Sweeter than Honey

Remi Lebeau

Copyright © 2025 Remi Lebeau

Cover Design: Igy Book Covers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by copyright law.

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

For my younger self,

You were always good enough

Content note

This book is intended for mature audiences and includes sexual content, depictions of violence, and adult themes. Reader discretion is advised.

This book briefly mentions pregnancy loss.

Chapter 1: The Respite Hotel

Lily

The sun hangs low in the sky, its golden rays illuminating the enormous stone building before me. The hotel takes up an entire city block, which is a big deal when you’re in the heart of downtown Silverlake City, where real estate is precious. Most developers would gladly trade their first born child for this spot, if it ever went up for sale.

But despite the rarity of its square footage, the entrance to the hotel doesn’t open directly onto the street. Instead, a thick wall encircles the block, with an arched entryway that opens onto a large courtyard. A glittering sign declares that I am now entering the “Respite Hotel by Tudor Thornblade.”

I take a deep breath. Although I’ve worked at the Respite hotel for over a year and a half, I never stop feeling awestruck by its imposing, elegant exterior. A sidewalk leads through the archway, curving around the paved driveway for limos and luxury cars to deposit their esteemed passengers at the hotel’s entrance.

As I walk up to the hotel, I admire its immaculately maintained courtyard. The grass and shrubs are neatly trimmed, and the benches shine with veneer. I’ve never seen anyone sit on them. They must be purely decorative, like the fountain that sits at its heart. I have an urge to toss a penny in. For a moment, I wonder what I would wish for. Then I catch another glimpse of the setting sun and hurry into the hotel.

A porter in a crimson uniform opens the door for me.

“Evening, Lily,” they say with a tilt of their cap.

“Good evening, Sid,” I reply with a smile as I enter the lobby.

The lobby is as grand as you would imagine, with towering ceilings, everything gleaming with marble and brass finishings. Two concierge desks stretch out across the length of the lobby, one on each side. An ornate chandelier glitters high above us. There are a few families being assisted by bellhops who pile their suitcases and bags onto golden carts. It’s not too busy this time of the evening. Most guests will have been checked in by now. The first concierge on the left gives me a grin.

“Forty-five minutes, Lily,” he calls, before picking up a ringing phone.

With alarm, I look up at the large vintage clock on the back wall. It’s later than I thought. I pick up my pace as I head toward the row of elevators at the back of the lobby. But I’m interrupted by a loud shriek.

“Lily!” Another concierge hurries over to me, her pale face flushed red. She wears a crisp white blouse and a dark pencil skirt. There’s a flyaway strand of light brown hair sticking out of her bun.

“Hi to you too, Chelsie…”

“Sorry, hi,” she says with an apologetic nod. “It’s just that we have a situation .”

I feel myself immediately shift into work mode.

“A guest, or a shareholder?” I ask.

“It’s Mrs. Harrigan,” Chelsie sighs. “She showed up twenty minutes ago, asking for her suite. I told her we can get her a similar room, but…”

“Her usual room was already assigned to another guest,” I finish for her.

“Exactly.”

“Well, I’m sure we can smooth the situation over,” I say, looking around the lobby. “Where is she?”

Chelsie bites her lip. “Um…that’s the tricky part.”

“There’s been a huge mistake!” screeches Mrs. Harrigan. “This is my room!”

Mrs. Harrigan is in her mid-eighties, but her age doesn’t stop her from being a formidable sight. She wears kitten heels, a designer cardigan with an ivory broach, and sunglasses that take up half of her face.

She addresses the young couple who stand in the center of the suite. They’ve clearly already made themselves comfortable here, wearing the hotel’s brightly bleached white robes and holding glasses of champagne. It looks like they’re celebrating something, or they were celebrating something, before they were suddenly interrupted. They wear matching expressions of shocked horror as Mrs. Harrigan rounds on them again.

“I’ve been staying in this suite since the sixties!” she declares. “If you do not leave immediately, you will be hearing from my lawyers!”

I quickly insert myself between Mrs. Harrigan and the robed couple. Mrs. Harrigan’s expression (or what I can see of it, underneath her large sunglasses) softens slightly when she sees me.

“Lily, thank goodness ,” she says. “Tell these people that this is my room!”

I plaster a sweet smile on my face, and put on my best customer-service voice.

“Mrs. Harrigan, it’s so good to see you this evening. It appears that there’s been some confusion. Unfortunately, as there was no room booking prior to this evening, this suite was assigned to another guest…”

“I don’t care who this room was assigned to!” she snaps. “I’ve been staying here since-”

“Of course,” I reply, with a simpering note in my tone. “We’ll surely do our best to accommodate you. One moment, please, as I have a word with our other guests.”

I signal to Chelsie, and she hurries forward to distract Mrs. Harrigan. I turn around to face the couple.

They both look flustered, unsurprisingly. I would be too, if a screaming Mrs. Harrigan had rounded on me while I was enjoying a glass of champagne.

“My sincere apologies on behalf of the Respite hotel,” I tell them genuinely. “Mrs. Harrigan has been a guest for quite some time, and sometimes she forgets that this suite can be assigned to other guests in her absence.”

“We’ve had this reservation for months ,” says one member of the couple, her voice a little shaky. “It’s our honeymoon . ”

“Congratulations!” I respond, my brain working fast. “But surely, there’s been some mistake. If this is your honeymoon, you shouldn’t be in this suite.”

The other member of the couple furrows his brow. “Well, this is the deluxe king room, right? That was the one we booked, it was in our budget…”

I flash a bright smile and lower my head, as though I’m letting them in on a special secret. “You must not have informed our concierge that this is your honeymoon. Allow me to upgrade your reservation. We have a gorgeous honeymoon suite. It’s twice the size of this one, with a hot tub, couples massage package, and a stunning lakeview. At no additional charge, of course. As my personal treat, I’d like to include a six-course dinner for both of you at our world-class restaurant lounge.”

Their faces both light up in surprise.

“That’s…that’s very generous,” they say, exchanging shocked but happy looks.

“It’s the least we can do,” I respond. “Consider it our congratulations, and our apology for this evening’s interruption. I’ll have the bellhop come to your room immediately to collect your luggage.”

“The honeymoon suite,” whispers the couple excitedly, grasping hands as I turn back to Mrs. Harrigan, who’s arms are crossed over her chest. Her thin eyebrows are raised high on her forehead.

“Mrs. Harrigan, our deepest apologies again,” I say, nodding my head to the older woman. “I’ll make arrangements to have a quick turndown service, and your room will be prepared within the hour. In the meantime, I can arrange a complimentary bottle of Rémy Martin cognac to be waiting for you at the spa, where one of our pedicurists would be more than happy to take care of you until your room is ready.”

Mrs. Harrigan purses her lips. I can tell there’s a part of her that’s still in fight mode, that wants to find something lacking in my response so she can push further. I smile even wider, my dimples creasing my cheeks.

She uncrosses her arms with a sigh.

“Well, this evening has taken quite a toll on me, and it’s certainly the least you could do,” she concedes. “And Rémy Martin is my favourite brand of cognac…”

“It’s our pleasure,” I tell her.

Chelsie has already called a bellhop, and ordered the cognac on her phone. With a relieved sigh, we slip out of the room and onto an elevator, back down to the lobby of the hotel.

“Thank you so much, Lily!” Chelsie says. “You really saved me in there. You’re the only one who knows how to handle Mrs. Harrigan.”

“It’s no trouble,” I reply. “She’s a sucker for cognac, and she always gets a pedicure on her first night.”

We get back down to the lobby, and Chelsie takes her usual seat along the concierge desk.

“Who did the room assignments for today?” I ask.

“Um…” she logs into her computer and opens the booking program. “It was Ethan. He’s new, he might not have known to put it aside.”

“Send him an email, if you don’t mind,” I tell her. “And add a note to keep her room aside if there’s another deluxe king room available. She’s here often enough that it’s probably worth it.”

“Will do,” Chelsie responds. She lowers her voice. “I heard that she’s friends with Tudor Thornblade.”

“I heard the same thing.” Instinctively, my eyes drift to the large portrait of the hotel’s founder that hangs on the wall of the lobby. His image is as imposing as the hotel itself, but far less welcoming. He has a pale, almost drawn complexion, and supernatural violet eyes that seem to bore right into your soul.

“I think he’s kind of exciting,” Chelsie says, leaning forward over the desk. “Strange we haven’t seen much of him lately.”

I mumble something noncommittal in response. I know exactly why he hasn’t been around for the past six months, but I’m not at liberty to tell Chelsie. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to expect a response. She’s also gazing at the portrait of Tudor, with a dreamy expression on her face. I notice something on the desk by her elbow and see that it’s a novel, a worn paperback, with a bright cover. There’s an image of a curved mouth, with two sharp red fangs protruding from its lips. In red font the words “Bitten by Desire” are slashed across the cover.

I suppress a grin.

“Oh! Speaking of,” says Chelsie, looking up at the clock above the elevators. “It’s only twenty-five minutes.”

“Shit, I should get downstairs,” I say. Then I look to the hotel entrance. “Is the donor here already?”

“I think that’s him,” Chelsie says, pointing to a man in a jean jacket who’s speaking to one of the other concierges. They point him in my direction.

“Hi, are you Lily Harper?” he says, holding out a hand.

“Yes, I’m the executive assistant for the hotel’s C-suite,” I respond, shaking his hand. “You’re the new donor?”

“That’s right,” he responds with a smile. “I got your email…it was very detailed.”

“Excellent, do you have any questions?”

“Only one: where do you need me?”

“The CEO’s office, it’s just this way,” I answer, leading him toward the line of elevators at the back of the lobby.

There are six elevators that take guests to their suites, and a service elevator that leads…well, to the other parts of the hotel that guests aren’t always privy to. But any elevator will take us to the office floor.

I press the elevator button and pull my phone out of my pocket, quickly navigating to my work email to pull up the forms the donor completed.

“Thank you for completing the forms,” I say, my fingers moving across the screen.

“No problem at all. Very thorough, huh?”

“We like to ensure that everything is covered,” I tell him, with a smile. Then I turn my eyes back down to my screen. “And I should double-check…what’s your blood type?”

“B negative,” he replies casually.

I look back up at him sharply as the elevator door chimes open.

“Sorry, did you say B negative?” I ask.

“That’s right,” he says, his eyebrow rising slightly at my expression. “Is that a problem?”

My stomach drops. I ignore the waiting elevator as my mind races quickly for the second time in my shift.

“It’s just, she’s very particular,” I sigh. “One moment, could you take a seat please?”

I gesture toward the comfortable, modern lounge chairs scattered throughout the center of the lobby. Without checking to see if he’s settled, I speed-walk back to Chelsie’s desk.

She’s typing quickly on her computer, a phone pressed up to one ear.

“Yes, we do have our premium double suite available that weekend,” she says, in her prim and professional customer service voice. “Unfortunately the beds are in the same room, but we do have a family suite that might be more appropriate for your situation…Yes, there is daycare available, from eight a.m. to six p.m. No…no, we can’t take them overnight, you would need to supervise your children when they’re not at the daycare…No, again, we can’t watch your children for you…Yes, I hear you that your children are little demon terrors, and that you never get a minute to yourself, and I understand the situation, but unfortunately, at this time, our daycare only goes until six p.m. Yes, Eastern time. Great, I’ll book you in now…”

Finally, she finishes booking the room and she hangs up the call. Then she sees the worried expression on my face.

“What’s wrong?”

I’m unable to hide the frantic note in my voice. “What’s your blood type?”

“O negative,” she replies. Her eyes widen when she realizes what I’m asking.

“Only if you’re completely comfortable with it,” I say quickly, trying not to glance at the dog-earred romance novel on her desk. “And you would be fully compensated, of course, with an added bonus for the late notice.”

A shy but delighted smile begins to spread across her face. “I…I mean, if you need someone…”

“Fifteen minutes, Lily!” whispers Sid, as they push a luggage cart past us.

“It would be a huge favour,” I say. “I’ll find someone to cover the rest of your shift, and I’ll send you the forms immediately.”

“Ok!” She hurries excitedly around the desk. “It’s the CEO’s office, right?”

“You can come down with me,” I tell her. “I’ll meet you at the elevators.”

I find the other donor and tell him that his services won’t be needed tonight, although we’ll compensate him appropriately for the mix-up. I offer him a complementary dinner at the lounge for his trouble, and he goes happily on his way. The great thing about working at a luxury hotel is that almost anything can be smoothed over by some complementary food and drink.

Or, depending on your persuasion, by a blood donor of the right type.

Chapter 2: Xavian Night

Lily

The elevator car is already there when I meet Chelsie. I select the “O” button for the office floor. The elevator is roomy, with mirrors along three sides. Chelsie adjusts her bun and smooths the folds of her skirt.

“Do I look ok?” she asks breathlessly.

“You look fine,” I reply. “But it doesn’t matter what you-”

“I’ve met her a couple of times,” Chelsie interrupts. “She’s just so… glamorous . If I had known, I would have worn something nicer.”

To my embarrassment, I feel a slight flush crossing my cheeks. But luckily, Chelsie is too preoccupied by her reflection to notice.

Then the elevator doors shut, and the familiar feeling of dread washes over my chest. I have claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces. It was never much of a problem before I used to work at a hotel, but now it always gets triggered when I take the elevators. If I had more time, I would take the stairs, but let’s be real, I never have time to take the stairs.

I was hoping my claustrophobia would go away with time, but it only seems to be getting worse. And I’m already a little on edge because of the busy start to my shift, so I inhale and exhale deeply to steady myself.

Then the elevator doors open with a chime, and the tension in my chest releases. The office floor is anything but cramped. It’s modern and elegant, with soft lighting and a generous reception desk stretching across its expansive entrance. The walls are a warm cream colour, with leafy potted plants in marble holders providing a natural ambiance to balance out the sleek decor.

“Evening, Lily,” says the receptionist with a smile. “Ten minutes!”

“Thank you, I’ll set the donor up,” I reply, ushering Chelsie down the hallway.

“I don’t come down here often,” she notes. “It’s so nice, I’m jealous you get to work here!”

“You wouldn’t be so jealous if you saw my email inbox,” I reply with a chuckle.

The executive offices are at the end of the main hallway, adjacent to the boardroom. I have a wraparound oak desk outside the CEO’s office. Even though I emptied it before the end of my last shift, my wooden physical inbox is piled high with active files and paperwork, but I’ll have to deal with that later. I leave my purse on my desk chair and turn toward the office door. It’s solid mahogany, with a gold name plate. “Chief Executive Officer - Renata Espina.” I press my fingerprint to the keypad beside the door and it beeps, then the latch opens.

Chelsie gasps softly as we step inside.

By now, I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that the CEO’s office is an architectural masterpiece. Floor-to-ceiling windows look over the courtyard and lakeview in the distance. The last rays of light are disappearing as the sun sinks into the dark blue water. Stars and the dim outline of the moon are already present in the sky. I’m hesitant, as I am each night, to turn on the lights.

When I do, the view disappears, but the rest of the office comes clearly into focus. The sleek mahogany desk, devoid of any untidy papers or pens. The soft, cream-coloured leather chair perched perfectly behind it. The line of hotel awards gleaming proudly on the shelf.

And, most importantly for Chelsie, a full leather couch at the back of the office. I gesture for her to sit, which she does.

“I’ll send you all of the paperwork and instructions,” I tell her, aware of the quickly setting sun in the distance. “Please read through them. I know we don’t have much time, but it’s important for you to know all of the…”

“I’ll be fine,” she says with a wide grin. Then she takes her hands to her hair. “Oh! Hair up or down, what do you think?”

“Whatever you prefer,” I reply. “She’ll be in momentarily. If you have any questions at all, just buzz for me on the speaker phone on the desk.”

“Thank you so much, Lily,” she squeals.

I give her a nod, before exiting the office and taking my seat at my desk.

My phone chimes. Five minutes , says the bright notification screen.

I put on my headset and turn on my desktop computer. I start to review my calendar and email inbox, scanning for urgent messages.

A few minutes later, there’s a chime on my headset. “Sunset,” whispers the voice of the receptionist. “She’s up.”

The click-click sound of high heels on the marble floor confirms it. I turn my chair slightly out toward the hallway, and find myself unconsciously tucking my hair behind my ear and arranging my face into an expression of professional efficiency and deference.

“Good evening, Lily,” says a crisp, commanding voice.

A year and a half of working here, but that strange flutter in my stomach hasn’t gone away.

“Good evening, Ms. Espina,” I reply, turning to meet her gaze.

The woman standing before my desk is the epitome of glamour and professionalism. She towers on pointed violet heels, wearing an immaculate pant suit of rich aubergine, its plunging neckline revealing a soft silk blouse beneath it. Her black hair is cut in a perfect line at her jaw, angling subtly downward to accentuate her sharp, angular features. Two pearl earrings dangle from her ears. Her olive skin is completely flawless, and her dark brown eyes are beautifully complemented by the aubergine shade of her suit, so they appear even more rich than they usually are.

How does she possibly get herself ready so quickly after sunset? It took me at least an hour to get out the door today, and I’m sure I look considerably less put-together in my baby blue pencil skirt and cardigan.

“Lily, how often do I have to ask you to call me Renata?” she says, in a tone balanced exactly between playful and professional.

As always, I err on the side of professional.

“Oh, I couldn’t, Ms. Espina,” I reply, although there’s a fuzzy feeling in my chest every time she asks me.

“Well, whatever you’re comfortable with,” she responds primly.

“I’ve arranged a donor for tonight,” I tell her. “She’s waiting inside. Her name is Chelsie, blood type O negative.”

“Excellent, thank you,” says the CEO, taking a step toward my desk. “In the meantime, I’d like you to prepare the agenda for my first meeting, with Xavian Night.”

“It’s already done, Ms. Espina,” I reply, reaching for the shining black file in my drawer. “I’ve compiled a comprehensive overview of his past legal business dealings, and I consulted with Damien Cross and Amrita Vyas regarding his…other affiliations. I included a summary of their responses in the appendix, as I thought that would be prudent.”

Renata takes the file in her manicured hand and flips through it, her eyes moving with supernatural speed and intensity.

“Very helpful, Lily,” she says. “I have my own reservations about Xavian, and it appears I’m not alone in my opinion. I appreciate your foresight to include Damien and Amrita’s comments.”

“My pleasure,” I reply, my cheeks flushing warmly at her compliment. “Is there anything else I can do, Ms. Espina?”

She sighs deeply. “We’ve had another wedding reservation, it’s last-minute, but the budget is too high to pass on. Review the details on the reservation. It’s July 18th.”

“July ?” I reply, before I can stop myself. That’s only a month away. “I…I mean, of course, I’ll take a look at the details and will ensure that everything’s being taken care of.”

“It’s tight,” she says with a knowing frown. “And it’s terrible timing. We’re understaffed as it is and everyone takes vacation in the summer.”

“We’ll take care of it,” I respond optimistically. “Don’t worry about a thing, Ms. Espina.”

“What would I do without you, Lily?” she flashes me a smile, and my stomach does another flip. Then she disappears into her office.

My eyes linger on the closed door for a moment. I keep picturing Chelsie, perched eagerly on the edge of the couch in the office. I can’t help thinking that my blood type is also O negative, although of course I would never volunteer myself in such a way. Chelsie is a concierge, and she doesn’t interact very much with the C-suite executive of the hotel. Obviously, as the executive assistant, it would be completely unprofessional for me to volunteer myself. I’m glad that Chelsie was willing to step in (more than willing, it seems). But there’s still a strange twist in my stomach at the thought.

I try to shake it off as I turn back to my computer screen. There’s far too much to do, and I’m behind as it is. I need to find someone to cover Chelsie at the concierge, then I need to confirm the other blood donor was compensated, not to mention double-checking the arrangements for Mrs. Harrigan and the couple she displaced…

I lose myself in work, until the door opens again and Chelsie steps out. She has a goofy, dazed expression of pleasure on her face.

“How are you doing?” I ask her. “I’ll order a driver to send you home. But first, you’re welcome to eat something at the lounge.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” she says in a sing-song voice. “More than fine! I’ll head home right away, if you know what I mean.”

She winks at me. I try not to think about what she means, and I click my headset to order the driver.

“They’ll meet you at the hotel entrance,” I tell her. “Do you need me to walk you up?”

“No, I’ll be all right,” she says. “Thanks again, Lily! If you ever need another donor, please let me know.”

She grins at me one final time, then practically floats down the hallway to the elevators.

As she enters the elevator, someone else gets off. Immediately, all of the hair on the back of my neck stands up. The man wears a dark suit and slim tie, as well as a pair of sunglasses. His brown hair is slicked away from his temples, not unlike how Tudor wears his. He travels with a security guard, a man with long blonde hair, also in sunglasses and a tight black turtleneck and slacks. They approach the receptionist, and I don’t need to guess who they are.

“Lily,” says the receptionist’s voice on my headset. “Xavian Night has arrived for his nine-thirty meeting with Ms. Espina.”

“Thank you,” I reply, swallowing nervously.

I take my laptop and go back down the hallway to greet them. Xavian Night stands at reception like a boxer waiting to begin a match, his jaw tense and brow furrowed.

“Good evening, Mr. Night,” I tell him. “My name is Lily, I’m Ms. Espina’s assistant. How was your journey?”

“Quite comfortable,” he replies silkily. His voice is deep, with the strange edge that older vampires often have. “Although it would have been more convenient for Renata to come to us. ”

I plaster a smile on my face. “We certainly appreciate you taking the time to come into the city. If you don’t mind, I can show you to the boardroom.”

“I don’t mind at all,” he says, an eyebrow rising provocatively.

Eager to get out of their presence, I quickly walk down the hallway toward the boardroom. Xavian Night and his security guard move with terrifying quietness behind me, like two shadows. Two dangerous shadows. I hold the door to the boardroom open for them and show them to their seats, which have already been arranged on one side of the oval boardroom table.

“Ms. Espina will be with you shortly,” I tell them. “Is there anything else I can do for you before she arrives?”

Xavian takes off his sunglasses. I almost gasp. His eyes are an inhumanly pale shade of grey, tinged just slightly crimson. They travel with predatory intent up and down my body, causing an instinctual shudder to pass through me. I feel an uncomfortable pull as his eyes meet mine again, then I quickly break his gaze.

“I…I’ll just go find Ms. Espina…” I stutter, unable to keep my voice level as adrenaline pumps through my veins.

This only seems to rile him up.

“Why don’t you stay here?” he drawls. Despite my desire to run as far from him as I can get, fear keeps my feet rooted to the spot. “I’m sure I can think of something else you can do for me while we wait…”

“There will be no need for that,” an assertive, sharp voice declares.

Relief washes over me. Renata steps into the room, glaring fiercely at the other vampire. I close the door and scamper to my seat at her right-hand side, opening my laptop and preparing to take minutes. I avoid the gaze of the other vampire, terrified at the prospect of what his eyes could do if they locked onto mine.

“Renata,” says Xavian Night with a slow nod. “You’re looking well.”

“I wish I could say the same for you,” she replies icily, taking her seat at the head of the boardroom table. She looms impressively over the other vampires. Her chair is two inches taller than all the others in the room. “Perhaps if you fed more recently you wouldn’t have to terrorize my assistant.”

Xavian’s monstrous eyes narrow slightly. His words are still cordial, but with a tone that indicates his displeasure. “Now, now, Ren. We don’t want to get off on the wrong foot, do we? After all, we come with a very tantalizing offer for you and your sisters. I wouldn’t want you to do anything that would jeopardize such an appealing opportunity.”

“I reviewed your proposed opportunity ,” Renata replies, tossing the black file to the boardroom table with disdain. “It’s a poorly-disguised takeover. You want full control over our hotel empire and the club and casino?”

Xavian leans back in his chair just slightly, his intense stare never faltering. “‘Our’ hotel empire? That’s interesting.”

Renata’s lip twitches. There’s a tense pause. I look nervously back and forth between them, and find that I’m holding my breath.

After an agonizing minute of silence, Renata speaks. Her voice is low, but firm. “If you think that just because Tudor is locked up in the Cave, you can encroach on our territory, then you’re seriously losing your touch, Xavian. I thought that you were a brilliant, strategic businessman. The most powerful vampire entrepreneur on the east coast. You should have read the situation better than that.”

There’s a flash in Xavian’s eyes. “I’m reading the situation perfectly well. We were all waiting for Tudor to falter. It was inevitable. He was too wrapped up in the witch’s politics, they were bound to bring him down sooner or later. And it was all too easy for them. The only reason those hags didn’t lock up you and your sisters too is because they don’t consider you a real threat. If Tudor couldn’t handle some glorified fortunetellers, why would his newborn progeny-”

“I was turned over two hundred years ago,” Renata hisses. “And my sister a hundred years before me. If you doubt our strength or age, Xavian, I’m perfectly happy to…”

“Renata, don’t get hysterical ,” Xavian responds, a twisted smile marring his ancient face. “I was only saying what nobody is willing to speak aloud. That Tudor was the backbone of your organization, the power behind your empire. Now that he’s gone, it’s only a matter of time before a more powerful vampire is going to swoop in and fill the void.”

“And you’d like to be that vampire,” Renata says, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’d like to save you from a much worse fate,” Xavian responds smoothly, running a finger across his jaw. “If my company acquires the Respite hotel chain, I’d be happy to keep you and your sisters on, and more importantly, to keep you safe from the other ancient vampires who, let’s be honest, are already circling. They’re waiting for the best moment to strike. If I take over, they’ll realize you’re protected, and they’ll leave you alone.”

I give Renata a horrified look. The worse thing I can imagine would be this vampire taking over the Respite hotel chain. I never liked Tudor much, but at least he stepped back to allow his daughters to run his empire. The six months that he’s been gone haven’t been the easiest, of course, but not having his ever-present shadow around has been a noticeable relief.

But Renata doesn’t notice my expression. She’s locked eyes with Xavian. Then her gaze softens. My chest tightens. Is she going to concede?

She stands up, then leans over the table. Her voice drops to a low growl, almost impossible for my human ears to perceive.

“Listen well, Xavian Night. This is my hotel chain. Not Tudor’s. Not your’s. Tudor is locked away in a witch prison, and you’re sitting in my boardroom. If I say the word, my Night Guard will throw you in a locked coffin. If you’re lucky, I’ll stake you instead of leaving you to a torturous eternity trapped in a box in my basement.”

Xavian’s nostril flare, fury exuding from him like steam, although he stays perfectly still.

Renata leans closer, her gaze never breaking. “My sisters and I can protect ourselves, and our legacy. We don’t need you or your false protection.”

She straightens, and turns to me.

“Let’s go, Lily. This meeting is over.”

My heart humming, I snap my laptop closed and follow her quickly to the door. I can sense Xavian’s eyes peruse my body again, and blood rushes to my cheeks.

Then, in a superhuman flash of motion, Renata is across the room, bent over the other vampire. In one hand, she holds a fistful of his shirt. In the other, she holds a long golden dagger, the point of its blade snug against his chest. Xavian’s guard also has a stake in one hand, wooden and etched with an “X.” His fangs are bared, but he doesn’t dare get too close. With one quick motion, Renata could end Xavian Night, who’s eyes have widened in surprise and anger.

She whispers. “And if you ever look at my assistant that way again, I’ll lock you in a silver-lined coffin and let you rot.”

The point of the dagger pierces his chest just slightly, a droplet of crimson blood staining his shirt.

Xavian hisses through his sharpened canines. “You’ve won this round, Renata. But this isn’t the end. This is only the beginning .”

Chapter 3: The paradox of service

Lily

“My apologies on Xavian’s behalf, Lily,” says Renata, smoothing her already-perfect hair as we walk back to the office. Then she taps her smartwatch and speaks into it. “Damien, bring two of your guard to the office floor and escort Xavian Night off the premises, please. Make sure he’s gone and then check in with me.”

I can hear Damien’s snort from the watch’s speaker. Damien Cross is the head of the hotel’s Night Guard, the group of vampires and other magical people that act as security for the hotel from sunset to sunrise. “That slimy bastard. You shouldn’t even have met with him, Renata.”

“I know,” Renata sighs. “But Celine insisted. She seems to think we can talk some sense into those assholes.”

“They’ve been operating this way for centuries,” Damien responds. “They’re not going to change now. Not until someone stakes them.”

“I would love to have that pleasure,” Renata replies with a smirk. “But it would cause too much of a mess to clean up. And I have enough of those.”

“Don’t we all,” Damien says. “I’ll be right up, Renata.”

“Good.”

Renata taps her watch to hang up the call, just as we get to her office. I take my seat at my desk and she moves toward the door.

“Lily,” she says. “If you need to take an early break, I would understand.”

“I’m all right,” I reply. I still feel a little shaken up, but I put a smile on my face to ease her concern.

She doesn’t look convinced, but she accepts my response. “Whatever you say.”

Before she goes back into her office, I surprise myself. “Um, Ms. Espina?”

“Yes?” she asks, looking back at me with a tilt of her head.

I fiddle awkwardly with a button on my cardigan, not sure how to phrase this. “Thank you. For defending me.”

She waves her hand. “It’s nothing, Lily. You shouldn’t have to deal with such men, especially not in a professional environment. You’re my employee, and it’s my job to ensure you’re safe while you’re working for me.”

For some reason, a feeling of disappointment blooms in my chest. “Of course, Ms. Espina.”

She catches the note of defeat in my voice and gives me a curious look. But she doesn’t address it. “If you could review the upcoming wedding details and have a full summary on my desk by midnight, that would be excellent.”

I nod, and she disappears into her office. With a sigh, I turn back to my computer. All this before I’ve even had my coffee! I know there are lots of people who think I’m crazy for working for a family of vampires. But it certainly keeps me on my toes.

And ever since I met Renata Espina…well, nobody else has ever made me feel this way. Every time I’m in her presence, my stomach flutters and my heart beats quickly in my chest. She’s just so…commanding. Powerful. Confident.

I admire her deeply.

That’s what it is. Admiration. I wish I could be more like her. My whole life, I’ve always been a little awkward. The quiet one, the one who’d rather be a supporting player than a main character. My sister was the star child, beautiful, good at everything. I was more than happy to take a back seat.

And I’m so proud of my work as an executive assistant, especially to someone like Renata Espina. It’s impossible not to be impressed by her. Of course I get a little flustered when she’s around. Wouldn’t anybody?

When I cover the night shift, I work shorter hours so I can get home and get some sleep before the day starts. I send off one final email and say goodbye to Renata, who’s so focused on the report on her computer that she barely looks up at me.

I exit through the hotel lobby. It’s quiet now, late at night, and there’s only one concierge on duty. A few guests are seated in the lobby, enjoying a glass of champagne under the beautiful chandelier.

As I pass them, I notice the couple that I met earlier tonight, the ones that I had relocated to the honeymoon suite after Mrs. Harrigan insisted on staying in their suite. They spot me, and immediately wave me over.

“I’m so glad we saw you!” one of them says, putting a hand to her heart. “We want to thank you so much for upgrading us. Our room is absolutely breathtaking !”

“It’s bigger than our condo,” her new husband says with a chuckle.

“And the dinner, oh my god, I’m never going to need to eat again!” laughs his new wife, a genuine expression of gratitude on her face.

“Thank you for making this stay so special.” He gives her a loving look.

She matches his gaze. “Yes, it means so much to us.”

I’m touched by the moment between them. “It was our pleasure! Congratulations again, and if you need anything else, please call for the concierge and they would be more than happy to assist you.”

“We will,” they say. “Thank you!”

With a nod to the night porter, I exit the lobby. I’m glad that I was able to turn things around for that couple. In the hospitality industry, that’s what we call the paradox of service. If you stay at a hotel and nothing happens, it’s fine, but you don’t really remember it. If something really good happens, or something really bad happens, that stays in your mind. And even though we never want anything bad to happen for our guests, if it does, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate to them how we can make it up to them. And those tend to be the best customer service moments, and the ones that guests remember. It’s a paradox, but one I’ve learned to navigate in the past year and a half.

There’s a little chill in the air on this early June evening, and I pull my cardigan tightly around me. As I walk to the bus stop, I can’t help but feel a little bittersweet pang as I think about the love in those newlywed’s eyes. They seemed to truly care for each other, but marriage is so complicated. It seems wonderful and promising when it starts, but it’s hard to know who someone really is until you’re experiencing life together.

I feel a little wistful on my bus ride home. I doze off for a moment and almost miss my stop. When I turn the key to my apartment door, I’m ready for bed. But the final surprise of the night is waiting for me.

My apartment is small, so I immediately spot my five-year-old son sitting on the couch, surrounded by a pile of pony dolls. His pale skin is flushed pink, and his straw-blond hair sticks up at all angles. He grips a tiny pink pony in his arms like it’s a life raft.

“Eli! What are you doing up?” I quickly kick off my shoes and toss my purse on the kitchen table as I rush over to him. I move some of the ponies aside so I can sit beside him on the couch, and I take him in my arms. He clutches onto me sleepily.

“I had a bad dream,” he says. I can hear the tears in his voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I reply, rubbing his back. “Why didn’t you wake grandma up?”

“No,” he replies.

“No?”

He nestles his tiny head into the crook of my arm. “She just…yells.”

I sigh. “Well, I’m going to talk to her about that, ok? But for now, let’s get you back to bed.”

“Mama’s bed?”

“No, honey, you’ve got to sleep in your big-boy bed.”

“ Please ?”

I stand up, carrying Eli in my arms. It’s past two a.m., and I have no fight left in me anymore.

“All right, just for tonight, ok?”

We creep into my bedroom quietly, so as not to wake up my sleeping mother. Not that there’s much risk of that. She’s snoring loudly, wearing her pink earplugs and frilly eye mask.

I tuck Eli into bed, his precious pony doll still clutched in one hand. Immediately, he drifts off to sleep. I pull on some pajamas and join him.

It’s been a long night.

Chapter 4: Married to work

Renata

“Silence! I call this meeting to order,” I declare.

The boardroom, which only a moment ago was filled with the din of workplace chatter, immediately quiets. We’ve added a row of chairs to the side and back of the room to accommodate all of the staff who need to be present at our biweekly manager’s meeting.

I take my usual spot at the head of the table, naturally. Every other chair is full, except…

“Where’s Celine?” I turn to my assistant, Lily. She looks up at me with her soft green eyes, her pale face flushing slightly pink. Before she can answer, Xia Chan, the head of our Day Guard, leans forward across the table. Her straight black hair is streaked through with silver and her hazel eyes are bright and expressive. She’s a witch, not a vampire, which is why she leads the Day Guard that protects the hotel during the daylight hours.

“Celine is meeting with the good witches,” she reports. “She said she would try to make it to the meeting, but it’s a long journey back, so they might be late.”

I purse my lips, unable to hide my annoyance. Ever since the imprisonment of our Creator, my sister has been showing up less and less often for her business-related commitments, shouldering me with more of the burden. We used to commiserate about how much Tudor over-invested in his alliances with the other magical groups in our region, like the good witches, and how little he was around for the day-to-day operations of the hotel. But now it seems that she’s following in his footsteps.

“Make a note on the minutes,” I tell Lily. “No Celine.”

“I’m here!” says my other sister proudly, raising her hand high in the air.

I do my best to suppress an eye roll. My second-youngest sister, Lexi, sits cross-legged in her chair, her bright yellow pumps discarded on the ground in front of her. She holds her enormous iPhone in her other hand, probably updating her instagram feed as we speak. Her pale skin is completely devoid of colour, and her platinum blond hair is tied high on her head in a tight ponytail. She wears a yellow crocheted top and, inexplicably, a see-through rain jacket, even though there’s a clear sky outside and it’s the beginning of June. And she’s a vampire . By definition, we can’t feel cold or be affected by the elements.

Still, I acknowledge Lexi with as much patience as I can muster. “Noted.”

Lily senses my frustration and clears her throat softly. “Ms. Espina, the first item on the agenda is the discussion of vacation time and summer workload.”

“Thank you, Lily.” I press my clicker and the slideshow on the mounted TV behind me moves forward, to a bar chart demonstrating how much vacation time is dispensed throughout the year. “As you can all see from this data, summer is our busiest time of year, and yet it is also when staff are most likely to request vacation. Of course, it’s imperative that we treat our staff well, and approve as many vacation requests as we can reasonably accommodate. But I want you all to be aware that we’re going into our most understaffed months of the year. To compensate, we have to ensure that we’re running an extremely tight ship…”

Xia interrupts. “Why don’t we just hire more staff?”

“Impossible,” I respond immediately. “If we hire in the summer, we have to let go of staff when the season slows down again in fall.”

“Couldn’t we hire contract employees?” Lexi asks, without taking her eyes off of her phone screen.

“We’re not hiring contract employees,” I reply. “The training that’s required is…”

“Yes, exactly,” a lilting voice interjects. It’s Mel, the head of our Human Resources department. She sits at the very back of the boardroom, in a chair by the window. She runs her fingers absentmindedly through her long, lime green hair. Her skin has a faint undertone of purple, and her eyes seem to constantly be changing colour. “That sounds like way too much work.”

“It’s not because it’s too much work,” I correct with a sigh. It’s a concern that our Human Resources manager considers training staff to be ‘too much work,’ but I don’t have time to address that right now. “We don’t hire contract employees because our services require a high degree of training, and it’s not feasible to train someone and then employ them for such a short period of time. The Respite hotel’s workplace culture and values are an essential part of our customer service, and it takes time to distill that in new employees. Any more questions?”

Everyone stares back at me with vague expressions of boredom, so I click to the next slide in my presentation.

“Excellent. As I was saying, since we know we’re going to be understaffed, it’s imperative that we maintain a high level of efficiency. Luckily, even though our staff tend to take vacations around this time of year, since it’s the summer, I expect that no one will be teaching.”

I give Xia and Damien a pointed look. They both teach at Elmwood Academy, which is the magical university located a few hours out of the city. Both of them teach there regularly, and their schedules often conflict with their guard rotations.

Damien tilts his head in an expression that I know means he’s going to tell me something I don’t want to hear. He’s the most professional out of the bunch, wearing a crisp white button-up shirt and fitted slacks, a crimson handkerchief in one pocket. His long locs fall elegantly over his shoulders, each one tipped with gold. He has thoughtful brown eyes and there’s a cool tone to his copper skin.

“Well…” he says hesitantly.

I glare sharply at him. “What?”

“I was going to mention this after the meeting, but…Amrita asked me to teach a few summer classes, so I’m going to need Wednesdays and Thursdays off again.”

“Damien !”

“Oh yeah,” Xia adds casually. “She told me to ask you, Renata, are you free to take over Tudor’s Introduction to Vampiric Arts class and Advanced Glamours starting next Septem-”

“ No, I am not!” I respond, putting my hands on my hips. “Do I look like I need a side hustle right now? We’ve got ten weddings and seven conference s this Fall!”

“Ok, ok, I was just asking!” Xia says innocently, putting her hands up in the air.

I huff angrily. “I can’t run this place on my own, you know!”

The door to the boardroom opens and my older sister, Celine, enters. She wears a dark, fitted suit jacket with dress pants, and there’s a distracted expression across her pale face.

“Talk of the devil,” I mutter, crossing my arms.

“Apologies for my lateness,” she responds, taking her seat at the other end of the oval boardroom table, between Xia and Damien. “What did I miss?”

“Renata’s freaking out about how we’re understaffed again,” Lexi says with a sigh, her fingertips clacking against the screen of her phone.

“I am not freaking out, I am singlehandedly holding together the operations of our family business!” I give Celine a sharp look. “ And meeting with vampire business owners from the east coast who are trying to encroach on our hotel monopoly.”

She frowns, her dark brows knitting. “How was the meeting with Xavian?”

It’s not on the agenda, but I can see Xia and the other managers lean forward with curiosity. “It was as we’d all expected. He’s interested in a hostile takeover of the entire hotel chain, including the casino and club.”

Celine hisses, her violet eyes flashing. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him he would acquire the Respite hotel over my deanimated body. But I don’t know if that will hold him off for long. He’s not very happy with us. He said that the other vampire clans are circling, but I think he was exaggerating, trying to make us scared so we would allow him to buy us out.”

“I don’t know how much of an exaggeration it is,” Damien says. “The fact that both Tudor and Lazarus Gray are out of the picture makes Silverlake City vulnerable. None of the older vampires would dare come here before, but now they think they may be able to move in.”

