“Let’s go to the rental cars. I’m sick of taxis,” Z said and pointed toward a sign that indicated the direction of theexits.
“We have to get our bags first,”Annasaid.
“Right,” Z said. “Bags, then rental car. Move it people. I’m hungry, and that makes me witchy.” He grinned in satisfaction. “See what I did there?” he asked as he nudged Anna. “Makes me witchy instead of the other because, well, because you two arewitches.”
“Just a bit of advice,” Anna said as they walked. “Explaining why something is funny usually takes the funny outofit.”
She’s right, Z,” Sly called back from where he was walking in frontofthem.
Jewel, being Jewel, saw the dejected look on Z’s face and added quickly, “But it was veryclever.”
Z perked up a little, like a puppy who’d been scolded and then patted on the head. Anna shook her head.These were their bodyguards? But then she remembered when the pair had showed the girls how scary they could actually be. Maybe that’s why Z didn’t mind acting goofy, because he knew he could kick some serious supernatural or human butt if the needarose.
Jewel sighedand closed her eyes as she slid into the rental car. It was a small SUV with leather interior that was smooth like butter. She was exhausted. And she knew she wouldn’t be getting any rest until after they’d done some digging. She’d already been on her phone doing research and found the Museum of Salem Witch Trials, a municipally owned museum dedicated to telling the history of the events that took place in Salem in 1692. She was hoping they might find even a morsel of information that would cause a light bulb to come on. As it was, she was beginning to wonder if maybe her light bulb wasgrowingdim.
“You okay back there, Red?” Zasked.
Jewel gave him a thumbs up. It was all the energy she could muster. She heard the two warlocks arguing about whether they should use the navigation system in the car or the ones on theirphones.
“Does it really matter?” Anna interrupted them. “Dudes, one of you use the car navigation and the other, preferably the co-pilot, use yourphone.”
Jewel grinned at Anna as she swung her head, still resting on the back of the seat, to the right to look at her friend. “Goodjob.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Peri said the male werewolves could act like toddlers. She failed to mention that warlock males are justasbad.”
“We can hear you,”Slysaid.
“Don’t care,” Anna called back then looked at Jewel. “Got any brilliant ideas going on in that genius head ofyours?”
“Did you know that a person who continually lives with sleep deprivation is at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and impaired judgment? And when the brain is tired, remembering things becomes difficult, and the ability to learn new things also becomesimpaired.”
“Are you saying we should sleep? Because I think that’s the best idea you’veeverhad.”
“There’s a hotel across the street from the museum,”Zsaid.
Jewel pressed the palm of her hand into her forehead. It just seemed like there wasn’t enough time. Not enough time for sleep, for problem solving, for getting back to Dalton, not enough time period. But she knew if she didn’t make time for sleep she wouldn’t be able to thinkclearly.
“Hotel first, then museum,” she said, feeling something loosen in her chest. Sleep. Sleep meant she could dream of Dalton. If that was the only way she got to see him, it would have to be enough.Fornow.
Jewel saw the Museum of Salem Witch Trials across the street as they pulled into the parking lot of their hotel. The museum looked like an old-world church, constructed of mottled red brick, complete with an arched, heavy oaken-wood door that came to its apex at a sharppoint.
It was clear the owners of the charming inn were attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the adjacent museum. The entry of the hotel resembled the facade of a tavern, including a faux thatched roof, at least Jewel hoped it wasn’t real. Now she was worrying about whether a modern day hotel might have a thatched roof. Yep, she was right good andexhausted.
Z and Sly, as usual, secured them two rooms. When they parted ways, the two pairs agreed to meet in the foyer in a couple hours. The museum was only open to 7:00 p.m. and, though they could wait until tomorrow, both the witches and the warlocks were eager to see if their own witch hunt, pun intended, would give them anyinformation.
She and Anna didn’t speak. They walked into the room, set their bags down, and each crawled onto one of the empty beds. Jewel’s head hadn’t been on the pillow longer than a minute when a dream pulled herunder.
“Dalton?” His name was the first thing she thought of as looked around. She was back in Peri’s house where she’d stayed with the other healers. The door opened, and she turned to see him walk in. As always, helookedgood.
His pale blue eyes stood out against his tan skin. His brown hair was a little longer than it had been since she’d last saw him. She wondered if the real Dalton’s hair had grown, or if her subconscious was simply assuming this small detail for her. As he walked further into the room and nearer to her, his presence seemed to fill the whole space. She forgot how bighewas.
“Another dream?” he asked, his lips turning up ever so slightly. “You must reallymissme.”
“Do you … does he … miss me?” she asked, and then felt like an idiot for asking the dream Dalton if real Dalton missed her. Gah, she wasadork.
“I do miss you, more than you can probably comprehend,” he answered, taking another stepcloser.
Jewel’s breath caught. She could feel the heat of his skin as he was mere inches away. How had he gotten so close? Her brain was fuzzy, and it was hard to concentrate when Dalton was rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. Wait. Why were herarmsbare?
