Lucy froze in mid-slide.
Normal Piper’s head snapped to the side, her eyes narrowed. She was staring directly at Lucy. Monster-Piper was still growling and floating around, and slowly disappearing, becoming more and more translucent.
Lucy couldn’t look away. She watched, fascinated, as Monster-Piper completely vanished.
Morgan must have felt the crazy-strong tension in the room, because he dropped his video game controller and was trying to nonchalantly rise from his chair.
“Hey, guys,” said Morgan quietly. “What’s up?”
“I was just about to ask the same thing,” Piper said. “Lucy dear, are you feeling okay? Is the wine maybe a bit too strong?”
Lucy’s mouth was totally dry. She tried to swallow and only succeeding in making a weird hacking noise. Morgan crossed over to Lucy, kneeling beside her, but his eyes never left Piper.
“Lucy, you good?” Morgan asked.
Lucy nodded. “Yeah,” she croaked through a cotton-dry mouth. “I think I just need some water.”
“Morgan,” said Piper, “Be a dear and run to the kitchen. I have a pitcher of water in the fridge, please get it and a few glasses. They’re in the cabinet to the left of the sink. Thank you.”
Morgan hesitated, his eyes locked on Lucy now. She could see the worry on his face. Lucy reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. “Water would be great.”
Morgan, still looking worried, did as Piper asked and headed for the kitchen. When Morgan cleared the door, Lucy turned her attention back to Piper.
“Marcus said that you might be something special,” said Piper. “It looks as if he is right once again.”
“What are you?” Lucy wasn’t afraid, she was positive that Marcus wouldn’t have sent them here if Piper was dangerous. That didn’t mean she wasn’t totally freaking out. Piper was something more than human; that much Lucy was sure of, but what could Piper be?
“I’ve never met anyone with zero training that could see me for what I am.” Piper sounded impressed. “We don’t want to scare Morgan. So for now, I’ll just call myself a shape-shifter. Do you know what that means?”
“Like a werewolf?” said Lucy, awestruck, the creature-feature comparison apparently correct. There were people in the world that could turn into animals. It was mind-blowing.
“Oh dear, nothing so bourgeois,” Piper said. “No, shape-shifters are not werewolves. As a matter of fact, werewolves as depicted in fiction are not real. True shape-shifters are not out-of-control monsters, neither are we enslaved to the phases of the moon.”
“I saw . . . you had . . . a kind of animal ghost thing floating around you. It looked kind of like a tiger or something.”
“Very good. My animal form is a leopard.”
“This is so bitchin’!” Lucy exclaimed. “Can you, like, turn into a leopard right now? I’d like to see that.”
“Well, that’s an unexpected reaction. Most people scream or pee their pants.” Piper pointed toward the door. “Morgan is coming back with the water. I think shape-shifters might be one too many things for him to handle right now. So we’ll have to wait until another time for a demonstration.”
Lucy nodded.
Piper added, “And try to act casual. Morgan is a very perceptive young man, especially where you are concerned.”
Lucy began to answer as Morgan walked back in with the water. She immediately bit her lip. Morgan stopped in the doorway. It was obvious by the look on his face that he knew they had been talking and stopped when he returned. It was super-awkward.
“Wonderful,” Piper said, not missing a beat. “Morgan, why don’t you let Lucy pour while you come see the masterpiece I’ve created for you?”
Frowning, Morgan set the water and glasses down in front of Lucy, trying to make eye contact, which Lucy avoided—she wasn’t a great liar.
Piper waved Morgan over and sat him down in her chair, leaning on his shoulder as she showed off her handy work. Lucy grinned at Piper’s strategy. Morgan was a boy after all—he was smarter than most boys—but he was still just a boy, so when a tall, pretty woman leaned down over him, causing their bodies to touch at various points, he lost all ability to reason properly. Any misgivings or bad thoughts Morgan may have been having about Piper disappeared. Lucy would have giggled, but that would have made Morgan mad.
Instead she poured herself a tall glass of water and gulped it down, imagining a world of magic and shape-shifters, a world that both excited and scared her at the same time. A world that, it would seem, she was destined to become a part of.
