The shaman’s change of heart was so surprising, even after such a long, strange night, Julius couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Why?”
Ross sighed, running a hand through his thick curling hair. “Because I’m really worried about her, and because you seem like a decent guy. She’s only been my girlfriend for a week, but she’s amazing, and if she’s in trouble, I want to help her. I told her as much all the time, but she just kept saying she didn’t want me to get involved. Now she’s gone, and I can’t help, so if you can, I don’t want to be the one who messed it up.” He blew out a worried breath. “Just promise you’ll let me know when you find her, okay?”
“I will,” Julius said, and he meant it. Because whatever his brother said, it wasn’t as simple as dragon versus human, clan versus the world. Whether Ross knew what Katya actually was or not, his concern for her was real, as was the trust he’d just shown, and Julius was determined to make good on it. Because when Katya’s shaman clapped him on the arm and waved goodbye, that warm, happy feeling from before had come back in spades. For the first time in years, maybe ever, Julius felt like he’d actually done something right, and greedy dragon that he was, he wanted more.
Once they’d crossed the underground lake, it was a short trip through the mage’s compound up to the surface. As Lark had described, Ross’s people did indeed have an amazing setup. In addition to the bomb shelter, they’d sealed up and converted almost a mile of old electrical tunnels, turning the dreary cement corridors into a lively warren of homes, casting rooms, and observation cages for an enormous variety of magical animals, most of which Julius couldn’t begin to name. He fully expected Marci to try and wheedle a more thorough tour out of their guide, but she didn’t say a word.
She’d been oddly silent for a while now, actually, but it wasn’t until they got into the brightly lit elevator that would take them back up to the street level that Julius saw why. Marci was exhausted. Her dark brown eyes had huge shadows beneath them, and her normally olive skin was an unhealthy grayish color. The combined effect made her look terrifyingly mortal, and Julius suddenly felt like a heel for pushing her so hard.
Her car was right where they’d left it, parked on the curb across from the warded “storm drain” that was actually the shaman’s front door. Since Marci was clearly in no shape to handle even an automated system, Julius volunteered to drive. She agreed after a token resistance, flopping into the passenger seat with an enormous yawn. By the time Julius had said goodbye to their guide and gotten in himself, she was asleep, curled up with her head tucked against the window.
The sight filled him with tenderness and surprise. Nothing, not even animals, fell asleep next to a dragon. If Justin had been here, he would have claimed this was just more proof that Julius was officially the saddest excuse for a predator to ever live. For Julius, though, it was a precious sign of trust, and the more he thought about that, the more determined he became to make sure it was not misplaced.
Moving slowly so as not to wake her, he keyed in their destination, sending the old car up the curving ramp to the brightly lit skyways. It was nearly three in the morning, but the Upper City was still hopping, and the elevated roads were crowded with sleek, driverless cars, some of which didn’t even have passengers. Since Marci’s ancient autodrive wasn’t as quick on the pick up as the newer models, Julius ordered them to the far right. When the rusty sedan was safely locked into the slow lane, he pulled out his phone to do a little business with his newfound wealth, starting with a message to an old acquaintance.
He had plenty of time. Traffic was moving at a decent pace, but unlike the grid roads of old Detroit, the upper city skyways looped and circled in on themselves in ways Julius, and apparently Marci’s GPS, didn’t really understand. As a result, it took them almost forty minutes to reach their destination. Marci woke up when they turned in, blinking sleepily as the car pulled to a gentle stop in front of an absolutely massive superscraper right on the bank of Lake St. Clare.
“The Royal Hotel?” she asked, craning her head back to look up the building’s cliff-like side. “Are you trying to spend all your money at once or something?”
“It’s not that expensive,” Julius said, getting out of the car.
Marci got out too, yawning as she walked around to the driver’s side. “Thanks for letting me nap,” she said, holding out her hand for the keys. “I guess I’ll get in touch with you later, then?”
“What are you talking about? You’re staying here, too.”
He paused, waiting for her to be excited, but Marci was staring at him like he’d just told her she was going to Mars. “You want me to go to a hotel with you?”
“Not like that,” he said quickly, face going hot. “I’m getting you your own room. My treat.”
Marci’s expression of frank disbelief morphed into one of cautious skepticism. “Why?”
“Because you’ve been invaluable to me tonight,” Julius said honestly. “And because the idea of sleeping in a bed while you go back to that cat graveyard you call a house is more than my conscience can stand. Just leave the car to the valet system and let’s go check in.”
Marci narrowed her eyes, clearly waiting for the trap. When it didn’t appear, Julius finally got the look he’d been waiting for: the beaming smile of pure delight. The sight warmed him right to his toes before Marci dashed away, tossing her trunk open and grabbing a fraying gym bag in a frantic explosion of energy. This plus her overpacked shoulder bag left her pathetically weighed down, so Julius, who had no bags, offered to carry something. After a short protest, she let him, handing him the gym bag with another smile that made him feel like the best thing on the planet.
This being a waterfront hotel, there was a real, old-fashioned check-in desk staffed by actual human clerks even at this hour of the morning. It was such an anachronistic sight, Julius was half tempted to ask them for a room just for the novelty factor. But despite her renewed energy, Marci looked worse than ever under the lobby’s elegant lights. Also, their filthy clothes were already drawing the hairy eyeball from the clerks, so Julius resigned himself to checking in the normal way: through the kiosk system via his phone’s AR.
By the time they walked across the marble floor to the elevators, he’d bought them two connecting rooms overlooking the water. He grabbed their key cards from the dispenser in the elevator on their way up. When the doors opened, he gently guided Marci down the hall. “I’m going to order some food,” he said as he handed her the key card to her suite. “What do you want?”
“Anything,” she said dreamily, opening the door and staring at the huge room with its sweeping view of the lake like she’d just opened the gate to fairy land.
He smiled and put her bag down beside her before walking one door down to his own room. As soon as he was inside, he pulled up the room service menu and ordered them breakfast. He also ordered himself a few things through the hotel’s automated concierge service, including a full set of new clothes. His had been on their last legs when his mother had burst into his room yesterday, but while they’d survived the fight with Bixby’s men and his dust-up with Chelsie, the trip through the sewers had completely done them in.
Fortunately, waterside hotels were famous for their ability to get anything in a hurry. The porter brought up a bag containing new jeans, underwear, and a fancy shirt made from a fabric Julius didn’t even recognize before their food could even arrive from the kitchen. The moment Julius was sure everything fit, his old clothes went straight into the trash, never to be spoken of again.
Thirty minutes later—showered, shaved, dressed in new clothes, and bearing the breakfast tray that had just arrived, as well as a special package that had come up with his other purchases—Julius knocked on the door that connected his room to Marci’s, opening it when she answered only to find an empty room. After a quick look around, he found her in the bathroom, cutting her hair in front of the huge mirror with the trimming scissors from the complementary shaving kit.