“We should take his threats seriously,” Celine says, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

“Perhaps you should attend the meeting next time, then,” I say, unable to keep the passive-aggressive note out of my voice.

My sister glares at me. “I’ve got a lot on my plate, managing our magical alliances. That reminds me, I have something to ask you after the meeting.”

“Which is…now!” Lexi says, taking her eyes off her phone to look at the clock beside the door. She moves to rise from her seat, but Celine interrupts her.

“Wait, Lexi, I need to talk to you too,” she says, as the other managers file out of the boardroom. Lexi sighs, but stays in her seat. “And Damien and Xia.”

“Do you need me to stay, Ms. Espina?” Lily asks, looking up from her laptop.

“Yes, but you can stop taking minutes. Just add any action items we discuss to my calendar,” I respond.

“Of course. And should I alert your next meeting that you may be running late?” she reminds me.

“That would be perfect. Thank you, Lily.”

She settles back in, her fingers clicking away at her keyboard dutifully. She tilts her head slightly, her ash blond hair falling into her eyes. Thank god for Lily. I don’t know how I would get anything done without her.

Celine’s voice brings me back to the conversation at hand. Her tone tells me that she’s going to give me yet another thing to add to my to do list.

“I met with Lavinia Nox earlier this evening,” she says.

Lavinia Nox is the High Priestess of the coven of Hecate-worshiping witches. It’s the largest witch coven in the region, and they’ve maintained consistent power for the past few decades. They’re the ones that imprisoned our Creator, Tudor Thornblade, for attempting to attack one of their strongholds. Celine went against Tudor by refusing to support him with his plan, which is why the good witches didn’t throw us in prison along with our Creator. But the witches are not very happy with any of the vampires right now, and Celine’s been trying to smooth things over for the past six months.

“Lavinia is concerned about the magical clans in the northern region,” she continues. “Ever since Tudor and the wolf shifters attacked Elmwood Academy, the good witches have been tense about another uprising. They want to call a meeting of the Triple Council, and they’d like us to attend to represent the northern vampire alliance, now that Tudor is imprisoned.”

“That’s a good sign.” Damien nods hopefully. “It means they still trust us, even after what Tudor did.”

“It’s certainly promising,” Celine says. “Although I think ‘trust’ is a bit of a stretch.”

“To be fair,” Xia adds with a smirk. “Lavinia Nox doesn’t even trust her own familiar, never mind a bunch of vampires.”

“Still,” replies Celine, firmly. “We have to go meet with them, to demonstrate our fealty and keep the good witches happy.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to win her over, after all this time dealing with Lazarus and the vampire mafia kings,” I say with a snort.

“I’d like you to come, too, Renata,” Celine says.

“Me?” I give my sister an incredulous look. “Why do you need me?”

“We have to show Lavinia that we’re a united front. I’d like you and Damien to come with me.”

I huff, but I know I won’t be able to get out of it. “When is it?”

“Next week…”

“Next week ? My meeting calendar is booked out three weeks in advance!”

“The witches meet on the full moon. You know how they are.” Celine rolls her eyes. “But I need you to be there, Ren.”

“Fine. Lily, make room in my calendar,” I mutter. My assistant gives me a dutiful nod with a sweet smile. At least there’s one person in this room who is actively making my life easier, rather than piling work on me constantly.

“Can I come?” asks Lexi.

“No,” Celine replies.

“That’s not fair, you two never include me!” Lexi moans.

“Someone needs to stay behind at the hotel,” Celine says, giving our younger sister a sharp look. “Especially with me, Damien, Renata, and Xia all away.”

“Even Xia gets to go?” Lexi whines.

“You can take my place if you want,” Xia says, getting up to leave. “If there’s one thing I hate even more than these manager’s meetings, it’s a Triple Council meeting with those boring good witches. No offense, Renata.”

I glare at her. Xia and Damien both take their leave, so it’s only me, my sisters, and Lily.

“Is that all?” I ask Celine curtly, more than a little annoyed that she came in late and dumped another commitment on me.

“One last thing,” Celine says. “Hallie’s school year is almost over, so she’s coming back to the hotel.”

Finally, some pleasant news. Hallie is our youngest sister, a newborn vampire. She was turned only last year, and she’s currently studying at Elmwood Academy.

“It will be nice to see her, especially if she can help with some of the workload,” I say. “Lily, can you make sure her crypt is ready?”

“I’ve already made the arrangements,” Lily confirms.

“Make sure there’s a bed in her crypt, as well as a coffin,” says Celine with a coy grin. “She’s bringing her girlfriend home.”

Lexi raises an eyebrow jealously. “Sounds like someone had fun at university. Let me guess, some rugged wolf shifter? A mermaid, maybe?”

“She’s a witch,” Celine answers.

Lexi elbows our older sister. “Ooh, a witch! I guess it runs in the family.”

Celine scowls back at her. Her partner, Amara, is a good witch who helps out around the hotel. It’s unorthodox for a vampire to be involved with a good witch, but…well, it’s a long story.

“We’ll make arrangements for both of them. Reserve a dining room in the event hall, so we can have dinner prepared for the witch,” I say to Lily. Then I turn back to my sisters. “If that’s all, then I need the boardroom for my next meeting.”

“Good night to you too, Renata,” Celine says sarcastically. Her and Lexi rise from their seats and exit.

“Another witch,” I say with a shake of my head to Lily.

She smiles, and gets a dreamy look in her eye. “I think it’s sweet that your sisters found love…even with someone from such a different background.”

“I have no idea how they make the time,” I reply, tapping the touchscreen TV to navigate to my next presentation. “I can barely allocate fifteen minutes to drinking every week, I can’t imagine finding time for an entire relationship!”

I smooth my hair. Lily gives me a shy look. “But do you…do you ever think about it? Finding love?”

“I’m married to my work. I don’t have time for anything else.” I realize something, and give a mirthless laugh. “You and I probably spend more time together than Amara and Celine, don’t we, Lily?”

Her eyes widen slightly. “I…I suppose we do.”

My smartwatch buzzes. I tap its screen to answer the call.

“Ms. Espina, the shareholders are still waiting,” says the crisp voice of the receptionist.

“Send them in,” I tell her.

My work is never done.

Chapter 5: The second shift

Lily

I leave the hotel in the morning, after pulling an overnight shift. Working for vampires really messes up your circadian rhythm. I check my phone as I get off the bus, heading toward my apartment building. It’s almost nine a.m. I had to stay later than usual to make arrangements after Renata went to ground for the day. Because of her schedule, she relies on me quite a lot to conduct business during the daylight hours.

Since I’ve started working for her, she’s given me more and more responsibility. I like it. I’m the type of person who enjoys having things to do at work. If I don’t, I get really bored, so I just keep on taking on new tasks. Like dealing with Mrs. Harrigan, or making arrangements for Renata’s sisters. And since my position is as an executive assistant, it’s easy to find things that fall under my job description. But I don’t mind. I’m happy to be helpful.

And Renata seems to appreciate it, too. I think she gets overwhelmed, having so much responsibility as the CEO. And ever since her Creator was imprisoned, she’s had so much added to her plate. Not just running the hotel chain, but now the club and casino, too. I have no idea how she manages it all.

So I’m glad to help. And…I like the way she notices the little things I do. Like arranging the blood donors, or setting up her schedule to consolidate similar meetings and finding ways to automate tasks.

And this evening…when she said that we spend more time together than her sister and her partner.

When I think about it, I guess that’s true. There’s nobody I spend more time with than her.

Well, maybe Eli.

I put my key in the lock, looking forward to seeing his cheerful face when I open the door. But I’m surprised to find that the door is already unlocked.

“Mom?” I call as I swing the door open.

But another face greets me, and there’s a horrible twisting feeling in my stomach. Standing in my living room is a tall man with ruffled, brown hair and a beard. His light pink skin is covered with an orange tan, and he wears a navy blue suit with a matching tie that’s slightly askew.

“ What are you doing here?” I ask sharply. “Where’s Elijah?”

“Mama!” Eli calls, running toward me cheerfully for a hug. He’s still wearing his pajamas.

“Hi, honey,” I say, returning his hug. Then he goes off to his bedroom to play with his toys.

“Great to see you too, Lilyboo,” says the unwelcome man with an even more unwelcome grin.

“Don’t call me that,” I reply, putting my purse on the kitchen counter. “Who let you in?”

“You used to like that nickname,” he responds, running a hand through his tousled hair. I see a glint of gold on his finger and my chest tightens.

“Why are you still wearing your ring, Dylan?” I ask. “You should take it off.”

“Nothing’s over ’til it’s over,” he says, with a frustratingly cocky tilt of his chin.

“ We’re over,” I reply. I wish my voice sounded more assertive and less defeated, but I’m exhausted after my long shift, and surprised by my ex-husband’s sudden appearance. “And you should leave.”

“I have a right to see my son, Lily,” he says, a little more serious now. His lawyer voice breaking through.

“Don’t you have to go to work?” I say, eying his suit.

His eyebrow twitches, and his words become more sharp. “Not yet. I want to talk to you about Eli.”

I wish I could just kick him out of my apartment, but I know that trying to force him will just make things worse. It’s better to appease him. I know he’ll get in trouble with his firm if he’s late, so he won’t stay much longer.

“What are all these little horse toys?” he asks.

“They’re ponies.”

Dylan frowns. “Aren’t ponies more of a girl toy? They’re all pink and rainbow-coloured…”

“He likes them. There’s nothing wrong with him playing with pony dolls.”

“Not now . But he’s going to start school in September. If the other kids see him playing with rainbow ponies, they’ll think he’s girly. We should take them away now, before he gets bullied.”

“ You’re bullying him,” I retort. “I’m not taking his toys away, he loves them! I don’t need you to tell me how to parent. I can take care of him…”

“This is exactly why you can’t take care of him,” Dylan says, moving closer to me. I take a step back, but that only antagonizes him. His voice rises. “You buy him girly toys and pink pajamas. Boys don’t wear things like that. Eli needs a man in his life. He needs his father.”

He’s now standing so close to me, I can feel the heat radiating off of his body. He always runs hot, figuratively and literally. His proximity makes my heart pound, and I find myself tongue-tied. But it’s safer to wait him out, let him run out of steam on his own.

My strategy works. Dylan looks at his watch. “I have to go to work. But this isn’t over, Lily.”

He storms out of the apartment, without even saying goodbye to Eli.

It takes me a moment to calm myself again. After a few deep breaths, I go into the bedroom. As suspected, my mother is fast asleep on my bed, her blond hair in curlers.

“Mom,” I say, shaking her shoulder. “Mom, wake up!”

She snorts as she awakens abruptly. “Lily! You’re home.”

“Yes,” I say, irritated. “And guess who I found when I got home.”

My mother sits up with a huff. “I told him to leave before you got back.”

“ Why did you let him in at all? I told you I’m not speaking with him.”

“He’s Eli’s father , for goodness sakes, Lily. He’s not the Devil. He deserves to be able to see his own son.”

“He does see Eli, on the weekends, when he’s supposed to. I don’t want him hanging around the apartment…”

“Well, you weren’t home, and my hip was bothering me, so I called him to help. Sue me for being an injured old woman!”

I leave the room with a frustrated sigh. I’m obviously not getting anywhere with her. And I’m probably not going to. Dylan, my ex-husband, is the son of my mom’s best friend. He can do absolutely no wrong in her eyes. It’s been that way since we were kids. He was always the golden boy. We saw each other occasionally as kids, and we started dating when we attended the same pre-law program in university. But he went to law school, and I ended up at home, taking care of our son.

That was the beginning of the end.

“Is dad gone?” Eli asks when I go into his room.

“He had to go to work, honey,” I reply. “You’ll see him on the weekend.”

Eli doesn’t comment. He goes back to brushing the mane of his favourite pony doll, the one with the rainbow on her butt.

I don’t know why Dylan is making such a huge deal about not seeing Eli. When we were together, he never wanted to spend time with him. But now that we’re separated, it so important for him to be a father.

A wave of tiredness passes through me. I run my fingers through Eli’s hair.

“Did you have breakfast, E?”

“Not yet.”

“Let me go make you something.”

With all my willpower, I rise to my feet and head for the kitchen.

My first shift might be done, but my second one is just beginning.

Chapter 6: The Triple Council

Renata

The night is as black as the matte limo we drive in. Despite the witches’ insistence that the Triple Council meeting be aligned with the full moon, it doesn’t appear that the moon or any of the stars are planning to make an appearance tonight.

And I forgot how dark it can get, this far away from the bright city. It makes me feel even more restless than I usually am.

I pull out my phone and hiss in frustration. “How can there be no service out here? I have work to do!”

“Welcome to witch territory,” Xia replies. “It’s like we never left the nineteenth century.”

“I hated the nineteenth century,” I reply. “I need modern plumbing and a consistent wifi signal.”

Damien chuckles. But Celine’s frown deepens, her pale eyes gazing anxiously out the window.

“Could we increase our speed?” she calls to the driver.

The car accelerates, but we barely feel it. This limo is a new model, impossibly silent and smooth.

“Should have flown,” my sister mutters grouchily. “It would have been faster.”

“Oh, it’s a perfect night for it,” Xia concurs, her eyes twinkling as she gazes out the window.

“Well, if you had flown, I wouldn’t have come,” I reply, my annoyance peaking. Celine avoids my gaze as I round on her. “Do you have any idea how much work I have to do back at the hotel? Yesterday we had a party of six in the penthouse suite, and they completely clogged both hot tubs. It’s almost irreparable. We had to tear out the carpets! Thank god, Lily went to check in on them, otherwise the flooding could have impacted the floor below, and we had the Guptas staying there…”

Instinctively, I look at my smartwatch, to check for a message from Lily. But of course, nothing is coming through. When she asked me if she should attend this meeting with me, I told her to stay at the hotel. I need her there in my absence. And besides, this sort of business…I didn’t want her wrapped up in it. It’s too far from her human world. It’s not fair to expect her to accompany me.

But part of me wishes she was here as well. I’ve gotten so used to having her around, taking minutes, and keeping things running smoothly. Without her, it’s like I’m missing one of my own limbs.

My sister’s voice brings me back to the present moment. “I appreciate everything you’re doing, Renata, but this is important too. The witches are still suspicious of us, and right now, they have the upper hand. As glad as I am that Tudor is imprisoned, not having our Creator around leaves us vulnerable. If Lavinia decides that we’re working with him, she won’t hesitate to throw us in prison too.”

“And I wouldn’t underestimate the other vampire clans,” Damien adds, running a nervous finger along his jaw. “They can smell a power vacuum like a shark smells blood in the water. Even though Celine and I are older vampires, they’re going to notice the absence of Tudor and Lazarus Gray and think they can take advantage. I’m concerned about Xavian. He’s not just going to go away.”

I rub my temples, wishing I had a phone network so I could distract myself with work. Luckily, the car drives into what looks like a small tourist town. With my vampiric night vision, I can just barely read a painted wooden sign that says “Hemlock Haven” in cheerful, cursive letters.

“Here we are,” Xia says. “Bakeries, bookshop, church…the whole shebang.”

She rolls her eyes. Xia is an evil witch, and doesn’t always get along with the pious good witches.

Not like any of us do.

Well, except for…

“Amara,” Celine sighs, looking out the window. She opens the limo’s door before it even comes to a stop, and leaps out.

Celine’s partner, Amara, is waiting for us by a large, white-stone building that appears to be a large library or perhaps a school. Her hair falls around her shoulders in long rope twists, and she wears an embroidered golden witch’s robe. She has warm hazel eyes and golden-brown skin that glows even in the moonless night. When they see each other, Amara runs toward Celine and Celine picks her up, twirling her around. They kiss deeply.

“Calm down, you two,” Xia laughs, following Celine out of the car. “You saw each other two days ago.”

“Gross,” I moan, crossing my arms and looking away from my sister and toward the imposing building before us. “Is this where the meeting is?”

“Yes, in the main hall of Twin Torches Academy,” says Amara, disentangling herself from Celine. “But there’s no time for a tour. The meeting has already started.”

She leads us up the oak-lined, cobblestoned street to the school. There’s nowhere to park, so the car remains awkwardly on the gravel path behind us.

Amara waves her hand to open the massive wooden doors. The main hallway is lined with towering portraits of good witches in austere robes, and class pictures going back centuries. It’s lit by candle chandeliers, the flickering light making the faces in the paintings seem to watch us as we go by.

“So this is where Hallie goes to school?” I ask.

“No, that’s Elmwood Academy,” Celine corrects. “The inclusive magic school that Amrita started. This is Twin Torches, the good witch university.”

“No vampires here,” Damien translates, with a raised eyebrow in my direction.

“Or evil witches,” Xia adds. She grins as she teases Amara. “What do you teach, Professor Moonfall? Pie Baking 101? Advanced Stargazing?”

“Offensive magic and broomstick-riding,” she replies, smirking at Xia with glowing yellow eyes.

“Oh really?” Xia says, a note of surprise in her voice. “That’s my class at Elmwood.”

“I didn’t know that! You should come and do a seminar here next semester…”

Xia snorts. “I’m sure Lavinia would love that.”

“You can’t teach another seminar,” I snap at her. “I need you at the hotel, Xia!”

“Would you all stop bickering,” Celine whispers urgently, as we come to a set of tall doors. “We have more important things to focus on!”

We fall silent as the unmistakable aura of magic wafts over us. The sound of chanting can be heard even through the heavy door. Amara waves her hand again to open the doors just enough to let us all through.

If she was hoping that we could make a sneaky entrance, she was wrong. The witches are gathered in a circle around a raised wooden dais at the center of the large assembly hall. There appears to be about two dozen of them, all clad in ornate, embroidered robes. Two of them wear black pointed hats, unironically. Candles hang suspended in the air, glowing in hues of yellow, orange and gold.

When we walk in, the chanting abruptly stops. There’s a woman standing on the dais, her arms raised majestically in the air, her face tilted toward the heavens. She gives us a severe look.

“Ah, Tudor Thornblade’s progeny,” she says, not concealing the disdain in her voice. “Late again. I see you have no respect for our customs or ceremonies.”

Celine’s eyebrow twitches. “My apologies for our lateness. We left the city as soon as we rose for the evening, but traffic was heavy.”

“ Traffic ,” says Lavinia, as though the concept is fantastical. But she doesn’t push the matter. Instead, she raises her arms again and completes the chant.

The witches eye us suspiciously as we approach, so we maintain a little distance from them. Amara stays with us, even though it would certainly make more sense for her to join the other golden-robed good witches who form the center of the circle. They’re easy to pick out. They have bird, cat and dog familiars, and wear gold and flowers in their hair.

Xia immediately spots the other evil witches, who stand on the outer perimeter. Their robes are crimson and purple, and they’re adorned with heavy jewelry and, in the case of one evil witch, an inverted pentagram etched on her forehead.

“Hi, Astrid!” Xia shouts, abandoning us for her friend.

Celine looks a little annoyed that our numbers are dwindling. We’re the only vampires at the meeting. For a moment, I think we’re the only non-witches, but then I spot a trio of panther shifters in their human forms, wearing jeans and open plaid shirts over bare chests.

I pull my phone out of the pocket of my beige pantsuit. One bar flickers teasingly across my screen. Celine stares at me angrily. With an irritated huff, I pocket it again.

“Graceful, Good Hecate,” intones Lavinia loudly, trying to drown out the distracted whispers from the other magical groups. “Bless these proceedings. Give us the strength and wisdom to…tolerate those who may not understand our ways.”

Amara sighs, but joins her in the final chant, along with the other witches. “I close the circle.”

The candles in the large hall flicker brightly. Lavinia lowers her arms, and surveys the hall like a stern schoolteacher.

“Blessed be and good evening to you all,” she says. “I now call this meeting of the Triple Council to order. Thank you for joining us. Although we are meeting at an… unusual time of day.”

She stares pointedly at us.

I scowl, and hiss to my sister. “This is a waste of time. She doesn’t even want us here.”

“She’s being dramatic,” Celine replies. “They always meet at night. Amrita Vyas is the Morgan coven High Priestess, for god’s sake.”

Amrita, as though summoned by her name, ascends the dais beside Lavinia. Amrita is well-known in the magical community for being something of an anomaly - a vampire who’s also a witch. She ignores Lavinia’s disgruntled expression and overtakes her on the dais.

“It’s so lovely to see everyone together!” she declares, her owl familiar settling down upon her shoulder. She has large eyes and light brown skin that has the tell-tale pallor of a vampire. It’s odd to see a vampire with a witch’s familiar, but Amrita wears her contradictions proudly. She’s a natural leader and addresses the crowd grandly. “Although the past six months have been…trying to say the least, I find it inspiring that we’re all gathered here, as one magical community, dedicated to preserving the peace between our clans.”

Lavinia scowls, the stern lines of her face deepening. “A magical community that is deeply fractured at this time, Rita. While I, too, long for a peaceful coexistence - and have worked tirelessly for it! - I find it difficult to believe that we all share that same goal, given recent developments.”

“If you’re referring to the uprising of the Satanic witches,” drawls the evil witch with a pentagram on her forehead. “That was the doing of their power-hungry High Priest, who was swiftly deposed, leaving no lingering threat.”

“And if you’re referring to the attack on Elmwood Academy,” Celine adds. “That was entirely the work of Tudor Thornblade and the wolf shifters, and as he is safely locked up in the Cave, that concern has been managed as well.”

“Don’t you see, Lavinia,” Amara says, optimistically. “Our foes have been vanquished. All of us here represent the magical groups of the northern region, united. There’s no reason to continue to distrust each other.”

“I have every reason to be wary, Amara,” Lavinia responds. The other good witches around the dais mutter in agreement. “Tudor Thornblade proclaimed himself an ally of the Triple Council. It was an incredible shock and betrayal when he attacked Elmwood Academy…”

“Well, you were spying on him,” Xia mutters loudly. “It couldn’t have been much of a surprise.”

Lavinia ignores her. “And the Satanic witches were quiet for decades before suddenly rising up in an unprecedented attempt to steal a significant magical artifact. What’s to say that won’t occur again?”

“Oh! I know!” Amrita clasps her hands together. “We need to do something. Something to bring together all of the magical communities again.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing with Elmwood Inclusive Magic Academy?” asks Damien.

“Yes, yes.” Amrita waves her hand impatiently. “But that’s done for the summer. I - I mean, we - need something else to focus on!”

“This isn’t a forum for another one of your ridiculous schemes, Amrita,” Lavinia says.

My smart watch buzzes. Grateful for something to distract me, I look down at the screen. It’s too long to read on my watch face, so I pull my phone out of my pocket. I’m glad to see it’s from Lily.

So sorry to bother you, it reads. The Khan wedding was hoping that they could extend their party’s stay for an additional night, but they have the entire left wing booked, and the Women in Engineering conference checks in on that same day-

“Renata,” Celine hisses. “What are you doing? This is important!”

“This is important!” I whisper back, typing a quick response to Lily. “The Women in Engineering conference is one of our largest of the entire summer.”

“That’s it !” Amrita says, her sharp ears picking up on our conversation. “Great idea, Renata!”

“What?” I ask, not looking up from my phone screen.

“A conference!” says the vampire-witch, a dreamy look in her eyes. “We should host a conference of all of the witches. The school is great, of course, but it only brings together young magical people. This is a great opportunity to get everyone together to discuss politics and share traditional knowledge!”

The witches look at each other skeptically. None of them want to contradict Amrita, but they don’t appear very eager to work together. Well, except for…

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Amara says, encouragingly. She joins Amrita on the dais, elbowing Lavinia out of the way. “We could schedule it over a weekend, and host a variety of sessions on different magical topics.”

“I’ll do the keynote!” Amrita offers. “And we can have a party!”

“I guess it might not be a bad idea,” Damien says with a shrug. “It could be interesting for the witch covens to hear different perspectives.”

“Xia, you and I could host a broomstick-riding competition,” Amara says, gesturing toward her.

Xia sighs. “Ok, fine. But Astrid has to participate too.”

The evil witch beside her raises a tentative eyebrow. While she doesn’t appear too excited about the conference, she seems to enjoy the horrified expression on Lavinia’s face. “Well, I suppose as a favour to Rita…”

“That’s settled!” Amrita says. “A witch conference, this summer.”

“We can do it at the hotel!” Amara says. “What do you think, Celine?”

My stomach drops. “Wait, what?”

“Of course,” Celine says, with a pointed glare in my direction. “We’d be glad to host your witch conference at the Respite hotel. Nothing is more important to us than the cohesion of the magical community.”

“Really? Nothing ?” I whisper angrily.

She elbows me sharply in the ribs. “Just let us know the date, Amrita.”

Frustration flares inside me, but I bite my tongue. From the expression on my sister’s face, and the eager responses of the witches around us, I know that I’ve lost this battle.

“Fine,” I growl, putting my phone back in my pocket.

Chapter 7: Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble

Lily

My phone buzzes insistently. I take it out of my pocket with one hand, as the other hand shovels cereal into my mouth.

I know, I know. Cereal for dinner. Again. But I had a long nap on the couch with Eli before my shift, so I’m calling this breakfast.

It’s an email from Chelsie. I realize I probably shouldn’t have work email on my phone, but there’s always so much going on at the hotel at all hours, so it’s hard not to stay plugged in.

Lily, do you have the number for that company that removes bloodstains? Thanks in advance! Chels

That could mean a lot of different things. But it’s the daytime, so it’s probably not a party of vampire guests. I wonder if that’s better, or worse.

I type back, as quickly as I can with one hand.

I’ll forward you the email. Ask for Geri, she’s excellent, and very fast. Cheers, Lily.

“Mama!” Eli says, from underneath the table. “I lost the loop-loops!”

“ Fruit loops,” I correct, putting my phone down and checking on him. He’s underneath the table, collecting dusty fruit loops from the ground. I really need to vacuum more often. “Honey, don’t eat food off the ground.”

“Five second rule!” he declares.

“Who told you about the five second rule?”

My phone buzzes again. It’s Xia.

Hey Lily, at sunset, could you make sure Damien reads the shift report I left for him? I’m clocking out, and I want to make sure he gets it when he starts. X

I type with one hand, while peeling Eli off the floor with the other.

Yes, of course Xia! Have a nice evening. Warmly, Lily

With a sigh, I deposit my phone in my pocket and my five-year-old back in his chair. He face-plants himself into his cereal bowl.

“Look, mama!” he says. “I’m a pony!”

I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s a quarter past. I’m already late.

With a final, frustrated sigh, I pull my phone out of my pocket. The first call goes to voicemail. I try again. After the third ring, I hear my mother’s voice crackling through.

“Hello?”

“Hi, mom, it’s me…”

“Lily?”

“Yes, mom. I just called-”

“Did you call just now?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Sorry, honey. I thought you were a telemarketer. You know, there are so many of them now. I heard on the radio that they like to take advantage of older people…”

“I’m not a telemarketer, mom. I’m calling because I’m already fifteen minutes late. Are you close by? You know I can’t leave Eli alone, and I need to get to work…”

“Oh! Shoot, is it Tuesday?”

Anxiety and annoyance twist together in my stomach. “Yes, mom, it’s Tuesday. You’re supposed to come and watch Eli. How fast can you get here?”

“Oh that’s right…well, honey, my hip has been really bothering me today, and I just don’t know if I can make it on the bus…”

I inhale deeply. Somehow, her hip always seems to be acting up when there’s a marathon of Days of Our Lives on TV.

“That’s ok, mom, I can bring Eli over to you.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea, sweetheart. You know, I’m not really supposed to have kids in my apartment on the new floor of the residence. There’s only older people here. It’s not really a proper place for a child.”

Eli is back on the ground, slipping around under the table in a pile of fruit loops.

“What am I supposed to do, mom? I’m already late for work, and I can’t just leave Eli here.”

There’s a pregnant pause on the line. “Well…you could trying calling Dylan. I’m sure he would love to see Eli.”

“I’m not calling Dylan, mom. I’m perfectly capable of looking after Eli on my own.”

“Are you, honey?” she says, an I-told-you-so apparent in her tone. “You know, it’s much easier to parent with two. Sometimes your father and I would have disagreements, bless his soul, but we always made it work for you and your sister. Dylan is a sweet boy, I don’t know why you-”

I take the phone from my ear and end the call. I can’t bear to listen to one more second of her talking about how wonderful Dylan is.

“Mama, I’m a loop-loop!” Eli says. He gazes up proudly from his spot under the table. Tiny pieces of colourful cereal are stuck in his hair.

I bend down to pull them out.

“You’ve got to look presentable, Eli,” I say, resigned. “You’re coming to the hotel with me today.”

I’ve never brought Eli to work with me, and I’m not very happy to be starting now. This summer has been the busiest I’ve ever experienced at the hotel, and I’m completely buried with work.

Instead of going through the main entrance, I go around the alleyway behind the hotel. There’s an emergency staircase that reaches every floor. My claustrophobia isn’t as bad in the staircase as on the elevator, and there’s less of a chance that someone will spot Eli.

“Lotsa stairs!” he comments, hopping up each one. “One, two, three…”

“Let’s hurry up, honey,” I say, taking him by the hand. “Mama’s already very late to work.”

But everything takes twice as long with a little kid. Eli insists on counting each stair, and starting again when he forgets. We’re already forty-five minutes late, since I had to change his clothes and pack a bag for him before leaving, and we had already missed our bus. Finally, I just pick him up.

“Hey!” he shouts. “No fair!”

Panting, I carry him as quickly as I can up the stairs. He wriggles defiantly in my arms. Finally, we get to the office floor, and I push the door open.

“Lily?”

Shit. It’s the Head of Human Resources, Mel. She stands in the hallway with a mug of steaming water in one hand. Her bright green hair is piled haphazardly on top of her head, with several pencils sticking out of it in different directions. Her eyes, a vibrant shade of magenta today, immediately find the squirming Eli. I put him down quickly.

“Who’s this?” she asks, a clear note of disapproval in her voice.

“Oh, this is my son, Elijah,” I explain, plastering what I hope is an appeasing smile on my face. I can feel the bright red flush across my cheeks, worse now because of the sprint I just did up the stairs. “Say hi, Eli.”

He looks up at Mel with a pout. “Are you a Princess Pony? You look like a Princess Pony.”

Mel gives me an offended look.

“Princess Pony is his favourite toy,” I tell her. I have to admit, she does have the colour palette nailed.

“A workplace isn’t an appropriate setting for children,” Mel says. “And our daycare closed at six p.m., Lily.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” I say, a nervous twinge in my stomach. “My mother was supposed to watch him, but…”

“Just make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble,” Mel says, taking a sip of whatever’s in her mug. “And that Renata doesn’t see him.”

“Um, ok,” I reply, as she passes me to go down the hallway toward the HR office. “Thanks, Mel!”

Her office door slams shut.

“Let’s walk quickly, Eli,” I say, speed-walking down the office hallway.

His feet are like little bricks as I pull him along. “Where are we going?”

“Um…” I check my phone quickly. I missed sunset. If I’ve got the timing right, Renata will be in her office with the donor for at least another ten minutes.

We hurry past the CEO’s office door, and my desk. After talking to Mel, I’ve realized that I can’t bring Eli to my desk with me. I don’t know exactly what she meant when she said not to let Renata see him, but I don’t get the sense that Renata would be happy about him being here. She’s always so focused on work, and I don’t want her to think I’m being unprofessional. I’ve spent so long building up a good reputation with her.

And…I’ve never told her about Eli. Or Dylan. I don’t know why. I just wanted to keep my two worlds separate.

I guess that’s over, now.

“Orange!” Eli shouts.

“Actually, it’s coral .”

I look up to see Lexi coming down the hallway, wearing a brightly coloured tube dress with matching platform heels. Her hair falls in long, platinum waves around her. Her office is right beside Renata’s. She must be just coming in to work.

Luckily, her tone is chipper and she does a little spin for Eli. “I got it vintage, do you like?”

He giggles at her attention, then hides behind my legs.

“He can be a little shy sometimes,” I explain.

“He’s adorable ,” she says, as though complimenting an accessory. “Is he your’s?”

“Yes,” I answer. “My mother usually watches him, but her hip was bothering her tonight.”

“You should bring him in all the time!” Lexi says, giving Eli a bright smile. “Kids are great. It’s too bad Renata’s so weird about them.”

“She is?” Anxiety tightens in my chest again. She’ll be finished with her donor any minute. I think quickly. “Ms. Price, do you know if Amara is working the lounge or the club tonight?”

“The lounge, I think.”

Relief washes over me. I’m glad I don’t need to bring Eli to a vampire nightclub.

“Thanks!” I take Eli by the hand and hurry to the elevators.

Luckily, we don’t run into anyone else on our way to the lounge. The lounge is a gorgeous, five-star restaurant/bar on the main floor of the hotel, off of the lobby. It’s not too crowded this evening. There are a few couples sitting in intimate booths, their legs touching under the table, their faces illuminated by candlelight. An unexpected pang of jealousy blooms in my stomach, but I push it away. I have to focus.

Thank god, Amara is working at the bar. She wears a dark green dress, with a gold bracelet wrapped around her upper arm. Her long rope twists are pulled into a knot at the top of her head, complemented by a silk scarf. She hums to herself pleasantly as she arranges a row of glass mugs along the shelf.

“Lily, hi!” she says when she spots me. Her eyes light up when she sees Eli. “Oh, and who do we have here?”

Eli immediately ducks behind my legs again.

“This is Elijah,” I tell her. I’m a little nervous, but Amara’s kind expression makes me feel more confident. “I have a big favour to ask you.”

“Ask away!” she says, leaning over the counter.

“My mother usually watches Eli during my shifts, but she hurt her hip. I couldn’t leave him alone all night. Is there any way you could watch him? I’m worried what Renata would say, and I’ve got so much to do…”

“Of course!” she says. She comes around the bar and crouches down so she’s face-to-face with Eli. “Hi, little man. Do you like hot chocolate?”

He can’t help but return her warm smile.

“And maybe a coffee for mom?” she says, giving me a wink.

“Oh, Amara, thank you so much!” I gush, handing her Eli’s backpack filled with his ponies and colouring books.

“Don’t mention it, we’ll have lots of fun!”

I catch a glance at the clock on the opposite wall.

“Oh my god, I’ve got to hurry,” I say. “I’ll get that coffee another time, Amara! Thanks again!”

I almost bang into a server as I run through the lounge and the lobby and catch the next elevator up to the office floor. I make it back to my desk as quickly as I can.

“Lily!” snaps Renata’s clear, crisp voice. Her office door swings open and she stands framed in the doorway, the picture of grace and poise. Meanwhile, my hair is a flyaway mess, and I’m panting heavily. Renata’s nostrils flare slightly as she looks me up and down. “Are you all right? Where have you been?”

Her tone isn’t angry, but it’s not quite understanding, either. As always, she hits the exact middle, so I err on the side of caution and keep my response professional. To be safe, I don’t mention any elderly parents, or small children.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina,” I say. “I…I had an unexpected disruption, and I was late today. It won’t happen again.”

My boss’s expression softens slightly for a moment, as if she’s about to speak. Then her smart watch buzzes, and she glances irritably down at its screen. “My god, it’s Damien. He says there was something odd in Xia’s shift report.”

“The shift report!” I gasp. Renata frowns at me. “I was supposed to tell him to read it right away after the sun set. But I was late, so…”

“Well, he says she noticed some odd figures leaving the hotel out of the emergency staircase, but she wasn’t able to catch them. It could have been nothing, but we should send some extra security to be safe.”

“I’m right on it,” I tell her, eagerly, trying to make up for my lateness. But I’m not sure exactly what ‘on it’ means. “Um…I suppose I’ll…check in with Ms. Côté?”

Renata tosses her hair back angrily. “Celine should be on top of this. She always handled security issues before. You shouldn’t be doing her work, Lily. I’ll speak with my sister. You get settled in,” her eyes travel over me. I smooth down my blouse self-consciously. “Take a minute if you need to…”

“No, no, I’m all right,” I reply. To prove that I’m operating at full capacity, I quickly hurry to my desk and log into my computer.

As always, a full email inbox is waiting for me. I completely forgot about the bloodstain removal text from Chelsie, but I see a chain of emails regarding the extent of the damage and the cost it will take to repair. I lose myself in work for the next hour, until there’s a soft click on my headset and Renata’s voice comes through.

“Lily, could you come into my office? I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

Worry bubbles up in my stomach. Is she angry with me for being late? She wouldn’t fire me for that, right? I can’t lose my job…

“Of course, Ms. Espina, I’ll be right in.”

Chapter 8: The five-year-old

Lily

I hurry into the CEO’s office, trying to appear calm and collected. Renata is perched on her soft leather office chair, her fingers moving with impossible speed over her keyboard as she types. The moment I enter, her eyes snap up to me. It makes me jump a little, since I’m already on edge.

“Take a seat, please,” she says. I close the door behind me and take the chair opposite her’s.

I swallow. My throat is very dry. “What is it?”

“I have an important business matter to discuss with you.” Her dark, perfectly shaped eyebrows knit across her forehead. “Are you all right?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m all right,” I respond.

“Your heart is beating very fast.” As always, her tone is impossible to read. “And the blood is rushing to your cheeks.”

She can tell how fast my heart is beating? Is that some sort of vampire ability? There’s a strangely pleasant squirming sensation in my stomach at the thought. I feel flustered, and I can’t help being honest with her. “I…I was nervous that you would be upset with me, since I came in late today. I was worried you might let me go.”

She frowns, and there’s a flash of anger across her face. It’s a familiar expression, although I’ve never seen it from her. Instinctively, I flinch.

Her face immediately softens again. “I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with myself, for making you feel that I would let you go for something so trivial. You do exemplary work, Lily. I’m not going to fire you. The hotel couldn’t function without you.”

Now my heart is beating fast for another reason. She has no idea how much such a compliment means to me, coming from her.

“I deeply appreciate your hard work, Lily,” she continues. “I should let you know that more often.”

“Oh, I’m happy to be helpful,” I tell her, embarrassed at the shyness in my voice. “Anything you need, just let me know.”

“Well,” she heaves a deep sigh. “Unfortunately, that’s what I asked you into my office to discuss. My sister has just dropped another big project on my plate.” She pulls a shiny black folder from her top drawer, where I know she keeps her active files. “The Triple Council would like to host a conference for all of the witches in the northern region, and they want to hold it here. I don’t have any solid numbers yet, but…”

I interrupt tentatively. “Excuse me, Ms. Espina, the… what council?”

“My apologies, Lily, the Triple Council. It’s an allied council of the witch covens in the northern region.”

“Witch covens,” I whisper, a little awe-struck. I know that Amara is a witch, and so is Xia, but I didn’t realize they had covens. I know it’ll be a lot of work to organize a conference, but it’s exciting to think that there will be real witch covens here at the hotel.

“Yes,” Renata sighs. “And they’ll all be difficult and fighting with each other the whole time. They originally wanted July, but I convinced them to postpone to the week of August eighth…” She sees the expression on my face. “I know, it’s soon, and we have the McMurphy wedding, but we’re just going to have to figure it out.”

I nod, and take a pen and paper out of my cardigan pocket.

“As I mentioned, there are no set numbers, but we’re looking at between seventy-five to one hundred, so it’s not too large. I think we can use the east hall for Amrita’s keynote, that will be the most well-attended. The rest of the sessions will be break-outs, we can use the conference rooms in the north wing for those…”

As she speaks, I take notes, wondering what sort of things witches will host sessions about. I imagine a room full of cauldrons and broomsticks whizzing around the north wing…

Renata’s watch vibrates, and Damien’s voice comes through. “Ren, we need you right away, in the casino. It’s the mayor.”

She sighs. “I’ll be right down.”

We both stand. She smooths the folds of her fitted blue dress. It has capped black sleeves that make it look both modern and elegant. She always manages to appear professional, but also breathtakingly beautiful.

I bite my lip. I’ve never called her beautiful before, even in my head. But she is.

She gives me a curious look, and I realize she can probably tell my heart is beating quickly again. “I…I’ll be sure to start working on the initial floor plan and budget for the conference.”

“Excellent, thank you, Lily.” She gives me a curt nod and opens the door. But instead of leaving the office, she holds it open for me, gesturing that I should walk through first.

