Truce and Lies

Chapter 17: prep

Lacy had fallen asleep against Jackson, probably for the last time in her life. Stefa ran her fingers through my fur and stared out the window.

We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon. Paul pulled the car around to the overhang and we clambered out. We looked collectively awful, our clothes torn and bloody, even though no one had cuts on them anymore. I didn't shift back; I only had jeans and I was sure to get strange looks. Paul and Lin opened the trunk, pulling out the luggage we had managed to save.

"If the humans ask, we were in a car accident," Stefa told us. "Conor, stay by me."

"I can do that," Jackson nodded. "Lacy, can you walk? Are you going to be fine around the humans?"

"I should be," she said. "For a little while."

Stefa put her hand on my head and strode into the hotel. People stared, but no one asked what happened. Stefa led us up to the room, Jackson, Paul and Lacy following us up. Amber opened the door when Stefa pounded on it. She was spattered with blood and when we opened the door, so was the hotel room. I could see Jenny's bright red hair on one of the beds. The smell of death was unmistakable. I shifted, taking the pants from Stefa to pull on.

I led Lacy to the couch so she could curl up, bringing her a blanket from the closet. Lin glanced back out in the hall and left for a moment to return with a cleaning cart, wheeling it into the room.

"Amber, if you'll shower off and give me your clothes, I'll clean them," Lin told her. "And how about you use the next room?"

She nodded and Stefa helped her into the next room. I took one of the rags and cleaners, helping restore the room to the best of our ability. Paul and Lin used the comforter to move Jenny's body and when they left, Jackson sighed.

"I'm going to take a shower here," he informed me. "I don't know what to make of this situation and I just...need to get this burnt smell out of my hair. Can I borrow one of your suits? Are we close enough in size?"

"In shirts and jackets, yes. You can't fit into his trousers," Stefa replied, reentering the room. "Conor, open up the suitcases, would you?"

I took the bags, setting them down on the bare bed. Jackson wandered into the bathroom. Stefa selected one of my shirts and hung it on the inside of the bathroom door. She took another one of my suits and crossed into the next room.

"Damn, this day feels like a year," Paul said, returning with Lin. "I heard that this clan was intense, but I guess I thought that you guys were a little serious, not that everyone in a hundred miles was trying to kill you."

"We do have that effect on people," Lin noted.

Amber came in wearing my pants rolled up and a white button down. Her eyes flickered over to the empty bed and she rubbed her arms, shivering. Stefa looked down at her torn dress and then over at the occupied shower.

"Jackson may have the right idea," she sighed. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. Lin and Paul, I need you to go to a burger joint and order like, six burgers for Conor. And a case of water. Conor and I are going to shower and change in the next room over, and I will have thought of a next step by the time everyone is done. All right?"

"What do you want me to do?" Amber asked quietly.

"Can you watch Lacy?" Stefa gestured at the girl curled up on the couch. "She's freshly turned just a couple hours ago."

Amber went to sit with Lacy. Lin nodded and left the room with Paul. I picked out a suit for myself and one of Stefa's patterned sundresses. She was leaning against the dresser with trembling arms, so I picked her up along with our clothes, taking her through the adjoining door to the free bathroom.