“There’s no way I can sleep after this.”

“Eat.” He nodded to the bathroom, where he stored the blood.

I had a million questions I should be making him answer, but as soon as he mentioned eating, I could think of little else. I decided it’d be better to give in and get some sleep. It wouldn’t do me any good to stay up all day worrying.

I ate quickly, and it hit me hard. I staggered like a drunk person, and I was thankful I’d already changed into my pajamas. Within seconds of hitting my bed, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, Ezra slept on the bed next to me, pressed so close to the edge he nearly fell off. I sat up, careful not to wake him. I looked over his shoulder and saw Peter sitting on the other bed, staring over at us. I gasped, and even though I caught the surprised yelp before it escaped my lips, Ezra’s eyes shot open.

“Sorry,” I smiled guiltily at Ezra.

He waved me off as he sat up. His eyes searched the hotel room, appraising it to make sure that nothing was out of place. He had slept on the covers, fully clothed, and he was much more alert than me.

“How long have you been awake?” Ezra asked Peter, studying at him.

“Not long.” Peter tried to tuck his hair behind his ears, but it was filthy, almost to the point of being matted.

“So what’s going on?” I asked

They sat across from each other. Peter lowered his eyes, but Ezra kept staring at him. I wrapped the comforter around my shoulders and scooted across the bed, so I was sitting next to Ezra. He glanced over at me and sighed.

“So… what?” I asked when neither of them said anything. “The plan is a staring contest of some kind? Cause that’s not a very good plan.”

“I have an idea,” Ezra said finally, and Peter gave him a hard look. “I can make an exchange.”

“What kind of an exchange?” Peter narrowed his eyes. “There’s nothing that you have that they want.”

“That’s not true,” Ezra shook his head. “They don’t enjoy money, but they require it. They have to travel to the larger cities to eat, and they can’t walk around in the rags they live in.”

“They won’t take money. You’ve been gone for too long. You don’t remember what they’re like,” Peter said.

“There’s got be something that they want,” Ezra said. “These aren’t self-sufficient creatures. Gunnar is power hungry, and there is always something he can use to make himself more powerful.”

“Yeah, because we really wanna make him more powerful,” Peter scoffed and stood up. “No. I appreciate the rest and food, but I have to face them myself.”

“It’s too late!” Ezra got up and blocked Peter’s path. “They’ve already seen us. They know we’re after you. Just taking you won’t be enough anymore.”

Peter looked at the floor and tightened his lips into a thin line. His jaw clenched tightly, and his mind worked furiously to find fault with Ezra’s logic. The lycans had to put the pieces together soon, if they hadn’t already.

“Let me go talk to them,” Ezra said. “I’m certain that if I talk to them, we can arrange something.”

“There’s nothing they want. Except to hurt me.”

“Well, then I’ll convince them that whatever I’m giving them is hurting you,” Ezra said.

“You can’t talk to them. They’ll just kill you!” Peter was almost pleading with him.

“They won’t hurt me,” Ezra assured him. “Gunnar won’t kill me. Not now, not like this.”

Peter shook his head again, growing irritated with Ezra’s certainty. They stood next to each other, trying to change the other’s mind and unwilling to back down themselves.

“Maybe we should just come up with something better,” I said when they had been standing for an uncomfortable length of time.

“She has a point,” Ezra softened.

Peter crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his eyes between the two of us. He was skeptical about Ezra’s conceding so easily, even momentarily, and so was I. Ezra had seemed absolutely certain about his intentions, until I chimed in.

“Why don’t you take a shower and clear your head? We’ll talk after,” Ezra said.

Despite being suspicious, Peter was in dire need of a shower. He was a rather particular person to begin with, so his current level of hygiene had to be driving him insane.

“Alright.” Peter looked at Ezra severely. “I’ll get cleaned up. But we’ll talk after.”

“Of course,” Ezra agreed.

Peter gathered clothes Ezra brought for him and went into the bathroom. As soon as we heard the water running, Ezra rushed about the room. He grabbed the keys to the Range Rover and his cell phone, and I jumped off the bed as he slipped on his shoes.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I have to talk to them.” Ezra glanced at the bathroom, making sure that Peter couldn’t hear us. “Stay here and don’t let him leave.”

“But Peter doesn’t think you should go,” I said, and I kept my voice low.

“He’s just paranoid.” Ezra brushed it off. “But he needs to stay here. They will kill him. Our best chance of getting out of here alive is bartering with them. And they won’t hurt me.”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked.

“I just am,” he said simply. “You’re just gonna have to trust me.”