Now, they got to start all over. Mei's car was in a parking lot behind the club. Inquisitors would be swarming all over that place, so it wasn't worth it to try to get to it. Sadly, all of their clothes, their phones, and everything else would be in there. The only things the two of them had left were each other and their latest fake IDs, but they were pretty good at this.
Because this was their life. They stayed on the move, always keeping a step ahead of the religious zealots who wanted to destroy them simply because they existed. It no longer mattered what they did. Long ago, they'd hoped that following the Church's ethics would be enough, but they'd been wrong. It was never enough. No matter how hard they tried, humans were always scared of what they couldn't understand.
So Dahlia had become everything the Church despised. Since there was no God, there was no reason to follow their rules. It was nothing more than humanity's way of herding the masses. Morals were nothing more than a method to control those too stupid to think for themselves. According to the standards they set, that meant she got to make new rules to please herself, and Dahlia had preferred Loki to Odin. A little chaos always spiced things up.
By the time she pulled into the University of North Texas, she had everything figured out. Slowly, careful not to draw attention to herself by breaking any traffic laws, she eased the truck into a metered parking lot and climbed out. The wallet stayed, but the handful of credit cards went down the side of her thigh-high boot. It would take a day or two before they realized the truck was abandoned. After that, it should only take minutes to tie it to a dead man. In other words, she had time to get her life in order, then they'd need to move again.
But first, she had to find Mei. Thankfully, the glowing lights from the local bars led her in the right direction. When Dahlia got close, she saw exactly what she'd been hoping for. Leaning beside the entrance to a place called Mac's, the tiny Asian girl was a sight for sore eyes. With a radiant smile, Mei held up a set of keys.
"I got us a room." She jangled them to prove the point.
Dahlia jogged the rest of the way, then wrapped her partner in a tight embrace. "Good," she breathed into her hair. "And tomorrow, I'll buy us both some new clothes. Where are we staying?"
"Quaint little place called Bruce Hall. Comes complete with a very adorable drunk guy who will never question why two girls are passed out in his bed."
Mei giggled and turned toward the darkened campus. In the distance, the sky was just starting to change from black to violet, which meant dawn wasn't too far off. Dahlia followed, wrapping one arm around her lover's waist to keep her close. For now, they were safe, but both of them knew that had been just a little too close. Sadly, they were starting to get used to it. That made it easier to pretend like nothing had happened.
Chapter Seven
DAHLIA
Dahlia woke to the feel of cheap sheets and soft skin. Mei was twined around her, one leg thrown over her thigh and an arm wrapped around her neck. Dahlia yawned, cracking open her eyes to shield them from the dazzling line of sunlight seeping around the edge of the blanket covering the window. It took a few blinks before she could detect anything besides the glare. That was when she noticed the guy.
He couldn't have been more than twenty - and probably less. While the women had claimed the bed, he'd made himself comfortable on the small floor, and now he was trying to quietly put away the blankets he'd slept on. He glanced up with a wistful smile and found Dahlia's blue eyes waiting. Color rushed into his cheeks.
"Morning," he whispered.
She paused to nuzzle Mei's neck, kissing her gently before slipping away. Only then did she respond to the guy. "I'm thinking it's closer to afternoon."
"About two," he agreed.
Dahlia shifted to the edge of the bed and stretched the entire length of her body. Their last conquest couldn't help himself. His eyes dropped, sliding over her skin before he could pull them back up. That was when she realized he was the only person in the room wearing clothes. She should probably do something about that.
"What are the chances of coffee in this place?" she asked, looking at the pile of laundry on the floor for her dress.
"Um." He hurried to the corner to grab a bundle, then passed it to her. It was silver. "I can do that. Um. I, uh, don't exactly remember your name."
"Dahlia, like the flower. She's Mei." One hand kneaded her eyes. "Yours?"
"Ben - uh, Bennet." He laughed nervously. "The guys are never going to believe me. Just promise that you won't bail before I get back with the coffee?"
His excitement was too sweet and honest. Dahlia nodded, agreeing easily. "Throw in a couple of t-shirts, and we'll make sure to put on a nice show when we leave."
"Top drawer." He pointed at the dresser and rushed out, most likely running all the way to the lobby.
Beside her, Mei stirred. "It wasn't that wild of a night, was it?"
"Was for him," Dahlia said, opening the drawer and pulling out two shirts. "Kid's probably nineteen, and I'm willing to bet he's not used to a herd of concubines. You and I just ticked off a line on his bucket list, and he's not even old enough to drink."
Mei giggled as she claimed the guy's clothes. "And that is why I like them younger. He's gonna be ok, right? I don't think we sucked that much out of him."
"Yeah," Dahlia promised. "He'll think he's just tired from the exercise. At his age, it won't take long before he's completely recovered."
"Good." Mei tugged Dahlia back into the bed. "And while we wait for him to get back, you can remind me exactly how much you missed me last night."
"Tons." Dahlia rolled over Mei, resting on her forearms. "I kept telling myself you knew where to go and not to worry, but I worried."
"Just a little." Mei held up two fingers a space apart. "Not enough to hurry your ass up or anything."