“Rad,” Lucy whispered to herself.
CHAPTER 5
Morgan dropped Lucy off at her home a few hours later. They had used the drive from Piper’s house to plan the Vegas trip. Both of them had already laid the groundwork for the lie they would be telling their parents—a waterskiing trip to Lake Havasu. Lucy felt a little bit guilty about lying, because her parents were fairly lenient and let her do a ton of stuff other parents would freak over. However, a weekend in Las Vegas would even push them past their limits.
Lucy wanted to leave early on Friday morning to give them as much time as possible gambling. Marcus suggested they stay at his favorite hotel, Caesars Palace, and even offered to make a reservation for them. Lucy had jumped at the offer; it would be one less thing they had to worry about.
“I’m pretty sure we can’t afford a room at Caesars,” Morgan said, as he navigated through afternoon traffic.
“Of course we can,” Lucy assured him. “When we split it four ways, it won’t be a problem at all.”
“Four ways? What are you talking about?”
“I keep forgetting to tell you, I invited Penny to come and you should totally invite somebody too. It will be a total blast.”
“Oh. Penny . . . sure, okay.” Morgan said, trying hard and failing not to sound disappointed.
There was no way Lucy was going to spend a weekend alone with Morgan in a hotel room. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She just didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. And Vegas was hot and loud, and the drinks were free. The whole atmosphere lent itself to living out your fantasies and she was pretty sure that some of Morgan’s fantasy’s included her in a starring role.
“It’s going to be awesome, Morgan.”
“I’m not sure if I can find someone to go on such short notice. And there’s the fake ID situation, what’s Penny going to do about that?”
“Penny loves lying out by the pool more than gambling, and she’s had an ID forever, so it’s not a problem.”
“But Piper said your old ID sucked and would get spotted in a second in Vegas.”
Lucy was getting annoyed. “It’s going to be fine. Why are you being such a downer?”
“Sorry,” said Morgan defensively. “I’m just trying to make sure nobody ends up in jail for committing multiple felonies.”
“Please, as if?” Lucy was irritated with his negative attitude.
“Hey,” Morgan said with an angry edge. “If you don’t want me to come, that’s fine. Just say the word. You and Penny and whoever else can go and party it up.”
“I want to go with you! You big dummy-head!” Lucy shouted.
Morgan didn’t respond. He just focused on the road in silence. Lucy was worried he really would pull out of the trip and she didn’t want that. They had started this magic thing together, and she wanted him with her when they put it to the test.
“Big dummy-head?” Morgan said quietly, a small grin playing around his mouth.
“Exactly,” Lucy said, smiling. “And while big dummy-heads can sometimes be fun to have around, you’re just being a pain in the ass.”
Morgan laughed.
“And I’m not supposed to say anything, but Penny thinks you’re totally cute. I, of course, don’t see it, but who am I to question Penny’s taste in guys?” Lucy said with a straight face.
“Well, at least one of the young ladies I will be accompanying to Las Vegas can recognize the fu
ll package when she sees it.”
“Ew, did you just reference your package?”
“Shut up.”
“Me? I’m not the one talking about packages. You’re the only perv in this car, mister.”
Morgan shook his head and rolled his eyes. Lucy patted his knee. She did love him, and it made her feel secure to know that he was always there. But Lucy knew that if they ever crossed the friendship boundary, it would eventually end poorly and then he would be gone forever. Lucy couldn’t, wouldn’t, deal with that.
* * * *
Lucy got her way and they were on the road to Vegas as the sun was coming up. Morgan couldn’t find anyone who wanted to come. Lucy wasn’t sure how hard he had tried, but it didn’t matter. She and Penny loaded their bags into the trunk and piled into the car.
“Seriously. We’re going for three days, what’s with all the baggage?” Morgan complained.
“Just because you dress like a hobo doesn’t mean the rest of us need to,” said Lucy.
Penny laughed. “Yeah, Morgan, a lady needs options when traveling. I’ve packed a bunch of new bikinis. Maybe later I can get your opinion on which one looks best?”