“Oh! Thank you, Re- I mean, Ms. Espina.”

“It’s my pleasure, Lily,” she says smoothly.

Again, she betrays nothing, the picture of calm composure. Unlike me, a blushing, anxious mess.

Her heels click on the floor of the office hallway. I sit back down at my desk and watch her go.

What was it she said? That the hotel couldn’t function without me. I smile to myself. I guess that’s true. I’m good at what I do, and I work hard. It’s nice that she notices.

“Lily!” crackles an anxious voice on my headset.

“Oh, yes, Chelsie?” I respond, startled out of my daydreaming.

“It’s the rock star suite again. Could you come up?”

I inhale to center myself. This is good. I need something to keep me distracted from my thoughts.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be right there!”

One drunk rock star, a whining Mrs. Harrigan, a lost Argentinian family, and three hungry Dobermans later, I finally return to the office floor. There’s really never a dull moment working at a luxury hotel. I don’t mind. It’s a welcome distraction from my own thoughts and worries.

But I’m looking forward to sitting at my desk for a while. I promised Renata that I would work on the witch conference, and I’d like to make a head start on it tonight. There’s only an hour and a half left on my overnight shift.

I smile at the receptionist as I go by, heading toward the CEO’s office. But she grimaces at me and leans over the reception desk.

“What is it?” I ask, expecting it to be another issue with a guest, or perhaps a new project Renata’s taken on.

“It’s Amara,” she whispers urgently. “Ms. Côté needed her for something, and she had to leave her lounge shift early, so…”

Elijah. “Shit! Did she…”

“Yes!”

I don’t ask any more questions. I speed walk down the office hallway, as fast as my discount pink ballet flats will take me.

Please don’t have seen him, please don’t have…

My desk is empty. For a moment, I wonder if maybe I misunderstood the receptionist. Maybe Amara didn’t leave Elijah up here. Maybe she left him with Lexi, or…

The latch on the CEO office’s door opens with a neat click , and my heart leaps into my throat. Standing in the doorway is Renata, her thin lips in a tight line. She gives me a severe look, and adjusts her stance so that I can see behind her, into the office.

Sitting in her spotless chair, a pile of colourful plastic pony dolls laid out before him across her desk, sits my five-year-old son, Elijah.

“Does this child belong to you?” Renata asks.

Her tone isn’t perfectly poised between professional and personal, as it typically is. Right now, it’s definitely professional. And it’s laced with disapproval.

Eli looks up at me, a big, sleepy grin on his face.

“Hi mama!” he says. “We made a nap, then we played ponies!”

“He slept on my couch and then, upon awakening, insisted on putting all of his toys on my desk,” Renata translates. “Lily, I would expect you to understand that I am extremely busy…”

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina,” I tell her. She steps aside, and I move quickly into the room, gathering up Eli’s ponies into the backpack he’s thrown onto the rug beside the desk.

“Hey!” he protests, but I ignore him.

“Tell Ms. Espina thank you for letting you use her office,” I tell him, more severely than I usually speak to him.

He immediately frowns, and gets a little shy again. “Thank you, Ms. Spina…” he mutters, shrinking in her chair.

Lugging the backpack in one hand, I take my five-year-old in the other, hoisting him out of the chair. He definitely hasn’t gotten enough sleep tonight, and he clings onto me like a little koala.

“You’re very welcome,” Renata replies curtly with a nod of her head.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina,” I say. “It will never happen again, I promise.”

Her nostrils flare slightly, noticeable in her otherwise still expression. “See that it doesn’t.”

I nod, and hurry out of her office.

“And Lily,” she calls as I leave. “Take him home, now. You can have the rest of the evening off.”

“O…ok,” I whisper, surprised. She’s never asked me to leave early before.

Without another word, she slams the door.

Chapter 9: Different last names

Renata

There’s a dining room on the west wing of the event floor that Lily booked for our dinner. It’s small, but elegant, with wood paneled walls and a table set for five (although only one seat has a full place-setting). Lexi wanted to use the lounge, but I told her there was no way I was losing the income for an entire evening. It’s bad enough when Celine commandeers it to meet with other vampires. There are hundreds of rooms in this hotel, including her own office, but apparently, both of them think they can use my restaurant any time they want to.

“Who pissed on your grave?” Celine says, appearing beside me.

I glare at her. “You’re borrowing expressions from Lexi now?”

“Well…it was a good one,” my older sister mutters, putting her hands into the pockets of her tuxedo pants.

“ All of my expressions are good ones,” Lexi chirps. She’s seated already, at the head of the table.

Celine narrows her eyes. “What are you doing? That’s my seat, you sit in the middle.”

“I was here first!” Lexi whines. But Celine gives her a withering glare, and she obeys with a pout. “You’re just like dad.”

“I am not just like Tudor,” Celine replies. “But I am older than you, and…”

“Ugh, not this lecture again,” she moans, with a big eye roll. “Are you going to mention the dragon shifters of Algernon next? How they all got killed, because they didn’t strictly adhere to a particular seating chart ?”

“Don’t start arguing before dinner’s even started,” I say. “Let’s all be civil tonight. I can’t have this drag out for hours, I’ve got work to get back to.”

“She is in a bad mood tonight,” Lexi reports to Celine. She gives her a classic little-sister expression that indicates she’s about to tell on me. “Lily brought her son into the office. Her five-year-old son.”

“Oh.” Celine’s expression shifts as she turns to me. “Renata, are you…”

“I’m fine ,” I snap. “I’m not talking about it…”

“Talking about what?” says a cheery, familiar voice from the door of the dining room.

It’s our sister, Hallie. Tonight, the soft brown coils of her hair are pulled back into a ponytail, and she wears a long-sleeved purple sweater and dark jeans. Her copper skin glows with a vibrant liveliness that betrays the fact that she is the youngest of us, turned into a vampire only last year.

Hallie’s bright brown eyes widen when she sees the elaborate setting laid out across the lace tablecloth. “Wow, this is so nice!”

“But of course,” Celine says generously with a crisp nod. “We wanted to welcome you home properly.”

With characteristic exuberance, Hallie pulls Celine into a tight hug. My reserved older sister stiffens at the warm gesture, but doesn’t resist. Lexi stifles a laugh before rising from her seat to give Hallie a hug as well.

An enchanting scent and the telltale echo of a living human heart fill the room. A figure appears in the doorway, a young witch, by the smell of magic in the air. She has a pale, freckled face and wavy red hair that cascades down her back. She wears a tight crop top patterned with constellations, a loose, shimmering skirt, and what appears to be an entire flea market’s worth of mismatched jewelry. If I couldn’t smell that she’s a witch, I would still be able to tell.

“And this must be Lillith,” Celine says, looking warily at the witch’s bare feet on our recently-veneered, hardwood floor. “It’s a pleasure to…”

“Ooh!” Lexi squeals, hurrying to the girl’s side and taking a pinch of the fabric of her skirt without asking. “This is so cute! Where did you get it?”

Lillith looks a little startled at the supernatural speed with which a hundred-year-old vampire has just appeared beside her. “Oh! Um, it actually used to be an altar cloth, that my mother used for spellcasting. I liked the material, so I sewed it into this skirt.”

“Oh my god!” Lexi clasps her hands together. “It’s handmade ! Very chic.”

The witch blushes, clearly pleased with the attention.

“Lillith,” Hallie coughs. “These are my older sisters, Celine Côté, Renata Espina, and Alexandra Price…”

“Everyone calls me Lexi,” says my younger sister with a charming smile. If anyone is good at playing the host, it’s Lexi. I try not to roll my eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” Lillith says. “But if you’re all sisters, why do you have different last names?”

“Well, we’re vampires,” Celine replies. “We all had different last names before we were turned. We use the ones we had before, rather than our Creator’s name. Except for Renata, she…”

“Let’s leave the family stories for dinner, shall we?” I interject. I signal to the butler waiting by the kitchen door. “Otherwise, your food will get cold.”

We sit around the table, Celine at the head, Lexi and I at her right, and Hallie and Lillith together on the other side of the table. The butler appears in a crimson tie and vest.

“Good evening, mademoiselles,” he says with a nod. “What will you be having to drink tonight?”

He looks to Lillith first, who replies, “Oh, um, do you have any wine?”

“We have our house Bordeoux, rich-bodied with notes of cherry. It pairs well with the beef. I highly recommend it.”

“That sounds delicious,” she says.

“And Ms. Johnson.” He turns to Hallie. “So wonderful to have you home. May I bring you a glass of bloodwine?”

Hallie smiles shyly at the butler. She’s still not used to being waited on like this and it makes her a little uncomfortable. “Sure, if it’s not too much trouble…”

“Bring her one of our newer bottles,” Lexi says. “And I’ll have a glass as well, please, Walter.”

“I’m fine without the bloodwine, Walter,” Celine says quickly, before he can ask.

“Me too,” I add, tapping my pointer finger impatiently upon the tablecloth. “I drank earlier this evening.”

Lexi pouts, but doesn’t comment as the butler disappears into the kitchen. Lexi developed a way to prevent blood from congealing, so that it can be made into a distilled wine that vampires can drink. A clever idea, but I wish Lexi would turn her focus onto more productive pursuits. If she spent a bit more time on her role as the hotel’s Chief Marketing Office, instead of on her ridiculous entrepreneurial schemes, I would have a lot less work on my own plate.

“Amrita said that you two had quite a semester,” Celine says. “Something about a magical competition? She mentioned the Devil …”

Hallie and Lillith exchange glances. Hallie reaches up as if to adjust the glasses on her nose, then realizes that she’s not wearing them anymore. “Yes, it’s a bit of a long story…”

Taking turns, Hallie and Lillith tell us all about their semester, and how Lillith’s coven of evil witches attacked the academy. Lillith turned against them to help Hallie, Amrita and the other professors defeat them.

“Where are the Satanic witches now?” Celine asks, her dark eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“They’ve retreated back to my coven’s ancestral home,” Lillith replies. “The High Priest is gone, so they’ll need to appoint a new one.” She looks lovingly at Hallie as she takes a sip of her wine. “You should have seen Hallie! She was amazing. She’s really good at witchcraft, for a vampire.”

“Well, it’s a lot of work, but I like my classes,” Hallie replies.

The main course arrives, and Lillith eagerly digs into her beef bourguignon.

“This is so tasty!” she says. “I wish my coven’s food was like this. Evil witches are terrible cooks.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Celine tells her with a grimace.

Lexi snorts, then raises her eyebrow at Lillith conspiratorially. “Celine thinks living humans eat too much. She doesn’t understand it.”

“It just seems like a lot!” Celine replies defensively. “I don’t remember ever eating so much.”

“Well, yeah, back in medieval France, I’m sure the food was pretty terrible,” Lexi says, taking a gulp of her bloodwine.

“I was born in Quebec in the eighteenth century,” Celine snaps.

“Same difference,” Lexi shrugs.

“Resources were scarce back then,” Celine says, turning to me. “It was a very different time and food wasn’t the same as it is now.”

“Speak for yourself,” I reply dryly. “My cooking was delicious.”

“What did you used to make?” Hallie asks me. “Maybe you could show Lillith and I how to make it this summer.”

For the third time this evening, I feel a little pang of emotion in my chest that I don’t like.

“I don’t have any time for cooking,” I reply. “We have chefs for that purpose. I’m far too busy running the hotel.” I glare at Celine and Lexi. “I’m basically holding this place together myself. We have the highest number of weddings and conferences booked that we ever have had over the course of one season…”

“Ooh! I was thinking about that.” Lexi leans over the table, a dangerous glint in her blue eyes. “Renata, I have this great idea that’s going to bring us a ton of business!”

“A ton of business is the opposite of what we need, Lexi-”

“It’s an influencer program,” Lexi says, clasping her hands together in delight. “All of the big luxury brands have them nowadays!”

“A what program?”

“An influencer program! You know, content creators with large platforms on social media. We provide them with free hotel packages, and they create content in the hotels. They tag us and use a discount code to generate hype for our brand. I think it would be perfect ! We need to move into a younger market.”

I scowl at her. “Lexi, I’m not entertaining one of your ridiculous schemes again. The last thing I need is a bunch of Gen Z’s running around my hotel with their phones…”

“It’s not a ridiculous scheme!” Lexi shrieks. “And I’ll have you know, I was turned a hundred years ago!”

“Then why are you dressed like a children’s television host?” I ask her, gesturing at her loud, bright green and pink jacket, which is (uncomprehendingly) paired with a burnt orange bodysuit and matching boots. “You’re a professional, for god’s sake.”

“I’m extremely professional,” Lexi says, her voice rising now. Hallie and Lillith watch us like a tennis match, their eyes darting back and forth. “You and Celine are always bullying me. You think you’re both so impressive because you’re old and grouchy! But maybe the reason why you’re so mad all the time is because you never let anyone else help you!”

“Maybe I would let you help,” I reply, matching her tone and volume. “If you would act a little bit more responsible from time to time!”

She stands abruptly, knocking her chair out behind her. “Responsible! I’ll show you responsible!”

I join her, my eyes flashing crimson. “I would love to see it!”

Lexi leaps into the air. But I know all of her moves. I don’t have time to duck out of her way, but I tuck myself so I head-butt her right in the stomach. We fall into a heap on the ground beside Celine’s end of the table. My older sister sighs and scooches her chair to the side, away from us. Lexi is on top of me, but not for long. She’s briefly winded, and I manage to roll on top of her, sitting on her chest, pinning her long arms down on the ground.

“Not fair!” she shrieks. “Celine!”

“Oh, can’t finish what you started?” I snarl, as my younger sister thrashes beneath me. She’s strong, and it’s hard to keep her down. She manages to get one hand free and she scratches my face with her long nails. I’m glad I drank recently, but the scratches still hurt. With a furious roar, I grab her fist, but I have to let go of her other hand. She takes advantage and pushes me off of her.

We both jump to our feet, but it’s not over. Not anywhere close. Lexi is stronger than me, but I’m older and more skilled. I know if I can get her down again, it’s an easy win for me. Without hesitating, I high-kick her, my stiletto making satisfying contact with her chest. She fumbles for a moment.

“Um…” Hallie says, from the table. She looks nervously at Celine. “Should we…stop them, maybe?”

Celine waves her hand. “Let them blow off some steam. Trust me, this is how they work shit out.”

Lexi recovers, and lunges at me, reaching for a fistful of my hair. She grabs it right at the root and yanks. My eyes water with bloody tears, and I roar in pain and fury. Her jacket rides up and there’s a patch of pale skin exposed at her abdomen. I reach out and pinch it as hard as I can.

“Ow!” she lets go of my hair, and I grab her by the shoulders.

I have the upper hand, and my fangs come out all of the way eagerly. Lexi shrieks, and puts her hands up to shield her face and neck.

“Renata, no biting,” Celine says sternly from the table.

I snarl one more time at Lexi, then I let her go. She scrambles back to her overturned chair, picking it up to sit back at the table. My fangs are still elongated over my bottom lips.

“You think that just because you’re the oldest, you get to make the rules,” I say angrily to Celine, my voice thick.

“I am the oldest, so I get to make the rules,” Celine replies curtly.

I huff, but I know I can’t argue with her.

My phone buzzes. It’s Lily.

I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina. I know you’re very busy, but there’s been a disruption on the holding floor. Typically Damien would take care of it, but he’s teaching tonight, and Xia has already gone home.

“Is everything ok?” Hallie asks.

“Everything will be fine,” I snap, looking at Celine. “You stay here and finish the dinner. I’ll take care of this, just like I take care of everything .” I nod at Hallie and Lillith, who is watching us with a fascinated expression. “It was good to see you Hallie, and a pleasure to meet you, Lillith.”

Without another word, I leave the dining room.

To tell the truth, I’m glad Lily interrupted our dinner. I couldn’t stand another moment in the presence of my sisters. I thought that Tudor being captured would bring us closer, but it’s as though Celine is becoming more and more like him. She thinks she can control me. And Lexi’s become even more spoiled and entitled. All of her ridiculous schemes just create more work for me. Doesn’t she realize that her entire lifestyle is because of the hard work that I do?

I smooth the folds of my pantsuit, glad that the fight didn’t draw any blood so I won’t need to change. I check my face for unhealed marks, but my skin is smooth.

I text Lily that I’ll meet her on the office floor.

Chapter 10: Fuck fuck fuck fuck

Lily

I fidget anxiously with my charm necklace as I wait by the left elevator. The right one’s doors open, and Mel steps out. She gives me a confused look when I don’t get in it.

“Aren’t you waiting for the elevator?” she asks.

“No, I’m waiting for…” I begin, but then the left elevator chimes and the doors open.

Renata is standing in the elevator car, looking perfect as always. She beckons me with a curt nod.

I give Mel an awkward wave before entering the elevator beside Renata. As always, I feel my anxiety rise as the doors shut.

“Are you…all right?” Renata asks. My chest flutters a little when I remember what she said to me before. That she could hear my heartbeat.

“Yes, I just get a little claustrophobic,” I explain. “Elevators always get to me.”

She nods, and crosses her arms. She seems a little distracted, even more than usual. I hope she’s not still upset with me.

“Ms. Espina, I just wanted to say again how sorry I am,” I tell her. “About bringing my son to work. I should never have…”

“No need for further apologies, Lily,” she mutters, without making eye contact with me.

There’s a dense silence between us. I curse myself for being so stupid and bringing Eli in. I’ve worked so hard to develop a good reputation here, and now she thinks I’m unprofessional. I should have realized that she expects more from me.

I watch her out of the corner of my eye. The proud tilt of her jaw, her air of complete confidence. She had told me that she appreciated everything I did. That the hotel couldn’t function without me. And I totally ruined it.

Classic Lily, I guess.

The doors chime open on the holding floor. I shiver. It’s dark up here. There’s a security panel on the side of the wall by the elevators. Renata quickly steps out of the elevator and presses her fingerprint up against it. She has to do this within one minute of entering the floor, or else it will trigger an alarm throughout the hotel. The holding floor is a nice name for a…a jail, I guess. There are secure rooms along this floor for putting anyone who threatens the safety of the hotel. I used to think it was for badly-behaved guests or people who tried to cheat the casino, but when I learned more about Tudor Thornblade and his daughters, I realized it’s a bit more complicated than that.

When Renata presses her thumb print against the panel, it also activates the hallway lights. They’re bright, so bright that I have to blink a few times as my eyes adjust. The walls are a stark shade of white. There are no windows anywhere. This floor is completely sealed off except for several well-secured vents. There’s a row of bolted doors along the hallway and an office at the very end.

“The holding floor’s security system has been acting up for months,” Renata says, moving down the hallway at a brisk pace. “We’ll just check that everything’s secure and then we’ll be on our way.”

I hurry to keep up with her, but her long legs are much faster than mine, and I fall a few paces behind. She stops at the end of the hallway and opens the door to the office.

The moment she opens the door, a figure wearing loose, black clothes emerges from the office and lunges at her. Their face is covered, but their intent is clear. They knock Renata up against the back wall of the hallway.

“Who…!” Renata yells, but her words are cut off by a shout of pain. There’s an awful, metallic smell. Her attacker holds a thick chain of silver up against her neck.

Adrenaline courses through my veins. My dad always used to say that you never really know how you’re going to act in a dangerous situation until you’re in one. He always said: be smart, and don’t do anything rash.

Well, clearly I’m very bad at taking advice, because even though I am five foot nothing and very, very non-magical in every way, I jump at the dark-clothed attacker, giving them everything I’ve got. I might not be strong, but I’m the mother of a five-year-old, and I’ve gone at least a week without a manicure. I sink my long fingernails as deep as I can into the attacker’s hands.

They shout in surprise, and drop the silver chain. It gives Renata a moment to free herself, shoving the attacker aside. They turn to me, their eyes glowing under the hood of their dark cape, and they whisper something so low I’m not able to make out the words.

It’s like a strange dream. A massive forcefield of crimson light shoots out at me, so my entire world is painted red. I fly up into the air, all the way down the long hallway.

There’s a sickening crunch as the back of my head hits the hard concrete floor. I’m overwhelmed by pain unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I try to shout for Renata, but I’m totally winded. Still, I try desperately to force my body to move. I need to help her! What if someone tries to hurt her? I have to call security, or something.

But I can’t move a muscle. The more I try, the more helpless I am. I know that something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

There’s another blur of motion as the intruders run past me. There’s an emergency staircase at the other end of the hallway. It will trigger the emergency alarm, but I guess they’ve realized they’ve already been spotted. There are only two of them, I think, but they move so quickly, I can’t be sure.

Why can’t I move my arms? I should be able to move my arms by now, right?

“ Lily ,” whispers a familiar voice. I blink, and see Renata bending down over me.

There’s an expression of twisted anger on her face. It’s the angriest I’ve ever seen her. Her eyes are crimson to the irises, her nostrils flared.

“Lily, why did you do that?” she asks, furiously.

I try to respond, but I can’t even manage a whisper. I can feel something wet and sticky on the ground beside me, but I can’t look up or move my arms to see what it could be. I feel very, very…woozy. My eyelids are heavy, and they start to flutter.

Everything hurts. And everything feels wrong…

I think I might die. But…but I can’t die. I can’t leave Eli…

“Shh, hold on,” Renata says. “Hold on, Lily.” She reaches down into the belt she has strapped around her ankle and pulls out her golden dagger.

Is she going to kill me? Am I so far gone that she’s going to end my life so I don’t have to suffer any more? I hope she does it quickly. I hope my mother gets a good insurance payout, and she puts aside some of it for Eli’s college fund. He’s such a smart boy…

I close my eyes, bracing myself.

But I don’t feel the sharp end of the dagger in my heart. Instead, I taste something unusual. Something strange and otherworldly…I lick my lips, and realize my mouth is full of a thick, rich liquid. Is it medicine? Did she give me some alcohol, or drugs to numb the pain? But it doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever drank before. It’s amazing . Like how you would imagine wine tastes like in heaven, or something equally ridiculous.

And then something even stranger happens…the pain starts to melt away, as though it was never there in the first place. I can feel my arms again, and then my legs. I take a deep, shaking inhale and blink my eyes open.

Renata stands above me like an angel, lit by the bright fluorescent lights of the hallway. Her eyes are back to their usual brown again, although they’re still a little red around the edges. There’s a streak of blood down her face, from her eye to her chin. I wonder if it happened when she was fighting the intruders.

I swallow, and take a deep, steady inhale. “Re-Renata?”

“I’m here,” she says, leaning down. “I’m right here.”

Surprised by how well I suddenly feel, I sit up. My palm finds a puddle of thick, red blood pooled around me. Bile rises in my throat. There’s blood all around me. I must have been very badly injured. The office is all the way at the end of the hallway, at least thirty feet from where we are. I was pushed all this way and slammed down onto the concrete floor.

Renata reaches into her pocket and pulls out a rose-embroidered handkerchief. She uses it to wipe down her dagger, which is now bloody.

For a second, I assume it’s my blood, but then I see the neat red line across her wrist.

My eyes widen. “What…what happened?”

“We were attacked,” she says, her voice low with calm rage. “I don’t know by who, but one of them used magic to injure you.”

“I thought…how am I still alive?” I ask her. “What happened to your wrist?”

“I gave you some of my blood,” she explains. “It was the only way to save you.”

“Your…your blood ?” I touch my lips with the tips of my fingers. I can still taste it in my mouth. But instead of being disgusted, like I should probably feel, it’s strangely…intimate. There’s a tingly feeling in my stomach. “It doesn’t taste like blood…”

“Vampire blood isn’t like human blood,” she says. “It has healing abilities. Luckily I’m very old, and my blood was powerful enough to heal your injuries, even though they were extensive. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m all right, I think,” I reply. I’m a little dopey, like I’ve had a glass or two of wine.

And I feel…a bit different . It’s hard to explain. But when I look at Renata, it’s like I…like I can feel her, somehow, in my veins. Like we’re connected in a way we weren’t before.

“Does vampire blood…” I ask, not even sure what I’m saying. “Does it make us…?”

“It has many properties,” she replies, quickly. “It might make you feel…strange, around me. I’m sorry that I had to do it, I should have asked you…”

“No, no,” I reply. “I’m glad you did it. Thank you, for saving my life.”

“You saved me first,” she says, a flash in her eyes. Then her voice becomes a little more stern. “Lily, listen to me. You must never do that again, do you understand? Witches are extremely powerful…”

“That was a witch? But I thought that the witches and the vampires got along? What about the conference?”

Renata frowns. “I’m not sure who that was. They were wearing a mask, and I couldn’t recognize them. I tried to call for backup, but they must have cast a spell to jam the signals on this floor. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She shakes her head angrily. “I never should have let you come up here with me. I put you in harm’s way.”

My face feels a little warm, and I’m not sure if it’s the vampire blood. For a moment, she bends down, like she’s about to reach for me. But then she stops herself.

“I’ll call for a medical team,” she says. “To check you out, and get you out of this hallway.”

“That’s ok,” I say, wiggling my fingers. “I think I’m all right…better than all right, actually.”

As the haziness dissipates, I find I actually feel… awesome . Like drinking three red bulls in a row, but without that weird aftertaste. I give her what I hope is an encouraging smile.

She looks like she’s going to ask me something, then she changes her mind. “Well, at least let me help you up,” she says, holding out her hand.

I take it. It’s the first time we’ve ever touched. Her fingers are chilly, but not in a strange way. There’s a little tingle along my spine. Her skin is soft, but her grip is strong and she easily pulls me to my feet.

Maybe it’s the blood, or maybe it’s the near-death experience, but I find myself saying something I usually wouldn’t. “What…what were you going to ask me?”

“When?”

“Just now, before you helped me up.”

“I was going to ask if you wanted me to…” she begins, then she pauses. “Nothing. It was inappropriate.”

I swallow. I’ve never seen her like this. She seems a little…ruffled.

“We should go back downstairs,” she continues, her voice a shade more professional. “I’ll call a medical team regardless, to make sure you’re all right, and of course I’ll arrange some new clothes and for a driver to take you home.”

“That’s not…”

“It is absolutely necessary,” she says with an assertive nod. “You’ll have the rest of the week off, and more, if you need it, to ensure you’re completely healed.”

“I’m really fine,” I tell her. “I’m sure I look like a mess though.”

“You look perfect,” Renata responds.

My heart pounds. Her irises contract slightly, and I realize that she noticed it. There’s a thick pause between us that I don’t know what to do with. To my embarrassment, all I can manage is an awkward laugh. “Before we get on the elevator,” I say. “I should tell you…”

“Yes?”

“That…that you have a streak of blood on your face. It must have been from the fight…”

“From the fight?” she looks confused, then she brings her hand to her face and feels it. “Oh, that’s…yes, thank you for telling me, Lily.”

She takes out a fresh handkerchief and wipes her face, then she pulls out another and hands it to me (how many does she keep in those pantsuit pockets?) “You have a little blood at the corner of your lip.”

“Oh?” I take the handkerchief from her and bring it to my face, wiping my mouth as delicately as I can.

“No, wait…” She takes the handkerchief from me and, with a gentle finger, brushes the edge of my lip with it. There’s a tender expression on her face, one I haven’t seen very often.

My heart flutters, and there’s a warm feeling in my core.

Oh fuck.

Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I definitely have a crush on my boss.

Chapter 11: Paperwork

Renata

“ How much is the final charge?” I shout furiously at the speaker of my desk phone.

“Um…fifty-five thousand, Ms. Espina…” crackles the voice of our accountant on the other end.

“Who signed off on it?” I ask sharply, my fingers clicking quickly across my keyboard, pulling up the unfinalized expense report from this week.

“It was Ms. Price,” says the accountant nervously.

“Did you tell Ms. Price that it is not within her jurisdiction to approve…”

“I’m sorry, Renata. Usually Lily keeps an eye on the statements. You know she’s the only one who can talk any sense into Ms. Price. But since she’s been away…”

I heave an angry groan. “It’s fine, I’ll deal with my sister myself.”

I press the button to end the call, and sit back down in my chair, rubbing my temples in frustration. I’m glad that I gave Lily the time off - I feel terribly guilty about endangering her on the holding floor - but her absence has been sorely felt these past few days. I didn’t even realize all of the things she was taking care of. In the past evening alone, I’ve had to deal with a screeching Mrs. Harrigan, who insisted that her mattress “felt different” and that we had sneakily replaced it for some reason, a squatting family of mermaids who refused to check out of their room, and now, a ridiculously large charge on the business AMEX made by my dear sister.

With an irritated sigh, I press the button on my desk phone again to call Lexi.

If she isn’t her office, so help me god…

“Hi, Ren!” her chipper voice says through the speaker.

“Get in here now! ” I shout.

“Jesus, calm down! What, are you being attacked by bear shifters, or something?”

“Just get in here!”

With superhuman speed, the door to my office opens and Lexi appears. Today, her hair is in a long braid, with a quilted pink headband. She wears a tube dress in a similar shade. To top it off, in one hand she holds a massive Stanley tumbler, in exactly the same shade of pink as her outfit. She puts a hand on one hip, and takes a sip from the opaque straw.

“ What are you drinking?” I ask.

“Bloodwine,” she replies cheerfully. “Gotta hydrate!”

“That’s disgusting .”

She gives me an expectant look. “What did you call me in here for?”

“Lexi, did you use the company AMEX to spend fifty-five thousand dollars on a statue of a flamingo ?”

“Ooh!” she says with a big smile. “Did it come already? Isn’t it cute ?”

“No, it doesn’t matter if it was cute or not, it cost the entire annual salary of one of our floor managers, Lexi.”

She frowns. “Wow, we should really be paying our floor managers more.”

“That is not the point I am trying to make!” I pinch the bridge of my nose, wishing I could just stake her and get on with my night. “You can’t spend such a ridiculous amount of money, Lexi. We have to be responsible…”

“It’s an investment ,” Lexi replies. “This statue is a conversation piece. It was owned by like, a super-famous designer or something, and it’s going to look great in the photos that our influencer partners will take at my event…”

“Oh, no,” I say, standing up from my desk chair and pointing a serious finger at my sister. “You are not hosting an event here, Lexi, no way! I’ve got way too much on my plate this summer…”

“Well, you don’t have to add this to your plate,” she says. “I’m going to organize everything , I promise! Event planning isn’t that hard. Everything always just works itself out in the end…”

I grit my teeth. “It works out in the end because I swoop in and fix everything for you, Lexi…”

She tosses her braid over her shoulder haughtily. “Well, nobody asked you to do that, Ren! Just let me deal with things. It’s going to be fun ! And it’s really going to help the hotel with our image…”

“Our image is fine,” I tell her. “I never asked you to…”

My speakerphone beeps, and the voice of the receptionist chimes in. She sounds a little nervous.

“Um, Ms. Espina? There are some guests here to see…”

Before she can continue, my office door flies open, and Celine enters.

“Oh good, Lexi, you’re here too,” she says. She gives me an uncharacteristically sheepish look. “Listen, Renata, before you hear anything, I just want you to know, this wasn’t my idea at all…”

I glare at my older sister. “What wasn’t your…?”

“Renata!” shrieks the excited voice of Amrita Vyas as she barges into my office. She’s wearing her purple High Priestess robe loosely over a crop top and a pair of shining leather pants. Her barn owl familiar glides into the office and perches on my desk. There’s a dangerous gleam in Amrita’s eyes.

“Hello, Rita,” I reply, warily. “Is this about the conference?”

“Well…sort of,” she says with a careless shrug. She turns to the door. “Come in, everyone!”

To my dismay, an eclectic group of young magical people begin filling up my office. Hallie and Lillith are there, as well as a few other vampires, a group of shoeless witches, and what smells like an entire pack of wolf shifters. Amara brings up the rear, a slightly anxious expression on her face.

“What is going on?” I ask sharply.

“Well, Celine said that you’ve been very busy and stressed out here at the hotel,” Amrita says to me with a large grin. “And I wanted to show you our appreciation for agreeing to host the conference here. So I thought, perfect idea, why don’t we do a summer internship program at the hotel! For the Elmwood Academy students on their summer break!”

I give Celine a look that would turn a mortal person into dust.

“I think it’s a great idea!” Lexi declares, without a hint of irony. She holds up her blood-filled Stanley tumbler in a toast. “Students on their summer break! How fun .”

“That’s what I said!” Amrita replies with an eager nod. “They can start right away. And they can help out with the conference in August.”

“How thoughtful of you, Rita,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Don’t mention it.” The vampire-witch shrugs. “Always happy to help!”

She gives me a cheery wink, and makes to leave my office.

“Wait,” I call to her, looking around at the bedraggled bunch of students. “Don’t they need to be graded, or supervised?”

“Oh, Damien will give them a mark, or something,” she says with a shrug. “Nobody’s really keeping track of grades, to be honest with you. Too much paperwork.”

Without another word, she disappears, leaving me with a dozen completely untrained, magical young adults who have probably never had a real job or even visited the city in their entire lives.

“Um, did she say no one is keeping track of our grades ?” Hallie asks with a frown.

I ignore her, and turn to Lexi, who is eying up one of the shifters. “Lexi, take the students to the boardroom. Find a standard internship agreement and make sure they’ve all signed it and filled in their medical records.”

Lexi groans. “What, why me? You know I’m bad at forms!”

“Because I asked you to!” I snap, waving my hand at her.

“Do I have to fill out an internship agreement?” Hallie asks.

“No, but could you help Lexi with the other students, please?” Celine says. With a guilty expression on her face, she begins ushering them out of my office. Lexi pouts but ultimately gives in, taking a drink from her bright pink tumbler as she follows the students to the boardroom. Celine gives me a quick wave. “Well, I should probably also…”

“ You stay here!” I shout at her.

Amara tries to leave as well, but I turn on her before she can. “You too!”

Both of them share a look of resignation. Amara waves a hand to magically shut the door, and Celine comes over to my desk.

“Listen, Renata,” she says, her voice taking on that charming, smooth inflection she always uses when trying to make a deal with the other mafia leaders, or charm the mayor, or whatever it is she does all day. “I know you’ve got a lot to do, but…”

“There’s no but !” I interject. “I’ve got a lot to do, and I would appreciate it if you could have my back, instead of letting Amrita and the witches waltz around the hotel like it’s their hovel, or whatever witches live in!”

“Cottages, usually,” Amara mutters.

“Don’t Lavinia and Amrita have enough to do without making my life so difficult?” I continue, addressing my sister directly. “I know you’ve been busy dealing with them since Tudor’s been gone, but I need your help, Celine. I can’t run all of the operations of the hotel and keep the witches out of our hair.”

“I’m trying to keep the witches away, Ren, but it’s a lot more difficult than you would think,” Celine says. “Damien was right, the vampires in the the surrounding regions are starting to stake out our territory. We’ve been trying to fend them off…”

“Well, you’re not doing a very good job,” I snap. “Because of you, those intruders managed to get onto the holding floor. You and Damien should have been up there. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn’t been there to protect Lily?”

I cross my arms over my chest. I told Celine about the incident, but I left out the part where I gave Lily some of my blood to heal her. Sharing blood is an intimate activity, and I don’t want to admit that I engaged in such a thing with my assistant. But I had no choice. I couldn’t watch Lily die right in front of me.

She was so brave, standing up to the intruders, even though she doesn’t have any magical abilities. When I think of her lying on the ground, in a pool of blood, fury rises up inside me. But before I can round on my sister once more, she puts her hand out.

“Renata, I would have dealt with the threat if you had told me what was happening,” she says. “If you remember correctly, you got the text and stormed out of the dining room!”

“Well I’m sorry if I’m the only one I can count on right now…”

“I’m stretched as thin as you are! Every time we get on top of something, it seems like something else happens…”

“We don’t even know who the intruders were ,” Amara says, a worried expression on her face. “You said it was a witch and a vampire?”

“Yes, definitely,” I confirm.

“Well, that could be anybody,” Celine sighs. She runs a hand through her dark brown hair. There are lines around her eyes, and her pale skin is drawn and even more colourless than usual. “We’ll just have to stay vigilant.”

She gives me a nod, and exits my office. But Amara doesn’t follow her. She leans over my desk with a tender expression. I look at her suspiciously. “What?”

“Renata, when was the last time you had any blood?”

My lip twitches. “Amara, I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but I’m perfectly well-fed…”

“I know Lily takes care of you when she’s here, but she’s been off for almost a week. I just wanted to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You seem a little on edge, even more than usual.”

“Of course I’m on edge,” I reply. “I’m trying to hold this place together all by myself! Do you have any idea how much work it is to manage a hotel empire? I’ve got the Respite hotel, and our international chains, and now I have to deal with the casino and club because Celine is off chasing Xavian and Lavinia!”

“But maybe,” Amara says, her voice frustratingly gentle. “Maybe you don’t have to do it all yourself, Renata. I know Amrita was a little hasty in her plan for a summer internship program, but perhaps you could train those students to take some of the burden off…”

“Do you think that motley collection of unmotivated university students is going to be able to do what I do?” I huff in response, tossing my hair back at the ridiculousness of her suggestion. “I operate at a very high level!”

“I’m sure you do, Renata, but the reality is, you’re never going to think anyone else is as competent as you,” Amara says. “But if you don’t let other people help you anyway, you’re going to work yourself into the ground. You’ve got to let go a little bit. Give Lexi some more responsibility. Let some things go. Do you really need to host so many weddings and conferences? You’ve got so much money…”

“You don’t understand …”

“What I understand is that people need balance, Renata. Even vampires. I see you every day. You get out of your coffin and immediately come into this office, then you work until sunrise and you go back to ground. You never leave the office, or the hotel. No wonder you’re so stressed!”

“I’m a vampire ,” I snap. “I don’t have a functioning nervous system like you do, Amara! I can’t get stressed.”

She shakes her head. “I’m just saying, Renata, you’re important. More important than this hotel, or Tudor’s business. Don’t work yourself to death…or I guess, don’t work yourself until you’re dust…”

Her words pierce my heart like a dagger. I steel myself against the pain in my chest, and respond through gritted teeth. My voice is low, but my tone is biting. “This isn’t some tiny bakery in a backwoods tourist town, Amara. This is a multi-billion-dollar hotel empire. Vampires aren’t like good witches. And I never asked you for a motivational speech. If I wanted that, I would attend Amrita’s keynote address.”

I sit back down at my desk and pull my laptop out. Amara swallows, a pained expression in her eyes.

“Now if you don’t mind,” I tell her sharply. “I have work to do. The sun rises in a few hours.”

She nods, and without another word, leaves my office.

But the ache in my chest remains.

Chapter 12: Pink peonies

Lily

I climb into bed with a sigh. Eli fell asleep surprisingly fast tonight. He’s been in such a good mood lately. With a pang of guilt, I realize that it’s probably because I’ve been home for the past week, spending all of my time with him. I’m not sure if my mom is really the best caretaker. She came by tonight because the cable at the senior’s residence was down and she wanted to watch Divorce Court (which she loves, despite how much she’s railing against my divorce). Eli barely even looked at her when she came in.

It’s been nice to get to spend so much time with Eli. Renata made me take a week off after I was attacked by those intruders on the holding floor. I insisted that I was perfectly fine, which I am. Actually, I’m more than fine. In the week since consuming Renata’s blood, I’ve felt healthier than I have in my entire life. I took Eli to Serenity Park, and the zoo, and I actually did a whole YouTube yoga class, instead of getting bored like I usually do and switching to videos about rescue puppies.

Anyway, it’s been a good week, but I’m looking forward to going back into the office in a few days. I can’t help dwelling on what Renata said about how drinking my blood would make me feel “strange” around her. Even before the incident between us, I’ve been having strong feelings about her. I guess part of me knew it was more than admiration, but I never wanted to admit it to myself. It’s complicated having a crush on your boss, but it’s a hundred times more complicated when your boss is a super-powerful vampire CEO who saved your life by giving you her delicious, magical healing blood.

There’s a warm ache in my stomach as I think about it. She seemed so worried about me. When she looked down at me, I wondered if there was something more for her, too. I wonder what she was going to ask me before she stopped herself…I’ve turned the moment over a thousand times in my mind this past week. Part of me keeps telling myself that it was all totally professional. That she was concerned about an injured employee, nothing more. But another part of me can’t stop thinking about how she gave me her handkerchief, how angry she was when she thought I might die…

I glance over at my bedroom door. The lock’s broken, but it’s shut tight. I can hear the faint sound of Divorce Court from the living room.

