At least we've got one thing going. “So, the hotel.”
“Oceanside,” Riley says, pulling into a parking lot.
A charming hotel waits in front of us, built from carved, pale driftwood. A blue sign above the door reads Oceanside and there are paintings of killer whales and other wildlife on the planks that have faded. Just beyond the hotel's grounds is the ocean itself, peeking at us from between the scattered pines. People walk along the boardwalks, with couples hand in hand and sometimes accompanied by small dogs.
It looks safe. “Hide the car in the back lot, though.”
Riley restarts the engine. “I agree.”
We pull into the back lot, and then Riley gives Lily his credit card to book us a room. At least she's of age and can get us one. In no time, we're unlocking a door on the second floor and checking out the two beds and the view of the ocean.
“As for clothes, we have plenty of cash to stock up,” Riley says, eyeing the room. “Lily, it's not safe for you to go back to Moon's Peak right now, and definitely stay in the same room with us. You'll be safe so long as the Originator doesn't find us.”
I'm a bit disappointed that Riley and I will have no privacy, but we have no time for that right now. Lily needs to stay with us, and she should be safe so long as the Originator doesn't come near. Already, the pressure inside seems to have cooled down, and along with it, my anger at Dad. Was the Originator affecting me that much? Or am I just coming to terms with everything? Maybe it's a bit of both.
Heck, maybe the killer distanced Dad from me after I showed off my power by mistake. He went, wow, I've got to get this girl to work alone and alienate everyone from her. Get her angry. Then I can use her as a puppet to wipe out the Truebloods.
Can I even do that? Is that the Originator's plan?
I can't tell if I started going out of control because of my anger at Dad or because of this person. It didn't happen until I pulled off that major kill.
Lily walks to the window. “Yes. We should all stay together. Hunters rarely work alone, and definitely not with vampires, but this is an exception. Stopping this rogue Nightside from rising to power is in the interest of everyone.”
I wait for her to explain, but she just closes the curtains again. I gulp. “So, we should train out here for sure.”
“We have a lot to do,” Riley says. “I can't abandon the mansion at all. We're going to need a cover for your disappearance, Olivia.”
I face him. “My disappearance?”
Riley stays by the door. “Yes. The Originator needs to think you've fled. That would make sense, after you caught wind of what this person was doing behind the scenes. We’ll fake you getting a bus ticket and getting the hell out of here. We can make it look like you fled back to Chicago, and a big city can only distract this Originator for a while.”
I grin. “Good idea. How do we do that?” I look at Lily, waiting for her answer.
She sits on the bed and unzips her huge laptop bag. At least she's been taking that with her everywhere, not wanting to miss any research time and opportunity. “I won't make it super obvious, but the hunters have technology to access some records the public can't. They can get into cell phone data. Olivia, if you give me your phone, I can fake some stuff, with effort. I'll need a bit of help from some people who know how to hack and mess with files, since that's not my area of expertise. In fact, it might be best for you to separate from your phone completely. This Originator might control the hunters and other Nightsides.”
“He will be able to,” Riley adds, checking the door to make sure it's locked.
I gulp. Everyone could be a puppet and an enemy without knowing.
I hand over my phone, hating that I've got no way to let Mom know I'm okay. “What would be so bad about a Nightside taking over the Truebloods? I'm not sure how one could rise to power?”
“This Originator is centuries old,” Riley tells me. “And very, very powerful.”
Lily looks at me over her open laptop. “Nightsides are far better hunters than Truebloods. They blend into human society with no effort. You know that. Control isn’t just to get prey, but to do other horrible things. Vampire society will change if the Nightsides take over, and I don't mean that to be offensive.”
I gulp. “Don't worry. No offense taken.” I didn't want to help Riley take over this coven. The power is there, but I don't want to seize it and go crazy. The thought's terrifying. How can this Originator have no conscience?
“The hunters,” Lily says, “won’t be able to balance out the vampires and keep the whole of human society safe. Before us, it was dangerous for regular people. People died from Truebloods all the time, and there was no control. And it will be dangerous again if Nightsides rule. The Truebloods have access to the highest tiers of human society. Imagine what will happen if a cruel Nightside gets to the top?”
I gulp. “You can stop there.” The Prophecy returns, and Riley, as if sensing my worry, wraps his arms around me from behind. I lean back, basking in his comfort.
Yes. This Originator wiping out the High Council will be bad. Using me to do it will be even worse. And then what? Can one Nightside really take over thirty Trueblood covens, or make them so terrified they’ll do what he says? I don't like the way Trueblood society works, but now that I look at it, I see it as a delicate balance. It can improve and stop using slavery,
