She was wilting a bit and Mark took a short cut through an alley, slowing to avoid hitting anything that would jar the car or cause damage. He merged into the street at the other end, going down two blocks before using the same tactic again. As much as he was enjoying his time with Waverly, perhaps she would have the opportunity to have that bath before sharpening her fangs to attend her other engagement.

He tensed a little, slowing even further as homeless man raised a fist, realized it was a cop car then hurriedly moved behind a dumpster and out of the way. More than identifying the car had cowed the man, Mark's stare was enough to make the man dive for cover. Stopping at the mouth of the alley, he had to wait a couple of seconds to merge into traffic again, a cab driver trying to dart past but not quite making it. It was just a few more blocks until they reached the hotel and Mark was disappointed that in less than an hour Rick would be sitting where Waverly sat, and Lee in the back seat absorbing their conversation like the third wheel that he was.

Waverly's idea of a bath and room service was abruptly appealing enough to physically hurt.