My mom won’t come to bed for another hour or so, probably.

Taking a deep breath, I reach down under the covers, under the worn T-shirt I love to wear to bed. My fingers find my nipples, erect and sensitive. I close my eyes and gently play with them, imagining what it might be like to feel her touch. It’s just a harmless fantasy…what could it hurt to indulge in it?

Her fingers were cold, thrilling…what would they be like over my body? Dylan was always so rough, so impatient…but I think she would be different. Her movements smooth. Her fingers controlled and capable.

I reach down under my light blue panties, and find my clit already swollen and slick. I sigh pleasurably as I tease it, allowing myself to fully enjoy this peaceful moment of alone time. It’s been so long since I let myself have this sort of release…

And usually it takes me a bit longer, but there’s a sort of dirty pleasure in thinking about someone I’m not supposed to. I imagine her standing over me, her assertive gaze exploring my body boldly. I bet she would know exactly how to do it. I bet she would teach me…

Wonderful tension builds up inside of me and a throaty moan escapes my lips. My fingers move more quickly, apply more pressure as I start to peak…

I know it’s wrong, but it feels so good…

Then the door to my bedroom opens with a slam.

“Lily,” says my mother sternly.

My face flushes bright red and I pull my hands away from myself, sitting up in bed.

“Mom! Knock first!”

She tsks. “I’m not your butler , Lily.” I’m too flustered to remind her that she showed up, uninvited, at my apartment to watch TV. “And anyway, you need to get out of bed and put some proper clothes on. There’s a very intimidating woman here, wearing pumps. Do people still call them pumps?”

“There’s a…” My heart flies into my throat. “Oh my god, mom, is Ms. Espina here?”

“I think that was it, I don’t know.”

I jump out of bed, throwing my blanket onto the floor. I scramble to my dresser to pull out a bra and some real pants. My heart is still hammering and I can smell myself on my hands.

“She came in right at the verdict!” my mother continues. “Now I’m not going to know what the judge said, and it was a very good episode…”

“I’m sure it’s online somewhere, mom,” I sigh, pulling on a pair of worn slippers. It feels strange approaching my boss in bare feet. What is she doing here? She’s never come to my apartment before. I didn’t even know she knew where I lived!

I do my best to smooth down my hair. I wish there was a bathroom in my bedroom where I could brush my hair and wash my hands, but the only bathroom in our small apartment is beside Eli’s room.

I take a deep inhale, then I push past my mother into the living room.

Renata is standing in my kitchen. She wears a soft, velvet blazer, and shimmering ruby studs in each ear. Her arms are crossed, as she surveys my apartment with an expression of distaste.

“Is this where you live, Lily?” she asks curtly. “Should we be paying you a higher salary?”

“I…no, no!” I reply, flustered. “It’s enough, it’s just…”

“Yes, you should give her a raise!” my mother says, coming out of my bedroom and putting a hand on her hip. “Lily is a smart girl, and a hard worker. And she’s got her son and a dependent mother to care for.”

“Mom,” I hiss out of the corner of my mouth. Then I turn back to Renata. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina, I wasn’t expecting you.”

Her expression softens slightly as she looks at me. For just a moment, the perfect balance of professional to personal slides just a little toward personal. I hold my breath. “I’m sorry, Lily, I should have warned you I was coming. I wanted to check in on you, to make sure you’re healing all right.”

I nod vigorously. “Yes, I’m perfectly all right. More than all right.”

She takes a step toward me. “I can arrange additional time off, if you need it. Fully compensated. You just say the word.”

“No, no,” I tell her, earnestly. “Actually, I’ve been looking forward to coming back. I miss the office.”

Her lip tilts upward, and her eyes brighten. “We’ve missed you too. Nothing runs as smoothly without you. Lexi spent over fifty grand on a statue.”

“ One statue?” I gasp.

“Of a flamingo.” Renata rolls her eyes.

I chuckle. “I’m sorry. I usually check her AMEX statements every night.”

Renata nods. “I know. You do a lot, Lily. I wanted to let you know how important you are to our team.”

My heart flutters again, and Renata’s head cocks slightly to the side, her lips parted slightly. I know she can tell how delighted her words make me. She told me that she could hear my heartbeat, but now…now I feel strangely connected to her, too. Like I can pick up on her slightest movements, the tiny expressions of interest, of concern, in her eyes and on her lips.

Am I making it up? Painting a fantasy because of my own (extremely inappropriate) desires?

Or could it be that we have a connection now? A…blood bond, or something? Is that a thing that can happen with vampires? I make a mental note to google it later.

Behind us, my mother coughs loudly.

“Well, thank you for visiting Lily so late ,” she says. I groan inwardly. “I’m sure you’re a very busy lady.”

Renata’s lip twitches into a slight grimace, but she gives my mother a polite nod. “Good evening, Mrs. Harper. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

Then she looks back to me. “Rest well, Lily.”

“T-Thanks,” I stammer awkwardly.

She leaves, moving quietly like a shadow. But I feel her absence in the apartment after she goes.

“Well, that was odd!” my mother says, dropping down onto the couch again. “She must really appreciate you if she showed up all the way out here, Lily. You should take advantage and ask her for that raise. You know they’ve got newly renovated, two-bedroom suites in the senior’s home now?”

“We can’t afford a two-bedroom suite for you, mom,” I sigh.

She grumbles something, and goes back to watching her show.

I return to the bedroom, and slip back underneath the covers.

My mind is filled of images of Renata. The sound of her voice, her calm presence. She came all the way out here just to check in on me! Even if her feelings are just professional, it’s nice to know that she appreciates what I do, and that she wanted to make sure I’m all right.

I’m never going to get any sleep now.

To my disappointment, my first day back at work is a daytime shift, with only a few nighttime hours at the end of my workday. I feed Eli some lunch (peanut butter toast with fruit loops on it. Don’t ask me why, I’m not a five-year-old boy).

As I’m brushing my hair, I hear my mom come into the apartment.

“Lily, I’m here!” she calls. I stick my head out of the bathroom and see she’s carrying an enormous bouquet of fresh flowers.

And not just any flower…pink peonies.

“These came for you,” she says, setting them on the kitchen counter. “I intercepted the delivery person. Do you have a secret admirer you haven’t told me about, Lily?”

I hurry to the counter and look through the flowers for a card. They smell wonderful .

Who would know that pink peonies are my favourite? Not Dylan, that’s for sure. Or even if he knew, he wouldn’t retain the information for any meaningful length of time. He can recite property case law and basketball statistics like it’s nothing, but the favourite flower of his wife of five years? Nope. They’re definitely not from him.

My fingers find a little card inside the bouquet. The paper is high-quality, and I recognize it immediately. It’s from the hotel’s calligrapher, printed on the Thornblade stationary. There’s an embossed rose on the thick, creamy paper.

To Lily Harper,

We hope you had a smooth recovery. We look forward to your return.

With warm regards,

The Staff of the Respite Hotel

I’m enveloped by a wonderful, warm, tingly feeling. The flowers are gorgeous . Bathed in their sweet scent, I suddenly remember the last time I saw them.

It was the Chiu wedding, last autumn. Peonies were out of season, but the bride loved them, and the entire south banquet hall was covered in them. I was so happy, taking frequent breaks to stop and smell them, to run my fingers along their velvety petals.

Renata noticed. “You seem even more cheerful than usual today, Lily.”

I beamed at her. “I love peonies. Especially pink ones. They’re my favourite flower.”

She had smiled, and didn’t say anything else.

That was so long ago. I’d almost forgotten the interaction. Surely she didn’t remember. She deals with so many details every day.

But I don’t think I told anyone else.

Does it mean that she arranged to have them sent to me? I can’t imagine it could have been Mel, or anyone else at the office.

“Well, who are they from?” my mother snaps.

“Just the office, mom,” I reply, tucking the card gently into my pocket. I want to keep it close to me. Even though it’s not the most personal message, the thought that it could have been from her…

“Oh, I thought maybe you had a beau,” my mother frowns. “If you’re not going to get back together with Dylan, then you should really be looking for someone else, Lily. At your age, most women are married, or still married. If you want Eli to have any sisters or bothers…”

“I have to get to work, mom,” I say, grabbing my purse and keys. “I’ll be home before midnight.” I give Eli a kiss on the top of his head. “Be good for grandma!”

And I’m off to work.

I wish I didn’t have the daytime shift.

Chapter 13: Human Resources

Lily

The first few hours of my shift fly by. After having a week off, I’m sharper and even more enthusiastic than usual, jumping between projects and supporting the hotel staff with renewed energy. I love getting into the flow at work, and there’s no shortage of things to catch up on.

“Come in!” calls a piercing voice. I enter the Human Resources office with a pile of completed forms in my hand.

Mel sits cross-legged behind her desk, working intensely at a Rubik’s cube she holds in her long fingers. Her eyes seem to be flashing different colours depending on the side of the cube she’s working on. Her tangled green hair falls in waves around her, and she wears a bright yellow blazer with what looks like a small twig sticking out of the pocket. She looks like how you would dress if you had just a passing idea of what businesspeople were supposed to look like, but you’d never actually seen one in person.

I’ve always suspected she was some sort of magical person, but I have no idea what she could be. I know there are vampires, and witches, and people who can turn into animals (animals!), but I’m not too familiar with other magical groups. Are fairies a thing? That seems plausible, given the colour palette and her general inability to focus on anything for more than a second.

Except this Rubik’s cube, apparently.

She sighs heavily, and slams the uncompleted cube down on her desk with a shake of her head.

“Ridiculous,” she says. Her golden eyes survey me, as though she’s just noticed I’m here. “Oh, Lily. What are you doing here?”

“I have some questions about the paperwork that Lexi collected from the new internship students,” I say.

Mel stares at me, without blinking.

“Um, I think we’re going to have to redo some of them,” I continue, shuffling through the hastily-completed forms. “One of them listed ‘the Devil’ as her emergency contact…?”

“Oh, that’s Lillith,” Mel replies. “The Devil is her dad.”

I stare back at her, sure I’ve misheard. “What?”

Mel waves her hand impatiently. “It’s fine. Just put ‘Lucifer Morningstar’ and hope that you never have to call Him.”

“That’s the other thing,” I say, gesturing to a line on the form. “We need to have a way to get in touch with students’ emergency contacts, in case something happens. But there’s no phone number, or even an email address. It just says, ‘Speak His name thrice and He shalt appear before ye.’”

“Well, that is how you contact him,” Mel says with a sigh. “Is there anything else?”

She looks at me as though I’ve interrupted her doing something very important, rather than solving a Rubik’s cube in the middle of the work day.

“No, I suppose not,” I say, standing to go back to my office.

But then something occurs to me, and I turn back toward her. “Actually…there was something I was thinking of asking you about…”

She stare at me blankly. “What is it, Lily?”

“Well…” I sit down again, not sure how to phrase what I want to ask her. “I just have a hypothetical question. Not, like, that anything’s happened or anything, I was just talking to a friend of mine, and she was asking…”

Mel doesn’t say anything.

“Uh…I was just wondering if the hotel…has a policy about workplace relationships?”

Her head cocks to one side. “Relationships?”

I feel my face reddening. “Yes, like, romantic relationships. If, say…someone were to decide to get in a relationship with someone else at the hotel. You know, like Celine and Amara.”

Mel frowns. “Celine and Amara are in a relationship?”

“Um…” I fiddle with my collar anxiously. I’m in way too deep here. “I mean like, if they were to get into a relationship. Or if anyone were to get into a relationship…”

“Well, it would be different, for Celine and Amara,” Mel replies. “Amara isn’t officially on payroll anymore. She just works when she feels like it. And Celine is technically an employee of one of Tudor’s holding companies, not the Respite hotel corporation, so even if she was, they’re employed under two different businesses.”

“Ok, but, say two people who are both employed at the hotel were to…decide to start seeing each other. What would happen?”

“Well,” Mel leans back a little in her chair, stretching out her long legs and arms for a painfully long minute as she considers my question. “It’s never happened before. I guess we would have to fire one of them, probably.”

“ Fire them?” I reply. “Are you sure?”

“Well, it’s certainly an unethical situation.” Mel shrugs. “You can’t have two employees working together who are in a relationship. Maybe two people in different departments, or who don’t report to each other. But if it was two people in the same department, yes, I think the only solution would be to let one of them go. Probably the one with the least seniority.”

My voice comes out a little squeaky. “Oh. Ok.”

Mel’s lime green eyebrows drop down low over her eyes. “Lily, do you know someone who’s having a workplace relationship? If you do, you have to report it.”

“Oh, no I don’t!” I tell her quickly, standing back up again. “Like I said, it was just something a friend of mine asked. Just curious.”

I give a small cough and I hurry out of the office without another word.

As I return to my desk, I’m surprised by how disappointed I feel. I didn’t think the answer would be to get fired , I thought maybe there was a policy where like…I don’t know, there could be some boundaries put in place or something? I guess I hadn’t thought it through.

I definitely can’t lose my job. Every year, it’s more and more expensive to take care of Eli, and my mother’s health has been declining. Living in the city isn’t cheap, and my salary at the hotel is good, especially given my experience and background. I’m not going to find something better.

And I love working here. I don’t want to lose my job!

It’s a silly thing to worry about anyway. There’s no way that Renata is interested in me romantically. What could I possibly have to offer her? She could easily get anyone she wants. She’ll probably find some super-powerful, gorgeous witch lover like Amara who’s a thousand years old and can give you orgasms just by twitching her nose. Then she’ll forget all about my favourite flowers and how she gave me her blood on the holding floor.

She was just being nice, that’s it. She never felt the same way about me. There’s no point in torturing myself pining after her.

From now on, I’m going to keep it strictly professional. No fantasies, just work!

And then I’m sure these feelings will go away.

They have to, right?

I put my head down and get through the remaining hours of my shift. I try not to look at the time too often, but it’s impossible as the clock ticks down to sunset.

When I hear the crisp click of her heels on the office floor, I try to keep my heart rate down, although I’m not too sure how successful I am.

“Good evening, Lily,” says that incredible, smooth voice.

“Good evening, Ms. Espina,” I reply. I give her a sweet smile, keeping my tone chipper but professional. I’m nailing this already. “I trust you had a restful slumber?”

“I did, thank you,” she replies. “How are you? Have you healed completely?”

“I’m wonderful, I appreciate you asking.”

“And did you like the flowers?” she asks, a little grin on her face. “The peonies?”

“Oh, yes,” I respond, fighting hard against the heat rising in my cheek. “They’re my favourite.”

“I remember,” she says. My stomach does a backflip. It was her!

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Ms. Espina,” I say, swallowing thickly.

“And I have something else to show you,” she says. “If you have a moment.”

“Of course,” I say, standing up from my desk. I wonder what it could be. Maybe a new project, or something for the witch conference. I’m extremely behind on the planning since my week off.

I follow her down the hallway and onto the elevator. She presses the button for the fourth floor of the hotel, where the residential suites are. I recall there’s a prestigious businesswoman who recently checked out. Perhaps her suite needs to be refurnished after her departure. Regular guests are always requesting very specific things, and it’s not unusual to make room alterations for them, especially the more expensive ones, like our residential suites.

“I just…I wanted to say sorry about my mother the other night,” I tell her, as the doors chime shut. “She’s a little…blunt.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” she says. “I did want to ask, however, whether she is living with you.”

“Oh, no,” I reply. “She lives in a senior’s residence. We moved her there after my dad died. She had a little trouble keeping the whole house, and my apartment is just too small for the three of us.”

“Good,” Renata replies, simply.

The doors chime again, and we get off the elevator. The hotel floor hallways are gorgeous, especially the floor of the residential suites. It’s a bit wider than the hallway of the other suites, since there are larger pieces of furniture to move in and out. As I suspected, we walk toward the newly vacated, three-bedroom, two-bathroom suite at the very end of the floor. It’s one of my favourites.

Renata takes a keycard from her pocket and opens it. It’s a bit strange that she doesn’t use her master key. We both have one, which unlocks all of the hotel rooms. That card looks like it’s a regular room key, like a guest would have.

We step in, and I take a moment to absorb the beautiful entryway of the suite. This one takes up two floors, so the entryway also has a carpeted staircase, with a gorgeously finished wooden banister, and a generous closet for jackets and boots. We step through the hallway and into the living room, one of the biggest rooms of the suite. It has a massive, flatscreen TV that my mother would die for, and a suede sectional couch that I’m sure Eli would enjoy bouncing on. It opens onto a large terrace.

To my surprise, Renata hands me the keycard.

“I had a safety fence installed around the pool,” she tells me with a smile. “For your little one, so he doesn’t fall in. And your mother is welcome anytime. There’s another TV in the third bedroom, so she can stay in that one if you’d rather have her out of the way.”

I take the card. Its veneer is silky, so unlike my own staff master key.

“Um, I’m sorry,” I say to Renata. “I don’t understand what you’re…”

“This suite is for you,” she clarifies. “And your son, and anyone else if you…” she raises her eyebrows.

“Oh! No, it’s just me and Eli,” I respond. “But you…” I look frantically around the suite, which is at least five times the size of my current apartment, and much nicer than even the house I grew up in. “You can’t be serious…”

“Lily, have you even known me not to be serious?” Renata asks, with a coy smile. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier.”

I shake my head. “But this is much, much too generous.”

“Of course it’s not. This is a hotel, if there’s one thing we have in abundance, it’s accommodations. I can’t have you living in that little apartment. I need you nearby, and well-rested. This way, you can use the daycare, and you don’t need to worry about commuting.”

I can’t believe it. I look around the incredible living room and into the adjacent kitchen.

“This is amazing ,” I breathe, almost at a loss for words. “You have no idea. My kitchen is so small, I’ll even be able to cook properly again…no more fruit loops for Eli…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you won’t be doing any cooking,” she says with a frown. I turn back to her, confused. “When you’re hungry, call down to the kitchen and they’ll prepare something. I told them to comp everything. You’re my assistant, and I need you by my side. You should be well-fed and taken care of.”

Her words almost bring tears to my eyes. “This…this means so much, Renata…” I’m so emotional, I forget to use her last name. “It’s been so long since someone did something so nice for me. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything,” she says. “Just enjoy your new suite. It’s your’s for as long as you want it. I’ve already asked the receptionist to coordinate a moving company for your things.”

“ Thank you,” I whisper. “Really, thank you.”

She moves toward the door. “I’ll let you look around, then you should head directly home. You must have had a long day back. The moving company will give you a call tomorrow morning to make all the necessary arrangements for your things.”

I nod, unable to believe my luck. As soon as I hear the click of the door, I squeal in delight, and immediately start floating through the suite, imagining myself here. In the year and a half since I’ve worked at the hotel, I’ve never, ever imagined I could actually live in one of these gorgeous, impossibly chic rooms. It’s a dream come true.

The last place I find is the primary bedroom. It has a view of the lake and an en-suite bathroom with a huge bathtub and a rain shower. The bed is incredible, a California king with sheets of soft cotton. Eli, me, and my mom could all share this bed and there would still be space (although I may let mom stay in the senior’s home).

I kick off my shoes and jump into the bed, pressing my face against the plush bedspread and satin pillowcase. I roll around for a little while, soaking in the joyful moment.

Her words wrap me up, softer and warmer than any thick hotel duvet.

I need you by my side. You should be taken care of.

I’m not an idiot. I know that she doesn’t, you know, like-me like me, but…she appreciates my hard work. And for right now, that’s plenty.

Chapter 14: Claustrophobia

Renata

My fingers dance across my smooth keyboard, the gentle clicking sound providing a lovely background hum as I work. I’ve turned off the lights in my office, the way I always do when I’m alone. It’s just me, the dim light from my screen, and the beautiful moon hanging above the lake through my window.

It’s my favourite time of night. Four a.m. When it’s simultaneously too late and too early for anyone to bother me.

And it’s my favourite day of the week. Tuesday. When Lily’s shift aligns with mine. She’s the only person who’s presence I can stand right now. She actually makes my job easier, instead of causing more messes for me to clean up.

I still feel horribly guilty for what happened on the holding floor. I should have realized that there may have been a real threat, and kept her out of harm’s way. As her employer, it’s my job to keep her safe. Especially because she’s human.

But there is something else. Something about Lily that makes her easy to be around. She’s like a ray of sunlight in my otherwise long, dark nights of endless work. No matter how busy we are, or how stressful things become, she never falters in her relentless optimism. On the contrary, she becomes more hard-working and dedicated, completing every task with a bright smile.

Perhaps that’s why it felt so good to send her those flowers, and to present her with her own suite. I couldn’t bear to see her living in that tiny apartment with her son. A pleasant feeling washes over me as I remember how she lit up when she realized I was giving her the residential suite. I thought I saw tears in her eyes. I get the sense that she’s not used to being cared for in such a way. It made me a little sad. She’s so special…she deserves to be treated well.

My speaker phone beeps, and Lily’s soft voice fills my office.

“Ms. Espina,” she says. “The casino called. They’re having an issue with the mayor, again.”

“Really? This late at night?”

“Well, it’s not her , it’s her account. The night manager was doing the drop and noticed a discrepancy. You know how they are at the casino…”

I sigh. “They want to report everything all the way up, every time.” The casino’s operations are extremely tight, ever since there was an employee theft incident several years ago. Celine dealt with it swiftly and made it clear that theft would not be tolerated to any extent. Now all of the managers are paranoid any time the count is off, and they strictly follow the policy of reporting it to the top manager. It used to be Celine, but since she’s focused on the other vampire leaders, now the operations of the casino fall to me. “Tell them I’ll be right down.”

“Of course, Ms. Espina.”

I give the moon one last glance before I leave my office. It really is a stunning view. I wish that I could take things slower, like Amara suggested. But she just doesn’t understand. When I’m not around to keep this place running, everything falls apart. And when it does, it all falls on my shoulders. I won’t let that happen.

I step out of the office, and Lily is already standing there. Her silky hair has just the hint of a wave, falling delicately around her round face. She wears a light pink blouse tucked into a high-waisted pencil skirt. She’s not wearing her usual cardigan, and her legs are bare. I suppose it must be getting warmer outside, now that we’re into the summer months.

“I’ll come with you, down to the casino,” she offers. “I can help reconcile the numbers, and it will go faster. Perhaps next time I can handle it for you, Ms. Espina.”

She looks at me brightly. She’s the only person that I would trust to do such a thing, and I don’t have the words to express to her what a relief that is. “That would be wonderful, Lily, thank you.”

She steps beside me as we move down the hallway. Suddenly, a powerful waft of smell hits me. A pleasant, invigorating aroma, reminiscent of dandelions and honeysuckle. The scent of Lily’s blood. It takes me by surprise. I can feel the red behind my eyes, and I have to step back.

“Ms. Espina?” she says, nervously.

“My apologies, Lily,” I tell her, shaking my head slightly and giving her a tight smile. To my dismay, I feel a little peek of my fangs from below my lips. I quickly close my mouth again, but she’s already seen them.

“Oh!” she gasps. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Espina. I haven’t arranged a donor for you since I’ve been back. You must have missed last Wednesday…”

“It’s all right, I’m perfectly fine,” I say, using all my willpower to force my fangs to recede.

“How long has it been since…”

“I’m fine , Lily,” I insist, although I know I’m not fooling her. Silently, I curse myself for not drinking anything recently. How long has it been? I’ve been so buried in work I haven’t even thought about it.

But I have excellent self-control, especially for a vampire. I’ve been cultivating my willpower for centuries. I can go a long time without drinking, especially when things are busy at the hotel and I don’t have the time to consume blood.

“We should get going,” I say to Lily.

She nods, and we head to the elevators. It’s only the two of us tonight, not even a receptionist. Lexi is supposed to be working, of course, but she’s nowhere to be seen.

The casino is only accessible via the service elevator at the end of the hallway. It’s tucked away secretly, and it’s actually much nicer than our regular elevators, with a plush bench at the back. That’s because it’s not really a service elevator. It goes to the casino and the club floors. I press the red button three times to take us to the casino.

The moment the doors close, I can sense Lily’s quickened pulse. She told me once that she doesn’t like elevators, so every time we’re in one together, I try to distract her.

“Are you enjoying your new accommodations?” I ask.

“Oh, very much,” she replies. “Thank you again, Ms. Espina.”

“I’m glad you’re settling in well. It’s just you and your son?”

“Yes, Eli. He’s five. Well, you met him.”

“Yes.” Curiosity strikes me. I don’t know much about Lily’s life, other than what I saw when I visited her at her apartment. I wonder if she has a partner. I didn’t see anyone else when I was there. It feels odd, to think of Lily with someone. “Is anyone else moving in with you?”

“Oh…no, it’s just the two of us,” she turns to me, a little pink flush across her cheeks.

Her heart begins to beat a little quicker. The pounding in her chest and the whoosh of blood rushing through her veins activates a hungry ache inside me. I swallow and look away from her.

I regret letting myself go so long without drinking. Usually I’m much better at keeping myself well-fed. Since Lily has been getting me donors, I’m not even used to experiencing bloodlust anymore.

But it will be fine. In just a moment, the elevator doors will open, and it will be easier to control my urges.

Then the elevator stops. Not on its intended floor. It stops abruptly, jolting Lily and I. She loses her balance and falls onto me so I catch her in my arms.

The touch of her warm, supple skin against mine is almost more than I can bear. The bloodlust makes my conscious mind hazy, and at the same time, it sharpens my physical senses. I’m suddenly acutely aware of Lily’s breathing, of the thumping rhythm of her heart, of the tendrils of ash-blond hair that fall across her face. I could count every eyelash, memorize the shade of her eyes…

Her gaze catches mine and she swallows. The skin around her neck is so tender…

I pull away, before I do something I’ll sorely regret.

“The elevator,” Lily says, a note of panic in her voice.

“It’s all right,” I tell her, pulling out my cellphone. “Sometimes the elevators stall. It will start to move again in a moment, you’ll see.”

“O…ok…” she hugs her arms around herself tightly. “Are you getting any bars?”

I hold up my phone, and my stomach drops. “No.” I put it back in my pocket and smash my finger into the security button on the elevator’s panel. “Hello?” I yell into the receiver. But there’s only a dial tone. “Is anyone there?”

Silence.

“Ms. Espina?” Lily says shakily. “I…I don’t like confined spaces…”

I can smell the fear radiating off of her skin. It awakens a carnal instinct inside me.

“Hold on,” I tell her. I move to the doors, and wedge the tops of my fingernails between them. It would be impossible for a normal human, but…

I press my fingers as hard as I can, and…

Nothing. I strain against the heavy metal doors, but they don’t budge. I can feel my weakness, the shakiness of my usually rock-hard muscles.

I hiss angrily, unable to contain my frustration.

“What…what are you doing?” she asks.

“I’m not strong enough,” I tell her, bitterly. “It’s my own fault, I should have fed…”

She shakes her head. “It’s not your…”

And the light goes out, plunging us both into pitch darkness.

Lily screams, and reaches out, clutching my arm fearfully. She’s shorter than me, her head only up to my shoulder. I can feel a tear run down her cheek as she presses it up against my skin. Her scent and the relentless, heavy pounding in her chest are overwhelming.

“Wait, wait,” I tell her. Holding her in one arm, I reach over to my wrist with the other and turn on its flashlight function. It’s not much, but now she should be able to see a little.

She holds onto me like a liferaft. “I’m…I’m sorry…” she gasps. “When I was little I got…stuck in an elevator and I just don’t…I just…”

“Shh,” I tell her. “It’s all right. Someone will come, we’ll be out of here soon.”

But even as I say the words, I doubt them. It’s the middle of the night. The morning staff won’t be here for another few hours. The night staff will be finishing up, but security is thin and Tuesdays are our quietest time of the week. It could be a long time before anyone comes looking for us.

I can feel Lily shaking in my arms, and I curse myself again for not feeding recently. If I had more blood in my veins, I could easily open the doors to the elevators. But right now, I’m powerless.

At just the thought of blood, I feel my fangs elongate. I don’t have any more willpower to stop them from crossing over my bottom lips. I’m using all of it holding back the overwhelming urge that arises inside of me with Lily pressed up so closely, her scent filling the elevator car.

She sees my fangs and her eyes widen, her irises contracting. She’s so scared that she forgets to call me by my last name. “Re-Renata…”

“It’s ok,” I say to her, my voice thick. “I won’t hurt you. It’s just an instinct.”

“You…you said you weren’t strong enough to open the doors because you haven’t drank any blood lately…”

A heavy stab of guilt pierces my chest. “Yes.”

She looks up at me, her eyes shining eagerly. “You should drink from me ,” she says breathlessly. Her cheeks are stained with tears. “It would make you strong…and…and I have O negative blood…”

My lip twitches at the thought. I can’t do such a thing. It would be completely unprofessional and inappropriate. “Absolutely not .”

But I can feel the red glow behind my eyes. Lily sees it, and she bites her lip. The gesture makes me ache in more than one place.

A protective feeling washes over me, like the one I experienced on the holding floor when I was sure she was going to die. I didn’t hesitate before giving her my blood. I’m responsible for Lily, for her safety. If I could give her my own blood, is this so different? I know I shouldn’t…but every frightened beat of her heart weakens my resolve.

“Please,” she whispers. She has such perfect lips. How did I not notice her perfect lips before? So pink, and so gracefully bowed. “Please, Renata, I have to get out of here.”

And with those words, all reason is gone. I let the crimson spill into my eyes, and the fangs creep lower down along my chin. I take down the wall that stops her scent from filling my nostrils, that holds back the tender song of her heart from drawing me closer.

I pull her by the waist, pressing her against me. And I lock my eyes onto her’s. It’s a spell I’ve cast a hundred thousand times. A glamour charm that will lull her into a pleasant state. It will make the bite a transcendent experience for her. Each vampire’s spell is different, and I’m particularly proud of mine. It’s quick and seamless, with a tantalizing finish. I feel her shiver pleasurably in my arms, and her eyes soften. Her heartbeat pounds strongly, but there’s no scent of panic in the air. Only warm desire.

Because there is desire in her eyes, even if I didn’t let myself see it before. It’s much more difficult to charm someone who wasn’t already willing to be charmed.

Her desire sparks a matching one in me. Without hesitating, I pick her up in my arms and lay her down on the plush bench behind us. I carefully arrange her head on a pillow so she’ll be comfortable. I push the hair from her eyes.

I bend down over her, but she presses her palm into my chest.

“Wait,” she whispers. “Not my neck. Is there another place…”

Of course. She doesn’t want a mark to show. “Your wrist?” I suggest.

She shakes her head. “It’s the summer…I wear short sleeves…”

“Then…” My head spins at the very thought. “There is a spot…that’s more hidden…”

She nods eagerly. “Where?”

“Your thigh,” I tell her, showing her with my gaze what I’m implying.

“Oh…” she gasps. With my heightened senses, I can smell the hormones emanating from her pores like a floral perfume. “Yes…I mean, if you think that would be best…”

“Whatever you desire,” I say. I hadn’t meant to say ‘desire,’ and the word hangs heavily in the air between us. Her lips tremble.

“Yes, you can bite me there,” she breathes.

“If at any point you want me to stop…”

She peers up at me through heavy eyelids. “I trust you, Renata. I trust you completely.”

Her words cements the covenant between us. Without another thought, I gently pull up the silky fabric of her tight pencil skirt. My mouth finds the perfect spot on her upper inner thigh, and my fangs pierce her tender skin.

Her blood is thick, and flows vigorously. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted, more fragrant than the ripest fruit, and sweet. Sweeter than honey.

She moans, her pleasure like a symphony, resonating against the elevator’s walls. Unable to control myself, I drink deeply from her thigh, and she responds in kind, pressing it up against my mouth.

Her blood strengthens me and calms the restlessness in my core. For the first time in many, many years, I feel grounded. I don’t know why, but drinking from Lily just… feels different. I realize suddenly that I’ve never drank blood from someone I know, someone I already have a relationship with. I’m always able to distance myself from the living humans I feed on. To think of it as a transaction. I fulfill my need to drink human blood, and they’re compensated with a pleasurable experience, or money. Usually both.

As her blood fills me and my vampiric bloodlust abates, reason returns. Despite the relationship between Lily and I, I have to consider this just another transaction. She allowed me to drink her blood so that I can rescue her from the elevator. It’s just like all of those times with the donors.

I have to think of it that way…

But it’s hard to deny the powerful swell of feeling in my heart, the strong urge to protect her. I need to get her out of here. It’s my responsibility…

As her boss, of course.

I pull my mouth from her thigh, licking the wound. The magic in my spit not only heals the bite, but does so neatly to ensure there will be no scar (another signature of my abilities that I’m quite proud of). I pull her skirt down carefully. She looks up at me with an expression of satisfaction and complete trust. As the glamour charm wears off, I can feel her panic begin again. The elevator is still dark, and there’s no help in sight.

But inhuman strength and power now flow through my veins and harden my resolve.

“Wait here,” I tell her. Now I put my fingers between the elevator’s thick metal doors and find it easy to wedge them between the gaps. With one hand on each I force them open like two sliding screen doors.

The elevator shaft is dark, but there’s a safety light that’s enough for my vampiric night vision. I look up the shaft. We’re poised between two floors, and I can see the light from the floor above.

I look down. The sides of the shaft are too smooth to scale safely. If it was only me, I might try to go down. But with Lily, I won’t take the risk. I return to her side. She’s sitting up on the bench now. She swallows.

“Please don’t leave me,” she says, her voice small.

“I would never leave you,” I reply, bending down to meet her gaze. “But I’m going to ask you to be very brave, Lily. Do you need me to glamour you again?”

She shakes her head. “No. I’m scared, but…but I feel safe with you.”

“You know me in a professional capacity, Lily,” I say to her. She knows of my vampiricism, of course, but she may not be fully aware of the extent of my abilities. “And it might be easy to think that I’m just like any other CEO or businessperson. But I need you to understand something. I’m over two hundred years old, Lily. I don’t breathe, or have a heartbeat. There’s magic inside me that allows me to sustain myself with human blood, and it makes me extremely strong. Stronger than any other person you’ve ever met, except perhaps Celine. I can do things that living humans can’t do.”

She nods.

“I’m going to do something right now that seems impossible. And I need you to put all of your faith in me, and know that I can get you to safety. All right?”

“Yes.” Her panic subsides slightly, although there’s a warm pink flush to her cheeks that wasn’t there before.

I reach down and take her in my arms. She’s so light, and her heart hums like a bird in her chest. She clutches onto me tightly, her arms around my neck and shoulders.

“You can hang on as tightly as you like,” I tell her. “If it makes you feel safer. But I need you to know that I won’t drop you. Do you know that?”

“Yes, I know that,” she says, breathlessly.

“Good.”

Holding Lily in one arm, I lean out of the elevator doors. Her pulse starts to pound, but she doesn’t make a sound. She presses her face into my chest.

“You’re doing well, Lily,” I tell her. “This will be scary, but it will soon be over. Could you count to ten for me?”

“Ok,” she whimpers. “One…two…”

With the arm that’s not holding her, I reach out over the elevator. There’s a bar there, for emergencies exactly like this. I grip it in one fist and swing us up, and over onto the top of the elevator car.

“Three!” she shrieks.

“Keep going,” I tell her.

“Four…” She trembles against me, but she’s got nothing to fear. There are several thick ropes and pulleys attached to the elevator car. They’re too rough for the delicate skin of a normal human, but I’ll have no trouble.

“Five…”

With my free arm, I take one of the cables and hoist us up. I get a nice grip on the cables with my legs for stability as I use the other arm to pull us farther up.

“Six…”

I could move faster, but I don’t want to spook Lily too much.

“Seven…”

There’s light shining down through the small crack between the elevator doors on the next floor.

“Eight…”

Using my legs to hold us to the cable, I reach out, and pry them open with one hand. It’s far, but I can just manage it with my body fully extended, Lily nestled in my lap as I reach back. Light from the hotel lobby streams through the gap in the doors.

“Nine…”

“This is the worst part,” I whisper to her. “But I’ve got you.”

She nods and buries her face into my hair.

Launching myself with the force of my powerful legs, I leap across the elevator shaft.

She screams, “Ten!”

And I land on the hotel lobby floor, with Lily in one arm.

The lone night concierge looks over at us, his mouth open in shock, a phone against his cheek. This late at night, he’s the only one in the lobby. “Um…I’m going to have to call you back…”

“Get this elevator serviced,” I tell him sharply. Then I adjust Lily in my arms, holding her torso and legs delicately. She takes a grateful inhale, the adrenaline evaporating from her skin as she realizes she’s safe.

But I’m not letting her go yet. I carry her briskly toward the emergency staircase beside the service elevator, using my foot to kick upon the door.

“Where are we…?”

“I’m taking you home,” I tell her. “You’re off the clock.”

I don’t look back down at her. I’m worried how I would feel if I do. I’m worried about how things may have changed between us.

But I don’t have to think about that yet. Right now, my single focus is making sure Lily is safely tucked away in bed.

I have a master key, so I can enter her suite. Luckily, vampires move quietly, but I don’t turn on any lights, so as not to wake her sleeping son. I take her up the stairs of the suite and into the primary bedroom, laying her gently down on the bed.

Then I can’t avoid meeting her gaze. Her glittering eyes look up at me with admiration and awe…

“You saved me,” she whispers. “How can I ever thank you…”

“You saved me first,” I remind her. I want to take the blankets from the bed and tuck them around her, but that seems too intimate. And I’m extremely aware of how unprofessional things have become between us. “Lily, I just want to say…”

But to my surprise, she brings a hand up to my shoulder, interrupting me. “I understand. And I don’t want you to say anything. But I understand. Nothing’s changed. I promise.”

I nod. And I look at her, as though it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her.

She does understand. She understands that what happened tonight, and what happened on the holding floor, can’t interfere with the professional relationship between us. She values our work together, and the strength of our working relationship. She values that as much as I do.

She’s the only one who values our work as much as I do.

How did I not see it before? How did I not see her before? Out of everyone, Lily is the one that I trust the most, the one that I know I can count on. I hadn’t realized it, but she’s the person I look forward to seeing when I rise from my coffin each night.

She means so much to me. It takes all of my willpower to leave her.

As I close her bedroom door behind me softly, I can still taste her blood on my lips.

Chapter 15: Human Resources (part two)

Renata

The first email in my inbox the next night is from Lily, confirming that she canceled my donor. It makes sense, of course, I don’t need him now. Although I’m upset that she was working during the day. She should have been recovering and not thinking about work.

But that’s the way she is. She takes her professional duties extremely seriously. Almost as seriously as I do, and I set the bar for myself very high.

I tuck my phone into my pocket and rise from my coffin to prepare for the day. My clothes and jewelry are already spread out across my vanity, so it’s only a matter of freshening up in the bathroom and then changing. I like to be ready quickly so I can begin the night’s work.

As I comb my hair and fasten my emerald earrings, I can’t stop thinking about Lily. Drinking blood from a human can create a magical bond with them, and I suppose since I’ve also shared my blood with her, it’s cemented our connection even further. So I suppose it’s natural that I’m thinking of her. Of how her eyes looked up at me last night, so trusting and sweet. Of how she buried her face into my chest when I carried her up the elevator shaft. Of how she moaned when I drank from her thigh.

I shake my head. I can’t think this way. Lily is my employee, and not only that, she’s my most trusted, competent employee. I wasn’t exaggerating or flattering her when I told her that the hotel needs her to function. It’s true. In the past year and a half, I’ve come to rely on her to streamline my schedule and manage crises that I can’t deal with while I’m resting.

And we’re in sync, her and I. We have the same work ethic, the same values. I know that if I give her a project, she’ll do it almost as well as I could do it myself, and that’s really saying something.

I can’t lose her. And I can’t compromise our working relationship in any way. There’s too much on the line.

I step into my Jimmy Choo heels and onto the elevator. I check my smartwatch, and find to my dismay that my routine took me seven more minutes than it usually does.

This distraction is already costing me time.

“Good evening, Ms. Espina,” says the receptionist.

“Good evening.”

I hear Lily’s humming heart before I see her, and I smell the scent of sunshine and daffodils emanating from her down the hallway.

My god . Drinking her blood has tuned me into her, in a way I wasn’t before.

