. And I'm afraid Patrick will likely be looking for you.”
”He's probably still looking for me in Alaska.” Avery paused mid-thought and stared down at the table. ”Did you take my m.u.f.fin?”
The table was empty. Her eyes went straight up to him.
”I don't know what you're talking about.” He tried to defend himself, but by doing so, condemned himself. When he opened his mouth to speak, Avery caught on immediately. Mason hadn't just s.n.a.t.c.hed her food but he'd done it quickly and nearly swallowed it before she realized.
”You totally s.n.a.t.c.hed it from me!” Her voice hit a higher pitch than she'd intended and her stomach churned violently. ”You're such a- a-- you're such a harpie!”
When Mason's only response was half a smile, she sunk back into her seat and glared daggers. The harpie's face sobered up and he directed her back to the topic at hand.
”Seriously Avery. I have to go now. I need to meet Adalyn again before she realizes I'm with you.” He said slowly, doing well to carefully measure his words.
It didn't matter how nicely he said it. His comment brought back up a sensitive subject. Avery found herself afraid to approach it but unable to stop herself.
”I thought you were just going to steal the book and get out. Why do you have to buddy up with Adalyn? Are you still... are you still in love with her?”