Sevan doesn’t look up from her phone as she murmurs her reply. “Well, at least you’re not being dramatic about it.”
I point to a sign for a motel. “We need to stop for the night.”
She glances up, her top lip curling. “We are not sleeping there. Gross. Shoot a little higher, Keran. Higher than a one-star hole. That place probably smells worse than your fingers, if you can imagine.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “Noted. And where would her highness like to sleep? I think the palace is booked for the night.”
“Shame.” She casts me a wry look. “Look, if you’re traveling with me, you have to adjust. I’m not sleeping in a dumpster.”
“Well, that’s what I suggested. I was pointing at a dumpster, not a motel with beds and whatnot.” Though, even as I argue, I know part of me would love to not have to feel the scratchy, unwashed sheets of a skeevy motel. But it’s hard for me to justify a night or two of actual luxury.
“I’ve got a trapper’s credit card that’s hooked up to fool’s gold, just like you do. There’s no rule in the fine print that we have to live like paupers or be on a budget.”
“True. Avet and I always stay in crappy motels because if things get messy, there isn’t anything of value to destroy. The cops generally don’t cause us too much trouble if the wall with holes in it acquires a few more dents.”
“That’s one way to live your life. But not tonight. When you travel with me, we treat ourselves like people who matter. Like people who actually provide a service for which they deserve to be paid.”
I snicker under my breath, impressed by her unapologetic standards. “I like that.”
“You’ll like it even better when you’re not worried you’re sharing your bed with bugs and old semen.”
I cough out a laugh at her choice of words.
When we pass the exit, I look for something better as I drive along the freeway. “I can’t believe you let Avet borrow your motorcycle.”
“Things are just things. I don’t mind. Plus, he needs some time in his own brain to sort out his thoughts, and I need the distraction from mine.” She sets down her phone. “So distract me.”
My brows furrow. “Excuse me?”
“Distract me. That’s all I usually have to tell Avet, and he rattles off his inane stream of consciousness for an hour without pause. You’re his best friend. Some of that’s gotta be banging around in you, too.”
I chuckle airily through my nose. “Avet and I are like brothers, sure, but we couldn’t be more different. I’m not your wind-up toy that spits out distractions on command. If you want a distraction, offer one up.”
She sighs, examining her fingernails. “Fair. Okay, how did the two of you meet?”
My mouth tightens. “Pass.”
She guffaws at me. “Alright. Why did you retire from trapping?”
I shift in my seat. “Pass.”
She shakes her head at me. “You really aren’t like Avet. Seriously, though. Give me something, sugar bear.”
I chuckle at her name for me. I can’t say I mind it one bit. “You first.”
Sevan casts me a look of mild frustration. “I don’t like to talk about myself either.”
“Then it looks like the radio will have to be your distraction.”
Sevan grumbles. “Fine. I met Avet last year. He was hunting down a troublesome vampire that I’d been tracking for a couple of weeks. We teamed up and killed the thing. It was much quicker than working alone, which is what I usually prefer to do. But I found I didn’t mind working with Avet. Even though he’s constantly being annoying, I guess he’s less annoying than most people.”
I smirk at her. “You know, that’s a pretty accurate sum-up of Avet. Add in his penchant for random dancing, and you’ve got the whole picture.”
“We did a few jobs together after that. Nothing consecutive and nothing I couldn’t have handled on my own. But it was nice to have backup. I was able to try a few larger jobs that I would normally pass on, being that I’m usually by myself.”
When she finishes, she holds out her hand, palm upward, as if passing the conversation my way. “Well? Your turn.”
“You told me nothing. Just that you two did a job together and didn’t kill each other, so you did a few more.”