Before Dad died.
But what if Dad’snotdead?
Mom liked Zuzu, too. I remember that. Except Mom never went with us to visit Zuzu, although Zuzu frequently came to the apartment when Mom was there. He’d stay with me if Mom and Dad were both gone. Sometimes, he’d come back with Dad after Dad had gone away for a while for work. Once, Zuzu stayed with us for a whole month, sleeping in my room while I stayed on the sofa. But I didn’t mind being out of my bedroom, because every day, Zuzu was there, and he was part of our family.
I was his daughter, too.
No, Zuzuneverhurt me, even though I understand why Dexter asked me that.
I’ve had no sleep by the time Dexter awakens not long before we’re supposed to land. It’s not quite safe dark yet, but the plane is wheeled into a hangar and the doors rolled shut.
Dexter pulls me aside. “Are you all right, love?”
“No.” I slowly shake my head. “What else have I forgotten if I forgot Zuzu?”
He sadly sighs and cups my face. “Let’s tackle one thing at a time. After we deal with this stone ring, and dispatch yourgwyllgi, you and I will sit down and see if I can possibly find any other lost memories that might help us find your father.”
“But you can’t thrall me.”
“I know. Maybe we can find a way I can access your mind. Perhaps hypnosis. Once we’re both able to relax and focus.”
I’m willing to try.
His people have already purchased everything we’ll need to prepare the hotel room and stowed it in a rental car, which is also ready for us in the hangar. While we wait for it to get dark enough we can leave, I eat dinner on the plane, and our luggage is loaded into the car. Once it’s safely dark, we set off with Dexter driving, because like hell am I going to try driving a right-hand car for the first time tonight, especially when I’m this brain-fried and exhausted and jet-lagged.
And heartsick.
The hotel is over an hour away from the airport. I wish I could look at the landscape and see if anything is familiar, but it’s dark, and I’m too…overwhelmed. Too exhausted and wired to even sleep now.
We get checked into the hotel, and Dexter won’t let me help him unload the car. While it’s a new hotel, the room is smaller than the one he had in Tucson and the one we had in Atlanta. As I help him tape the tarps to the inside of the windows, he chuckles.
“My people here are good, but they don’t know I’m a vampire, just that I have a severe sun allergy. It’s easier to do this ourselves.” He told the clerk at the front desk that we’d be blocking the windows because of his “sun allergy” and used his thrall to make it sound like the most natural thing in the world.
I step back and check our handiwork. “How do we know we didn’t screw up?”
“I don’t die.” I know he’s joking, but I’m so exhausted, mentally and physically and emotionally, and overwhelmed, that I burst into tears.
“Oh, love.” He pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was joking.”
“B-but what if youdoexplode?”
“Shh.” He gently rocks me back and forth. “I have survived this long. I think I have it well in hand.” He kisses my forehead. “Let’s take a shower to freshen up and then head to the stone ring for a look around,hmm? Full moon is in three days.”
Just under an hour later, we’re on our way again. As he drives, I keep one hand on his thigh and hold the ring in my other. This…
Feelsright?
Which is weird and fucked up. But it’s like even the airsmellsright.
Maybe not perfect, but it seems lesswrongthan the rest of my life has.
He navigates with the car’s GPS and, eventually, we’re parking off a quiet country lane, next to an iron gate. It’s almost two a.m. local time. We have three hours before we need to return him to the hotel before local sunrise.
“It’s down this way.” He picks me up and literally jumps over the gate as if it’s not even there.
“That’s handy,” I snark as he blurs through the woods. We’re at the stones seconds later.
You ever have déjà vu so strong that it nearly knocks you over?
