War-N-Wit, Inc. - The Coven (War-N-Wit, Inc. - Book 3) by Gail Roughton Read Free Book Online Page B

trying to spot Spike and Stacy on the crowded floor. There they were . Surrounded by their private halo of color, now edging past hot pink over to red.
    “Oh, yeah.”
     
    * * *
     
    The hotel room wasn’t a bit bigger when we got back, but all Stacy and I really cared about was the shower. We’d stopped smelling beer hours ago, but the residue was sticky.
    “You go first,” I said. Big sisters looked after little sisters. Big sister habits died hard.
    “You go first. You got a lot more directly on you than I did.”
    “Okay, we’ll do it the fair way. Paper, rock, scissors. Ready?”
    “Ready.”
    “One, two, three—” I looked down at our hands.
    “Rock breaks scissors,” Stacy said. “You go.”
    “And to avoid tying up the bathroom, we’ll make it a double.” Chad slipped neatly through the door and pulled me in after him.
    “Excuse me?” I hissed furiously.
    He leaned close and whispered in my ear. “Baby girl, we’re in a double room with two other people. For several more days. Got to grab opportunity when we get it.”
    I turned and started the water.
    “Only thing you’re grabbin’ with somebody right outside that door is a shower. And with two other people out there who’d also like to feel clean, you’re doin’ it damn quick .”
    “You’re a fascinating blend of pure lady and wild child, I ever tell you that?”
    “Yeah, frequently. Now move it.”
     
    * * *
     
    We all showered the beer residue off and hit our respective assigned beds—which meant extra pillows piled in the middle of the guys’ bed to their complete satisfaction so as to assure no accidental touching. Unfortunately, showers usually revived me somewhat no matter how tired I was. They also had the same effect on Stacy. From the changed rhythm of the guys’ breathing, hot water didn’t have the same effect on them. They were passed out. I stared at the ceiling and tried to wind down. Wasn’t working. Wasn’t working for Stacy, either.
    “Ari?”
    “Yeah?” I braced myself and grabbed the edge of my pillow. From years of slumber parties, I knew what was coming.
    “ Gottcha! ”
    “ Gottcha first! ” I rolled and snatched my pillow from under my head, slamming it into Stacy’s pillow before it connected with my face. Both of us perched on our knees and plummeted our pillows against the other.
    “ What the hell— ” The two large bodies from the next bed sat up at the same time.
    “ Pillow fight! You snooze, you lose!” As one, we bounded across the twelve inch space between the beds onto theirs and started pelting. Besides, all the fresh ammunition was on their bed. That male “don’t touch each other” thing. They sputtered, grabbed for pillows, and came out swinging. Pillows flew everywhere, in every direction.
    Calling up memories of too many pillow fights to count, both of us swerved and twisted Ninja-style. The guys didn’t have a chance. Then I lost my balance and fell full forward onto Chad. On the way down, I knocked Stacy off balance and she smashed into Spike, knocking him flat onto the bed and landing full on top of him. The aura of color surrounding them pulsed and turned crimson. So did Stacy’s cheeks. Spike’s Las Vegas desert tan was too dark to turn crimson, but there was some extra color there, for sure. Stacy sprang back up, grabbed a pillow and started swinging again.
    Since we were making so much noise ourselves, the vibrations filtered through first. Pounding feet shook the walkway in front of our second floor room.
    Then we heard the outside screams.
    “ Coward! Why’d you want it, you ain’t man enough to handle it? ”
    “ Help! Get her off me! ” Strangled coughs and gasps for breath. “Crazy bitch tryin’ to fuckin’ kill me!!”
    “You wanted it, honey, you got it! Too much for you? Come back here and take it like a man !”
    “What the hell —” Stacy bounded to the edge of the bed and fumbled at the lamp, bringing the room out of shadow.
    More voices