The man blinks furiously.
“I’ve never been in a car.” Xolotl takes a step closer, his huge black boots pristine in the dusty desert landscape. “I’d like to try it.”
The man starts rolling up his window, but it’s clear he’s not about to take us anywhere. Xolotl shifting into a massive male human in all black scared him.
“Now look what you did.”
Xolotl snaps, and the man slumps against the steering wheel of the car.
“Hey,” I shout. “You agreed to no killing.”
“He made you an offer,” he says. “You’re an attractive woman he pretended to want to help, but really he had other plans.” His eyes narrow. “His soul is very dark.” His face is grim. “And now we can just take his already powered-up car.”
That wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I know I can’t really stop him from doing anything, but I still feel the need to object as he chucks the man’s body on the side of the road and climbs into the driver’s seat.
“You’re breaking your end of our deal.” Something else hits me. “And hey, you can’t even drive. You’re getting in on the wrong side.”
“Why can’t I drive?” He freezes, hovering over the seat.
“It’s dangerous for someone to drive when they don’t know how,” I say. “You might kill us both.”
He laughs as he sits.
“I mean it.” I tug on his sleeve, trying to get him out. “These cars go really fast, and it takes humans weeks and weeks to learn to use them properly.”
“I’ll be fine.” He’s actually smiling. “I’ve been watching the humans propelling themselves along, and many times now, I’ve thought that I might like to try doing it myself.”
“Lemme tell you about a little something called an airplane.”
“The roaring metal birds that shoot through the air overhead while carrying people inside?”
“Oh, no,” I say. “Have you already seen them?”
“I’ve felt them.”
“And you crashed them?” I glare.
He shrugs. “I didn’t crash them. I merely ended the people who were keeping them from crashing, apparently.”
I can’t contain my groan. “That’s on the naughty list too, for the next three days, okay?”
“I didn’t say you could dictate everything I do for three days.” He’s looking at the car as though he’s going to just figure out how to drive it by staring at the dashboard long enough.
“You really should trade places with me, you know. I already know how to drive, and you can at least watch me do it.”
“You might try to crash us into a wall or drive us off a cliff.” He scowls.
“That’s a really good idea.” I can’t help my smile. “Especially if you’re not wearing a seatbelt, and I am.”
“Seatbelt.” He glances at it, and then he smirks. “A safety restraint, I assume. I think I’ll figure the relevant parts out myself.”
“You’re probably more likely to kill me with your ignorance than I am to rid myself of you on purpose.” I snort.
“And for the record, I didn’t kill the man driving this car because he was dark or evil.” He arches one perfect eyebrow. “It may have sounded that way, but I don’t feel guilt over doing what I was created to do, no matter the condition of the soul of the one who dies. I mentioned his darkness to assuage your guilt, misplaced though it clearly is.”
“That’s what the three days are for, right?” I ask. “For me to try and change your mind about whether you should feel guilt.”
“You believe that you can show me that I should only kill unworthy humans.” He grips the gear shifter. “You’re wrong.” Instead of looking at me to drive his words home, he shoves the car into reverse and we peel out backward onto the freeway, nearly crashing into oncoming traffic—two cars that were actually moving the correct direction.
