“I want to call an ambulance,” Luca said.
“What? Why?”
“If I had a mirror, I’d show you.”
“I don’t need an ambulance.”
“You can’t even sit up. What if you have a concussion?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t. You’re not.” He never would be. Not without the Anubis. “At least an ambulance can get us away from here.” It wouldn’t be far enough, but it would have to do.
“Give me till morning. Then we’ll go.”
“We don’t have a car.”
“We’ll walk.”
“You think you can walk? You can barely sit up.”
“I’ll be better tomorrow.”
Did Nox really expect Luca to believe that?
“Besides, you can’t call an ambulance. We don’t have a phone.”
They had nothing but a few hundred bucks. The money Nox had taken to the hardware store to buy supplies. The only thing they’d been able to escape the motel with.
“I bet if I set fire to one of those motor homes, they’d show up.”
Nox put his hand over Luca’s. “It will be okay. I promise. If I can’t walk tomorrow, then we’ll go the next day.”
“I’m not letting you stay here till tomorrow.”
“It won’t hurt to sleep here tonight.”
“Yes, it will because you’ll sneak off in the morning and let Isaiah inject you with the Rakta.” And what if that dose purged the ichor? Nox would refuse to leave, and Luca would never leave Nox.
At least until he died of old age.
“I should have never let you—”
“Shhh—” Nox tugged Luca down beside him. “It was my choice.”
“But I could have stopped you.” He could have ordered Nox.
“I have a choice with you, Luca. I don’t have to obey.”
“You’d still would have.” Luca was sure of it. “You love me too much not to.”
“In this case, I love you too much to listen.” Nox kissed him on the temple and winced.
“You probably shouldn’t do that. Your lip is swollen.”
Nox kissed him again. “Still worth it.”
Luca sighed against Nox’s shoulder. “We should have driven to the beach.”