Lucy raised her eyebrows at Morgan, a big grin on her face. “Oh yeah, Morgan your expert opinion would be soooo welcome.”
Penny kicked the back of Lucy’s seat. “Don’t pay attention to her, Morgan, she’s being grumpy this morning.”
“Um, yeah, that’s because someone snored all night, keeping me awake.”
“You are such a liar. I do not snore.”
Morgan turned up the radio. That didn’t stop Lucy and Penny from their nonstop chatter. Due to the early hour, traffic was light, so they made it out of LA and into the morning haze of the desert in record time. It also didn’t hurt that Morgan wasn’t opposed to speeding. They stopped once for gas and a bathroom break, and rolled into Vegas just after 11:00 a.m.
“Check in isn’t until 3:00 p.m. What do you guys want to do?” Morgan asked, as he exited the freeway.
“Let’s just check with the hotel, maybe they’ll let us leave our bags and hang by the pool or something?” Lucy suggested.
“I thought you’d want to hit the casino right away?” said Morgan.
“I vote for the pool, it’s super-hot outside,” said Penny. “I think sipping a cold drink while dipping my feet sounds totally rad.”
“Caesars is up here on the left, I can pull in?” said Morgan.
“Do it,” Lucy and Penny said in unison.
Morgan handed his keys over to a valet who was not impressed with the beat-up old Ford. Lucy directed the unloading of the bags after waving over a bellhop with a trolley.
“You know all these guys expect to be tipped, right?” Morgan said.
“I know, but I’m not worried, we’re about to win a bunch of money.”
Morgan groaned and Lucy patted his cheek.
The lobby was super-impressive, lots of marble, statues and Roman-inspired decorations. For the first time Lucy thought that maybe Morgan had been right about not being able to pay for the room Marcus had reserved for them. She tentatively walked up to the front counter.
The man behind the desk smiled broadly. “Checking in?”
“Um, yes,” Lucy fumbled in her purse looking for the confirmation number. “I know we’re probably early for check-in. Is there somewhere we can maybe leave our bags until the room is ready?” Lucy dropped her purse. “I’m sorry I can’t find the number. I think the reservation may be under the name of Marcus Horn?”
The guy’s eyes went wide. “Can you excuse me for just a moment please?”
“Yeah, sure.” Lucy said, turning to Morgan and Penny who looked just as confused.
The guy returned with a manager who was all smiles and head nods. “Good morning, Miss Maddox, my name is Frank, we’ve been expecting you. Your suite has been prepared and I will have your bags sent up immediately. If you would like, it would be my pleasure to take you and your guests up myself.”
“Um, okay,” said Lucy.
Frank murmured some additional directions to the guy behind the counter and then gestured for Lucy, Penny and Morgan to follow him. He led them through the noisy casino to a bank of elevators nestled in a quiet corner of the hotel.
“These elevators are for our VIP guests only. They will take you directly to the floor where your suite is located.” The elevator arrived and Frank ushered the three of them inside. He pressed the button for the top floor. “Mr. Horn has also requested the use of a private pool cabana for your stay. When you are ready to use the pool just ring down to the concierge desk and I or another manager will get you all set up.”
“That all sounds wonderful,” said Lucy. She could see Morgan and Penny behind her in the mirrored walls of the elevator, their mouths hanging open. Lucy made a face at them. They needed to act cool, it was embarrassing.
“Mr. Horn has also opened a line of credit for your gaming needs.”
“He what?” Morgan blurted out.
Frank continued as if Morgan hadn’t just shouted like an idiot. “It’s a rather generous credit line of five thousand dollars. I will provide you with a card that will allow you to access those funds.” The elevator stopped and Frank guided them down a hallway that was decorated almost as nice as the lobby. He stopped in front of a set of large double doors.
“Here we are,” Frank said, and opened the doors with a flourish.
“Holy shit,” Penny said quietly.
Lucy was so awestruck by the suite that she didn’t even register her friend’s embarrassing comment. The suite was two stories high. They actually had to walk down stairs to the main living area.
