Chapter SIX
Rebecca
It was a long flight from Kyoto to New York. We touched down nearly twenty eight hours after the confrontation with Joe. I had given Elyse control back for some of the trip, so that we could discuss all of the various tools, markings, and scars she was wearing. I had her memories, but trying to sift through them for details was a dull waste of time. It was easier to just have her explain what she was capable of.
Quite a lot, it seemed. She wasn't invincible, and she certainly couldn't withstand damage the way a Divine could, but she had a laundry list of tricks up her sleeve that would come in handy more than once, I was sure. She had one trick that was naturally born into her, because she was fully mortal; Divine couldn't See her.
It made it a lot easier to get into and out of the airports, where there were always Divine stationed to keep an eye on one another. It was true I could have managed it on my own in my ghost form, but Elyse's body fit me like a tailored glove, her lithe strength and balance superior to any of the forms I had taken before. She was the best shell I could have wanted, and I was grateful to have succeeded on that front.
We traveled light, carrying a single backpack filled with the items that wouldn't make it through security, most of which were sharp. I had used the glove on them before we'd gone through, so while the machines had shown the truth of our cargo, the humans watching them had no idea. All they'd seen were a bunch of metal figurines. I was a collector, after all.
Once we landed, I wandered through the parking garage for a while, until I spotted a valet parking a red Porsche that looked like it wanted to be driven. I asked Him for forgiveness as I approached the attendant, a young man with an acne scarred face and straw hair.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound sexy instead of threatening. I could see him shake, clearly startled, before he turned around.
"Can I help you?" he asked. His face turned red, and his eyes made their way up and down Elyse's body. I couldn't blame him, even the most pious seraph would have trouble ignoring it.
"Yes. I think I locked my keys in my car. Can you help me?" I pointed down the row towards a random car.
"Uh... Yeah, okay." He looked down at the fob for the Porsche, searching for the button to lock the doors.
That was when I hit him in the temple. Hard, but not too hard. He crumpled to the ground like a bag of meat. I lifted him under the shoulders and leaned him up against the car next to us.
"My apologies," I said, taking the keys from his hand and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. He was out cold, but maybe he could feel it in his subconscious.
Sliding behind the wheel, I felt a sense of exhilaration to be able to drive again. It hadn't been that long in terms of time, but it felt like forever. I started the car and whipped it backwards, then peeled out through the parking lot. I almost careened right into an oncoming Mercedes, having to slam on the brakes and twist the wheel to avoid it. I had forgotten that I was as mortal, and nobody was going to move out of the way for me.
The other thing I had forgotten, because I had never kept a shell too long, was that my body was human, and needed to rest. I couldn't keep going indefinitely without breaking down, and after an hour on the road that found me still on the west end of Long Island, I knew I needed to stop to sleep.
I pulled the car off the highway and rode along the side streets until I happened upon a Holiday Inn. My eyes were feeling heavy, and my concentration was fading; both feelings I hadn't experienced in a long time. As a vampire, I would tire when I was hungry, or if I had to be out in the sun. Otherwise, I didn't waste time asleep.
Getting out of the car, I had another sensation that I wasn't used to. I was hungry, and not for blood. There was a McDonald's across the street from the hotel, and I decided I would grab a bite to eat there right after I checked in.
The woman at the desk was friendly enough, though she did give me a look because I had taken off the jacket. Swirls and scars ran down both arms to the cuff, in intricate patterns that any artist would have been amazed by. She just seemed disgusted.
"Room 203," she said, handing back my credit card and the room key. One more crooked glance, and I was off to the room to drop off the jacket, and then head across the street. I checked a wall clock as I passed by. Eleven o'clock.
I found the stairs, and then the room, using the card to get in. Once I had entered, I put the backpack down on the bed and unzipped it, returning the knives to their spots in the boots and putting the knife Elyse had used on Joe back into its compartment in the sleeve of the leather. That had been a great trick. Once I was re-armed, I went back out of the hotel and across to the burger place.
I was a vampire. I had never eaten fast food before, though I knew about it from television. My most intimate knowledge of the place was to avoid the blood of humans who were regular patrons, because it would taste of their poor diet. Elyse's stomach was grumbling though, and there was nowhere else nearby to sate its hunger. At least I could cede control to her if I was that disgusted by the meal.
It was quiet inside, the only patron another traveler who looked like he was resigned to the choice as well. He stared down at his burger, taking a bite, grabbing a few fries, and taking another bite. It was almost enough to make me turn around and walk out.
I stayed because I needed Elyse, and more importantly I needed her body, even more than she needed my possession. I stepped up to the counter, set to order a meal large enough to keep us going for another twenty-four hours if needed. The cashier was talking to someone else in the back, and pointing to a spill on the floor. He turned to face me, and froze.
The look was too frightened to be one of admiration. Could he see me? Did he know what I was? I didn't have much time to wonder, because I felt a wave of hot breath wash over the back of my neck.
"You'll do," the voice said from behind me. A clawed hand grabbed my left wrist from behind.
I took a deep breath and shook my head. "I recommend you let me go, dog. I'm hungry, and not in the mood to deal with a mongrel like you."
Another huff of fetid air, followed by a soft growl. "Not scared of me, eh? Come on then sweetheart. Give it your best shot."
The machismo was familiar. Another changeling? Or the real thing? There was an easy way to find out. I stepped backward, stomping the heavy riding boot down on the were's foot and being rewarded with the crunch of bone. He started to howl, but I used his grip on my wrist as leverage to turn myself around and slam him in the head with my elbow. The blow made him let go, and knocked him backwards. He fell to all fours and looked up at me, his damage already healing.
"Not bad," he said. "You'll be a fun one."
He didn't back down, so I was going to assume he was the real thing. Even so, he was being incredibly brazen. I reached into the pocket of the jeans, finding the black stone and taking it out. It grew warm in my hand, and when I thought about the spatha, it materialized in place. The were was on his way, claws aiming to take me apart, leaving me almost no time to react. I ducked and twisted, using the weapon to smack his hands away. He crashed into the counter and over, sending the cashier running.
I had the blade ready by the time he came again, and he lost his left hand on the way by. He shrieked in pain, and watched it begin to steam.
"What the hell?" he asked. "You aren't a seraph. That isn't a seraph's sword." His eyes were wide. He knew what would happen. It was inevitable.
"It's better than that," I replied. "Well, worse for you. Better for me." I walked up to him and kicked him in the head. He tumbled over, howled one last time, and turned to dust. I was right, he had been the real thing.
I turned back to the counter, rendered into nothing but splinters after the were had gone through it. The employees had fled, so I returned the sword to wherever, and then grabbed a few burgers and some fries from the rack. I had my eye on the door when I remembered I would need some hydration, so I took a cup and filled it with soda. I walked out without looking back, giving a small wave to the other diner when I passed him. He was crouched under the table, a puddle of urine pooling around his leg.
"You're safe now," I said.
I was going to get a good night's sleep.