And…another tantalizing scent mixes in when she spots me. Something sweet…

She blushes when she sees me. Just a little flush below her cheeks, but easy to spot now.

I had always thought that her heart raced because she was nervous around vampires, and intimated by me in particular. I’m used to it, when I’m around normal humans.

But now, I wonder. Was there something else? Is there something else, in the frantic beat of her heart?

“Good evening, Lily,” I say to her.

“Good evening, Ms. Espina,” she replies, with a little nod.

She wears a cream-coloured silk shirt that hugs her in all the right places. I’m sure it’s soft against her skin. Her hair is pulled up on her head, into a ponytail, exposing her neck.

Did she do it on purpose?

No, I can’t entertain such a thought.

“Thank you for canceling the donor,” I say, trying to keep my tone as neutral as possible.

“Of course.” She breathes in. The thin material of her shirt shimmers across her chest. “Would you like me to rearrange your schedule, see if there are any appointments I can move earlier in the evening?”

I pause, struggling to keep my eyes from her neck and chest. I’m in more trouble than I thought. “No. I have some other business to attend to first.”

My tone indicates that she shouldn’t ask me any other questions about it.

I don’t want to worry her, so I go the long way around, by my sister’s office and down the hallway. I hope she assumes that I’ve gone to ask Celine or Lexi a question. But I circle back, and knock twice on the door of the Human Resources office before letting myself in.

Mel is lounging at her desk, staring off into the distance. She doesn’t have a laptop, or even a notebook in front of her. I give her a sharp, curious look. I wonder how long she was sitting at her desk, doing absolutely nothing, before I arrived. Mel wasn’t my hire, and certainly wasn’t my first choice for the position of Head of Human Resources. Tudor hired her during the Wicked Wars. She’s a mermaid, and he wanted to improve our relationship with the mermaids that occupy Silverlake. She wears an enchanted garnet ring that magics her fin into legs so she can walk on land. It’s a ring Tudor paid handsomely for, but I can’t say that we’ve gotten much in return for it.

“Oh,” she says. “Ms. Espina. I wasn’t expecting you, come in.”

I take a seat opposite her. Her nameplate says “Mel - Human Resources.”

“Mel,” I comment. “Is that short for something?”

“No,” she replies curtly.

I tilt my head. “Do you have a last name?”

She looks at me as though I’ve asked her a very offensive question.

I sigh. “I have a hypothetical question, Mel.” I try to think of how to phrase this. “It’s…imperative that you don’t tell anyone what I’m about to ask you. Is that understood?”

The mermaid twitches her nose. I assume that’s a yes.

“I have to ask you about employee relationships. Say, for example, that a manager were to find themselves in an…intimate relationship with one of their direct reports. I assume that we have a policy that would cover such a situation…”

Mel takes a long finger and taps her pointed front tooth thoughtfully. “Well, it’s never happened before, but it has been an issue at other hotel chains…”

“Has it?”

“Yes, well, it’s a different situation if it’s a manager with someone they supervise. That’s considered highly inappropriate and unprofessional. There was a case recently where a CEO had an affair with his assistant , if you can imagine that.”

I hold my face still. “You don’t say.”

“I know! Very scandalous stuff. They were seen by another employee of the hotel, and it was all over the front page of the papers the next day. Not that I read the papers.” Mel rolls her eyes as though the idea of reading a newspaper is ludicrous. “I’m all about podcasts, of course.”

“Of course,” I reply absentmindedly, turning over Mel’s words frantically in my head. “Well, I’m sure there are ways of handling such a situation professionally. I could imagine perhaps…having another supervisor complete their performance report, or…”

Mel barks out a single note of sharp laughter. “No, no, it was too far gone for that. It was a huge ethical breech and violation of trust. The CEO was immediately fired, and so was his assistant. The company’s stock completely tanked. People take that sort of thing very seriously nowadays.”

“I’m sure they do,” I say, my voice flat. Resigned, I stand from the uncomfortable leather chair. “Thank you, Mel. That’s helpful information.”

“You’re welcome!”

I turn to leave the office.

“It’s funny,” says the mermaid.

I look back at her. “What’s funny?”

“Someone else asked me that exact same question.”

“Really?” I raise my eyebrow. “Who?”

“Oh, you know,” Mel waves her hand. “It was the…the tiny blond one, she’s really cheerful. You know, the one with dimples, who’s always in a good mood, even though she works here.”

I grimace, but let it slide. “You mean…Lily?”

“Yeah, Lily!” Mel nods.

My eyes narrow. “ Lily asked you about our policy on workplace relationships?”

“Yep.” Mel puts the tip of a pencil in her mouth, chewing on the eraser.

“And what did you tell her?” I ask sharply.

Mel shrugs. “Same thing I told you. It would be an ethical concern, and they would probably be fired.”

Well, I have a lot to think about. “Good evening, Mel.”

“Evening, Renata!” she says cheerfully, as I step out of her office and back into the hallway.

I walk by Lily’s desk as I return to my office. She’s on a phone call, explaining patiently to a cleaner how to remove blood stains.

“Yes, cold water,” she says. “Make sure it’s cold, or else it will set.” She gives me a bright smile as I press my fingerprint into the keypad to enter my office. “Running it under a faucet is best, if you can.”

I shut the door behind me, but I don’t go to my desk. Instead, I stand before the window, looking out at the dark shadows that dance upon the lake.

Lily asked Mel about whether employees could have intimate relationships. Was she…

No. No, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because what Mel said is true. If anything more were to happen between us, it would not only be highly inappropriate and unethical, but it would be a tremendous risk to both my position and her’s, not to mention the hotel.

It doesn’t matter how I feel about her, or whether she might have feelings for me. We can never act on them. Never even think about acting on them. What’s already transpired is more than enough.

It has to be.

Chapter 16: Manicures

Lily

My phone rings for the twentieth time tonight. I don’t need to check to see who it is before I tap the flashing red button to decline the call.

I have a strong urge to throw my phone down the emergency staircase. I’ve been trying to take the stairs since the incident on the elevator with Renata. My claustrophobia is even worse than before. And even more than that, it’s too painful to be reminded of the moment we had together on the bench of the service elevator.

I had no idea that being bitten by a vampire would be like that. I mean, I figured that it would be hot , obviously, but not that hot! When her eyes traveled down to my thigh…if I didn’t realize I had it bad for my boss before that, well, now there’s no going back.

And it wasn’t even that it was sexy, or that it was dangerous (although it was both!), it’s how…how she held me so close to her when we were climbing out of the shaft. How unhesitating she was. How she made me feel like…like I was special.

For a moment, when she was drinking from me, I was sure that I was special to her. That I was more than just her assistant.

But I also know that it can never be more than that, between us. We both value our work more than anything else (except Eli, of course). I can’t risk my job, no matter how strong my feelings are.

I take my phone out of my pocket again, to text my mom. She was supposed to pick up Eli from the daycare at the hotel and drop him off at my suite, but it’s her first time doing it, so I want to confirm everything went all right.

But of course, when I look at my screen, it’s Dylan’s number again.

I shove my phone back in my pocket in frustration. I wish I could block him, but I need his contact in order to arrange his visits with Eli.

He’s been calling me all day. He doesn’t like that Eli and I have moved into the hotel, because he knows he can’t show up anytime he likes by charming my mother. So he’s been threatening all kinds of bogus legal action to scare me. He seems to have forgotten that I went to the same pre-law program as him (even though I never attended law school, because I got pregnant with Eli).

Finally, I make it to the front lobby, a little winded from the quick climb down the stairs. I really should work out more often. You would think that chasing after a five-year-old counted as cardio.

Mrs. Harrigan is screaming at one of the concierges. I immediately recognize the person at the front desk. It’s Lillith, the witch intern from the summer program who’s father is supposedly the Devil, although I’m too scared to ask how that works. She sits cross-legged on the chair behind the front desk, scowling at the shouting guest in front of her.

“I’m confused,” she says. “You’re upset because you didn’t like our food?”

“I’m not upset about your food!” Mrs. Harrigan spits. Then she sees me, and sighs dramatically. “Lily, finally , someone with some authority around here!”

Lillith bristles at the comment, her eyes flashing crimson. Mrs. Harrigan notices it and flinches backward. Before she can say something (and before Lillith can turn Mrs. Harrigan into a frog, which she looks like she wants to do), I intervene.

“Mrs. Harrigan,” I say, putting on my best customer service voice. “I’m sure there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. If there was an issue at the restaurant, I’d be happy to…”

“It’s not the Respite lounge, Lily!” Mrs. Harrigan says condescendingly. “It’s the terrible Italian restaurant down the street!”

I give Lillith a confused look. She shrugs, then reaches under the desk to pull out the dog-earred copy of “Bitten by Desire” that Chelsie was reading and opens it. I guess she’s given up on the interaction, so I turn back to Mrs. Harrigan.

“Mrs. Harrigan…” I start, but before I can say anything, she interrupts.

“The lounge was closed for a private event, and as you know, I will only eat at the lounge, not that awful family restaurant you have on the fifth floor,” she continues, with absolutely no reservation about insulting one of our restaurants directly to my face. “And so I asked one of your concierges for a recommendation for a similar type of cuisine. Enthusiastic young man, too good-looking if you ask me, that should have been my first warning. He very confidently recommended the Italian restaurant down the street, so of course, being the trusting person that I am, I bestowed my valuable business upon them and had my dinner there.” Her nostrils flare violently. “It was disgusting . The linguine alle vongole had basil in it, and the server was much too tall!” She shakes her head and looks up at the ceiling as though she’s about to faint. “It was a thoroughly horrible experience, Lily! Don’t ask me to speak about it further, I simply can’t!”

It takes a superhuman amount of force for me to keep a smile on my face. “Mrs. Harrigan, I’m so sorry to hear that. But as your experience wasn’t at our restaurant, I’m not sure what…”

“I expect you to compensate me, of course!” she bellows. A group of people checking in behind her look up in fright. “It was only on the recommendation of your concierge that I visited that restaurant at all! I fully expect you to take the amount of money that I wasted on a sub-par dining experience and put it against my final bill here.”

My smile falters slightly. “Mrs. Harrigan, I’m sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at a restaurant recommended by our concierge. But we can’t guarantee that other accommodations or dining experiences will provide a quality experience…”

She huffs angrily. “Well there must be something that you can do!”

I heave a heavy sigh. There’s a limit to what we can accommodate. I can’t set a precedent like this, even to avoid dealing with Mrs. Harrigan. I would love to just comp her bill, or give her a free pedicure, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Maybe I can figure something else out. I think back to what Mrs. Harrigan said, and I catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye.

At the concierge desk across the hall is a tall, broad-shouldered intern. His wavy brown hair kisses his neck, and his warm brown skin is tanned a shade darker for the summer. His smile is even bigger than mine, although it’s more genuine in this particular moment. He’s helping a small family get checked in. He doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing, by the way he’s shuffling through the hotel key cards, but the family looks completely enamored by him. And it’s not hard to see why. He’s joking easily with the family’s elementary-school child, and making goofy faces at their toddler. He’s sweet and easygoing. I’ve worked with him a little bit since he’s come on as an intern, and it’s impossible to dislike him.

“Um, Mrs. Harrigan,” I ask, interrupting her tirade. “Is that the concierge who recommended the Italian restaurant?”

Under her large sunglasses, her face flushes slightly red. “Oh…yes, that was him.”

“Mm-hm,” I reply. I wave a hand to get his attention across the lobby. “Arun?”

He looks up at me, and gives me a big thumb’s up. Then he quickly finishes checking in the family and runs across the lobby, leaping over a lounge chair instead of going around it.

His white button up is currently unbuttoned , exposing his defined chest and what appears to be a single shark’s tooth that he wears around his neck. With horror I see that he’s not even wearing shoes.

He flashes an impossible-to-resist smile at Mrs. Harrigan. “Hello, ma’am!” he says brightly. “Hi, Lily, what’s up?”

“Mrs. Harrigan has some feedback about the restaurant you recommended to her the other night,” I tell him.

“That’s great!” Arun says, focusing all of his attention on the now-flustered Mrs. Harrigan. He moves a step closer, looking intensely at her. She puts a hand to her hair self-consciously. “Did you like it?”

“Um…I…” Mrs. Harrigan stutters. She shoots me a frustrated look, clearly not wanting to complain in front of Arun.

He continues to gaze at her with an expression of innocent interest.

She sighs. “I…I didn’t like it very much.”

“Oh no!” Arun declares, with an expression of genuine remorse. I don’t know what kind of magical person he is, but if he could turn into a golden retriever, I wouldn’t be surprised. He has that sort of energy. He’s impossible to be upset with. “I thought for sure you would like the little curly fish things that they have. They’re my favourite.”

“Calamari?” I ask.

“Bless you,” Arun says. Then he looks at Mrs. Harrigan. “I’m really, really sorry about the restaurant, Mrs. Harrigan.” He eyes appear to grow several times bigger, shining with remorse. “It’s so fancy, and since you’re so fancy, I assumed you would like it.”

Mrs. Harrigan visibly swoons at his attention. “Well, I suppose I accept your apology.”

“Great!” Arun responds.

“Is that everything, Mrs. Harrigan?” I ask her.

“For now,” she says. She gives Arun a little finger-wiggle wave as she heads back to the elevators.

“Bye, Mrs. Harrison!” Arun yells.

“Harri gan ,” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth. When she’s out of earshot, I give Arun an appreciative smile. “Thanks, you really saved me there.”

“Thanks for what?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “Um, but you should probably button up your shirt, and find some shoes.”

“Why?”

“Hotel policy.”

“Does that mean I have to wear shoes?” Lillith asks, looking up from her paperback.

“Yes, you all have to wear shoes.” I frown. “Didn’t you read the employee manual I sent you? I includes our dress code.”

“Lexi said those were suggestions .” Lillith wrinkles her nose. “I thought working at a hotel would be more fun. Do you always have to be so nice to people? I mean, they seem terrible, and they don’t treat you very well.”

“Just because they’re terrible, doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t treat them well,” I say with a shrug. “I mean, it’s customer service.”

“Still,” Lillith grimaces. “If you want me to hex her…”

“That won’t be necessary, Lillith,” I say quickly.

“Oh, Lily,” Arun says, buttoning up his shirt. “I have some suggestions for the hotel I wanted to tell you about!”

“Um, all right,” I say, tentatively.

“Envision this.” He gestures grandly out at the lobby. “ Fountains . We have one outside the hotel, but what about inside the hotel?”

“Well, that seems a little expensive…”

“Ok, ok, you could start with like, a really small fountain,” he says. “And then gradually work up to a big one. Maybe even a waterfall!”

I decide to humour him. “I’ll pass it along, Arun.”

He gives me a big smile.

I see Hallie coming out of the elevators at the end of the lobby. It must be late, if she’s already up. I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time, but it’s dead.

She walks over to the three of us, giving Lillith a kiss on the cheek over the concierge desk. “Hi guys!”

“Hey, smart vampire,” Arun says.

“Hallie, how long have you been up?” I ask her.

“An hour or two,” she says. “Sorry, was I supposed to come here first? I thought my shift didn’t start until now.”

“It didn’t, but I should get back to my desk,” I say. “It’s been such a hectic shift, I’ve spent most of it away from the office.”

“We can take care of things down here,” Hallie says. Then she spots the book in Lillith’s hands. “What are you reading ?”

I chuckle, and wave goodbye to the three of them as I head back to the emergency staircase. Renata was concerned about the Elmwood Inclusive Magic Academy summer internship program, and there have been some speed bumps, but all of the students have good hearts. And with Hallie there to watch over them, I feel better about going back to the office floor.

I hurry up the stairs. Usually I have an alarm on my phone that notifies me when the sun has set, but I must have missed it because of all of Dylan’s calls. I get to the office floor and plug my phone into the charger at my desk. I open my email, and see a message that Renata canceled her donor for this evening. That’s odd. For a moment, I wonder if…

No, what a silly thought. For a second, I almost thought that maybe she canceled the donor because she liked my blood so much. But that would be ridiculous. All blood must be the same, to her. I’m sure mine wasn’t special in any way.

But there’s a little spark of delight in my chest knowing that she canceled her donor. I have to admit, I felt a little jealous when I scheduled the appointment in the first place.

I go to her office door, and knock twice. But there’s no answer.

“Ms. Espina?” I say, pressing my finger print to the keypad and to open the door just a crack.

Her office is dark, and empty. That’s strange. Maybe she canceled her donor because something else came up.

I sit back down at my desk, and pick up my cellphone.

There are at least twenty voicemails, all from Dylan. With a frustrated sigh, I scroll through the transcripts.

Lily, I have a right to see my son, and you’re keeping him from me…

If you had never gotten this job, we would still be together…

You’re never going to find anyone who will put up with you…

But then there’s a message from another caller. One I must have missed.

Ms. Harper, this is the Respite hotel daycare center. We have your son here, and nobody has come to pick him up…

“Oh my god!” I shout, reading through the message. Immediately, I find my mother’s contact and I call her.

It feels like an eternity before she picks up. “Yes, Lily?”

“Mom!” I shout. “Did you pick up Eli from daycare?”

“From…what, honey?”

“ Daycare . You were supposed to pick him up from daycare tonight, and take him back to the suite.”

“Oh, was that tonight, Lily?”

“ Yes , mom, that was tonight!”

Furious, I hang up the call, and call the daycare back. But it goes to voicemail. I call again. Voicemail again.

Panic mounts in my chest. The worst feeling any parent can experience - not knowing where your child is.

I get up from the desk and sprint down the office hall. I have to go to the daycare. He has to still be there.

As I run past the reception desk, the receptionist calls out to me. “Lily! They dropped off your son here, at your desk.”

“They…they did?” I look around frantically. “Where is he?”

“Well…” the receptionist frowns. “He was waiting for you at your desk and…Ms. Espina found him.”

My stomach drops. “Where are they now?”

“I don’t know.”

I exhale. At least he’s safe. But I’m definitely in big trouble. I turn around and ram my finger into the elevator button. “Thanks!” I shout to the receptionist, before boarding the elevator.

My claustrophobia doesn’t help the increasing panic rising in my chest. I’m not going to be able to relax until I see Eli. Even if I’m in trouble, at least he’s all right. That’s the important thing. I can’t believe my mother didn’t pick him up, but I shouldn’t be surprised. If I confront her about it, I’m sure she’ll just lecture me about how mothers should stay at home and families should have two parents. I think about the voicemails on my phone from Dylan, and frustration mixes with my anxiety. But I can’t think about that right now. One thing at a time.

I get off the elevator on the residential floor and race down the hallway to my suite. It’s still weird to think of it as my suite. Especially because it already came fully furnished, and there was no way I was going to replace the new, suede functional with my own worn, hand-me-down couch, so the hotel staff offered to store my furniture for me. The beautiful furniture really makes it feel like I’m living in a fancy hotel room.

I quickly let myself in. There’s nobody in the living room or kitchen, so I hurry up the stairs to Eli’s room. I swing the door open, breathing heavily.

I’m not prepared for what I find.

Eli’s red mushroom night light is on, casting a bright glow over the bedroom. He’s fast asleep on his bed, his little eyelashes brushing his rosy cheeks. He’s wearing his favourite pajamas, with an image of Princess Pony on them. His hair is brushed and I bet if I checked the toothbrush in the bathroom, it would be wet.

He’s curled up on top of Renata, his peaceful face against her chest. She lies against the bed with one arm around him. When she spots me, she puts one finger to her lips, then points to my sleeping son.

I’m stunned. A warm, tingling feeling envelopes my entire body. This is the last thing I expected to see. There’s a stack of books on the side table. Ones we definitely didn’t pick out last night. Did my boss…read my son a bedtime story and put him to sleep?

Renata carefully extricates herself from the slumbering Eli. I know that she’s a powerful vampire and whatever, but getting up without waking up a five-year-old is a whole separate skill set. Is she just good at everything ?

She rises from the bed and tucks Eli in gently, then we tip-toe out of the room. Well, I tip-toe. Renata glides.

We go down the stairs and into the hallway.

“Ms. Espina,” I whisper. “I’m so, so sorry…”

She puts a hand up to stop me. “No need to apologize, Lily. When I arose this evening, I found your son at your desk. The receptionist said that no one had picked him up…”

“My mother was supposed to.”

Renata gives me a knowing look. “I assumed something must have happened, and you weren’t picking up your phone, so I knew you must be busy.”

“There was an issue with Mrs. Harrigan,” I tell her. “But I am very sorry, Ms. Espina. Thank you so much for looking after Eli.”

“It was no trouble, Lily.” She pauses, an unreadable expression on her face. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you, before. The first time you brought him in to the office, I was taken off guard. Vampires don’t…have much experience with children.”

I think of her, curled up beside Eli on his bed. It certainly didn’t seem like she doesn’t have any experience with children. But I’m not going to argue with her. I’m just so relieved that Eli is all right, and that I’m not in any trouble.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Renata says. She frowns, and her brow furrows slightly.

“What is it?” I ask.

“He asked me to paint his nail bright red,” she says. “And obviously I couldn’t do that.”

My chest tightens. Renata told me she was hundreds of years old. She must have out-of-date ideas about gender. “Well, he…he likes having his nails painted…”

Renata shakes her head. “No, I mean that obviously red would be a terrible choice, given his complexion.” She raises her hand, showing me her fresh manicure, her nails a soft rose pink. “I took him to the spa, and we got matching shades. I hope that was all right.”

There’s a tender, aching feeling in my chest. For a moment, I feel like I’m going to burst into tears.

“Yes,” I whisper. “That’s all right.”

She gives me a nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Lily.”

“Good night, Ms. Espina.”

Then she exits my suite, leaving me with the ache in my chest.

As I get myself ready for bed and slip below the covers, I can’t stop thinking about her, curled up beside Eli. Even Dylan was never so tender with him. And my mother…well, my mother never would have taken him out to get matching manicures, that’s for sure. When I opened the door, I think I saw Renata brush the hair out of his eyes before she realized I was standing there.

I feel like my heart is going to explode. I never would have thought she’d be that way, especially after how she reacted to him the first time. It’s so strange. And yet…it doesn’t surprise me. Renata might seem harsh and unforgiving, to someone who doesn’t know her. But as I’ve worked with her, I’ve realized that she’s just very protective. She works hard at the hotel, and holds herself to a high standard, because she wants to take care of it for her family, and for all of the staff. She might seem intimidating, but I can tell that she cares very deeply about other people.

Like when she rescued me from that elevator, and saved my life with her blood.

My cheeks are hot, and I realize that I’m crying silent tears. Nobody’s ever cared for me the way that she does. My mom loves me, in her own way, but she always expects me to do things for her. And Dylan only liked me because I put up with all of his crap, and made him feel good about himself. He promised that he would pay for me to go to law school once Eli was born, but of course, that never happened. It was all about what he wanted. It was never about me.

But it’s different, with Renata. She sees me, and values what I do.

I thought it was just a silly crush on my boss.

But it’s not. It never was.

It’s much more than that.

And that breaks my heart.

Chapter 17: The wooden top

Renata

I give Lily a nod as I pass her on the way to my desk. “How was Elijah this morning?”

“He slept all the way through the night,” Lily tells me. The radiant smile on her face puts me in a good mood. “And he showed me his manicure. Thank you again for watching him last night, Ms. Espina.”

“I wish you would call me Renata,” I say. I don’t know if it’s a mistake to be more personal, but it certainly can’t hurt, can it? “We’ve known each other for a while now. We don’t need to be so formal.”

She blushes slightly, a rosy hue over her dimpled cheeks. To my pleasant surprise, she concedes. “All right, Renata .”

When I close the door of my office behind me, the flutter of her heart and the succulent smell of her blood dissipates. I wonder if it would make sense to move her desk in here…

No, I have to maintain some boundaries. I can’t move Lily’s desk into my office just so I can smell her blood. Besides, I probably wouldn’t get anything done with her tantalizing scent distracting me. I’m behind as it is.

But I allow myself one more distraction, before sitting down at my desk for the night. I go to the mahogany cabinet in the corner of my office. I don’t open it often. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. But tonight, I can’t help it.

I open the second drawer. There’s only one item inside it. The last remaining relic of my first life. I used to keep it in my crypt, but I never spend any time there, so I brought it up here. My fingers reach out to pick up the colourful wooden top. Its paint is a little faded, but it’s still perfectly round and smooth. I remember when the vibrant green and red seemed so special, so bright. Now everything is bright. The world is so different than it used to be.

But some things are the same. Like putting a small child to sleep.

There’s a painful throb in my chest. But for once, I don’t try to push it away. I close my eyes, holding the wooden top tightly in my fingers.

I know that some vampires forget their first life, if they live to be very, very old. But even though it’s painful, I don’t want to forget.

A voice on the desk phone speaker takes me away from my bittersweet memories.

“Renata,” Lily says. “Lexi and Hallie are here to see you.”

I put the top back in its spot in the cabinet, and I shut the drawer gently.

“Send them in,” I reply.

My sisters enter my office.

“Oh,” Hallie says, looking out at the view of the moonlit lake. “It’s dark in here.”

“The switch is beside you,” I tell her. “I keep the lights off when I’m alone.”

Hallie turns on the light. I notice that she’s holding her own Stanley tumbler, her’s a shade of purple.

I scowl at her. “Not you, too.”

“It’s actually not a bad idea!” Hallie says, taking a sip of bloodwine through the comically large straw. “You should try it!”

“I would rather be bound in silver,” I reply, taking a seat behind my desk. “What do you two want?”

“You said you wanted the reports from the internship program,” Lexi says, dropping a shiny black folder on my desk proudly. “It’s all here! I even got Damien to give them all grades, with feedback, and I asked Lily for the daytime shift report.”

“Thank you, Lexi,” I concede, taking the black folder.

“Oh, and another thing,” Lexi continues. “Can I borrow your…”

“No.” I take the black folder and open it, flipping between the reports.

She pouts. “But you didn’t even hear…”

“No.”

“Ren ata !” she moans. “I just bought this super-cute mauve swimsuit and I don’t have any shoes that go with it! I just need to borrow your…”

“No.”

Lexi growls.

Lily’s voice comes through my speaker. “Celine is here to see you, Renata.”

“Send her in,” I sigh.

Celine is surprised to see both Hallie and Lexi already in my office.

“Oh, good,” she says, holding up a black file folder. “You’re all here. Renata, I need to ask you…”

“I can’t take on another project,” I tell her firmly. “I’ve got enough to manage, with the wedding season in full swing, and the hotel fully booked for summer vacations. Not to mention that ridiculous witch conference that I’m supposed to plan…”

“That’s what I came to talk to you about,” Hallie interjects. “Professor Vyas has been mentoring me over the summer, and I’m helping her write her keynote. When we were talking, we had some ideas for the conference. She thought it would be really fun to have a display of altars to the various Deities and Demons that witches worship…”

“And where exactly is she going to put them?” I snap. “Does she realize how much effort I’ve put into finding enough space for all of her witches in the first place?”

“Maybe they could go in the south wing?” Lexi suggests. “Then you can use the dining hall for the broomstick flying tournament Xia and Amara are organizing…”

“The what ?” I demand. “They never mentioned such a thing to me. I’m not having witches flying broomsticks through my hotel!”

“ Our hotel,” Celine corrects. “Come on, Renata, it’ll be fine. I can’t speak for Xia, but I’m sure Amara will make sure that the flying stays inside the…”

I stand up, my leather chair rolling out behind me. I look my sister directly in the eye. “You want to have witches wearing robes on broomsticks in the middle of a hotel while there’s a wedding happening in the other room? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?”

She grimaces. “Just let the witches handle it. We’ve got bigger things to worry about, Renata.” She hands me a black file. “It’s Xavian. He’s moved into Lazarus’s territory, in Silverlake City.”

Lexi gasps. I take the folder from Celine.

“Who’s Xavian?” Hallie asks.

“He’s a…very powerful vampire,” Celine replies.

“He’s a big asshole,” Lexi adds.

“He’s trying to acquire our hotel chain,” I mutter, taking the folder and flipping through it. Celine has CCTV and drone footage of Xavian’s vampires around what used to be Lazarus’s territory north of the city. This doesn’t look good.

“He’s trying to what?” Hallie says. “Can…can he do that?”

“Not if we stop him,” Celine crosses her arms. “Our family has controlling shares in the hotel chain, casino, club, and the holding companies. Well, Tudor does, but since he’s imprisoned, that falls to me. Technically Cedric is his eldest progeny, but he’s been disinherited.”

“What about our shares in Lazarus’s businesses?” I ask Celine, with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, that’s where things get dicey,” Celine grimaces. “The paperwork hasn’t been updated recently.”

I glare at her. “I told you and Tudor we needed a succession plan, for exactly a situation like this!”

She groans. “Renata, how was I supposed to know that Tudor would get imprisoned and Lazarus would get staked in the same night?”

“You don’t have to know exactly what’s going to happen in order to prepare for it!” I retort, tossing the file angrily to my desk. “I don’t know why you never listen to me. If we had developed a succession plan while Tudor was here, we could have had everything set up…”

“Well, we didn’t , Renata…”

“Well, you should have!”

Celine growls at me, her eyes flashing crimson. “Fine, Renata! Are you happy ? You were right, and we didn’t plan ahead, and now we’re dealing with all this shit.”

“I’m not happy!” I yell back, furiously. Hallie takes an anxious sip of bloodwine from her tumbler. “I’m just sick of being the one who always has to deal with the messes you create!”

“Do you think I’m not cleaning up messes every day? Do you think I’m not doing enough? Just because I’m not an insane workaholic like you, doesn’t mean I’m not working my ass off to keep all of you safe!” Celine shouts. “We’re all doing our best, Renata!”

“Well we have to do better ,” I reply. But unexpectedly, my voice breaks on the last word, coming out in a strangled sob. My sisters look at me in concern, and I lower my gaze. I continue, a little shakily. “I can’t… we can’t…go back to what it was like when Tudor was here. And Xavian…Xavian would be even worse …”

There’s a thick silence in the wake of my words.

Celine crosses behind my desk, and puts a hand on my shoulder. It’s an unexpectedly tender gesture, for her. “Renata, that’s not going to happen. At least not if I can help it.” She turns to our wide-eyed younger sisters. “Neither of you will remember, but things haven’t always been as easy as they are now.”

“Is now easy ?” Hallie asks.

“Yeah, it’s not like the past hundred years have been a cakewalk,” Lexi says with a scowl. “Do you remember the War of the Final Fire? You both act like you’re the only ones who have to deal with Tudor’s wrath, but at least he likes both of you. He thinks you’re valuable. He always treated me like I was useless. He used to threaten to stake me at least once a week.”

“He locked me in a coffin,” Hallie adds. “At Elmwood, when I told him I wasn’t going to help him capture it. It was awful . I thought I’d spend eternity in there.”

“I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t like any of us anymore,” Celine sighs. “So we just have to hope that he stays locked up, and do our best to keep the other vampires away.”

She gives my shoulder a final squeeze, and all three of my sisters say goodnight.

There’s a somber quiet in their wake. I don’t like hoping. I like doing . I have to keep myself occupied. Maybe if I can work harder at the hotel, then Celine can focus on Xavian. The more we earn, the more resources we have against him. And perhaps hosting the witch conference isn’t the worst idea. If it impresses the Triple Council, maybe they’ll support us against the other vampire clans if it comes to a conflict.

I press a button on my speakerphone. “Lily, could you bring in the file for the witch conference, please? I’m going to look over the budget and room assignments again.”

“Right away, Renata.”

Despite the anxiety in my chest, there’s a little flicker of pleasure when she says my name. I probably should have asked her to email me the file. When she enters my room, she brings with her the warm throb of her beating heart, and fills my office with the smell of sunshine.

She deposits the file on my desk, complete with coloured tabs indicating things she’d like me to look at. “Oh, I also wanted to mention to you that one of our vendors asked for a meeting tomorrow evening, but there was no time in your calendar. I thought I could ask Lexi if she would…”

“No, don’t ask Lexi. Instead, cancel my donor for tomorrow night. Schedule the vendor meeting first thing in the evening.”

She gives me a puzzled look. “Are…are you sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” I give her a firm nod, and she reciprocates.

There’s a small smile on her face that she can’t hide. I wonder if she’s thinking about when I drank from her. It’s impossible not to conjure up the memory when her scent fills my nostrils, when the soft flush across her cheeks reminds me of the flowing, delicious blood dripping from her thigh.

“That will be all, Lily,” I tell her. She swallows, and exits my office.

My god, what am I going to do? I need Lily, especially given how busy our summer is going to become. But each day, the tension between us thickens. I was hoping it would dissipate, but it’s only gotten stronger.

I take the shining black file and open it. I have to focus.

I have to distract myself the same way I always have.

Chapter 18: Wait until I tell you

Lily

It’s a Tuesday again, my favourite day of the week. Or night, I should say.

I’m in a perfect flow state. You know what I mean. When you’re really in the flow of things at work. With nobody else in the office but Renata, and no drama to deal with in the hotel, I’ve completed the final proposal for the witch conference and one of our August weddings, and my inbox is all clear. I love looking at the blank white screen.

But then there’s a crisp ding , and another email appears. It’s from the usual donor, asking if Renata is going to require his services this week, since she canceled last week.

I look over at her office door. The last time she drank blood was when we were in the elevator together, two weeks ago. Typically she drinks once a week. I wonder why she canceled last week. Was it really because she was busy and needed the extra time for the vendor meeting? Was it because my blood was so tasty she didn’t have to drink again? I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I like to think maybe that’s why.

No, what a stupid thing to think. I’m sure blood is all the same to vampires. She probably doesn’t even remember it, she’s so busy. I bet she’s drank the blood of like, thousands of people. She said she was two hundred years old, which seems impossible to believe.

I wonder if she ever…did more than just drink from someone. When she bent down over me on the elevator bench, I got wetter than I’ve ever been. Down there , you know. I didn’t think I would ever be into something like that, but I kept imagining what it would be like if she…

There’s another ding , and a follow-up email arrives. It’s the donor again, asking if I could let him know before sunrise if he’ll be needed the following night. It’s a bit impatient, but I suppose he knows I’m currently working, and I guess it’s fair that he needs to coordinate his schedule.

I rise from my desk. I could just ask Renata over the phone, but I’ve been sitting all night, and it’s good to stretch my legs.

Who am I kidding? I want to see her.

My knuckles rap on the mahogany door twice.

“Come in,” she says, her voice perfect and smooth.

I press my fingerprint on the scanner and open the office door. It’s dark. She likes to keep the lights off at night when nobody else is in the office. Usually I turn them on when I enter, but tonight, I keep them off. I take in the gorgeous view of the lake. The moon forms a perfect crescent in the sky, surrounded by dozens of twinkling stars.

“Yes?” Renata asks, her face lit up by the bright screen of her laptop.

“The donor emailed,” I tell her. “He asked if you need him for tomorrow night. I just wanted to check in with you first, because you asked to cancel last week.”

She pauses for a moment, her lips slightly pursed as she thinks. “No, you can tell him I can go another week without him.”

“Are you sure?” I ask with a furrowed brow. “Will you be all right, without blood for so long?”

“I’ll be fine.” She waves her hand. “I’m much too busy right now. I can go several weeks without drinking. How long has it been?”

I blush. I’m glad the room is dark, although I don’t know if her vampire vision can still see the flush across my cheeks. “It’s been…since we were trapped in the elevator.”

She tilts her head slightly, just a quarter-inch to the right. I never used to be able to see those tiny changes in her movement, they were so subtle. But ever since I drank her blood on the holding floor, I’ve become tuned into the little things she gives away. I was worried it would fade with time, but luckily it hasn’t.

“That’s right,” she says.

I’m suddenly very aware that it’s only the two of us in the office tonight. I take a step toward her desk. She doesn’t tell me to go. I don’t know what I’m doing, but the words escape my lips anyway. If I don’t say anything now, I might never work up the nerve again. “Is…is it because of my blood?”

She frowns. “Is what because of your blood?”

“The reason that you haven’t had another donor,” I explain. I swallow nervously. Perhaps this was a stupid idea. It sounds so silly when I say it out loud. “I…sorry, forget it. It was a stupid question. I just thought, that maybe blood is different, from different people, or something. I thought that maybe, when you were drinking from me…you liked it.”

I feel like such an idiot, standing before her with my face as hot as a radiator. Meanwhile, she’s cool and collected as always, surveying me with those gorgeous brown eyes. A full minute passes this way, as she watches me.

Finally, she replies, “Yes, blood does taste different, depending on the person it comes from.” Then she pauses again, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. “Lily…have you been thinking about that night? When we were in the elevator?”

I’m too far gone now, and I can’t go back. And there’s a wonderful relief in telling her, breathlessly, “Yes. It’s just…I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

She nods. “That’s understandable. And I apologize again, Lily, for putting you in such a situation…”

“No, no, it’s not your fault.” My heart is hammering. Her eyes drop to my chest, then quickly back up. I know she can hear it. I wonder what else she senses. If she knows the shiver that goes down my spine when she looks at me. If she knows about the warm, throbbing ache in my core. “I know you would never take advantage of me. Since we’ve worked together, Renata, I’ve…I’ve come to admire you so much. More than admire you, I…” I inhale deeply. The words spill out. “It’s more than just the elevator. I’ve been thinking about you constantly, the whole time I’ve worked for you. I…I didn’t want to say it, but…I just can’t help myself. You’re so amazing, Ms. Espina…I mean, Renata…and when we were in the elevator, I thought for a moment that…that maybe you felt the same way…”

I catch myself before I unravel any further. The entire time I’ve been stuttering incoherently, she hasn’t moved an inch. She watches me like a statue, giving nothing away. And now the full weight of my words hits me.

Of course she doesn’t feel the same way about me. She’s a gorgeous, two-hundred-year old, perfect vampire CEO, and I’m just a twenty-seven-year old single mother with a coffee stain on my twenty dollar blouse.

Abruptly, she stands up from her desk. Without a word or a glance at me, she moves to the office door.

Panic seizes me. Did I upset her? Is she so offended, that she can’t stand to be in the same room with me any longer? Is she going to HR to fire me immediately? I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I told her how I feel…

Then I hear a sharp click. It’s the bolt that locks the office from the inside, so that nobody else can get in.

The breath catches in my throat.

“Get on the desk,” Renata says.

For a moment, I’m sure I misheard her. Then a wave of hopeful anticipation swells inside me as I realize what she’s asking. “R-Really…?”

She raises a perfect eyebrow.

I’ve never moved so quickly in my life. I hop up on the desk so I’m sitting on it, my legs hanging off. A cup full of hotel-branded pens tumbles to the floor.

With vampiric speed, Renata is before me, standing so my legs are straddling her. Her face is inches from mine. I can see every strand of sleek, black hair, and the crimson that’s peeking out from behind the irises of her deep brown eyes. I feel like I’m going to explode with lust.

“Lily, before we go any further,” she whispers, her voice more tender than I’ve ever heard it. My heart bursts. “I need you to know that this doesn’t impact our work in any way. If you want me to stop at any time, you must tell me immediately, and nothing will change. There will be no questions asked…”

“I won’t want you to stop,” I tell her, desperately. “Renata, I want you so badly…”

“But I need you to tell me that you understand,” she says. I don’t know if it’s just my own overwhelming desire, but I almost think I hear an edge of longing in her voice, too. “That you know this won’t jeopardize your position here, or change our professional relationship.”

“I know, I understand…”

It’s as though my words have knocked down a wall between us. She takes my face in her hands. Her mouth finds mine, our lips meeting in a passionate kiss. It’s as though I’ve been stranded on a desert island for days and I’ve just found water. She’s assertive, but gentle. Her kiss satisfies a deep need inside my core, but at the same time, it makes me desperately hungry for more.

As though she can read my thoughts, she pulls her lips away to ask, “How far?”

“Everything,” I tell her, without hesitation. “Anything you say, I’ll do.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Would you like that? If I told you what to do?”

I feel like I might faint. “Oh, yes. Yes, I would.”

Her expression shifts, and I catch a glimpse of the powerful vampire that rescued me from the elevator. My own desire is reflected in her eyes. It’s my wildest dream. I can’t believe this is happening.

But then she takes a step back. There’s a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Turn around, and bend down over the desk.”

