Spell Bound - Kelley Armstrong [50]
When I finally did get up, it wasn’t Adam waking me, but a knock at the door.
“That’d be the babysitter,” Adam said, rising from the desk where he’d been working. “Paige said someone would be here by breakfast.”
He walked over, checked the peephole, then opened the door.
A woman walked in. She was slender and tall—only a couple of inches shorter than me. Dark blue eyes. Silver blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. Jeans, sneakers, T-shirt, and a worn denim jacket completed a look that was the height of fashion . . . in a lumber camp. With her natural good looks, I’m sure she would have been very welcome there, too, until one of the sex-starved lumberjacks tried laying a hand on her and lost it. Literally.
“Elena,” I said, scrambling up.
She greeted me with an embrace. Elena is usually not the hugging type. Werewolves are very physically affectionate, but only within the Pack. Having spent summers with them since I was twelve, though, I rated hugs, and when she embraced me, I wanted to hug her back, as tight as I could, then sit down on the bed and spill my guts, tell her everything that happened and how I’d screwed up. I couldn’t, though, not with Roni right there. So I just gave her a squeeze then stepped back.
“Are you here to escort Veronica?” I said.
“I am.” She turned to the second bed. “I take it that’s you.”
Roni was staring at Elena. Probably wondering how someone who looked like that could possibly protect her. Hopefully, she’d never find out.
“Roni, this is Elena.”
Elena extended her hand. It was a moment before Roni took it.
“You aren’t a witch,” she said.
“Nope, but I think I can handle bodyguard duty.” Elena lifted a spoon from the room service tray and bent it around her finger. “Very handy in a fight, but I’m hoping we don’t run into any.”
“I’m surprised they can spare you,” I said.
“Lucas arranged for Veronica to go to a safe house in Michigan. I’m heading home, so I offered to take her.”
So Elena wouldn’t be in Miami? Damn. That made sense, I guess, sending her back to Clay and the kids, leaving Jeremy to represent the Pack. Still, I’d hoped she’d be there. Really hoped.
Adam booked a flight for us. It left in three hours, which meant we had time for breakfast. I was thrilled about that—time to spend with Elena before she left—until I realized we had to take Roni along. That made for a very long and awkward meal. Adam’s mood didn’t help. He was polite enough, but quiet. Elena knew something was wrong, but there was no way of talking about it in front of Roni.
After breakfast, we split up. Elena planned to do some sniffing around before they left. If Roni’s cousin was still close by, Elena hoped to convince her that following them further really wasn’t a wise idea.
But Elena couldn’t “sniff around” with Roni on her heels. Nor could she fully devote herself to a fight while protecting her. I managed to keep my mouth shut until Adam and I were in the airport terminal, looking at the departure screens.
“There’s a flight to Orlando in a few hours,” I said. “We could switch to that, and drive down, so we have more time to help Elena.”
Adam’s shoulders tightened. He kept his gaze on the screen. “No.”
“I’m not stalling. I just don’t think we need to rush off and leave Elena saddled with Roni.”
“Elena has two four-year-olds. She can handle Roni.”
I stepped between him and the screen. “I’m not stalling, Adam. I swear, if you book that Orlando flight, I will get on it. But there’s no reason we can’t wait another couple of hours if it helps Elena.”
A pause, then a slow nod. He took out his phone. “Okay, I’m going to e-mail you the boarding pass. You fly to Miami. I’ll switch to the Orlando flight.”
“What?”
“You’re right. Elena could use help, but we both don’t need to stay, especially when you don’t have your spells. Not that I need to remind you of that issue, because it’s the