“Fang caught your tongue?” I asked, tilting my head.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so he’s funny?” she said to Timothy.
My aide sent me a strange look. “Not typically, no.”
“Well, since I don’t have a trace of an idea who I was or my name, I guess you can call me, Vivien.”
I dropped an arm from the car seat. “Vivien?” I didn’t bother hiding the skepticism in my voice.
She frowned. “Yes, Vivien. I totally feel like I would have been a Vivien in my past life.”
Not knowing what possessed me, I said, “You strike me as a Martha.”
She made a face of disgust, sticking out her tongue at me. “What? Martha? That’s so boring. I was probably a Persephone, or Anastasia, or maybe if I had a simple name, Hope.”
She’d put thought into this. “Hope? You really believe your name was Hope?” The sekhor was likely mad from spending all her time in sewers hunting rats. Still, she arrested me with her crazy.
I caught Timothy staring at me, and realized his attention was affixed to the smile at the corner of my mouth. I emptied my face of expression and leaned back in my seat to look out the window.
Remembering what happened when I followed madness down its rabbit hole of merry amusements, I shut off the curiosity I had for this vampire. It was as simple as turning off a spigot.
The sekhor shrugged. “Okay, maybe not Hope. But I’m naming myself Vivien. Call me Vivien.” She shot out a hand to Timothy. He was closer. His eyes flitted down to her hand in surprise before taking it and giving it a shake.
The limo stopped, and we exited. I kept a tight grip on “Vivien’s” arm, pulling her along. The night air smelled of cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and the earthy palm trees surrounding the entrance. Though people partied all night on the Vegas Strip, there were very few milling about with the sun to rise soon.
Vivien looked up at the massive hotel, colored lights shining bright in the night to highlight its impressive construction, a siren call for all who wanted to experience sin and luxury at its finest.
“You’re staying at the big pyramid hotel?” Vivien asked, her brows furrowing.
“Iownthe big pyramid hotel,” I said, mimicking her phrasing.
“I told him he should try to have more fun,” Timothy said, now standing next to us outside the limo, still absorbed in his tablet. “So he went to Vegas like anyone else would do…and bought a hotel, turned it into the most exclusive luxury location on the strip, and works harder now than he ever did before.”
The sleek black lines of the hotel appealed to my aesthetic. It was now the favored hub to the powerful and rich, not only in the country, but worldwide. But to me, it wasn’t a home; it was a place I occasionally slept and where I did my work.
My aide’s tone was chastising and tiresome. “Not now,” I said in warning. He could bother me later about my deplorable work habits.
Timothy looked up as if realizing where we were and who was at my side. “Yes, well, ahem, welcome to the Sinopolis.”
“Let’s go.” I started toward the front doors.
Vivien tripped over her feet.
“I thought vampires were imbued with great strength and grace?” Irritation lined my tone.
“Graceful as a ninja ballerina now,” she confirmed. “I just don’t feel like we need to be in a rush.”
Dragging her closer to me, I was ready to spout off another menacing threat, but I stopped before pushing her out to arm’s length.
“What?” she asked.
“You reek of garbage and a man’s body odor.” I held my breath.
She glowered. “Well, excuse your highness, but living in the sewers hasn’t given me a lot of time to clean up or launder my stolen threads.”
Instead of answering, I resumed my quick pace with Vivien in tow, keeping my nose a safe distance from her.
We walked through the lobby, and Vivien’s face tilted up to take in the dazzling heights. The rooms all had balconies that overlooked the restaurants and shops below. A massive oasis sat at the center with lush trees and foliage that filled the air with the scent of fresh flowers and freshly turned dirt. There was the soothing rush of water from the falls all around the clear pool. Massive gold and obsidian chandeliers were suspended above.