The anticipation is almost more than I can bear. Inhaling deeply, I hop off the desk again and bend down across it, sticking my ass out temptingly. She surveys me carefully, drawing out the moment. Her eyes traveling over my body makes me tremble all over.

“Pull your dress up,” she instructs. I obey immediately, feeling the cool air of the office across my now-exposed thighs. I’m so glad I wore my good panties! They’re the dark blue ones, with lace. I hope she likes them.

But true to form, she doesn’t give anything away just yet. Then she puts a hand to my lower thighs and pushes them apart slightly.

I realize that she’s checking for her own bite marks, and I swoon so much I almost fall off the desk.

“They’re healing nicely,” she comments.

“You…you could bite me again, if you want,” I tell her, breathlessly.

“In time,” she says, a little teasing note in her voice. “Patience, Lily.”

I’m glad I’m bent over the desk, otherwise I would have surely lost my balance, I’m shaking so much.

She runs her hands along my thighs and up, over my backside. Her touch is pleasantly cool, and sends shivers up and down my spine. She moves with agonizing slowness, building up the tension until I feel like I’m about to burst.

Then, in a sudden motion, she bends down and slices through the crotch of my panties with her sharpened canines.

I gasp as I’m exposed to her. Then she takes a hand and touches me.

It’s electrifying. Her fingers move with careful precision. I push my hips against them, moaning with pleasure. I’ve never been touched like this. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel this way. She explores me confidently, taking her time.

“You’re so wet,” she purrs. “Do you like my touch, Lily?”

“Yes, yes I do,” I moan. “Please…I want more…”

She tsks. “What did I say, Lily? Patience.”

I’m out of my mind with anticipation, and I feel my desire building up into a crescendo.

“I…I think I…”

“Wait,” Renata replies. Her commanding tone sets my heart aflutter. “Wait until I tell you.”

“Y-Yes…”

Then she takes her pointer and index fingers and moves them in circles around my opening. It takes everything in me to stop myself from cumming, but I’ll do anything to obey her. Then, to my endless satisfaction, she enters me, her fingers going deep inside and hitting my G-spot in a perfect, beckoning motion.

“ Now ,” she says.

I’ve never orgasmed so quickly, or so hard, in my life. I spasm against her fingers, moving my hips over her hand. Waves of pleasure crest over me as I ride the moment as long as I can. She moves inside of me, teasing my G-spot over and over again.

After what feels like several minutes, I exhale, falling completely against the desk, my knees weak. I feel more satisfied than I ever have in my life. It’s like every muscle in my body has released.

Renata takes her hand away. I feel empty, without her inside of me. With all my strength and will, I push myself onto my elbows to look at her.

“I can keep going,” I tell her, eagerly.

She grins at me. “Not tonight, Lily.” She looks out over the lake. The first wisps of sunlight are peeking out over the horizon.

Disappointed, I find my way to my feet, pulling my dress back down. I pick the shreds of my panties off the ground.

“I’ll see that you’re compensated for them,” Renata responds, her tone shifting back to being professional.

“You don’t have to do that,” I tell her. “I can get some new ones. Ones that you’ll like.”

She looks down at me, a smile in her eyes. Then she takes my face again and pulls me into a kiss.

Her lips are softer this time, more gentle. Her finger traces the edge of my jaw. I’m tingling all over.

But then she pulls away. “I have to go to ground now, Lily.”

“I know.”

“You should get some rest too,” she says. She puts a hand to my mouth to rub away some of her lipstick. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Yes, of course.”

We exit the office together and I watch her walk down the hallway, toward the service elevator that she’ll take to her crypt.

I’m left with the most wonderful, tender ache. My entire body is buzzing and warm.

She kissed me, afterwards. She kissed me like she…like she really cares for me. I’m glad she did. It makes it feel like it’s not just physical between us.

I get my things, and turn off my computer.

Then I float upstairs to my suite.

Chapter 19: My Lily

Renata

“Mmm…just like that. Keep going,” I moan, digging my fingers into Lily’s hair.

I sink deeper into my office chair. My legs are spread out and Lily is on her knees in front of me, her tongue dancing in circles over my erect clit. As expected, she’s been a quick study.

The lights are on tonight. I want to watch her properly, want her to be able to see me. It’s been years - possibly decades - since I’ve allowed myself so much pleasure in this way.

I feel my desire cresting, and I allow myself to go over the brink. I gasp as an orgasm washes over me. Lily doesn’t stop, she laps up my wetness eagerly, although she slows the movement of her lips.

“Again,” I command, pressing myself into her. She finds my opening and teases it with her willing tongue. “Ooh…yes…”

Her heart beats joyfully in her chest, so willing to be of service. My Lily…

I pause, surprised by the thought. She notices the shift in my energy, and stops. She looks up at me, concern in her sweet green eyes. “Is everything ok?”

“Yes, yes…sorry, Lily. I just got distracted, for a moment.”

My phone buzzes on the desk, then my smartwatch follows a second later. With a sigh, I turn off the alarm.

“Your meeting with the shareholders?” Lily asks.

“Yes,” I say, disappointed. She nods.

I have the strong urge to kiss her on the forehead, but I stop myself. Everything with Lily has moved so quickly, but I know it’s my responsibility to keep some boundaries in place. I definitely shouldn’t be thinking of her as “my” Lily, and kissing her forehead is too intimate. Too romantic. So far, it’s just been sex.

“Do you…do you want to drink from me?” she asks, nervously. “Before your meeting? It could be fast. I know that you haven’t had any blood in a while…”

“I’m fine,” I reply quickly. Despite the tempting, floral smell of her blood, that also feels like a boundary that shouldn’t be crossed. I don’t want to take advantage of her. And I know I can’t keep drinking from her thighs. Eventually, I would need to move to another artery, and it’s too risky that someone could see it.

Although I can think of a few other hidden spots on her body that we could try first…

Lily rises, smoothing the folds of her light sweater-dress. It’s blue, soft, and it hugs her curves perfectly. I wish I had time to tear it off of her, but there’s just too much work to do.

“Um,” Lily touches her mouth self-consciously. “Do you have any tissues? I forgot to bring a box in.”

“Yes, in the cabinet,” I tell her, pulling my skirt back on.

I take a compact mirror from my desk and reapply my lipstick. In the corner of my eye, I catch Lily pulling something small and round from the cabinet drawer.

It’s the wooden top. She furrows her brow. “What’s this?”

“It’s nothing,” I say, my voice more stern than I intend. “Put it back. Now, please.”

“I…I’m sorry…” she says, quickly returning it to its spot and closing the drawer.

“It’s the other cabinet.” I nod in the direction of the cabinet where I keep extra supplies. She finds a tissue and wipes her mouth, then she moves to the office door. I see the worried frown on her face and there’s a flicker of guilt in my stomach.

“I apologize for snapping,” I tell her, before she goes. “That was something from a long time ago, and I don’t want to speak about it.”

“I understand,” she says, softly. “I’m going to go to the bathroom, then I’ll see you in the shareholder meeting?”

“Yes, thank you,” I reply, my tone shifting back into work mode. It’s strange how easy I’m finding it to adjust to this new relationship of our’s.

She gives me a smile, and exits.

When she leaves, she takes that warm feeling with her. I’m strangely achy, and restless. Perhaps it was seeing the wooden top. I should put it back in my crypt, where no one will find it.

There’s a knock on my door. Before I can say anything, Celine enters.

“Renata, what’s going on?” she asks. “I asked you for the report from Damien two nights ago.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Celine.” There’s a twisting sensation in my gut. “I’ll get that to you right away.”

She looks me over. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” I reply, self-consciously smoothing my skirt.

“Have you been drinking enough?”

“ Yes , I just told you that I’m fine,” I snap. “Now, are you going to lecture me all night, or are you going to let me get some work done?”

She gives me a final glare and then leaves my office.

Now I’m in a properly bad mood. And I feel terrible that I forgot to finish that report for her. It was Damien’s security report, from the night Lily and I were attacked on the holding floor. I wanted to double check it and add my comments, so that Celine and Damien can go over it again. They’re trying to find out if it could have been Xavien’s vampire clan, especially if they’re now operating in the city. I’m sure I saw traces of red energy magic, which is usually Oana, but since she’s locked up in prison, it could possibly have been one of Xavian’s vampires.

Although they had a silver chain. It’s so strange…

I quickly type up the comments, and email the document to Celine.

Lily’s voice crackles over my speakerphone. “Renata? Are you in your office? The shareholders are waiting…”

“I’ll be right there, Lily,” I tell her, standing quickly and grabbing my laptop.

I hate being late for meetings. And I didn’t even have a minute to prepare.

As much as I’ve been enjoying my trysts with Lily, I’m afraid I’ve gotten even more behind on my work. I’m going to have to really push it if I’m going to get everything done before the witch conference.

Chapter 20: Dreams

Lily

My mother is already in my suite when I bring Eli back from daycare. She’s in the third bedroom upstairs, enjoying her soaps on the massive flatscreen TV hanging from the wall.

“You’re early, mom,” I tell her. “I don’t start work for another few hours.”

“Did you know that this bed can recline?” she says, with an astonished chuckle. She presses a button on the remote and her legs fly up into the air, supported by the bottom half of the mechanical bed. “If I set it at just the right angle, it completely alleviates my hip pain!”

“That’s great, mom,” I say with a smirk. “Do you want anything for dinner? The menu is on the side table.”

“Oh, don’t mind if I do!”

The three of us decide on our meals (alfredo pasta for me, salmon for mom, and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets for Eli) and we have dinner while talking about our days. It’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in a long time. Not having to cook or clean has made a huge difference. I feel like I can actually spend time with Eli now, instead of just running back and forth between work and the apartment. He tells me all about how they learned ballet moves today at daycare, and they read books about different types of birds. He’s also making some friends, kids of other guests at the hotel. I’m so glad he’s getting to spend time with kids his own age.

“I traded my pony doll,” he says, showing me a new, orange Princess Pony. “Just for today. We’ll swap back tomorrow.”

“That’s great, E,” I tell him. “I’m glad you’re making friends.”

“Just make sure not to get too attached, Elijah,” my mother says sternly, skewering a brussel sprout on her fork. “We don’t know how long we’re going to be here, and you don’t want to be sad when you have to leave all your new friends.”

“Well, I think it’s good to make new friends here,” I say, addressing my mother. “Why wouldn’t we be here for a long time? We have the suite for as long as we want it. Ms. Espina wrote it into my employment contract.”

My mother scoffs. “For as long as you work here, yes, but you know how employment is, especially for women.”

I grimace. “What do you mean, for women?”

“Well, once you start seeing someone, don’t you think he’s going to find it a little odd , that you live at the hotel where you work? You know how men are, honey, they don’t like to feel threatened. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why Dylan left. I told you that getting this job wasn’t necessary…”

“First of all, I left Dylan, mom, not the other way around. And second, maybe I don’t want to get back into dating men right now…”

I don’t mention that I’m more than happy to see one particular woman …but there’s no way I’m going to talk about that with my mom.

“Well, I think that’s a mistake.” My mom gets that annoying, pious expression on her face. “Eli needs a father, honey. And you’re not getting any younger. Are you going to waste the best years of your life on a job that’s never going to love you back? Trust me, you’ll regret it, if all you do is work here and live here, and then suddenly you’re forty and you’ve got no husband or anything to show for it. Eli will leave for college and you’ll be all alone. This hotel room is going to seem pretty empty then.”

“Mom, I’m not talking about this with you right now,” I tell her. “Eli, let’s get ready for bed.”

I take Eli upstairs to give him his bath and read him to sleep. But what my mom said starts to get to me. She’s not wrong, I suppose. And the idea of ending up all alone in this suite isn’t very appealing. I’ve been so focused on leaving Dylan and setting things up for me and Eli that I never thought any further ahead.

And the truth is…I don’t want anyone other than Renata. Now that I’ve been with her, I can’t imagine being with anyone else. This thing with us is so new, but…but it feels so real …

Eli’s so tired from daycare that he quickly falls asleep after The Cuddliest Caterpillar , one of his (and my) favourite bedtime books. I can’t help remembering how Renata put him to sleep. It was so sweet to see her with him.

I close his bedroom door quietly and say good night to my mom. But I don’t want to stay here, in this quiet suite. I need to talk to someone.

And I know the perfect person to talk to.

“Two rum and cokes, please,” shouts the customer beside me at the bar. She wears a bright red bodycon dress and her curly hair is up in a tight ponytail on the top of her head, accentuating her long neck.

Should I start wearing my hair up? The Succumb club is the hotel’s speakeasy nightclub, located on a secret, underground floor that’s only accessible by the service elevator. While most people aren’t explicitly aware of the existence of magic, those in the know (or who believe the rumours) frequent this club in the hopes of attracting a real vampire. It’s a completely different vibe from the rest of the hotel. It’s dark except for the red and purple strobe lights. The oval bar is at the center of the dance floor, and there are secret booths lining the back of the club, for vampires and living humans to…well, you know…

“Coming right up,” Amara responds cheerfully, mixing the drinks behind the bar. Tonight, she wears a purple tank top and her long box braids are pulled up into a knot at the top of her head.

I wonder again if I should be wearing my hair up. Is that a vampire tip I wasn’t aware of?

Amara hands the customer her drinks and then she spots me. “Hey, Lily! Can I get you anything?”

“Hi Amara,” I say with a smile. “No thanks, I’ve got to start work after this.”

“I don’t usually see you down here,” she notes, leaning over the bar.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s ok,” I tell her nervously. I didn’t really think too much before I came down, and a part of me hopes that she’ll say she’s too busy. But the club is still quiet. The music isn’t quite ear-splittingly loud yet, and there are only a few customers, since it’s still daylight outside.

“Of course,” Amara replies brightly. She grabs a bottle of wine and pours herself a glass. “What’s going on, Lily? Is it your son?”

“No, that’s not it.” I pause, trying to get my thoughts in order.

But Amara beats me to the punch. “Is it…Renata?”

I’m glad she’s not a vampire, so she can’t see me blush in the dim crimson light. “Yeah.”

The witch nods, and takes a sip of her wine. “You’ve really got it bad for her, huh?” Amara already guessed about my feelings for Renata months ago, before I’d even fully admitted it to myself.

I exhale. “It’s just…it’s not like you and Celine. You’re both magical, and you know how to navigate things. But Renata…she’s my boss . And she can be so…”

“She’s got a wall up?” Amara asks with a grin. “Yeah, I think I know a little bit about that.”

“I thought it was just physical,” I continue. “Although that part is really nice…”

Her grin widens. “You’ve…?”

“Yeah.” Now I’m sure she can see me blush, even in the dark club. But it’s nice to be able to talk to her about this. “Only recently. But I think I might feel…even stronger about her, you know?”

“I know,” Amara replies gently.

“But it’s impossible.” I shake my head. “We couldn’t be together, not properly, anyway.”

“Does she know how you feel?” Amara asks. “Maybe you should tell her.”

“Oh my god, no.” Just the idea makes me anxious. “That’s too much. Plus, I don’t even know if she likes me, you know? She doesn’t give much away.”

“That’s true.” Amara chuckles. “Renata’s a complicated person. But I think that hard shell is protecting something. It’s not easy to be a vampire, especially an old one. The magical world is dangerous, and Tudor was a demanding Creator. I think he put a lot of pressure on Celine and Renata, so they had to be really tough in order to survive. It’s hard for them to be vulnerable. But they don’t need to be tough anymore. Or at least not as much.”

I consider her words. “That makes sense.”

Amara takes another sip of her wine, then spots Xia, who comes to join us at the bar.

“Hi, Amara, Lily,” she says. She seems a little distracted, which is odd for her.

“Hey, Xia,” Amara says, pouring Xia a shot of whiskey. “Is everything ok?”

“It’s so bizarre,” Xia says, taking a seat beside me on a barstool. She shakes her head, then takes the shot of whiskey from Amara and downs it in one go. “The past few weeks, I’ve been having the wildest dreams. I just had one last night.”

“Really?” I ask. “Like, going to work without wearing pants? Or flying?”

“Well, I can fly in real life,” Xia says with a cocky smile. But then she gets serious again. “No, no, it’s not like normal dreams.” She gives Amara a look.

“Oh.” Amara frowns. “It’s like…?”

“Exactly,” Xia confirms.

“It’s like what?” I ask. “A witch thing?”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “They’re intense dreams, like the kind of nightmares I got after I left my coven. I can’t help but feel like they’re telling me something, but I have no idea what.”

“What happens in the nightmares?” Amara asks.

“It’s just red eyes, following me everywhere. But I’m inside the hotel. I thought maybe it’s because of the attacks on Elmwood, but it only started recently.”

“That’s not a good sign.” Amara bites her lip. “Maybe you should tell Celine about it.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll go up to the office. They should be rising in a little while.”

“I’ll go up with you,” I tell her. “Thanks for the advice, Amara!”

Amara waves at us both, and we head upstairs to the office floor.

Chapter 21: The rock star's jacuzzi

Lily

The receptionist waves me over as soon as I get to the office floor.

“Good evening,” I tell her. “What is it?”

“Good news, Lily,” she replies. “The contractor says they finished installing the jacuzzi in the rock star suite. Two days ahead of schedule.”

“That’s great!” I grin. Renata will be happy, especially with so many things falling behind nowadays. “I’ll tell Ms. Espina as soon as she’s awake.”

The receptionist bends her head toward me, and whispers, “Is it true that it’s the largest model in the country? Someone told me it was twenty thousand dollars.” She chuckles. “But that’s impossible, right?”

I lean in. “The largest in the world, actually. It cost thirty-five grand, with the installation.”

She gasps. “That’s more than my car!”

“I know.” I shake my head. “I guess if you’ve got all that money, you’ve got to spend it.”

“I saw her, when she was touring last,” the receptionist sighs, a faraway look in her eyes at the memory. “I’ve never seen a show like that! They say she made two million on her last tour alone. Can you imagine?”

“It’s amazing,” I agree. Then I catch a glimpse of the clock on the wall behind her. I must have spent more time than I realized at the club. “Oh! I should get to work. Renata will be awake soon.”

The receptionist nods and goes back to her computer. I find my way to my desk and slip easily into my workday.

It’s music to my ears when I hear the sharp click of Renata’s heels on the hallway floor. She gives me a smile as she approaches my desk. Today she wears slim tuxedo pants and a long vest with nothing underneath. Her bare arms are toned and her silhouette gives her a powerful appearance. It’s impossible not to swoon in her presence. I’ve given up trying to still my quickly beating heart when she’s around. It’s nice to know she can sense my excitement.

“Good evening, Lily,” she says, with a nod. Now her greetings have a playful lilt, her tongue dancing over the words.

“Good evening, Renata,” I reply. “I’ve got some good news. The jacuzzi is finished. The one that the rock star requested.”

It’s not uncommon, in luxury hotels like ours, for regular guests to make special requests for rooms that they inhabit often. One of our regular guests, referred to secretly as ‘the rock star’ by all of the staff in order to protect her identity, recently asked for a luxury jacuzzi, to unwind when she comes here on tour.

“Excellent,” Renata replies.

“Oh, and your first meeting canceled,” I tell her, scanning her calendar quickly. “The new flower vendor. She said it was a dahlia emergency.”

Renata pulls out her phone. “Well, I wouldn’t want to waste the time. Lily, perhaps we should go and inspect the new jacuzzi in the rock star suite.”

I give her a puzzled look. “ Inspect it? Well, I’m sure the project manager will…”

Then she looks up from her phone, and gives me a mischievous wink.

“Oh!” a thrilling tingle of anticipation goes up my spine. “Yes, yes I think we should probably go inspect it. Ensure that it’s…been properly installed.”

“Wonderful. We’ll go up immediately.”

The rock star’s suite (as we call it) takes up an entire floor of the hotel. At over two thousand square feet, it’s one of our most expensive suites, and it includes a full office, living room, kitchen, and game room. Even though it comes with a full en-suite bathroom, the jacuzzi was built directly into the bedroom, so you only need to step down into it. It’s enormous, the size of a small swimming pool. But it fills up quickly, the hot water warming the air in the primary bedroom.

I take in the beautiful view from the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. We’ve left the lights off, to be able to see the city down below. It’s more expansive than my own view, since we’re much higher up. You can see the whole city from here. The shining silver buildings stretch out in the horizon, punctuated by the rich green rectangle of Serenity Park in the heart of the city.

Renata steps behind me, her hands finding my waist.

“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?” she bends her head to whisper in my ear.

“It is.” I take a moment to breathe it all in, enjoying the soft touch of her lips as they graze my neck and cheek.

“Beautiful, but there’s another view I’d like to see,” she says smoothly, taking my hands and spinning me around to face her.

I giggle giddily, unable to contain my excitement. I expect her to start removing my clothes, but instead, she takes a step back, and sits on a velvet armchair that’s set up beside the bed. She perches there like a queen on a throne.

“Take off your dress.”

Her commanding tone sets my heart aflutter. With trembling fingers, I undo the buttons of my oxford shirt and quickly shrug it off. Then I unzip my skirt, pulling it off and stepping out of it. Now I’m wearing only my lace push up bra and matching panties, and my white heels.

She surveys me keenly, her eyes sharp.

“Turn around,” she says, her voice rich like an aged wine. “Slowly.”

I spin for her. She leans forward on the armchair.

“Now the bra.”

Willingly, I oblige, unclasping the front so my breasts spill out. They’ve always been large, and I was very self-conscious of them when I was younger. But the way her eyes widen just slightly when she sees them tells me that she’s not disappointed. My nipples are fully erect. There’s no hiding my desire under her watchful gaze.

“Your heels last.”

I wiggle out of my panties, and then step out of my heels. Now I’m completely naked, and the jacuzzi is full. The water is still and clear.

“Should I turn on the jet?” I ask, eager to get into the water.

“Not yet,” she says. She leans back into the armchair as though she’s getting comfortable. Is she not coming in with me? “Why don’t you get into the water.”

It’s not a question. Enjoying the satisfaction of obeying her wish, I step into the jacuzzi. The water is very hot, and it takes me a moment to adjust. I sigh pleasurably. My muscles release all their stress as I descend into the water’s warm embrace.

Renata’s eyes gleam from the armchair as she watches me. I turn and give her a smile, and a little wiggle.

“Tell me, Lily,” she says. “When you’re at home, all by yourself, do you ever like to touch yourself?”

My face warms, and it’s not from the steamy water. “Oh…yes, I do…”

“Show me.”

Excitement rises up in my core. I lower into the water, until my breasts are floating on the surface. Then I take my hard nipples and tease them gently with my fingers. It’s wonderfully thrilling to have her watch me pleasure myself. When the throbbing lust in my core is more than I can bear, I sit back on the bench of the jacuzzi and spread my legs wide in the water so that she can see. My fingers find my wet, slick clit, and I play with myself as she watches me through the clear water.

Her lips curve into a grin. “And what do you think about, when you touch yourself?”

That’s an easy answer. My voice is breathless when I say, “You. I always think about you.”

She raises an eyebrow. “What am I doing to you, in your thoughts?”

“Touching me,” I say, overwhelmed with sensation and the power of her gaze. “I love it when you…when you fuck me with your fingers…”

She leans forward in her chair, putting a thoughtful finger to her chin. “What else would you like?”

“I’d like…” the desire feels taboo, but I can’t help it. “I’d like…you to fuck me in the ass, too.”

Her grin widens, fangs peeking out over her lips. Her voice is thick. “Don’t stop touching yourself.”

She stands, and quickly removes her long vest and pants. She’s not wearing any underwear at all, and I swoon at the sight of her. I’ve never seen her completely naked before. She’s gorgeous, tall and toned, her olive skin glowing in the light of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her breasts are round and firm, her nipples hard. I want to kiss them, tease their tips with my tongue. But I keep touching myself, obediently.

She dips her toe into the water, then steps down into it. She doesn’t hesitate like I did, but floats gracefully down until she’s standing before me, the water up to her hips. She’s so close to me.

She straddles me on the bench of the jacuzzi, her perfect breasts level with my face. I swallow, and take my hands away to steady myself as she reaches down and touches me. I’m already so wet, and ready, that she quickly begins teasing my opening.

I moan, and beg her, “Please…I want you inside me so badly…”

She bends down, and bites my lip gently. “Always so impatient, Lily…” She grins, and I know she enjoys teasing me this way. I wiggle, and thrust my hips up against her hand. She laughs, and enters me with her index and pointer finger.

With an exuberant gasp, I thrust against her.

“Would you like it harder, Lily?”

“ Yes . Oh, yes…”

Her fingers thrust deep inside of me, and curve, hitting my G-spot perfectly. I shriek in delight, and Renata adds another finger, stretching me pleasurably. The water in the jacuzzi forms waves around us as we move in tandem. Her breasts bounce in synchrony with her thrusts, driving me wild with lust.

“I want you to cum for me, Lily,” she instructs.

She doesn’t need to tell me twice. I’m already there. I orgasm powerfully, squeezing her fingers inside me. Waves of pleasure crash through my body. She slows, but doesn’t remove her hand. By now, she’s learned enough about my body. Enough to know I don’t need a long break in between.

Her mouth finds my neck, kissing me and nuzzling my earlobe as she gently moves in and out of me, waiting until she can build up momentum again. I’m still buzzing off of my last orgasm, but I’m hungry for more, and I start to move my hips against her hand again.

She responds, moving a little more forcefully, deeper now, building up a rhythm. My pleasure begins to mount again.

As it does, she takes her other hand and gently probes the entrance of my ass. Immediately, a second sort of desire complements the first, and I almost lose my mind with anticipation.

“Oh, yes, yes,” I beg.

She plunges a finger inside, up to the first knuckle. I groan wildly, then I feel a little self-conscious and I quiet down again. She notices, and frowns. She fixes her intense eyes on me. “I want you to scream for me, Lily.”

With no hesitation, she pushes her finger deep inside of me, filling me up in both holes.

And I scream with pleasure, a body-shaking orgasm crashing through me. I lose all sense of space and time as I cum over her hand.

Then I collapse against the bench of the jacuzzi, enveloped by the hot water. She sits on the bench adjacent to me, watching me with satisfaction.

“Do we…” I breathe. “Do we need to get back to the office…?”

“Not quite yet,” she replies. Her eyes flick toward the armchair. I nod eagerly.

She stands up, and steps out of the hot tub, her body dripping with water. She pulls a fresh, fluffy white hotel towel from a wicker basket and quickly dries herself off.

It takes me a moment to find my feet, as I’m still a little shaky, but I follow her out of the water and onto the tiled floor beside the jacuzzi. She takes another towel and presses it gently against me. She starts with my back and arms, then takes great pleasure in slowly drying off my chest. My breasts ache at the soft touch of the towel. Then she runs it along my backside, squeezing my cheeks, and dries off my legs and feet.

I’m throbbing with desire again, and I’m glad when she sits back down in the armchair, still fully naked. She arranges herself with a pillow lifting her back, her legs spread out in front of her.

“Come here,” she says to me. I kneel down before her, between her legs. I can smell her lust, and it drives me wild. I’ve never smelled anything like it before, and I know I want to taste her. “Start with my neck, and go down.”

Eagerly, I obey her instructions, tenderly kissing the smooth, cool skin of her neck. I want so badly to fulfill her desires, to please her. It’s agonizing, but I force myself to move slowly, savouring the soft touch of my lips on her body. I kiss a trail down her collarbone and take her nipple in my mouth.

She moans, and this accentuates my own longing. I flick my tongue against her erect nipple and feel it harden even more. I take her other nipple between my fingers and play with it, softly at first, and then more firmly. She sighs, and leans back into the armchair as she sinks into my touch.

Finally, the smell of her desire is too much to resist, and I find my mouth moving lower, caressing the taut skin of her stomach. A warm tingle of anticipation builds in my core as I come closer to her vulva. Her lower lips fold perfectly over her erect, slick clit. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I run my tongue lightly over her and she shivers.

“Good,” she sighs. “Keep going.”

I take her in my mouth, sucking on her gently at first, then more insistently. I tease her opening with my tongue, moving in tight circles.

She purrs with satisfaction, moving her hips in tandem with my mouth. I can tell that her pleasure is starting to crest, but I don’t want to rush it, so I keep up a steady pace.

“Oh, Lily,” she whispers, putting a hand to my head and running her fingers through my hair.

My name on her lips is the most wonderful sound I’ve ever heard. I’ll do anything, to hear her speak my name like that.

Then her back arches, and she makes a sweet, moaning sound as she cums. I slow the rhythm of my tongue on her clit until she finishes, and then I pull away. I kneel at her feet, looking up at her shyly.

“Did you…did you like it?” I ask her, breathlessly.

She leans forward in the armchair, and reaches out to caress my cheek. I lean into her touch.

“You did very well, Lily,” she whispers.

Chapter 22: A price

Renata

My fingers race over the keyboard, and my eyes fly across the screen. It’s almost six a.m., and I’ve been in the zone for the past several hours. Lily doesn’t start for another hour or so, and as much as I’ve enjoyed our escapades, her absence has meant that I’ve had all night to really focus and get things done.

“Renata!” Lexi shouts, letting herself into my office. I hiss at her. I should really lock my door when Lily isn’t there to vet who enters my office. I make a mental note to update the fingerprint sensor so it only recognizes Lily and I.

Lexi glares at me. “Renata, what are you doing? You’ve sent me like, seven emails in the past twenty minutes. I can’t revise the new social media campaign plan and also approve the marketing budget for next quarter in the same night! The sun is going to rise any minute.”

“You don’t need to do it now ,” I tell her, without looking up from my screen. “But I need them both by Friday at the latest. I’m putting together a preliminary strategic plan for next quarter, and I need your updated budget to do that.”

“For next quarter ,” Lexi moans. “Ren, that’s months away!”

“Yes, Lexi, that’s why it’s a plan .”

She growls. “Just because you’re an insane workaholic, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be!”

Hallie pops her head into my office. She holds a print-out in her hand. “Renata, is this right? You want mid-term evaluations for all of the internship students? Are you sure it matters, I mean, Professor Vyas said she wasn’t even tracking our grades. I think she actually forgot about the internship program. When I mentioned it to her, she said, ‘oh, are they still doing that? I wasn’t actually serious about it.’”

“Yes,” I reply briskly. “Amrita might not care about consistency or follow-through, but I do. And I want to know how all of the students are doing. I’d like to select the top candidates to help out at the witch conference, but I can only do that with a recommendation.”

Hallie’s face lights up. “Really? If I get Professor Cross’s recommendation, can I help out?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great! I think he’s gone to ground for the day, but I’ll find him first thing tomorrow night,” she says, before disappearing into the office hallway again.

“See,” I say to Lexi. “Some people rise to the occasion when you give them a challenge.”

“ Some people are suck-ups,” Lexi responds primly. “And I think you’re going to work yourself until you’re totally unable to function, unless you get some blood inside of you, Renata. It’s not healthy!”

I hiss at her again, still not looking up from my computer screen.

“Fine! But I’m going to ground, because I have good work-life balance .”

With one hand, I take the World Luxury Hotel 2023 award from the shelf behind me and throw it at my sister, but she dodges it with a laugh and scampers out of my office.

Maybe my aim is off. It probably wouldn’t hurt to ask Lily to schedule another donor for me, or to even go down to the club tomorrow night to make sure I stay sharp.

But as my fingers dance across the keys of my keyboard, I can’t help feeling a little high off of all my hyper-focusing. There’s something about the restless urgency of bloodlust that keeps me going. The edginess gives me…well, it gives me an edge.

And then the twinkle of dawn in the sky pulls me down again.

I groan. I can’t stop now. I’m so close to finishing the shareholder report, and I promised I would have it off this week. Not to mention signing off on the wedding plan for this upcoming weekend. If I don’t get to it tonight, they won’t be able to start prepping the food orders until Thursday, and the staff is always busiest just before the weekend.

I can push myself just a little bit. Vampires can technically be awake during the day, it just drains us of our energy a little bit. But I can push through that. I take the remote for my electric blinds and press the button to lower and seal the blinds around the windows. Then I find a pair of sunglasses in the bottom of my desk drawer.

That’s better. With the blinds and sunglasses, the heaviness of the coming sunrise weighs a little less on my bones. I can probably go another hour or even two, if I keep pushing.

My office door opens again. When is Lily getting in? I need a gatekeeper.

Xia comes up to my desk. “Renata, did you send this email about internship mid-term evaluations? It doesn’t make any sense…”

“Yes, I need you and Damien to grade the students,” I tell her. “And I’d like a full security report for the club, as well. I’m concerned about Xavian’s vampires, and we need to make sure there are no opportunities for them to take advantage of us.”

“Ren, I think you need to go to ground,” the witch says. “You look exhausted, and you’re not functioning well. We’ve got security handled for the day, why don’t you…”

“I’m fine ,” I snap. “Why does everyone keep telling me to stop working? I can operate on no sleep, I’ve been doing it for decades!”

“That doesn’t mean you should ,” Xia retorts.

A wonderful smell fills the air as Lily pops her head through the open door of my office. As much as I’d like to greet her properly, I know that if I stop now, I’ll lose momentum. I give her a wave, without breaking eye contact with the wedding plan that’s up on my screen.

“Renata?” she says. “What are you doing? The sun rose twenty minutes ago.”

“Just getting a few more things done,” I reply curtly.

“She’s in one of her moods again,” Xia says, out of the corner of her mouth.

“I heard that!” I snap. “It might be daytime, but I still have supersonic hearing!”

In my peripheral vision, I see Xia and Lily exchange a look.

“I’ll take care of it,” Lily says.

“Good luck,” Xia mutters, then she leaves my office.

Lily tiptoes closer to the desk. Then, without warning, she presses the “sleep” button on my laptop, so my screen goes dark.

“Lily!” I snap, shocked at this level of betrayal. “I was working on something!”

But now that my focus is broken, the full weight of the morning hits me. I feel extremely heavy, like there’s a thick fog in my head. I blink several times, trying to regain concentration.

“Come on,” Lily says, gently. She takes my arm and pulls me out of my chair. “Let’s get you down to your crypt.”

“I’m perfectly fine, I…” but my words sound slightly slurred, and it’s hard to find my balance. I must have kept myself up longer than I intended to. Lily puts her arm around me, and helps me down the office hallway. I’m a little embarrassed that I have to lean on her, and I try to pull away, but she holds my arm firmly. She presses the “down” button on the service elevator.

“I…I’m sorry, Lily,” I say, as we get onto the elevator. I use my fingerprint on the button of the service elevator, which tells it to go down directly to my crypt. Unable to continue standing on my own, I sit down on the bench.

“It’s all right, Renata,” she says. “You’ll feel better once you get underground.”

She’s correct. As the elevator lowers, I start to feel slightly revived, although my head is still foggy. I don’t know how much of it is the daytime, and how much is the lack of blood in my veins. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I drank. To my dismay, I discover that my hands are shaking slightly.

The elevator doors chime open on the floor that houses my crypt. My sisters and I all have an individualized floor, designed to our own personal tastes. I’m quite proud of mine. It’s modern and sleek, like the office floor, but has a more homey feel. The ceilings are high and arched. I couldn’t have real plants down here, as there’s no sunlight at all, but I had leafy, realistic fake ones made. They stand in pots throughout the space. I don’t spend much time here, so the couches and side tables are all bare and clean.

“Wow,” Lily says, her eyes wandering over the crypt. “This is beautiful, Renata. Where’s your bedroom…I mean, your…coffin room?”

I pause, trying to think although my mind is still a bit hazy. I don’t know if I want to show her the crypt where my coffin is. It’s the most precious secret a vampire has, and it feels too…intimate. But I also don’t want her to leave. Not just yet. It’s not that I want to have sex with her again. It’s just her company. Now that the buzz of my hyper-focus is wearing off, I’m left with a sense of emptiness. I don’t want to be alone with it.

“Let me…let me just sit for a moment,” I tell her. She helps me over to a wide chaise, and lets me recline upon it.

I sink into the plush, soft leather, my bones heavy.

“Renata, you should drink,” Lily says gently. She puts her hand on my arm, stroking my skin. Her touch is soothing. Nobody has touched me like that in a long time.

I shake my head. “No, I’ll be…”

“Don’t say, ‘fine,’” she responds. “I know you’re not fine, Renata. You’re working yourself into…well, not into an early grave, I guess, but you’re working yourself too hard.”

“I have to,” I say, but my voice trembles. Even I can tell that I’ve lost my strength. “I have to keep working. That’s what I’m good at, Lily. That’s what I do.”

“I know you’re good at it, Renata. You’re the best.” Her eyes shine proudly. It brings a small smile to my face. “But that’s not all that you are. You need to take care of yourself, too.”

She moves closer to me, on the bench. She takes her hair and pulls it back from her neck, exposing her tender skin.

“I’ve been taking iron pills,” she tells me. “One every night.”

“Are you sure?” I whisper. “Lily, I…I don’t want to take advantage of you…”

“You’re not.” She shakes her head. “I know it’s complicated, but we can figure it out. All that I care about is you , Renata.”

My heart feels as heavy as my head. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, the idea that someone else could want to care for me. But it’s not unwelcome. The weight of the day has knocked down my usual defenses, and her sweet offering is too much for me to resist.

I pull her into a glamour. It takes a second to work, because I’m weaker than I was last time. But she accepts it eagerly, and the spell takes form behind her eyes.

The sweet, honeyed smell of her blood immediately tempts my fangs to appear. I sit up on the chaise, and take her shoulders in my hands as I pierce her supple flesh with my fangs. Her blood runs quickly, and I drink, her warmth filling me up, body and soul.

It feels different, this time. As her blood fills me, I feel so deeply connected to her, like her own thrumming heart is mine. Like the blood that sustains us both also binds us together. By the time I’m satiated, I’ve almost forgotten where my body ends and her’s begins.

I pull away, and lick her neck to seal the bite. She makes a sweet sound of pleasure at the touch of my tongue. Then we both lie down together on the wide leather chaise. She nestles into me, her face upon my shoulder. I pull her closer, my hand on her waist. It’s the first time we’ve laid down next to each other.

We lie there for several minutes, in each other’s arms. I could spend the whole day like this.

If I had Lily…if I had her in my arms, perhaps I wouldn’t want to work so much. It’s an odd thought, and it makes me a little uncomfortable.

Lily, as always, senses the shift in my mood and blinks up at me. “Would you…would you like me to go?”

“No,” I whisper to her, pushing a tendril of ash-blond hair behind her ear.

She smiles, a dimple forming in her cheek. “I like being here, with you.”

My stomach aches. “I like being here with you, too.” I reach out to caress her smooth skin with the back of my hand. She closes her eyes, leaning into my touch. She brushes my fingers gently with her lips, a soft kiss.

We both know that we’ve crossed a threshold. This is more than just sex. Lily has an odd expression on her face, like she’s trying to decide whether to say something.

Curiosity gets the better of me. “What is it?”

“I…I wanted to ask you,” she says tentatively, avoiding my gaze. “About what I found that day, in your cabinet.”

My nostrils flare slightly.

“It looked almost like a wooden toy,” she continues. “I wondered…”

“It’s an old thing,” I say, stiffly. “I should get rid of it.”

Her eyes crinkle in concern. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just thought that you didn’t like kids much, from how you reacted to Eli the first time. But then you were so good with him when you put him to bed that night…”

I turn my face away, a spasm in my chest.

Lily sits up sharply. “Renata…Renata, you’re crying…”

I pull a handkerchief from my pocket, and wipe the red tears away.

I was born in Mexico City in New Spain. It was before the revolution. The air crackled with something new approaching, although I never got to see it.

My family was well-respected and we didn’t want for much. I hardly ever saw my husband, who worked long hours as an artisan in the booming silver industry. I ran a tight household, ensuring that our accounts were kept in good standing, our attire was appropriately fashionable for our rank, and our social status was cemented in our tight-knit community.

I had some bad luck. Back then, it was common to lose babies. Three stillborn, so when my fourth lived to his fifth year, I was overjoyed. He was the sun in my life. The bright beam of happiness that lit my days. I allowed myself to love him, and I cared for him the best I could. I even bought him a painted, spinning top to play with.

But fate is cruel. And outbreaks were common in densely populated cities like our’s. When my son first developed a fever, I prayed that it would quickly pass. But it worsened, and he became sicker and sicker. It was agony, watching the light dim from his eyes.