“This is, of course, the living room, and as you can see your view of the Strip is the best in town,” Frank said, walking up to the enormous windows. “There are two bedrooms and three full bathrooms, for your convenience. Of course, Mr. Horn has instructed that any charges, such as room service, are to be included in your stay, so if there is anything you would like just pick up the phone and ask for it. Do you have any questions for me? Is there anything I can do for you right now?”
“No,” said Lucy. “I think we’re good, Frank. Thank you.”
Frank pulled an envelope from his coat pocket. “This arrived this morning with instructions to give it to you upon arrival. I wish you the best of luck this weekend and, again, don’t hesitate to call if you have any needs.”
Lucy held up a hand to keep Morgan and Penny quiet. She waited until Frank had closed the door behind him and counted to thirty before she dropped her hand.
The three of them squealed like little kids chasing an ice-cream truck.
“I don’t know who this Marcus is,” Penny said. “But if you don’t marry him, Lucy, I’m totally going after him.”
Lucy laughed. Marcus was old, like her parents’ age kind of old. He was handsome, but Lucy hadn’t considered him in a romantic way, but now that Penny mentioned it—well, a girl had to keep her options open, didn’t she?
“Why would he do all this?” Morgan asked.
“Because he’s a rich, eccentric dude or maybe he likes to spend money, who cares?” Penny said, spinning around in front of the windows. “I say we accept his generous gift and live it up!”
“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Lucy said, pointing at Morgan. “Including you. When you first told me about him, you called him Uncle Marcus. And maybe that’s exactly what he wants to be, your crazy rich uncle. I order you to enjoy yourself this weekend.”
Morgan smirked, looking around at the suite. “Okay, you win. Let’s party.”
“Yes!” Penny shouted, jumping on Morgan’s back and wrapping her legs around his waist.
Morgan galloped around the suite, Penny riding him piggyback-style, whooping and hollering. Lucy opened the envelope. Inside was a Piper-created ID for Penny and a handwritten note from Marcus.
Dear Lucy,
I did not want your weekend cut short due to pesky age l
aws. Please give the enclosed ID to Penny with my regards. I also hope you were pleasantly surprised with the suite. I feel the only way to truly enjoy Las Vegas is with the service and perks that come with money and a reputation. I have a long history with the staff at Caesars and they will take care of you.
Please use the line of credit I provided. I am fully confident that you will win many times that small amount, view it as a short-term loan. I look forward to hearing of your exploits as you conquer the Las Vegas casinos.
Yours truly,
Marcus
Lucy smiled, it was going to be a great weekend. She could feel it in her bones.
“Hey, you two,” Lucy said, tossing a decorative throw-pillow at Morgan and Penny. “If you’re done screwing around, I’d like to go win some money. Oh, and Penny, Marcus sent you a present.”
“What?” Penny slid off of Morgan’s back. “Gimme, gimme, gimme.”
Lucy handed her the ID and Penny screamed at the top of her lungs, “I love this guy!”
Lucy and Penny insisted on freshening up before heading to the casino. Freshening up turned out to be showers, make-up and fully styled hair. They presented themselves to Morgan when they were ready. Penny was wearing a white denim skirt, a Guess blouse and had pulled her blonde hair into a teased ponytail with a bright red bow. Lucy opted for a green cotton dress with shoulder pads, her black hair styled perfectly to frame her face.
“There are people in shorts, sandals and baseball caps down there, nobody cares how you’re dressed,” Morgan complained.
“This weekend we are high-rollers, we will look the part,” Lucy said.
Morgan gave in and changed his clothes. Lucy rolled her eyes at his appearance. Levis, a blue V-neck t-shirt, and a pair of Doc Martins.
Lucy huffed. “Faded black Levis are not dress pants.”
“They’re the fanciest things I brought, deal with it.”
Lucy made him sit while she and Penny attacked his hair with combs, gel and a blow dryer. Lucy also dumped his duffel bag out and picked through his clothes. She made him add a grey denim shirt over the t-shirt.
Lucy: A Paragon Society Novel (Book 3) Page 5
