Free Consume (The Devoured Series) by Shelly Crane Page A

was fielding questions about what was wrong with me. He just kept telling them to shut up about it.
     
    I lifted my head once they were quiet for a minute. Eli started to smile, but his face went blank. He gripped my face gently and looked at me…before breaking into the biggest grin.
     
    "You're back to normal, baby." He hugged me and released a huge sigh of relief. "You're back to you."
     
    "I am?"
     
    "Yeah." He pulled back and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. "Well, your eyes are. How do you feel?"
     
    "Great," I realized. I stretched and smiled. "I feel just fine."
     
    "Well, that's just dandy peaches and rainbow roses, human," Enoch said. "I'm so glad you'll be back to annoying me. Last night was peaceful and quiet with you passed out."
     
    "Shut up, Enoch," Eli told him.
     
    "Yeah, shut up," I repeated.
     
    Eli laughed. "And she's back."
     
    "I guess so," I agreed. "What's next?"
     
    "We should arrive in New Mexico in about an hour. Then we find the Consumed Club, first."
     
    "Why first?"
     
    "Because you can't get into The Wall without a stone from a Witch." I quirked a brow at him to explain. "I'll explain it all later. Put your eyebrow down," he laughed. He seemed more carefree today, compared to the desperation of last night in the bathroom.
     
    "Goblin's teeth, Witch's stones, Consumed Clubs. This trip sounds like a blast already."
     
    "We haven't even gotten to the blood sacrifice part yet," Enoch said and grinned evilly at me.
     
    I balked and looked at Eli, figuring he'd bash Enoch for saying something like that. But he just grimaced shamefully and looked away, his fingers flexing on my hip as a silent apology.
     
    Oh, yeah. A blast…
     
     
     
    ~ ~ ~
     
     
     
    The train jerked to a stop. I felt a fluttering of uneasy butterflies in my gut as Eli took our stuff in one hand and my fingers in the other. We all made our way to the train side and collected our other bag and the bird.
     
    I couldn't be sure, but the bird looked peeved. He watched and eyed us with an intensity that was creepy. First thing Eli said was for us to find a hotel that would accept cash and stash the bird there before making our way to the Consumed Club.
     
    So that's what we did. The clerk at some dive we tried said they had a no-cash policy, but was easily persuaded to accept it - just this once - with a little help from Finn.
     
    "Give me a twenty," Finn told Eli.
     
    Eli grumbled and sighed, then handed over a twenty from his wallet. Finn slipped the twenty into the clerk's hand and he held her fingers a little too long to be considered appropriate. He smiled and asked again, in a - even I had to admit - sexy, alluring voice. "Pretty please, can you take this and let us stay here? We won't be a bother…unless you want me to be."
     
    She flushed, her middle aged face perking up at the insinuation. "Just this once."
     
    She took our money and gave him a key. He winked at her as he took it and I thought she'd faint right there. Eli growled under his breath and dragged me to the elevators, bird cage in hand. Finn chuckled and jingled the key and its cracked key ring in his hand as we ascended, the elevator dinging with every passing floor. The fifth was the top and we got off. The smell of old and gross hit me and I made a sound in my throat.
     
    "What, princess?" Enoch asked and sneered. "Not up to your high standards?"
"Shut up," Eli said and pushed him. He looked at me when Finn put the key in the lock. "You have to find old places like this where they'll take cash and it won't be so suspicious. Sorry."
     
    "It's ok," I said gently. "I'm fine."
     
    Finn couldn't resist his two cents. "Yes, I find I quite enjoy these old hotels. The smell of sex and sin lingers and stains the air."
     
    Eli sighed harshly before saying, "If you two don't shut the lid on those mouths of yours, we'll hit the trail without you. You wanted to tag along ," he antagonized Enoch, "so tag along, but seriously, shut up before I shut