Desperate, I asked everyone I knew if there was some cure, some physician, some remedy I hadn’t investigated. I tried everything. My rosary was ever-present in my palms, my fingers sore from counting its beads. My husband said that it was God’s decision, that if our son was not meant for this world, I must accept this and let him go. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t bear to hope for another baby, not after the ones I had lost.

Then the laundry girl told me something. She said that there were strange foreigners who had recently arrived in our city. Her brother had broken his leg badly in an accident, and he had traded information for a cure that healed him as though his leg had never broken in the first place.

She took me to the foreigners. They could only receive visitors after sundown, and when I met them, I realized why. Their drawn, pallid skin and pale eyes seemed like they had never seen light.

I explained that my son was sick, and that I would trade anything for his recovery.

“Anything?” asked one of the foreigners. The one who was clearly in charge. The one with the impossible violet eyes, like a demented spirit. “Would you give yourself?”

I thought he meant my life. I suppose that was what he meant. And I agreed, immediately. I’d asked God so many times to trade my life for my son’s. Perhaps this was another sort of God. At that point, it didn’t matter to me.

They followed us back to our house, where my son was sleeping. He looked so small, in his bed. The foreigner drew a blade from his sheath and sliced his own skin. He fed his blood to my weakened son.

It worked immediately. His fever broke, and his eyes were bright once more.

It was the last time I ever saw him.

I went with the foreigners, that night. Nothing could have prepared me for what came next. I woke in the earth, and I pulled myself up from its depths like a demon crawling up from Hell. I knew I could never return to my son, to my mortal life.

I’d made a deal with the Devil.

I stole my new name from the laundry girl.

Renata . Reborn.

Lily’s face is wet with tears.

“I…I had no idea…” she chokes. “I’m so sorry, Renata.”

“Tudor gave me a great gift,” I respond. There’s relief, but also an empty feeling of vulnerability, in my chest. “And I paid a price. My life, and my dedication to him. It’s a price I’ll pay for as long as I exist.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Lily says. “You’ve more than paid your debt to Tudor. You don’t need to keep sacrificing yourself, over and over again.”

Fresh tears fall down my own cheeks. “I don’t know, Lily…I’m so old, I don’t know if I can do something different…”

She takes my face in her hands, unafraid of the bloody tracks that cross my face. “ I know you can. Tudor might have valued you just because of your hard work. But that doesn’t mean everyone else does.”

She exhales. I can’t look away from her shining, earnest face.

“I love you, Renata. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re enough, just as you are. You don’t have to work yourself into the ground like this. You’ll always be enough, for me.”

She pulls me into a tight embrace. Her heart pounds against me. It gives me the strength to hear her words.

Something inside me breaks open. I hold her close to me, burying my face in her hair.

After several minutes, we pull away from each other.

My voice sounds different now. Something’s changed. “My crypt…it’s behind the hidden door, there.” I point to a corner of the room, beside a leafy plant in a stone vase. “My coffin is lined with silk, and it’s quite large. Will you lie there with me?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, of course.”

Chapter 23: Renata's mauve heels

Renata

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” says our new flower vendor. She stands from her chair in the boardroom to shake my hand.

“The pleasure is our’s,” I tell her. “With the increase in wedding events at our hotel, we’re looking forward to using your services exclusively.”

“And I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” she says with a genuine smile.

“Please help yourself to a complementary dinner on your way out,” Lily says, as she shows her out of the boardroom. “Our restaurant is rated one of the best in Silverlake City.”

“I’ve heard that,” the woman says. “I think I might, thank you very much!”

Lily shows her out and then closes the boardroom door.

“Excellent work, Lily,” I say happily. Now that we only have one flower vendor, it will streamline our wedding event services significantly. No more complicated coordinating with different companies, figuring out where the trucks will go and ensuring that there are no allergies or out-of-season shortages. We’re well on our way to becoming a complete wedding service.

“You were wonderful, Renata,” Lily says, a sweet smile on her face.

I love how shy she still is with me. I can’t help myself, I take her into my arms and kiss her behind the ear. She giggles.

“How long until our next meeting?” I ask.

Then the door bangs open. With supernatural speed, I disentangle myself from Lily.

It’s Xia. She looks suspiciously back and forth between Lily and I. Lily gives me a guilty look, and she definitely looks flustered.

But I’m not going to give anything away to Xia.

“What is it, Xia?” I snap.

She grins at me mischievously. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing’s going on. We just finished up a meeting with a vendor.” I smooth down the edges of my blazer.

“Mm-hm,” Xia hums. “I see you’re wearing your nails very short, Ren.”

“Xia…”

“On both hands…” Her eyes widen when she looks over at Lily. “And it’s an unseasonable time of year for a turtleneck, isn’t it, Lily?”

I clear my throat. “Xia! What are you here for?”

She cocks her head. “I think you’re going to want to come down to the first floor pool. Right now.”

“I’m going to stake her !” I shout furiously, looking out over the scene unfolding at the hotel’s water park. Our water park is three storeys high, taking up the entire west wing of the hotel. It includes a full splash pad, a wave pool, a lazy river, two hot tubs for adults, and three water slides at the very back.

Presently, it is filled with an assortment of badly behaved influencers, documenting their various shenanigans on smart phones and buzzing drones. There are at least a dozen of them trying to see how many people they can fit on one water slide, which is clearly a violation of pool rules and basic physics. A gaggle of outrageously-dressed models are attempting to have a fashion show in the wave pool, displacing the families who are trying to enjoy it with their children. There’s a dolphin frolicking joyfully in the largest diving pool at the center of the waterpark.

“ Why does she always have to involve live animals?” Lily sighs.

“We can’t have dolphins here,” I add. “They’re a protected species!”

“Don’t worry,” Xia says, waving her hand. “That’s just Arun.”

“Oh!” Lily says, looking over at the happily-chortling dolphin. A small child leans over the pool to pet him on the nose. “Yep, I see it.”

A prism of sparkling light reflects across the water park as the rainbow fin of a mermaid catches the light. Mel from Human Resources is lounging with her fin half-immersed in the water by a soaking pool. She’s reading a worn paperback entitled “Bitten by Desire.”

“That book’s really making the rounds,” Xia comments.

“Mel’s a mermaid !” Lily says, delighted. “Ooh, I didn’t know mermaids were a real thing!”

Hallie emerges from the pool’s entrance with a distracted expression on her face. “Ok, Xia, I think I’ve got the mattress surfing under control…”

“ Mattress surfing?” I snap.

Her eyes widen when she spots me. “Oh! Um, hi Ren!”

“Where is the mattress surfing?”

“The ballroom staircase.” She winces. “But I told them to only use the old mattresses, not the new king-sized ones we just got in!” I gape at her in horror. “It’s actually going really well, Renata! The hotel is getting tons of exposure, and Lexi worked really hard on this…”

“Where is she!?” I demand, scanning the chaos.

Then I spot her, posing with a small gaggle of brightly-attired influencers in one of the cabanas. She’s standing beside an exorbitantly expensive statue of a flamingo, which is certainly not justifying its price tag. She’s addressing the camera on her phone charismatically, wearing a mauve bikini and…

I gasp sharply.

And my favourite Manolo Blahnik heels.

“ Alexandra Price! ” I scream, my voice supernaturally loud. It reverberates through the enormous water park. Everyone - magical, normal, families, influencers - stops and looks over. From the cabana, my sister lowers her overpriced designer sunglasses (it is past sundown and we’re indoors ) and peers over at me.

“Oh, hi Renata!” she says, with a little wave. Then she hurries (wearing my shoes) over to where we stand.

“I’m so glad you made it!” she chirps, gesturing at the disaster she’s inflicting upon my hotel.

“Don’t bullshit me, Lexi,” I snap. Lily, Xia and Hallie all take a careful step backward. “You knew I would never approve of this nonsense…”

“This isn’t nonsense,” she retorts, taking off her sunglasses. “This is fun, Ren! And we need some more fun. Everyone’s been so uptight and freaked out since Tudor was imprisoned, and the whole thing with the evil witches or whatever. Sometimes it’s important to let loose, you know?”

“I absolutely do not know. Do you know why? Because all I have time to do is work. All I do is work because you and your ridiculously stupid schemes mean that I have to do my entire job of running a multi-billion-dollar hotel chain while also cleaning up your messes…”

“This isn’t a mess!” she says, gesturing to the enormous mess behind her. “This is a party! A party that’s going to draw a lot of attention to our hotels, and make us more money!”

“This is what you do ,” I yell at her. “This is exactly what you do, Lexi, you take, and you take, because you’re just a spoiled little newborn vampire and you don’t understand what it means to work hard, or to sacrifice…”

“ Jesus , you’re such a martyr!” Lexi moans. “Nobody asked you to sacrifice yourself, Renata! On the contrary, we’re all asking you to chill out a little bit! Tudor’s not here anymore, you don’t need to nail yourself to a cross!”

“Yes I do!” I shout, although I can feel myself running out of steam. Fighting with my sister is so exhausting, and I don’t know how much longer I can do it for. “I have to keep working, and holding everything together, because another Tudor could be at our door! You heard Celine, Xavian is…”

“Fuck Xavian, and fuck all of those other vampires,” Lexi says, rolling her eyes. “If they try anything, it doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out together . Celine, you, me, and Hallie.”

“I’m not having this discussion with you again,” I mutter angrily. “Just give me back my god-damned shoes! If you want to have a party, you can clean up after it yourself! I’m not babysitting you any more. I have more important things to do!”

“ Fine ,” Lexi kicks off my shoes, and saunters back over to the cabana.

I hiss at her as she leaves, and I grab my mauve heels.

Then I storm out of the water park.

Chapter 24: Two perfect dots

Lily

“And then the baby caterpillar cuddled up to the mama caterpillar and he said…”

“‘Mama, that was a looooong day!’” Eli and I say the words in tandem, drawing out the “o” as far as we can until we erupt into giggles.

“And mama caterpillar said…”

We say the words together again. “‘It sure was!’”

“And they they went to sleep.”

Eli presses his tiny face into my chest, the way he always does when he’s tired but he doesn’t want to fall asleep just yet. “One more book, mama?”

“No, honey, I think it’s time for you to go to bed. You know the rules, three books, then it’s time to sleep.”

He groans. “When that lady read me books, she read more than three!”

I smile at the memory. “Yes, but that lady is immortal, so she can stay up forever.”

“What’s ‘immortal’?” he asks, wrinkling his tiny nose.

“That’s a question for another night, I think.” I kiss him on the forehead. Then I pause. “Eli, what did you think of that lady? The one who put you to sleep that night? And got you a manicure?”

Eli holds out his hand proudly. They did a good job. Although it’s been several weeks, the pink nail polish has held up well. He refuses to let me remove it, of course.

“I love my nails!” he says. “And I like that lady. She was nice. She did all the book voices.”

“That’s good. I think mama likes her too.”

“Is she going to come back?” Eli asks, his face shining.

“I don’t know,” I answer, truthfully. There’s a sad pang in my heart as I think of Renata, and the son she sacrificed her life for. It must have been painful for her to be around Eli. But if she wanted to see him again…

When look down at Eli again, his eyes are closed, and he’s drifting off already. I wish I could fall asleep so readily.

I disentangle myself from his little lanky limbs, and quietly creep out of the room. The faint sound of the TV emanates from the third bedroom. Since my mother discovered that we get ten times the channels she does, I haven’t been able to get rid of her. But it’s nice to know there’s another adult in the house, in case Eli gets up at night.

I tuck myself into bed, although it’s not even nine p.m. It’s a rare day off for me, a Saturday night. I remember when I used to go out every Saturday night. Dancing, karoake, drinks…but it’s just not as easy once you’re a mom, especially a single mom.

Still, the bright lights outside my window make the city look incredible, and full of excitement.

I take a worn paperback from my side table. You’ll be disappointed to hear that it’s not “Bitten by Desire.” But it’s a tried-and-true favourite, a sappy love story that never gets old. I prepare myself for a long, quiet evening at home.

After a few chapters, the phone on my side table rings. I jump. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a land line. I hope nothing’s wrong at the hotel. I pick it up.

“Good evening, Lily,” says a smooth voice from the other end.

Am I dreaming? “Renata? Is that you?”

“Of course. I’m sorry to call you outside of your working hours…”

“Is everything ok?” I pull the covers away and swing my legs out of bed.

“Yes, yes, it’s nothing like that. I just wondered if you’re doing anything tonight.”

I pause. “Oh…no, I’m not…I just got into bed.”

“Ah.” She sounds a little disappointed. “That’s all right then…”

“No, no! I mean, I could easily get out of bed, if…”

“If there was a car, waiting for you at the entrance of the hotel?”

There’s a flicker of excitement in my stomach. “Really?”

“Yes, really. But take your time if you need to get ready. I told them to wait.”

“What should I wear?”

“Something nice. But I won’t spoil the surprise.”

“Ok.” I’m grinning wider than I thought was possible.

“I’ll see you soon, Lily.”

“See you soon.”

I hang up the phone. Giddy with delight, I rush to find my best dress and lipstick.

“Ooh, Lily!” screeches Chelsie from her spot along the concierge desk. “You look nice!”

I redden, as whoops and cheers emanate from the staff along both lines of the long lobby desks. It’s a busy Saturday night, and guests checking in turn to look at what all the fuss is about. I smooth the folds of my dress self-consciously. When Renata said “nice,” I didn’t know what to do, so I picked the nicest outfit I own - a slinky, silk pink dress that I wore to my friend’s wedding last spring. I knew it would fit, and I had matching shoes and a shade of lipstick that I hope is close enough. I attempted to make my hair wavy, although the jury is still out about whether or not I was successful. And finally, I put a little cover-up on the marks on my neck. I hope nobody can tell.

“You look beautiful!” Arun shouts encouragingly with a big wave. His shirt is unbuttoned again, and his loose khaki shorts are definitely not dress code-appropriate for the front desk. But I’m not on duty tonight, so I’m not saying anything. I give him an appreciative smile.

Hallie and Lillith lean out over their desks with matching expressions of innocent curiosity.

“Where are you going, Lily?” Hallie asks.

“It’s just a little date,” I tell her.

“Doesn’t look little,” Hallie comments. “You’re so dressed up! Who is it with?”

“Oh, it’s new,” I wrinkle my nose. I wish I could tell her, but I know I can’t. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Your hair is so pretty,” Lillith says.

“Thanks,” I sigh. “It took me ages to get it to curl. My hair is so thin, it never stays.”

“Hold on.” Lillith closes her eyes and twitches her nose. A little twinkle of crimson light emanates from her fingers and settles in my hair. My wavy locks shiver, and they seem to perk up. The young witch opens her eyes, and smiles when she sees her handiwork. “There you go, that should do it.”

“Thanks, Lillith,” I tell her, gratefully running my fingers through my hair. “If you need a job once you graduate…”

“I’ll probably be a Satanic High Priestess,” she says, a devious twinkle in her dark brown eyes. “but it’s good to have a back up!”

I chuckle nervously. “Um, ok.”

Hallie gives her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek, then turns back to me. “Good luck on your date, Lily!”

Lillith puts her head on Hallie’s shoulder. They’re both so sweet. I’m happy that they’ve found each other. I hope that one day, Renata and I…

I push away the thought. I shouldn’t be worrying too much about the future. Everything is so new, I should just focus on the present.

“Good night, everyone!” I say, waving at the front desk staff.

Sid gives me a salute as they open the door for me. There’s a matte black stretch limo waiting outside. A tingle of excitement goes up my spine. I’ve never experienced something like this before. I didn’t have much growing up, and I certainly don’t have much now. But tonight, I feel like a real-life princess.

The driver opens the car door for me (do rich people never open their own doors?) and I slip into the back seat. To my disappointment, there’s no Renata waiting in the car for me. Perhaps she was worried that someone would see us together.

This is such a nice car. The seats are made of soft, supple leather, and when it starts moving, I can barely feel it accelerate. Excited, I look out the window at the city going by. Downtown Silverlake City is always busy on a Saturday night. People are all dressed up, in high heels and clunky boots, shimmering dresses and matte leather, feather boas and tailored suits…I watch it all go by, buzzing with anticipation.

We head into an upscale district. I came here once to buy a really expensive moisturizer that I couldn’t get anywhere else. It did not improve my rosacea, although it did cost me about a week’s salary. But don’t worry, I got a bunch of fancy perfume samples while I was there.

We pull up to a restaurant that doesn’t even have a sign outside. I’ve never been here before, or even heard of it. The driver gets out and opens the door for me.

“When you go in, tell the host your name, and they’ll seat you,” says the driver with a wink.

“All right,” I reply, a little nervous.

I enter the restaurant. It’s dimly lit, with the hum of pleasant conversation and tinkling glasses. It appears to be full, but I can’t see Renata anywhere. I go up to the host’s podium.

“Um, I’m Lily Harper,” I say, a little awkwardly. “I’m meeting someone here.”

“Yes, of course,” the host says with a nod. “Right this way, Ms. Harper.”

He leads me through the restaurant. The delicious smell of beef, shrimp, and dishes I can’t even name wafts through the air. I’m glad I wore this dress. Everyone here seem to be dressed very well. I scan the tables, but still don’t see Renata anywhere. Then he takes me to the very back of the restaurant, to a private room.

It’s intimate, but not small. There’s a fountain in the corner, and a piano with a suited pianist who smiles at me as I enter.

And Renata, seated at a table for two. She wears a dark jacket and dress pants over a top of sheer, crimson lace. The lace hugs her chest tightly, leaving just enough to the imagination. Her lips are a matching deep red, and her jaw-length black hair is slicked back from her temples.

She stands when she sees me. “You look breathtaking tonight, Lily.”

“So do you,” I reply, shyly.

The host pulls out my chair, and we sit. There’s a full place setting for me, and a single red rose in the center of the table.

“Your server will be along shortly,” the host says. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

“That’s all for now,” Renata replies. He nods, and exits. There’s a tinkle of piano keys. The pianist starts to play a piano cover. I recognize the song immediately. A cheesy pop ballad by the rock star who’s jacuzzi we tested.

“Ooh, I love this song!” I say.

“You mentioned you saw her in concert once, so I asked the pianist for a special request,” Renata answers, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world to arrange a live piano cover for your date.

“You remember an awful lot.”

“I remember important things.”

There’s a swelling of emotion in my chest. Then a server comes by with a cloth over one arm and a bottle of sparkling water in another.

“Wonderful to see you again, Ms. Espina.” She nods to Renata, then turns to me, filling my glass with water. “Good evening, my name is Jacqueline, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”

I’m not used to being waited on so formally, but it feels nice. “Thank you.”

“May I start you off with something to drink? We have a delicious pinot noir from Burgundy, or perhaps a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, if you prefer champagne?”

I look over at Renata, then remember that she wouldn’t be drinking any wine or champagne. The attention is all on me. I’m a little anxious at the idea of ordering such an expensive drink.

Renata senses my hesitation, and leans forward slightly in her seat. “Anything you like, Lily.”

I feel a bit silly about my nervousness. I know how much Renata is worth, and that this is all completely normal for her. But it’s still a bit of an adjustment for me. “Champagne, please.”

“Right away,” the server gives me a smile, and then disappears.

“This is really nice,” I whisper to Renata. “You didn’t have to do this…”

“Of course I did,” she replies, smoothly. “I wanted to make you feel special. And I’m glad you ordered the champagne. We can celebrate our first evening out.”

“I’d really like that.” I look at her across the table from me. Her red lips curve into a smile. I can’t believe this is really happening. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have envisioned this.

I haven’t forgotten what Mel told me in the Human Resources office. That if someone finds out about our relationship, I could lose my job. But each time we take a step further, it just feels so right. And I know I can’t go back. I’m absolutely devoted to Renata. I love her, I know that now. And even though she didn’t say it back to me in her crypt, I know that I’m never going to stop loving her.

The server brings my champagne, and I order the seared scallops. The champagne is delicious, sweet how I like it, and crisp on my tongue.

“It’s a little odd,” I say to Renata. “To drink and eat in front of you. Is it rude…?”

“Not at all,” she replies. “I sustain myself in other ways, as you know.”

“Yes.” I think of the last time she drank from me. Then I realize that it was over a week ago. “Oh. Should I…coordinate another donor for you, this week?”

“That won’t be necessary,” she says simply.

“You should make sure you’re drinking regularly,” I tell her. I don’t want to lecture her, but the idea of her weakening herself again is difficult to bear. I hated seeing her like that.

“I will manage. I’ll tell the donor that I won’t be needing his services anymore.”

But I squirm a little in my chair. I’m not sure what this means. I take another sip of champagne. “Does that…mean that you’ll be getting your blood another way?”

“Well,” she raises an eyebrow. “I could always go down to the club, the way Celine used to.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “I guess you could.”

There’s a little mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Would that make you jealous, Lily?”

There’s no point in being coy. She can read me like a book. Even if she wasn’t as cunning as she is, I’ve always worn my emotions on my sleeve. “Yes. I hate thinking of you drinking from anyone else.”

My heart races, but there’s a satisfying relief in telling her how I feel. In being totally vulnerable with her. I trust her completely.

“I understand if you want to,” I add quickly. “But I do want you to know…I don’t want to be with anyone else except for you. I’m all your’s.”

Her lips part slightly. For a second, I almost think I can see the glistening, sharp points of her fangs. But then she composes herself again. She leans across the table and takes my hand. Her touch is thrillingly cool, her skin soft and smooth. “There’s no one else I want to drink from but you, Lily. No more blood donors. And definitely no going to the club.”

Her words are music to my ears. I would have been happy just being with her. But knowing that she only wants me…

My food arrives. I take an eager bite of a perfectly seared scallop. The taste is subtle and tantalizing, and it melts in my mouth. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.

“This is amazing !” I gasp. “Wow, no offense to our chef, but…”

“I’m considering making this chef an offer to come work at our restaurant,” Renata says. “I can’t sample the food, of course, but I’ve heard excellent things. And your opinion matters most of all.”

I grin at her. “Did you take me on this date just to get my opinion on the seafood?”

“Certainly not,” she replies. “And I’m sorry for bringing up work.”

“Actually, I like talking about work. Everyone gets so sick of hearing me go on about it, especially my mom. But I really like what I do.”

“And you’re good at it. The hotel operates much more smoothly since you’ve joined. Cycling schedules, creating a database of regular room requests, and the idea to have consistent vendors for all of our events. You’ve really improved the hotel’s operations.”

“Thank you.” It’s nice that she’s noticed. “Did you hear back from the flower vendor today with the updated contract?”

“I did,” she says eagerly.

We chat about the hotel for a little while. I don’t know if there’s anyone else who cares as much about the hotel as Renata and I. It’s wonderful to be able to share that passion with someone. I get the sense that she feels the same way. She’s always so frustrated with her sisters and the other managers. But with me, she’s different. It makes me feel special. And it’s exciting, to be able to talk to her this way. She really respects what I have to say, and she treats me like an equal.

“Oh, and I had an idea about the daycare,” I say to her. “It’s been so helpful for Eli. What do you think about starting a program so that other staff members can use it for their kids, too? I know that it would mean increasing the hours, and maybe even expanding the space…”

“It’s an excellent idea,” she says. “It would improve staff retention, which is very important to me.”

“Exactly! Eli loves it there, and it’s made a huge difference.” I take a little sip of champagne, and look over to her sheepishly. “I was…asking him about you. He really liked spending time with you the other week, and I wondered if maybe you wanted to see him again sometime. Maybe all three of us could do something.”

Her eyes flit away from me, for just a moment. I pause.

“I…do think Elijah is a very sweet boy,” Renata says, her words slow and deliberate. “But I’m not sure if it’s such a good idea for me to spend more time with him, right now. I’m so busy with everything going on, of course.”

“Of course,” I say quickly, but there’s no hiding the disappointment in my voice. She gives me a tight smile. “I’m sorry for suggesting it.”

“It’s all right, Lily.” She waves a hand.

I take another sip of champagne, finishing the glass. I wish I hadn’t said anything. Perhaps it’s too painful to be around Eli, since it reminds her of her own son. Or maybe I overestimated how serious things were between us.

“Well,” Renata says. “Shall we return to the hotel?”

“I think so,” I reply, hoping I haven’t soured the mood with my question. She stands, and takes my hand to help me rise.

I move toward the door we came through, but she gestures in the other direction.

“Just to be discreet,” she says.

“Oh! Yes, of course.” We thank the pianist, who gives us a warm nod, and then exit out of the back door.

I suppose I should be upset that we can’t be more public with our relationship, but there is something exhilarating about being a secret. Even if this is all it ever is between us, I’ll be happy.

The door exits to a side street. The car is already waiting for us. Renata opens the door for me.

“I could get used to this,” I giggle, as I enter the car.

“I hope you do,” she replies.

She gets in the other side, and the car accelerates smoothly as we drive off, back to the hotel.

“Did you have a pleasant evening?” Renata asks me, crossing her legs casually and putting her arm across the back seat behind her. I swoon at her proximity.

“I had a wonderful evening! I wish it didn’t have to end.”

“Perhaps it doesn’t,” she says slyly. She turns to the driver. “Take the long way home,” she tells him. Then she presses a button, and a dark partition rises between the back seat of the car and the front.

A warm shiver of anticipation runs through me, and I know she can sense my excitement. She fixes her deep eyes on me.

“All evening,” she says, looking up and down my body. “I’ve been wanting to tear that dress off of you.”

“Go ahead,” I whisper, my heart pounding.

She shrugs out of her jacket and I admire her smooth, toned arms as she bends down over me. Her lips find mine, and she pulls me into a passionate kiss. The idea of her deep crimson lipstick mixing with my pale pink shade makes me feel all gooey inside, and I kiss her enthusiastically. Her eyes travel down my neck.

“Your bite marks…” she says, her lips trailing on the final word.

“Just a bit of make-up,” I tell her.

“It’s too bad,” she sighs. “I like to see them.”

Now my heart is hammering properly in my chest, and a warm, urgent desire penetrates my core. She bends down over me further, and I sink into the generous, soft leather seat. I’m glad the tinted windows give us the privacy we need. I’d like her to have me in every way she can.

She pulls down my silk dress and my breasts spill out. She takes a tender, sensitive nipple in hand and caresses it, pinching a little harder than she has before. I moan, and she bends down to put the other between her lips, sucking it insistently.

I feel myself becoming wetter and wetter. I don’t know what I want more badly…for her to fuck me, or to bite me.

“There’s a place we haven’t tried,” she says, her eyes finding mine. “An artery.”

“Where?” I breathe.

“Here.” She taps a spot on my breast and I feel my body weaken with longing. She sees the look in my eyes and a little crimson tinges her irises. Her lipstick is smudged. The powerful vampire shines through the corporate veneer, and her fangs elongate past her lips, perhaps longer than they have before. The light catches their bright white tips and they gleam.

She bares her fangs, and adrenaline courses through my veins.

“Please,” I say, desperately, offering up my breast to her. “Please bite me…I want you so badly …”

“I love it when you beg,” she replies, her voice thick. Then her eyes find mine and pull me into the glamour.

It’s the perfect, full-body high. Every inch of me tingles, sensitive and ready for her. No matter how many times she charms me, it never loses its magic. For a moment, it feels like it’s only the two of us in the whole world.

Ecstasy overwhelms me as her fangs sink into my breast, warm blood spilling out across my chest. But before it can stain the fabric of my dress, she pulls her fangs from me and laps up every drop of blood with her hungry, artful tongue. Her lips fix to my breast and she drinks powerfully. I moan with pleasure as she sucks the blood from my veins. I can sense her growing stronger, and she holds me tightly in her arms.

As she feasts on me, another desire rises up inside my core. She seems to sense it, and catches my eye without lifting her lips from my chest. Unhesitating, she reaches down under my dress. Finding that I’m not wearing panties, she groans, and her fingers explore my sensitive folds.

I shriek with delight as she plays with my clit between her skillful fingers. I feel my pleasure start to build, and so does she. Teasingly, she slows. I know she likes to draw it out. Impatiently, I buck at her hand with my hips.

She laughs, and takes her lips from my breast.

“Do you want more, Lily?” she asks.

“Yes, yes!”

“What do you want?” she says, with a raised eyebrow. I smile up at her shyly. I know that she knows, but she likes to hear me say it.

“I want you to fuck me…please…”

“Good.” With a shimmer of crimson in her eyes, she enters me with three fingers, plunging deep inside me in a beckoning motion, teasing my G-spot. I gasp and thrust against her hand, and she puts her lips back to my breast, drinking deeply once again. I swoon at the twin pleasures, the sensations complementing each other, the glamour making each motion so sensitive…

The other two times she drank from me, she stopped very quickly, just taking enough to satiate herself. But this time, she truly feasts, allowing her carnal side to emerge. Her eyes turn completely red, and she fucks me harder than she ever has before. I lose all sense of space and time, completely at her mercy, belonging totally to her.

Unable to hold back, I come in a crashing, overwhelming orgasm. As I cum, she sucks deeper, drinking her fill of my blood. It makes my head spin and my entire body spasm. I’ve never experienced pleasure like this. I never even knew it was possible.

I fall back down onto the smooth leather seat, completely satisfied. Renata takes her lips from my skin and licks the marks so they form two perfect dots upon my breast. Looking up at her, I can see how she radiates power and strength, fueled by my blood. The idea of giving myself to her in this way fills me with joy, and I sigh happily.

Her fangs retract, and she kisses me tenderly on the cheek.

“You look beautiful like this,” she whispers. “My Lily.”

Chapter 25: Rumours

Lily

The week goes by in a wonderful blur. I feel high off of my date with Renata. And she seems to operate at peak efficiency, strengthened by my blood, I’d like to think. Unfortunately, it’s so busy at the hotel, I hardly get to see her. There’s a big wedding coming up, and the witch conference. It’s exciting, but there’s barely a moment to spare.

Today’s a Friday, and I’m working a day shift, so I only get to overlap with Renata for an hour in the morning. I’m debating whether I should talk to her about changing my schedule. Perhaps if I give Chelsie and the interns a little more responsibility during the day, I could work nights more often. It shouldn’t be a problem, now that Eli is in daycare. When he goes to school in September, it will be even easier. I can drop him off at school in the morning and then sleep during the day. My mom’s been basically living at our house, so she can keep an eye on him overnight.

Yes, I’m definitely going to ask her about it…

My phone chimes to remind me that my workday is wrapping up. I send off a few more emails, and I debate whether I should work late today. But I’m tired, and I shouldn’t push myself too hard. Maybe tomorrow morning, if I have some extra time, I can draft a proposed fall schedule for myself.

Pleased with my productivity today, I log off on my computer and grab my purse. I wave goodbye to the receptionist and press the elevator button.

One of the many great things about living at the hotel is the short commute. And I have a few hours before I have to pick up Eli from daycare. I consider picking him up early, but then I decide to have a bath first. Yes, perfect. I’ll have a lovely bath with my book, then I’ll go get Eli, and maybe we can go to the lounge for dinner. I think Amara is working tonight, it’ll be nice to see her.

Looking forward to a pleasant soak in my big tub, I tap my key card to the panel on my door and enter the suite. I toss my purse on the foyer table and kick off my shoes.

I turn into my living room and stop in my tracks.

Sitting on my couch is my ex-husband.

“Dylan!” I shriek, flipping on the lights. “ What are you doing here?”

He’s wearing his usual suit and tie, like he just came from the office. His hair is a little messy and his tie is crooked, as always. He stands when he sees me, an aggressive gleam in his eye. That familiar sense of fear rises up in me. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

“Did you break into my apartment?” I squeak. I wish I sounded more confident, but I’m completely taken by surprise.

“Don’t be hysterical,” he replies. His voice is hard and serious. “Your mom let me in.”

“Mom!” I shout. There’s something I don’t like about the way Dylan is looking at me. I want to have someone else nearby.

“She’s not here,” Dylan says, taking a step toward me. I move backward, backed into the corner of the living room. “She went back to her apartment, so that we can talk.”

“Talk about what?” I ask. “I don’t have anything to talk to you about.”

“Well, I have something to talk to you about,” Dylan says angrily.

I don’t like how he’s acting. I forgot how much I hate it when he gets upset like this. There’s a frightened tremor in my voice. “Just…just calm down, Dylan…”

But this only riles him up further. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Lily! You’ve been blocking my calls for weeks. I have a right to be angry.”

I know I don’t owe him my time, but I’m scared to tell him that. I also know how he can get when he’s upset like this, and I’m very aware that we’re alone in the suite. He stands between me and the land line on the side table, and my phone is in my purse in the foyer.

“Ok, fine.” I swallow nervously. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“I know what you’re doing here,” he says, viciously. “At first, it was just rumours. But now I have proof.”

“Rumours of what ?” I ask, but my palms are starting to sweat.

“Rumours that this hotel is a mafia front,” Dylan says.

My stomach drops. But…but he can’t have any real proof, can he? Celine and Renata keep everything running so tightly, there’s no way…

But then Dylan reaches behind him and grabs something off the couch.

“My laptop!” I gasp. I reach for it, but he pulls it back. It’s my personal laptop. “How did you…?”

“It was easy to guess the password,” Dylan says, a mirthless smirk on his face. “Your dad’s birthday. A little basic of you, huh, Lilyboo?”

Desperate tears start to form in my eyes, but I refuse to cry right now. “Dylan, give me back my laptop.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says with a sneer. “I’ve already downloaded everything I need. All of the photos, all of the bank receipts and secret transactions. You really shouldn’t have work information on your personal laptop, Lily.”

I heave a shaky inhale. How could I have been so stupid?

“You can’t let anyone see that, Dylan,” I say to him. “ Please .”

“Oh, but I can ,” he says. “Look who has the power now. Doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

I shake my head. “Dylan, you don’t need to do this…”

“But that’s not even the best part.” His nostrils flare. There’s a deep red flush across his face. “Remember my friend, who’s a PI? I asked him to keep an eye on you. It wasn’t easy, especially since you never leave this stupid hotel. Except for Saturday night.”

“No…” I whisper.

This has to be a bad dream. This all has to be a bad dream.

“That’s right.” Dylan takes out his phone, and shows me an image. It’s Renata and I, leaving from the restaurant last weekend. It’s very obvious that we’re together. Her hand is on my waist, and I’m leaning into her. “Don’t you think your HR department would find it interesting that you and your boss are going out for an expensive dinner together?”

The breath catches in my throat.

“Or better yet.” He raises his eyebrows. “Maybe the newspapers would find that interesting, huh? The CEO of the city’s most expensive hotel chain, and her personal assistant?”

My head is spinning. I put my arm to the wall so I don’t lose my balance.

Dylan looks at the image with malicious interest. “I have to admit, Lily, I didn’t expect that from you. You were always so boring in bed. Why didn’t you say you were into this sort of thing? I would’ve liked to see you with a woman. We could have had a threesome.” He takes another step toward me, so his body is just inches from mine. He towers over me, radiating heat. “It’s a nice picture. I’ve enjoyed looking at it over the past few nights, if you know what I mean.”

I really wish I didn’t know what he meant. I wish I could kick him out of my suite. I wish I could rewind the last twenty minutes, to back before my world fell apart.

But I can’t.

“Dylan…” I beg, my legs shaky, fear coursing through me at his closeness and the smell of alcohol coming off of his breath. “Please don’t tell anyone about what you found. I could get fired. Renata could get in trouble. Think about Eli…”

“Oh, but I am thinking about Eli,” Dylan responds. “And I’m thinking about our upcoming divorce case. I don’t think that the judge is going to be very impressed when he finds out that you’re working for a mafia empire, and fucking your boss, do you? In fact…” a horrible, twisted grin mars his face. “I think in the light of this new information, I might even file for sole custody.”

This, more than anything else so far this evening, completely catches me off guard. In a matter of a moment, the fight completely leaves me.

“You…you wouldn’t, Dylan…”

“I think you know that I would,” he responds. Now he presses his face up close to mine, and I can really smell the stench of his cologne, and the humid, sticky warmth of his breath.

I can’t help it. I feel a hot tear roll down my cheek. “You can’t , Dylan. Please, please don’t…”

He brings a rough hand to my face, and wipe it away.

“Well, you know I hate to see a woman cry,” he says. “So I’m willing to keep all of this a secret.”

I sniff, but I know that he’s not that generous. “What do you want?”

“I want you to come back and live with me. You and Eli. And I want you to quit this job. Everything was fine before you started working here. You come back and live with me, and drop the divorce. And I won’t say a word to the newspapers, or the police.”

Now the tears are properly streaming down my face. I brush them back with the sleeve of my shirt.

“I’ll give you two days to think about it,” Dylan says, tucking my laptop under his arm. “Two days, then I go to the police and the papers.”

Without another word, he exits the living room. He slams the door loudly as he goes, punctuating his threats.

Unable to stand for a second longer, I collapse onto the couch. I’m shaking uncontrollably. I can’t believe what’s just happened.

I knew it was good too to be true. That my life here, at the hotel, with Renata…that it couldn’t last. Eventually, someone was going to find out and it would all come crashing down.

Heaving, choking sobs overwhelm me, and I hold myself tightly on the couch.

Maybe I can tell Renata about what’s happened. Maybe there’s something that she can do to stop Dylan.

But the more I think about it, the more I know that I can’t drag her into this. I know enough about Dylan to know that he’ll make good on his threat. If evidence… real evidence, like the kind I know is on my laptop…were to leak, that could cause big trouble for everyone here. And if the newspapers found out about the relationship between Renata and I…I know it would be as bad as Dylan said, if not worse. That would be a huge scandal. I could never risk that happening to Renata.

And Eli…I can’t lose Eli. I might work primarily for the hotel, but I’ve been privy to Celine and Renata’s underground business dealings, enough that I might be compromised if there were an investigation. Even if I’m not charged, I might lose my ability to see Eli, for long enough that Dylan could get custody of him. Dylan works for the largest legal firm in Silverlake City, and he has excellent representation. I just don’t have the same sort of resources as he does. It would be easy for him to get custody, if he can demonstrate that I’m not a fit parent.

An unbidden image pops into my mind, and refuses to budge. The night that I found Renata with Eli, after she put him to bed. The tender expression on her face, the love in her eyes, warmed my heart. There was just a second, just a moment, when I thought that maybe I could have it all. That maybe the three of us could be a family.

But when I asked her about it, at the restaurant, she came up with an excuse.

And when I told her I loved her in her crypt, she didn’t say it back.

I heave a heavy exhale. I know I feel something real for Renata. Something that I’ll never feel for anyone else. But I know in my heart that her first love will always be her work. I can’t ask her to choose between the hotel and me.

It was always going to end this way…

I just thought we had more time.

Chapter 26: Hollow

Renata

My night gets off to a bad start. I’ve received a long list of complaints from hotel guests about the influencer event in the water park, and a report outlining the damages to our largest water slide. My contractor is saying they’re going to have to shut down the water park for at least a few days in order to make sure it’s still safe.

It’s the busiest season for families at the water park, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Fuming at my younger sister, I read through the reports, trying to figure out how to minimize the damage.

My phone rings. I click the speakerphone button.

“Hi Ren!” says a chipper voice.

“Amrita?” I reply. “You know how to use a phone?”

“I’ll have you know that I once spent a magical evening with Alexander Graham Bell,” the vampire-witch says haughtily.

I raise an eyebrow. “You never fucked Alexander Graham Bell.”

“Ok, fine, you’re right,” she sighs. “But I could have, if I had wanted to! Everyone knows he got around.”

“What do you want, Rita? I’m very busy.”

“I have some ideas about the conference next week,” she says. “I know that we’ve already decided on the room assignments, but I think I actually want to do something completely different…”

I groan. “Rita, we’ve been over this! No more last-minute changes.”

“Yes, but picture this,” she says, dramatically. “ Enchanted portals .”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I really don’t want to know…”

“If we have time-altering portals, then everyone can attend all of the sessions that they want to! They don’t have to worry if they want to attend two sessions that are scheduled at the same time. They can just…”

“That sounds very complicated, and difficult to organize. Do you even know any witches who can pull that off?”

“Yes, but he lives in Iceland, and we have to pay him in magic beans.”

I rub my temples in frustration. “Ok, I’m hanging up now, Rita!”

