Page 67 of 'Til All the Seas Run Dry

Callum was on the road as soon as the sun set to drive to the airport for his flight from Seattle to San Francisco. A car was waiting for him at arrivals, the driver a tall, lanky werewolf named Mike. Callum had reservations at the vampire hotel, Somnus.

Somnus was a five-story hotel, but the floors were all underground instead of above. In fact, the hotel was hidden beneath a twenty-four-hour pizzeria run by an entrepreneurial, exiled fae. Getting in was simple enough if you knew how. One simply went up to the counter, ordered a pizza with extra red sauce, and then asked to use the restroom while you waited. The cashier would then direct the customer to the back hallway, where the bathrooms were. One of them was open to the public, while the other had a sign that said “OUT OF ORDER.”

Of course, behind that door, the washroom was actually an elevator car, activated by turning on both taps at the same time and then pressing the button on the empty soap dispenser three times, which keyed the elevator to go down to the lobby level below.

The Somnus lobby was a lush, almost spa-like space, with neutral colors and the sounds of water features. Callum always appreciated the hotel’s pared-down elegance, as well as the fact that they were nearly identical across cities. There was something nice about that sort of predictability. He’d been directed to a separate elevator, this one more traditional, which took him down to the bottom-most level. The hall was carpeted in deep green. Gold sconces hung from the wall every so often, bathing the hall in soft light.

He swiped the key card for his room, and opened the door. The king-sized bed was covered in a crisp, white duvet, with a pile of pillows against the gray tufted headboard. The room had a screen on the far wall that showed the skyline in real time, the city lights shining in the night. Thick, charcoal draperies hung at the sides, to close off the screen and darken the room. Ordinarily, Callum crossed straight to the curtains and drew them over the simulcast of the sky.

But tonight, he found he didn’t want to.

Callum dropped his bags by the foot of the bed and stripped off his jacket, hanging it in the closet. He toed off his shoes and nudged them into the closet as well. Then he stood in the room with his hands on his hips, feeling restless. He could go to the gym, he supposed, and work off some of his energy before sleeping. But unfortunately, it would only dull the edge. He could run for hours, lift for hours, do nearly anything for hours, without breaking a sweat.

There were some perks to being what he was.

He knew that he should sit at the mid-century desk and open his laptop to prepare for his presentation and meeting with Dr. Alton the following evening. But at the same time, he also knew that he’d prepared and planned as much as was possible. There was other work, of course, no matter how much Penny forbade him look at any of it. She’d been handling everything with the skill of a seasoned battlefield commander, leaving Callum feeling… unnecessary, which was unsettling. He wanted to feel necessary.

But what he wanted most was to talk to Jory. But he didn’t know the rules. He tried to remember the movies he’d watched with Robbie. Had they called each other? Or texted? Was he supposed to reach out first? Or wait for her? He’d never felt so off-balance in all his life.

Callum’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out to check the notification. It was a message from Robbie. He was surprised Robbie was still awake, or, perhaps, already awake. Though he shouldn’t have been. Robbie kept weird hours, sometimes up all night, sometimes up in shifts. Callum opened the text.

Knock knock.

Callum sighed before replying.

Who’s there?

A little old lady.

A little old lady who?

I didn’t know you could yodel!

Callum clicked the contact to call Robbie, who picked up on the first ring.

“Robbie, that was terrible.”

Robbie snorted. “It’s better if you hear it out loud! Hey! Where do vampires bathe?”

“Robbie,” Callum said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

“In the bat tub!” Robbie said. “Get it?Battub?”

“You ken we dinnae really turn into bats, Robbie.”

“Duh, Cal. Unfortunately, your party tricks aren’t nearly that good.”

“Alas,” Callum said, smiling beside himself, as he often did around Robbie.

“So did you get checked in? How’s the hotel?”

“It’s nice. I’ve stayed at other Somnus hotels. I’m a platinum member.”

“Look at you, big man. Flight went okay?”

“Aye. It was all fine.”

“Good. Your meeting is tomorrow night at six?”