Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)(19)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Let’s make a run for it.” Dad pushed open his door without waiting for the rest of us to agree.

Talen popped open his door, letting in a heavy dose of snow and wind. I still hadn’t let go of Samantha, and I pretty much pulled her out my door. She didn’t fight me, or if she tried, I didn’t notice. We pushed our way through the snow to a building I could barely discern from its glowing light. The snow and wind stung my face, and I did my best to block Samantha from the brunt of it as she leaned into my side.

I heard the jangle of a door opening and hoped we were almost there. Finally, we stumbled through a doorway. A wave of warm air hit us as we walked in. It took me a second to react. My eyes were practically frozen shut.

“Dear Lord, how did you even find this place?” A middle-aged man stood up from his stool behind a desk. By the keys hanging behind him, I deduced we’d somehow managed to find a motel.

“Do you have any rooms available?” Dad brushed a coating of snow off his shirt. The flakes joined the rest of the snow that was currently creating a puddle of water on the floor.

“Yes. I have three rooms available. Two adjoining on the ground floor and one on the second.”

Dad pulled out his wallet. “We’ll take them all. What do we owe you?”

“Nothing tonight. I’d give you a room even if you had no money.” The man looked at Samantha when he said it. It wasn’t in a skeevy way, more like he was actually concerned.

“Thank you,” I said quickly. We’d seriously lucked out. We easily could have ended up stranded on the side of the road somewhere. Even the best gear is hard to set up in a storm like that.

“How should we do the rooms?” Monty asked. “Kevin and Talen together?”

“I want Kevin to stay with me.” Samantha kept her eyes on the floor as she spoke.

I thought my heart would stop. “Really?” Had she just asked me to share a motel room with her? Maybe things weren’t all that bad.

“Kevin, can I have a word?” Monty gestured for me to join him off to the side.

I swallowed my annoyance and followed, not willing to make a scene. I also ignored the smirk Talen was shooting me. “What?”

Monty looked me square in the eye. “Don’t do something stupid. She’s from Energo. She’s innocent. If you sleep with her, you unite with her, which is more serious than marriage. You got it?”

“She just wants me around so she’s not alone.” I hoped it was more than that, but I wasn’t going to admit it.

“Just remember that, Kevin. I’ll make sure of it myself.”

I nodded, positive I didn’t want to know how he planned to force me to unite with someone. “Got it.” First Mom, then Monty. What kind of jerk did they all think I was?

We walked back over to where everyone else waited at the desk.

Samantha was already holding a key. “We’re upstairs. The owner says it’s nicer.”

The man smiled. “It’s got the best bathroom.”

I nodded and asked her, “You ready to go back out there?”

“I’m ready to get it over with.”

Chapter Twelve

Charlotte

Icentris sounded pretty good at the moment. The thought of ice—or anything cold—taunted me as I wiped sweat off my forehead. I had known the desert would be hot, but after a full day of traveling, I’d just about had it.

“Are you feeling ill?” Calvin asked.

As nice as it was to be close to him, sharing a horse was only making me feel hotter. “I’m fine.” I rolled up my sleeves.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“It is my job to worry.”

I turned to look at him. “No. It’s your job to protect me. Those are two different things.”

He brushed his hand against my cheek. “You are so beautiful it is hard to believe you are real.”

I felt blood rush to my face. He’d said nearly the same thing the night before—when I wasn’t wearing clothes. “Thank you.”

He moved his hand to my shoulder. “If only we weren’t on a horse…”

Liam coughed loudly. “If you two are done doing what you’re doing, we have things to discuss.”

Calvin squeezed my shoulder as I turned to face forward. “What is it that you want to discuss?”

Liam turned away when I looked at him. “We’re lost. Maybe we should discuss that.”

“What makes you think we are lost?” Calvin gazed out at the barren landscape.

Liam used his shirt to wipe his face. The action gave me a brief look at his toned stomach. “Let’s see. We’ve been traveling for at least twelve hours, yet the end still isn’t in sight.”

“It is a big desert.” Calvin kept the horse moving at a slow trot.

“How much further do you think the mountains are?” Henry asked tentatively. I had a feeling that’s the way Guardians were supposed to speak to the Gerard.

“We should be close. We cannot be far from the river.”

“A river in the desert?” Liam asked.

Calvin nodded. “Yes. There is only one I know of.”

“At least it’s going to get cold soon.” I figured focusing on the positive side was the only worthwhile thing I could do.

“Why would it get cold?” Calvin asked.

“It’s a desert. Don’t deserts get cold at night?” I looked at Liam again. He’d agree with me. I was never good at science stuff, but surely I was remembering that detail right.

“Not this one,” Henry said.

“Oh. So it’s going to stay this hot all night?”

“It will not feel quite as oppressive when the sun goes down.” Calvin handed me a canteen.

I savored the last few drops in it. “I hear water.” The sound was faint, but I knew I heard it.

“Are you sure?” Henry asked.

“Yes.”

Calvin ran a hand down my arm. “Can you lead us there?”

“I think so.”

“Without tapping into any energy,” he added.

“It would be easier if—”

“Please, Charlotte. It is too dangerous.” He took the empty canteen from me and stowed it in the saddle bag.

“Okay, I can do it by just concentrating, I think.” I closed my eyes and focused only on finding the source of the sound. “It’s that way.” Without opening my eyes, I pointed. The more time I spent in Energo, the more connected I felt to the world. I could practically feel the water flowing. Confident we were heading the right way, I opened my eyes.