The door opens a crack, and Lily pops her head in. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Finally, someone here to make my life easier,” I say. “You won’t believe what Rita just called about…”

Lily closes the door behind her softly, and flips on the light switch. “Um, I…I have to talk to you.”

Immediately, I’m concerned. All other thoughts leave my mind. “Lily, what’s wrong?”

She’s fidgeting a little, and not meeting my eye.

“Why don’t you sit down?” I suggest.

But she shakes her head. “No, I just need to say it. I…I don’t know if I can work here anymore.”

My vision narrows. I can’t wrap my head around what she’s just said. “What?”

“It’s just…everything with you has happened so quickly. And…and I don’t know…” she inhales anxiously. “I don’t think I can keep working here.”

“Lily…” My mind races. Where is this coming from? “Has something happened? Did I make you feel…”

“No, it’s not that,” she raises a hand. But she still won’t look me in the eye. “You’re wonderful. But this is all just too much for me. And we can’t keep going on this way. Eventually, someone’s going to find out about us…”

There’s a painful ache in my chest, like my heart is wrapped in a tight vise. I can’t say that I haven’t had the same fear. Mel’s words spin around in my head, about the potential scandal if someone were to discover our relationship. I want to tell her that it’s all right, that that won’t happen, but I know that’s not true. We both know the risks.

She continues. “And…and I think it’s just complicated, for Eli. It’s not good for him to be living here. He needs a more…a more stable environment…”

Her voice breaks. I stand and move toward her, but she steps back.

“No,” she says. “No, I can’t do this anymore, Renata.”

“Lily…” I whisper.

“I can work two more weeks,” she says, quickly. “But consider this my resignation…”

I can’t bear to see her like this. The pain in her eyes. She’s clearly thought a lot about this. It breaks my heart, to know that this is how she feels about us.

I should have seen this coming. Lily is a living human, with a family, and a life ahead of her. What do I have to offer? Some secret dinners, hidden away at the back of a restaurant? Hurried sex in my office, in the rooms of the hotel…

She deserves better than that. Better than what I can offer her. She’s right, eventually someone will find out about our secret affair, and it will all come crashing down.

And I told her. I told her that if she wanted to end it she could. That she should just tell me and we would stop, no questions asked.

I have to keep my word.

My throat is dry. The painful ache is replaced by an hollow emptiness as the walls come up again.

“You don’t need to work two more weeks,” I tell her, my voice flat. “You can leave right now.”

“W-what…?” she stutters. “But what about the conference next week?”

“That’s not for you to worry about anymore.” I walk around my desk, to my office door. I hold it open for her. If she remains in my office for one more moment, I don’t know what I’ll do. “You can stay in the residential suite as long as you need to, but you should give your master key back to the receptionist when you go.”

Now she looks up at me. She’s trembling. Every atom in my body longs to reach out to her. But it’s not appropriate. She’s my assistant. I should have remembered that. I should never have let myself get attached the way I did. How could I have made such a mistake? How could I have put her at risk like this?

I should have been stronger.

“Renata…” she whispers.

“ Go ,” I say, louder and more firm that I meant it to be. But it does the job. Lily jumps, and scampers out of my office.

I shut the door.

My office is completely soundproof, for moments just like this. I reach down and put my hands under my desk, then I throw it across the room. It crashes into my couch, papers, phone, and laptop scattering everywhere.

I pace restlessly throughout the room, cursing myself. I should have listened to Mel when I first went into her office. I should never have allowed things to become this way with Lily. I scared her off. And my behaviour was completely inappropriate. No… beyond inappropriate…

I flick the lights back off, and stand in the dark, looking out over the moonlit lake…Silverlake…

I thought she was my Lily…

But I was wrong.

I was so, so wrong.

Chapter 27: Weddings and witchcraft

Renata

A bouquet of white roses flies through the air, and a dozen scrambling bridesmaids clamour to catch it. The wedding planner, with a massive clipboard and a tear in his eye, clutches my arm.

“Aren’t weddings so romantic ?” he sniffs.

I shrug off his touch, but he’s too caught up in the moment to care.

“Remember,” I say to him firmly, pointing to the agenda on his clipboard. “They have to be out of here by eleven sharp, and under no circumstances should anyone from this wedding party go out into the east wing. Do you understand?”

“Mm-hm,” he says, clasping his hands together as he watches the bride shove cake into the groom’s mouth. “No west wing. Got it.”

“ East wing,” I reply through gritted teeth. Then I catch something out of the corner of my eye.

It’s a paper crane, flying through the air at the opposite end of the wedding reception. But not from the force of being thrown. It’s flapping its own feeble paper wings. It leaves a trail of shimmering orange light in its wake.

“Shit,” I whisper. I hurry toward it, careful to move quickly, but not so fast as to draw any attention. Luckily, the dancing has started and everyone is distracted. I navigate around flirting groomsmen and gossiping aunts, and I narrowly avoid colliding with a server carrying a tray of champagne. The enchanted paper crane is circling around the buffet, looking for a place to land.

With lightning-fast reflexes, I reach out and crush the crane into a paper ball in my fist, little swirls of light dissipating in the air. But then I spot another one, resting atop a tray of jello. And then another, flying toward the dance floor.

“My god,” I mutter angrily. I’m about to go chase after the other cranes, when Hallie appears, a worried expression on her face.

“Renata?” she calls.

“What is it?” I ask. “I’m trying to catch all these enchanted cranes. What is Amrita doing over there? I told her we can’t have any shenanigans!”

“I don’t think Professor Vyas is capable of not causing shenanigans,” Hallie says. “It’s sort of what she’s known for. But the paper cranes were from Professor Watson’s seminar on enchantment charms. It was a really good one, actually! Mine is over there.” She points at a particularly intricate paper crane that’s perched on the shoulder of the mother of the bride. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to have noticed it.

I growl irritably. “What do you want, Hallie?”

“Do you know where Celine and Professor Cross are?” she asks. “I haven’t seen either of them all night. Professor Cross was supposed to help with the opening ceremony for the conference, but he wasn’t there.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” I reply, trying to keep an eye on the multiplying cranes. “They’ve been keeping an eye on Xavian and the other vampires, they probably just couldn’t get back in time.”

“Ok,” Hallie says, but she bites her lip nervously, one of her pointed fangs peeking out.

“Listen, could you help me with these cranes?” I ask her. “And make sure that nobody from this wedding goes wandering off. I told Amrita and Lavinia to keep everyone out of the hallway, so there’s a buffer, but if anyone from here gets lost and goes into the wrong hall…”

“I’ve got you,” Hallie says, with an encouraging smile. “And sorry about the cranes.”

“Thanks,” I pat her on the shoulder, and go to check on the witch conference.

As soon as I open the door, I’m almost knocked over by a red-haired witch in jeans and a T-shirt, who’s flying down the hallway. A small white animal hangs precariously off the end of her broomstick.

“Look out!” she cries, looping effortlessly through the air.

“ What are you doing!” I shout at her. “You’re supposed to stay in the east wing! This hall is strictly off-limits!”

“Aw, don’t be a spoil-sport, Ren,” says Xia. She’s cruising right behind the other witch, riding her broomstick like it’s a surfboard. She wears short, dark robes and a big grin on her face. “Besides, Astrid is using the east wing. Her and Amrita are doing a demonstration of how to summon a Demon.”

I glare at Xia. “They’re summoning a Demon…in my hotel ?!”

“Well, I don’t think it’s Satan, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Xia says with a shrug. “They asked Him, but He had plans already. Friday night, you know.”

“ Are you serious , Xia ?” I ask her, furiously.

“Yeah, Him and Astrid have been getting along a little better now that the twins are fully grown. There are still some hard feelings, though. You know how difficult co-parenting can be.” She gives me a knowing look.

“ What are you talking about?”

Before she can respond, Amara flies down the hallway toward us, her golden robe billowing around her and her hawk familiar at her side. She sees my expression. “Sorry, Renata! I told them that you asked us not to use this hallway.”

“Could you try to keep them contained, please?” I snap. “I’ve got a wedding in the other room!”

“Ok, ok,” Xia says, rising into the air. Her and Amara fly away toward the other broomstick-riding witches, trying to corral them into another area of the hotel.

I cross over the hallway and into the east hall. I’m immediately assaulted by the crackle of powerful magic and the hum of voices chanting in unison.

“Goddammit,” I mutter under my breath.

The lights of the hall have been turned off, and there are hundreds of candles suspended magically in the air, all lit with purple and red flames. On the hall’s stage, Amrita and the witch with a pentagram etched on her forehead are leading a chant, wearing thick robes, their eyes closed.

“Renata!” shrieks a voice in my ear.

I turn, to find the Hecate coven High Priestess staring angrily at me with yellow eyes, her white terrier familiar quivering in her arms. She’s surrounded by a small troop of other good witches, all wearing matching golden robes. “Yes, High Priestess Nox?”

She gestures wildly to the two witches on the stage. “This is completely unacceptable! We cannot summon a Demon here, of all places!”

“Well, I’m glad at least someone agrees with me,” I reply, crossing my arms. “But I don’t know what we can do…”

“This is sacrilegious, and I will not have it take place at a Triple Council-approved gathering!” Lavinia continues, as though she hasn’t heard a word I’ve said. Her group of witches all nod and murmur their agreement. “That’s it, I’m summoning Hecate!”

“Oh, no way !” I tell her. “Lavinia…”

“Yes!” she declares. The witches around her cheer, and begin pulling an assortment of brightly coloured gems and candles from the pockets of their robes. They create a throng around the other witches, and cut through the low humming chant with their own incantations.

“Well, shit,” I groan, putting a hand to my forehead.

Lexi pops up beside me, sipping daintily from her Stanley tumbler. “Hey, Ren! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. There’s a strange Icelandic man in one of the seminar rooms. He says you owe him some magic beans.”

For some reason, this is the last straw. I shake my head in frustration.

“You know what,” I say to Lexi, my voice oddly calm. “Why don’t you figure it out for once?”

She tilts her head. “Really?”

“Really! I’m going up to my office, and I’m not coming back down until these witches are out of my hotel!”

And with that, I storm out of the east hall, and back up to my office.

I keep the lights off, and the door locked.

The lake looks so peaceful from up here. The water is still and clear. It’s overcast, barely a star in the sky. The moon peeks out from behind a dark cloud.

I hate to admit it, but a part of me knows that they were right. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, I can’t control everything. I can’t fix everything. I could spend my entire existence trying to hold things together, but they’re just going to fall apart again, time after time. It was always going to break me, in the end.

And what am I trying to control it for, anyway? At the end of the night, it’s just me, alone with a big view of a quiet lake.

Except for a moment, it wasn’t. Without any work to distract me, my mind keeps going back to Lily. How she made me feel like I was more than just my role at the hotel. How she trusted me. She even wanted me to spend time with her and her son. When she brought it up over dinner, I felt so overwhelmed. It was too much to imagine that I could have another chance at a…

At a family .

It was too painful to think about. I pushed her away. Thinking back on it, I feel so idiotic. I should have told her how I feel. When she said she loved me, I couldn’t say it back. Now I would give anything to return to that moment.

But it’s too late. I wasn’t brave enough for her, and I lost her. I’ll never forgive myself for letting her down.

I go over to my cabinet, and I open the drawer. The worn, wooden top looks exactly the same. One line of red, one of green, and one of yellow. It was the most precious thing in the world to me, once upon a time. But time has made it old and weathered, sitting in a drawer.

Am I like this top? Collecting dust, doomed to be shut away in this office forever?

I close my eyes, and hold the wooden toy to my heart. It seems so long ago, and yet so close. I thought I would never fulfill my obligation, my promise to Tudor. But Lily was right. I can’t keep sacrificing myself, over and over.

She saw myself more clearly than I could. And she was brave, for the both of us.

Something softens in my chest. I open my eyes. The moon has risen above the clouds, and shines like a beacon across the midnight-blue lake.

I was reborn once before. Perhaps it’s time to be something new again.

Chapter 28: Home

Lily

“Lily, move! You’re blocking the game!”

It’s Kyle, one of the lawyers Dylan works with. I shuffle quickly around the booth with a sigh, setting down a beer in front of Dylan, and one on the table for me.

Dylan doesn’t say thank you. “Lilyboo, sit on my lap,” he says instead, not taking his eyes off the TV screen behind the bar. Without waiting for my response, he takes me by the waist and pulls me on top of him. I squirm in discomfort. For the past few days, he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me, and I’ve hated every second of it. But I’m trying to appease him. He still has all of those photos of me, and the records from my laptop. Even if I can’t see Renata anymore, I know I need to keep her safe.

I push the thought of her out of my head. It’s pointless to dwell on it. I should start getting used to my new life. Or my old life, I guess. And Dylan can be thoughtful, in his own way. He organized this “re-engagement” party for us here, at our (his) favourite sports bar. Of course, it’s on the night of a big basketball game, so him and his friends have been glued to the TV, instead of actually celebrating our relationship.

Looking around, I realize I don’t actually care about anyone here. It’s just me and Dylan’s friends from university, and people he works with at the law firm. Nobody from the hotel is here. My sister is working, of course, and my mom is in the corner, watching the one TV that’s playing a rerun of an old soap opera.

I drink my lukewarm beer until I can’t stand it anymore, and then I wiggle out of Dylan’s grasp.

“Where are you going?” he mutters.

“Just to the bathroom,” I reply, but he’s already lost interest, as the other team scores and the entire bar groans in unison.

The entire bar except for me. I leave my beer on the table and find the women’s washroom.

There’s nobody else in here, and I don’t actually need to go, so I just stare at my sad reflection in the mirror.

“It’s ok, Lily,” I say to myself. “Be optimistic. You’ll figure this out. It’s only a few years until Eli goes off to university, and most marriages don’t last longer than that anyway, right? Dylan will forget about what he found, and…”

“What Dylan found?” says a familiar voice from behind me.

I spin around. The sound of the game was so loud that I must have missed the sound of her heels on the tiled floor.

You already know who it is. She stands in the middle of the sports bar bathroom like a Goddess, wearing a gorgeous white leather dress with a belt, her shiny hair skimming the sharp line of her jaw. Her dark brown eyes survey me, with an expression perfectly balanced between professional and personal.

“Renata…” I whisper. “How…how did you find me here?”

“I went to your apartment, first,” she says. “Your babysitter told me you were here. She said you got back together with your ex-husband.”

I take a deep breath. “It’s complicated.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she replies with a frown.

Even though I know I shouldn’t, I take a step toward her. We can’t be together but, still…being back in her presence is a gift I wasn’t expecting, and I can’t stand the thought of going back out into the bar just yet. “What are you doing here?”

“I hate to interrupt…whatever it is you’re doing,” she says, her eyes flitting over to the door of the bar. “But you left so abruptly, and…I have to tell you something.”

There’s a little crease between her eyebrows. She hesitates for a moment. I’ve never seen her this way. Did something happen at the hotel?

She clears her throat. “I understand why you decided to quit. I put you in an impossible position, I realize that now. I never should have started a relationship with you like that…”

Her words make my chest ache painfully. “It’s not your fault…”

She raises her hand. “Wait, let me finish. I take full responsibility for everything that happened between us. I was your boss, I should never have allowed it to happen. I should have known we couldn’t work together like that.”

Warm tears well in my eyes. It was so stupid for me to think I could just forget about her. Even if I’m stuck with Dylan for the rest of my short, natural life, how could I ever have thought I could just push away the memories of her? As happy as I am to see her, it’s also an agonizing reminder of everything that I’ve lost. I can almost feel my heart breaking.

“You’re the most amazing woman, Lily.” A tender note echoes in her words. “You’re smart, and hard working, and you deserve so much more than I gave you. I completely understand if you never want to see me again. If you’re angry with me for taking advantage of you.”

I bite my lip. Is that what she thinks happened?

She gazes at me, deep pain in her eyes. “I understand if you don’t want to be with me. But you shouldn’t have to lose your job because of my carelessness. Lily, I’ve drawn up a new contract for you. I want to offer you a position as the Respite hotel’s Chief Operating Officer.”

I blink several times. “What?”

Renata nods. “It’s a big pay raise, and a lot more responsibility, but I think you’ll rise to the challenge. You’ll have your own team, and your own assistant. And…I’m going to be stepping back. I’ll still be the CEO, but if you want, you never have to see me, or work with me, ever again. You can work during the day, and I’ll work nights. That way, there will be no conflict of interest. You won’t report to me anymore.”

I stare at her, absolutely stunned.

“You don’t need to decide right now,” Renata says. “I can have the paperwork sent over to you. Look it over, maybe talk to your… husband about it…” Her lip twitches on the word. She casts her eyes down, then shakes her head. “And Lily…I need to tell you one more thing…”

She looks back up at me, and all the walls fall down.

“I love you, Lily Harper. You’re the most important person to me, and you always will be. I never should have taken you for granted. I put my own fear above you, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself.”

My heart hammers in my chest.

Her eyes lock on mine, sincere and firm. “You’re so special, Lily. You deserve to be loved completely.”

The words envelope me like warm summer air on an August evening. I take a deep inhale as I let them wash over me.

And for once, there are no anxious, swirling thoughts in my head. No worries, no reservations. My heartbeat, so quick and restless before, now beats a clear, steady rhythm.

She notices, and looks at me in confusion.

But there are no words I can say back to her.

So instead, I take her hand, and lead her out of the washroom.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

I don’t respond. I pull her over to the bar, and grab the remote control from beside the cash register. It’s the middle of the game, but I don’t give a shit about sports.

“Hey!” shouts the entire bar, as I turn off the TV that’s playing the basketball game (there’s a quieter but still distinct “Lily!” from my mother as I turn off the TV with the soaps).

“Listen up, everyone!” I shout, pulling Renata to the center of the bar.

Everyone turns to stare at us. My face is bright red. I’m not the type who likes a lot of attention, but I need to do this now. I need everyone to hear me. All of my university friends, the junior associates at the law firm, my mother, and Dylan. He stares at us with a mixture of anger and confusion.

“This woman!” I point to Renata. “This woman is the love of my life. She’s the most loyal, caring, smart, beautiful, confident, badass person I know, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her!”

The bar is completely silent. My mother looks like she’s about to fall off her barstool. Dylan sits at the booth, open-mouthed, his half-finished beer dripping onto the floor.

For once in my life, I feel strangely calm.

I’m done letting Dylan control me. Done living in his shadow. Anything that he can do to me, I can handle. I always could. I just needed to believe it.

“And I don’t give a shit what any of you think!” I declare.

Then I take Renata by the hand, and I march her out of the sports bar. I’m never going back there again.

As we leave, I pull her close. She squeezes my hand tightly. She gives me an incredulous look, like she can’t believe I’m real. I feel the exact same way about her.

“Let’s go home,” I tell her.

“Your apartment?” she asks.

“No,” I shake my head, and look out at the city lights. “The hotel.”

Chapter 29: Lavinia Nox

Lily

We hold each other tightly in the taxi, all the way back to the Respite hotel.

“And then he said that he had pictures of us, too!” I tell Renata. “Pictures of us coming out of the restaurant.”

“That bastard,” Renata hisses. “I’m so sorry he tried to blackmail you like that, Lily. And that you thought you couldn’t come to me about it.”

“I should have told you right away,” I whisper, burying my face into her shoulder. I love the way she smells, the captivating scent of her perfume. I can’t believe I thought I would never touch her again. “But I was scared…I didn’t realize how you felt.”

“You never have to worry about that again,” she says, caressing my cheek. “It’s a bit complicated, but we can figure something out. Do some damage control, if he does leak something.”

“And the mafia connection?” I ask her.

“That’s tricky. But we can consult with Celine and Damien. I’m sure the four of us can pull some strings if it escalates. But I’ll see to it personally that our legal team investigates the situation with your son. You won’t lose him.”

I nod. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t still anxious about it. But I feel so safe, in her arms. “Can you…can you say it again?”

She smiles, and pulls my chin up to look her in the eye. “I love you, Lily Harper.”

I giggle. “Sorry, I just like hearing it.”

“I’ll never stop telling you,” she says. She kisses me softly on the forehead.

The taxi pulls up to the hotel. It’s a beautiful sight, standing like a fortress in the dark, cloudy night.

“I was scared I wouldn’t ever see it again,” I whisper.

“I’m glad that didn’t happen,” Renata responds. “This is where you belong.”

As we step into the hallway adjacent to the east hall, I gaze around with wide eyes. Witches whiz through the air riding on broomsticks, accompanied by cats, birds, and one tiny little white fox. Some of them wear modern clothes, and some wear robes embroidered with elaborate designs of stars, moons, and flowers.

“Renata, look!” I tell her, unable to contain my enthusiasm.

“I know,” she sighs irritably. “I told them to keep it to the east hall…” She peeks into the other event room. “Thank god the wedding has vacated, at least.”

Amara flies up to us on her broomstick and disembarks. An actual hawk sits on her shoulder! I peer at him in wonder, and he looks back at me with sharp, beady eyes.

“Renata, Lily, have either of you seen Celine?” she asks. “I haven’t seen her all night. Amrita’s about to start her keynote. I thought she would want to see it.”

Renata frowns. “No, I haven’t seen her either. Hallie was also looking for her.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing, but I’ll send Merlin to scout for her.” Amara nods to the bird on her shoulder, who bends his feathered head, and then alights, flying down the hallway toward the hotel’s exit.

“I’ll try her cellphone,” Renata says, tapping on her smartwatch to call her sister.

I can see robed witches, silent vampires, and bare-footed shifters (the ones who can turn into animals!) heading into the east hall. I pull on the sleeve of Renata’s dress.

“Can we watch Amrita’s keynote?” I ask.

“Yes, you go ahead,” she says, looking a little distracted. “I’ll meet you in there.”

With a squeal of glee, I join the throngs of magical people entering the hall.

When I step into the room, I feel like I’ve entered another world. The east hall is already an imposing space, with ornate wall sconces, a massive stage with plush, scarlet curtains, and recently veneered hardwood floors. But I’m not prepared for the magical sight that awaits me. The sconces are unlit tonight. Instead, hundreds of floating candles cast a soft, magical light across the rows of chairs that face the stage. My eyes adjust as I gaze at them, not able to believe it’s really possible. Amrita stands on the stage, wearing a thick, violet robe, an owl perched on the podium beside her.

“Lily, over here!” shouts Xia. She’s got a seat at the back, by the exit. Hallie, Lillith, Arun and the other interns are seated in the rows beside her. I wave as I find my way over to them. “You can join us, if you don’t mind being by the exit,” she says. “I’ve got to be close to the back just in case something happens. Damien’s Night Guard was supposed to be security for this event, but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Celine’s missing too,” I tell her. “Renata and Amara are looking for them.”

“They were keeping tabs on Xavian,” Xia replies. “They probably just couldn’t make it back in time. It’s too bad, they’ll be sorry they missed this. Amrita mentioned fireworks.”

“I’m sure Renata will love that,” I chuckle, taking a seat beside her.

“I’m glad you could make it,” she says. “I thought Renata said that you quit, but I couldn’t really believe it.”

I can hardly believe it myself. So much has changed in the past hour. “It’s a bit complicated, but everything’s all right now.”

Xia lowers her voice. “Was it…something between you and Renata? I suspected as much, when I ran into you both in the boardroom.”

I can’t stop myself from grinning shyly at her, but I don’t know how much I should share yet. Luckily, I’m interrupted by the flickering of all of the candles in the hall simultaneously. Immediately, the conversations cease, and everyone finds their seats.

There’s an anticipatory hush over the crowd as Amrita pulls herself up to her full height to address the room.

“Good evening and blessed be to you all,” she says, grandly. Her presence fills the entire space. I’ve met Amrita Vyas a few times, to consult on vampire business, and to discuss organizing the conference. But it’s nothing like seeing her on stage. She’s incredibly charismatic. I feel like I’m in a movie, or something. “It’s truly a pleasure to see all of you here. I hope you all got to enjoy the feast earlier, and participate in the broomstick-riding tournament. What an incredible night so far! Before I continue, I’d like to thank the wonderful staff of the Respite hotel for hosting us.”

Despite the hundred others in the room, Amrita manages to find my eyes in the crowd, and she bows her head slightly. I blush, pleased that she appreciates our efforts. I look around for Renata, but she’s nowhere to be found. I’ll have to remember to tell her that Amrita specifically thanked us.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge that although this is a witch’s conference, we were supported generously by the vampires of the northern vampire alliance, including Celine Côté, Damien Cross, Renata Espina…”

There’s an interruption on the stage as another woman, wearing a golden robe similar to Amara’s, enters from behind the curtain. She has a severe, lined face, and silver hair pinned up on her head in a complicated arrangement of thick braids. She wears golden jewelry and a small white terrier trots by her feet.

I poke Xia. “Who’s that?”

“Lavinia Nox,” Xia whispers back, arms crossed. “She’s the High Priestess of the good witches, the coven Amara belongs to. She pretends to support all of Amrita’s schemes, like Elmwood Academy and this conference, but she really just wants power for herself and her own coven. She’s the one who threw Tudor in the Cave, the witch prison. She’s not a big fan of vampires.”

“Oh,” I whisper. This is all so much more complicated than I realized. Maybe I should make a chart.

“Good evening, blessed be,” Lavinia Nox says, shooting Amrita a sharp glance. “I’m sure we don’t need to name all of the vampires who,” she coughs primly, “were requisitioned by the Triple Council to participate in the conference.”

Amrita’s nose twitches. “High Priestess Nox, how lovely of you to join me.”

“I wanted to address our audience, and to bestow upon this conference all of the blessings of the Hecate coven,” she simpers.

“Well, thank you, Lavinia, we feel very blessed ,” Amrita says curtly. Then she turns back to the crowd. “As I was saying, I think it’s important to acknowledge that although we may come from different traditions and backgrounds, it is possible to band together to create something important, like this conference.”

Lavinia Nox remains on the stage, her hands folded, her eyes watching Amrita with an expression of condescension. Amrita looks a little irritated that she’s stealing her spotlight, but she continues nonetheless.

“I know that it’s been a difficult year, for witches, vampires, and shifters alike. But that’s why it’s so important for us all to have hope. Hope that relations between the magical groups will improve…”

Sharply, Xia’s head turns, toward the back door of the conference. It distracts me, but when I look over, I don’t see anything.

Xia frowns. “Did you hear…”

Then suddenly, the hall is filled with curling, red smoke, that seems to rise from out of the hardwood floor. There’s a loud cracking noise, and I wonder for a moment if these are the fireworks that Amrita had planned.

But it’s clear from the expression on her face that this is not supposed to be happening.

Screams reverberate throughout the hall as a flash of purple light illuminates the stage, and a figure appears out of thin air. It’s…

“Tudor Thornblade!” I gasp. Dread fills me, and I can’t take my eyes off the stage. It’s the vampire Creator who owns this hotel, looking every bit as intimidating and fierce as he does in the portrait in the lobby. But this version looks even more terrifying. His eyes have a wild, haunted look, and his threadbare cape gives him a malevolent air.

Without wasting a second, his terrible eyes fix on the golden-robed woman on the stage, who clutches her chest in horror at his sudden appearance. In an inhuman blur of motion, he pounces on her.

“Lily, don’t look!” Xia shouts.

I cover my eyes, but I hear the scream. I’ll hear that scream for as long as I live.

Shaking all over, I open my eyes again, and pandemonium has erupted throughout the hall. Red smoke is everywhere, making it difficult to see. Witches have taken to the air on brooms, but without the same playful quality as before. They shoot down gold, purple, and red light from their fingertips. I didn’t realize the full range of animals that shifters could become - there are wolves, panthers, and an enormous white bear, that bares its teeth ferociously at a dark-robed vampire who’s attempting to enter the hall.

“Protect Lily!” Xia screams to Hallie, then she’s off on her broomstick toward the stage. She’s intercepted immediately by another witch on broomstick, who raises fingers twinkling with red magic and almost knocks her off of her broom. Xia retaliates with another wave of crimson light.

I watch with wide eyes, both amazed and terrified.

“What’s going on?” Hallie asks me, breathlessly gazing out over the scene around us.

“I don’t know!” I respond.

“It’s the Lucifer coven witches!” Lillith says, looking down at the red smoke around our feet. “They must have broken your Creator out of the Cave!”

“And vampires!” Arun yells, pointing toward the nearest exit. There are three vampires entering the hall, their eyes shining crimson under dark hoods. They move with a steady, deadly purposefulness. Hallie immediately stands in front of us and creates a forcefield of purple light between us and the vampires. Lillith reaches into her pockets, pulling out a smooth, wooden dagger and a chain of silver.

“Take this,” she tells me, pushing the silver into my hands.

It’s thick, and cold. It feels heavy in my palm. “Whoa, wait a second…I can’t fight vampires!” I tell her. “I can’t even kill a spider!”

“You might feel differently when they’re at your throat,” Lillith says with a grimace, raising a hand up against the forcefield. It glows brighter. “They won’t glamour you before they bite you.”

I gulp, and secure the silver chain around my neck with shaky fingers.

Hallie and Lillith do their best to maintain the magical forcefield around us, but the vampires are strong. One of them forces his body against the red light, trying to break through. Lillith holds her stake up in one hand, her other hand raised up to the forcefield.

“Why is it so hard to maintain the spell?” Hallie shouts to Lillith, her body straining with effort.

“It’s evil magic,” Lillith gasps, looking down to the red smoke around our ankles. “The witches must have cast a spell over the hotel to improve their odds.”

My heart pounds as I watch the vampire’s limbs push against the shimmering forcefield. If he gets through, what’s going to happen?

I’m glad that I told Renata that I love her. If I die tonight, I want to die with no regrets.

But then, an arm reaches around the vampire’s torso, and sinks a golden dagger deep into his chest.

I scream. Blood gushes out of the vampire’s body, and he sinks to the floor, limp. Hallie and Lillith release the forcefield. It dissipates in a cloud of purple light.

Renata bends over the body to pull her bloody dagger out of its chest. I feel sick, and dizzy.

“Lily!” she says, hurrying over to me. “Hallie, Lillith, we have to get you all out of here, now !”

“I have to find my sister and my moms!” Lillith says, her eyes scanning the crowd. “I’m not leaving without them!”

“Get Lily to safety,” Hallie tells Renata. “We can take care of ourselves.”

Renata puts a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I love you. Be safe.”

Hallie pauses, her eyes filled with sudden emotion. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Renata tell any of her sisters that she loves them. “I…I love you too, Renata.”

Without another word, Hallie and Lillith disappear into the red haze around us. Renata takes me up in her arms, and I hold onto her shoulders tightly. She races through the bodies around us and out of the hall.

There’s a battle erupting in the hallway. A supernaturally enormous wolf and panther are locked in combat, blood and fur flying on both sides. They’re much larger than normal animals, and they radiate power and strength. It’s incredible, but also absolutely terrifying. There’s no way around them. Renata runs in the other direction, toward the emergency staircase at the end of the hall.

“What’s happening?” I ask her. “Where are we going?”

“We have to find a way out,” she says. “Or somewhere safe.”

She kicks in the door of the emergency staircase, and races down the stairs toward the alley exit. But she’s forced to stop again. There’s a vampire stationed at the bottom of the stairs, wearing sunglasses, with lanky blond hair. I recognize him. It’s the guard that arrived with Xavian Night, for our meeting at the beginning of the summer.

“Shit,” Renata whispers.

Hoping that he hasn’t spotted us, she darts up the stairs, moving faster than I’ve ever seen her move. I clutch onto her even though I know it doesn’t make a difference. My stomach lurches as she takes us up several flights, to the office floor.

It’s dark, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone here. She senses that I need to catch my breath, and she sets me down by the reception area.

This is all happening so quickly. My knees are weak as I try to process everything.

Renata takes my face in her hands. “Lily, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I say, although my voice trembles. “You should go back, find your sisters! I can stay up here, I’ll be ok…”

She gives me an intense look. “Lily, I’m not leaving you. I’ll get you to safety, I promise.”

“But what’s going on?” I ask, shaking my head as I recall everything that’s happened. “I saw Tudor, and he…did he…?”

“He killed Lavinia Nox,” Renata says, somberly. “In front of the entire Triple Council. He must have escaped from the witch prison, but I have no idea how.”

“Lillith said it was evil witches,” I tell her. “Because of the red smoke.”

“But why would they have helped Tudor?” Renata asks. “They’ve been allies in the past, but not recently. And why…?”

Her words are interrupted by a rustling sound from the offices behind us. Renata’s head instantly snaps in that direction. She puts a finger to her lips, and takes me by the hand.

We creep down the hallway, following the sound. It leads to the Human Resources office. We share a confused look, and then Renata quietly pushes the door open. Mel is there, her back to the door, shoving papers and files into a slippery, waterproof bag.

“Ah!” she says, cutting her finger. “I hate paper!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t work in an office, then,” Renata says, her voice reverberating against the wood-paneled walls.

Mel spins around, and her bright, multicoloured eyes widen in fear. “Re-Renata…”

Renata looms over her, allowing her fangs to protrude menacingly over her lips.

God, she’s so hot.

“Put the files away, Mel,” she commands. The mermaid tosses the bag into a corner, and puts her hands up.

“I…I had nothing to do with this!” Mel squeaks. “The conference was going on, and…”

“Tell us everything you know,” Renata snaps.

Mel gulps, her eyes changing colour rapidly. “I had no choice, Renata! I had to do what they told me! It was Xavian Night, he approached the evil witches to strike a bargain with them. He wanted to get Tudor and the wolves out of prison in exchange for free rein over Lazarus’s territory. They didn’t trust you and your sisters…”

“The holding floor,” I gasp, remembering something from the night we were attacked by intruders. “You…you were coming down off the elevator. You saw us go up…”

Mel’s long fingers tremble. “I had to tell them you were going there! They needed to infiltrate the security system, so they could break in tonight…”

Renata hisses. “Where are Celine and Damien?”

“Xavian captured them,” Mel replies. “They’re on the holding floor, unless he staked them.”

Renata turns to me. “We have to…”

But while Renata is focused on me, Mel takes the chance to run across the office. She’s surprisingly fast for someone who presumably prefers to swim. She takes off down the hallway.

Renata is about to chase her, but then she hesitates, looking back to me.

“Go get her,” I say quickly. “I’ll be fine! If she tells someone we’re here…”

Renata nods, and in a flash, hurries down the hall after Mel. I take the time to check out the bag of files that she was stealing. They’re reports from the club and various business dealings between Celine and the other vampire mafia empires. It’s good that we didn’t let Mel get away with all this information. I put the files into the bag and zip it up, then I stand and turn back toward the door. It’s odd that it’s taking Renata so long to retrieve Mel. After all, Renata’s a super-fast…

Vampire.

Every hair on the back of my neck stands up. There’s a massive, dark figure standing right in front of me, only inches away. He’s much taller than me, and I have to crane my neck to look up at him.

“Well, well,” he says, his thin lips twitching into a grin. “If it isn’t the little assistant.”

I’m trembling. My voice is thin. “I…I got a promotion, actually.”

“Good for you,” drawls Xavian Night, moving even closer. I back away, up against the file cabinet, hitting the back of my head painfully against one of the cabinet’s handles. “It’s too bad that you’ll never get to earn that pay raise.”

He bends down over me, a flash of red in his grey eyes.

Without any time to think, I pull the silver chain from my neck. Its clasp breaks with a snap, and I hold it as firmly as I can against the vampire’s face.

He snarls, and there’s an awful burning smell as smoke rises from where I hold the metal to his skin. It startles him just enough for me to run out of the office and down the hallway toward the reception area.

I’ve never run so fast in my life. At the end of the hall, I can see Renata. She’s turned to face the elevators. I run into her arms and she holds me tightly. I press my face against her shoulder.

“Nice of you to join us, Lily,” says the low, malicious voice of Tudor Thornblade. He’s standing in the middle of the reception area, his arms crossed over his chest. He’s terrifying to behold. I clutch onto Renata, trembling uncontrollably.

Mel stands behind Tudor, running her fingers nervously through her tangled hair. Xavian joins us from the office, the burns on his face healing. He glares at me.

“I want the girl,” Xavian says to Tudor.

“She’s off limits,” Renata hisses. “You touch her, and I’ll rip your head off, Xavian.”

The other vampire flinches.

“Leave the breather,” Tudor commands. “Although it would certainly be sufficient punishment, Renata, given your transgressions.”

Renata stands tall, looking her Creator in the eye, a proud tilt to her chin. “I’ve done nothing wrong. But if you hurt Lily, you’ll make an enemy of me.”

“Understood,” Tudor replies silkily. There’s a dangerously casual lilt to his voice. “And you should understand something too…”

Chapter 30: The words sound different now

Renata

The cool purple eyes of my Creator glow in the dim light of the office. “I’m very disappointed in you and your sisters. You should have been the ones to break me out of the Cave, not Xavian. You’re on thin ice for the time being.”

The elevator doors chime open, and Oana enters the floor. She’s one of the vampires who was imprisoned along with Tudor. Her flowing dark hair is disheveled and her signature red cape is missing. But she has a devious grin on her face. She holds Lexi by the arm, pulling her onto the office floor.

Lexi looks terrified. “Renata!” she gasps. Oana tosses her to the floor before Tudor, and she scrambles back up to her feet.

Tudor surveys us with a glint of sadistic pleasure in his eyes. “Now that we’re all here, I think we need to have a little chat.”

I position myself between Lily and the vampires. She holds my arm tightly. Despite the dire circumstances, her heartbeat keeps me grounded.

“Where is Celine? And Hallie?” I ask my Creator.

“Bound in their coffins,” he replies coolly. “For now. You and Lexi are free, I need you to run the hotel. But I’m going to keep Celine and Damien, and perhaps Hallie. One wrong move, and they’ll pay for your insubordination.”

He hasn’t staked them. At least not yet. It’s a huge relief, although it pains me to think of Damien and my sisters trapped in coffins.

Tudor’s voice lowers to a hiss as he addresses Lexi and I. “But let me make myself clear. I am not happy with either one of you, and I expect you both to demonstrate your loyalty to me. Lavinia Nox is dead, and her pathetic witch council is in chaos. There’s a new order, and you’d be foolish to think otherwise.”

Lily whimpers softly. I squeeze her hand.

“Xavian will take over Lazarus’s branch of the mafia, under my tutelage. And the Arundel wolves will return to their forest. The evil witches get Elmwood castle. That’s the deal. And to cement our alliance…” his eyes flash to me. “You’re going to marry one of the wolf shifters.”

I stare at him in complete shock. “What?”

“You heard me,” he says, with a challenging glare.

Lily and I make eye contact. Although I know that she would go along with whatever I say, I can’t marry a wolf shifter. I refuse to be with anyone other than her. Whatever Tudor does to me as punishment, I can handle it.

I steel my resolve, and turn to face my Creator. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not a pawn for you to trade, Tudor…”

He hisses angrily, showing his fangs. “Well then, you give me no choice…”

“Wait!” Lexi says. She swallows, and addresses our Creator. “I’ll do it. I’ll marry the wolf shifter.”

“What?” I whisper. “Lexi, you don’t have to…”

“If you let Renata be, and don’t hurt Celine, Damien or Hallie,” Lexi says.

I look at my sister with new eyes. She’s never stood up to Tudor like this.

He surveys her suspiciously. There’s a tense moment. The whites of his eyes flash as he considers her words. I can hear Lily’s heart racing.

Then he nods. “Fine,” he says, curtly. “It doesn’t really matter which one of you marries the shifter, as long as it cements our alliance.” He looks me in the eye. “I expect complete obedience from you. The only reason I’m not throwing you in a silver-lined coffin is because I need you to run the hotel. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I respond. I hear his words. They’re the same ones he’s always spoken to me, but they sound different now. I know that he values me only for my usefulness to him, but…now I don’t define myself the same way.

I’m worth more than just my competence. I truly believe that now.

I feel Lily beside me. Despite the fear wafting off her skin, she holds her head up bravely, and clutches my hand tight. My sister looks at me over her shoulder, a defiant gleam in her blue eyes.

If I have Lily, and my sisters, I know that we can beat Tudor.

But still…it will be a fight like we’ve never seen before.

Thank you for reading!

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Note from the author

Thanks for reading!

My name is Remi Lebeau.

I write sapphic romances with lots of heart (and a little bit of heat).

I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I can be reached at:

Remi.Lebeau.Books@gmail.com