CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Buddy, I hate to tell you this, but this is just embarrassing,” Cass bitched. His body shoved forward and then backward, only kept in his seat by a seatbelt. “The only saving grace is that it’s dark outside.”
Alaric glanced back over his shoulder. “Shut up, asswipe. You’re making her nervous.”
“Am I doing this right?” I asked in a hurry. “Is this how people really used to get around back then?”
I was driving an automobile!
An actual working car.
I knew Alaric had one somewhere.
Unable to sleep after Cass blocked me again, I had stayed up and tried to find us something that we could do together. Now, we were in the middle of New City, with trains soaring above us, while I drove an automobile.
It was amazing. Spectacular. Amazing.
Have I said amazing yet? ‘Cause it was.
“This isn’t—” Cass lurched forward in his seat, then back again as I pressed on the gas pedal, “what I would call driving. It’s a train wreck.”
I slammed on the brakes, jerking us all forward in our seats, and peered skyward. I scoured the sky, but only saw stars. “Where? I don’t see it. There are no wrecks.”
Cass groaned from the backseat. “Jesus Christ.”
Alaric pointed forward. “Keep driving, Faith, or we’re going to get mobbed.”
Citizens of New City were coming out of late-night bars to stare at us, their arms out, and bracelets aimed to take pictures.
I slammed on the gas, and my head whipped back.
Along with the other immortals in the car with me.
Cass grabbed onto the headrest in front him, shouting over the freezing, whipping wind, “She is going to kill us!”
I slammed on the brakes, and the tires squealed. I shrieked in enjoyment and turned the wheel, taking us around a corner. I tried the gas pedal again, testing out different speeds, and the car lurched forward. Then it slowed as I took my foot off it. Forward. Slow. Back and forth, our bodies banged against the seats.
I asked, “Is that a vision or are you just being rude? Like, lying about a train wreck?”
Alaric snorted hard. “Just keep driving. He’s not being literal.”
“What did you call this car again?” I asked and slowed down. “A con…con-something.”
“Convertible.”
“And I wish the damn top was up,” Cass growled.
I pointed up, and the car swerved, so I put both hands back on the wheel. “It has a top?”
“It does. Would you like it up? Are you too cold?” Alaric asked. He pressed the back of his hand against my chilled cheek. “It won’t take long.”
“I don’t know. I like the night sky above.”
“Put it up.” Cass slouched down in the backseat, eyeing everyone staring at us on the streets. “This is humiliating. I know those guys over there.”
I hit the brakes, and the tires squealed again.
We came to an abrupt halt.
I shrugged. “Okay. Put it up.”
Cass hissed, “You didn’t have to stop here.”
My lips twitched.
I waved at the guys on the corner. “Hello over there! Are you guys friends of Cassander’s? He’s in the backseat if you want to join us!”
Like a bullet, they raced…away…from us.
I glanced at the man in the backseat. “I’m guessing they weren’t friends, huh?”
His middle finger rose.
I snorted and turned back around. “So how do I put this top up?”
Alaric’s shoulders were shaking so hard, but he was silent, attempting not to laugh out loud. He choked and pointed a finger at the console. Through snorts, he sputtered, “Just press that. It’ll bring it up.”
I hit the button, and my eyes widened. I jerked around in my seat to stare at the top as it came from the back of the car, starting to rise up into the air.
I mumbled, “It’s kind of slow.”
“Cops!” Cass shouted. He pointed into the air where a train was headed for us. “Drive! Drive!”
I didn’t know what a ‘cop’ was, but his frantic holler was enough for me to take my finger off the button, grab the wheel, and slam on the gas. We banged back against our seats as we raced forward through the streets, only slightly swerving from one side to the other.
Alaric bellowed, “No, no! The top isn’t—”
I glanced in the rearview mirror just as the top, that was halfway up into the air, tore off the back of the car, and went flying into the street in our wake.
I cleared my throat. “Um, sorry?”
Alaric groaned and relaxed back into his seat. “Well, that just happened.”
“Want me to go back for it?” I asked, turning another corner. “I can turn around. I think.”
Cass snorted. “Concentrate on driving forward first—in a straight line. Reverse is for experts.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “We lost the CA, by the way.”
“The CA?” I asked dumbly.
Alaric chuckled quietly. “Would you keep driving if you knew this was illegal as hell?”
I slowed down. “Uh…”
“Then don’t ask.” Alaric’s left hand landed on my right thigh, rubbing to keep me warm. “Just keep driving, beauty. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
I pressed harder on the gas. And grinned.
The starry night twinkled down on us, and the winter wind whipped at our hair, but we were together.
The fisherman.
The bear.
The fox.
We were having fun. Together.