Hotel Sanguinaria

Chapter Ten

“Okay, you ready?” Callie narrowed her eyes at the door as the sound of her dad’s voice cut into her brain.  She had her stake with her, but she’d now transferred all her things to her backpack.  Tonight, her brain sang with a mixture of terror and wild, rebellious joy.  She was getting away tonight.  It was all going to happen, everything she’d been hoping and dreaming of for so long.  It was happening.

“Coming dad!” she called back, leaping off the bed and swinging the door open, shrugging the bag over her shoulder.

He eyed her backpack suspiciously.

“What have you got in there?” he growled.

“Supplies,” she replied smoothly.  “You know, a little extra.  It’s a new city; I figured it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

He narrows his eyes, and for a moment it looked like he didn’t believe her.  Then he shrugged.

“You never did know how to take a risk every now and then,” he muttered.  The words still stung but underneath there was the thrill of knowing that it was the last night she’d have to endure it; the last time he’d ever put her down for anything.

Leaving the hotel – for the last time, her brain supplied giddily – she followed her dad and Jake down to the dark areas they had explored the day before.  It wouldn’t take long for her to slip away once they had split up to search for this wretched Graal du Diable.  In fact, she reasoned, it would take next to no effort.

They’d set off at sundown, right as the last rays slipped below the horizon, to allow for maximum time to search as wide an area as they could.  She watched as her dad handed Jake a gun and shot her a wary look before handing one to her.  She felt her fingers curl nervously round the metal.  He’d never trusted her – alone – with a gun before.  Excellent, hissed the part of her mind that longed to claw out her father’s throat for driving away her mother.  If he comes after you, you can shoot him.

I’m not going to shoot him, she thought back determinedly.  I’m getting away.

The voice in her head blew a loud raspberry and disappeared.

Callie looked about herself, her eyes burning in the darkness.  The idea that she could find this so-called ‘Devil’s Grail’ sent a chill through her bloodstream.  Her dad’s hunting career lay on finding this ting, and now she was standing – alone – in a city where the creature might be lurking.

“This better be worth so much hassle,” she growled to the empty street.

And she set off into the darkness.

*     *     *     *     *

“You guys look like you’re ready to go; am I right?”

Shiloh spun round, a smile on her face as she recognised Rachael’s voice.  The redhead was walking towards them, grinning.  Shiloh had been waiting by the door with Lily, Dylan and Seraph.  Dylan had been telling really, really bad jokes for the past fifteen minutes that had had Seraph rolling their eyes and laughing in equal amounts and Shiloh shaking her head at his antics.  Neith was nowhere to be seen.

“Yeah, we’re good to go,” Shiloh replied, watching as Seraph stuck their tongue out at Dylan, who had been scowling at them due to their less-than-favourable review of his comedic show.  “Not sure about these two squabblers, though.”

“Hey!” Dylan protested.  “They were making fun of me!”

He pointed at Seraph.  They just grinned back and shrugged as if to say what are you gonna do about it?