CHAPTERTWO
MERRY
I hitAustin just before sunset. As soon as I saw the city sprawling out next to the highway, something deep inside me relaxed.
All day, I'd been questioning my decision to come, even though I'd promised myself to trust my instincts in the foreseeable future.
But that tension didn't lie.
This was where I belonged. At least for now.
And because I felt that way, I decided to splurge on a nice hotel for the night rather than something cheaper near the highway.
My system was crying out for coffee, so I pulled off the highway at a Starbucks and ordered a cold brew with sweet cream. As I sipped, I searched hotels and found one on South Congress Avenue. The more I looked into the area, the more I liked the sound of it. It seemed fun and a little funky.
Feeling more optimistic than I had since before my ordeal with Rhiannon Temple, I decided to book a room at the South Congress Hotel. A few nights there would give me enough time to find an Airbnb or something a little more long-term. I winced at the price, but I had to believe that it would be worth it.
As if to further prove that my instincts were right, there was an available room for the next week. I booked it for five nights, though I intended to check out early. The price of the room was too steep for me to stay there for a full week, but I wasn't sure how long it might take for me to find a temporary rental.
Satisfied, I carried my iced coffee to the car and pulled up the hotel's address on Google Maps.
An hour later, I settled into the hotel room, surprised at the comfort and spaciousness of the room. It wasn't some sterile suite just like every other one in the rest of the hotel.
I liked it a lot. It reminded me of who I'd been before.
I walked to the window. The woman at the front desk had made sure to give me a window that faced South Congress so I could see the comings and goings. It was dark out but there were still people out, strolling down the sidewalks.
I wanted to do the same. A year ago, I wouldn't have hesitated.
But now I was aware of the creatures that hunted after sunset.
And I was afraid.
I contented myself with watching the people as they walked, laughed, flirted, and argued.
Maybe someday I could join them.
Since I'd been on the run, I'd been working on a way to defend myself from vampires and other supernatural creatures. I'd illegally obtained a police-issue Taser and adapted it to increase the output as much as possible. The only issue was that I didn't want to risk hurting a human by testing it on them. I damn sure didn't want to test it on some random vampire that I came across.
I was stuck. Until I found a way to test it, I could only hope that it would work on a vampire or other preternatural monster.
Then, there was the defense spray I'd mixed up. It contained enough acid to cause major issues for a human. It wouldn't kill a creature that healed as quickly as vampires, but it would definitely hurt them long enough for me to get away. Hopefully, to an extremely fast car.
Again, I had the same issue as the Taser. I had no way to test it. I could only hope it worked when I needed it.
But I had no doubt I would need it in the future.
With a sigh, I got up and moved the chair away from the window. As nice as it was to people-watch, I had to look for an affordable rental. And apply for some freelance programming work while I was at it. I still had a decent nest egg, but I wanted to keep it that way.
Tomorrow morning would be early enough to walk on the sidewalks among all those people.
* * *
My first stopafter breakfast wasn't one of the funky shops nearby or even the cool coffee shop down the street. It was the grocery store.
I needed snacks in the worst way because the prices on everything in the hotel minibar made me contemplate the benefits of fasting.
Unfortunately, hangry me didn't last very long.
