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I knew what was happening. “He’s having a crisis,” I whispered, glancing around to check we still weren’t being watched. “Like you had a crisis after you—” I drew a line across my throat. “Dispatched the previous queen.”

“What?” Zee flustered. “At least I had the decency to have my crisis later! Not while we were in the middle of doing the dispatching.” He rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Do I have to fuckin’ do everything around here?”

“Oh, there you are Adam.” Noreen Greene gleefully shoved herself from the crowd, into our little circle of trust . . . that included a dead vampire queen hunched over the bar. “Oh dear, is she alright?”

“What?” I squeaked. “Uhm . . . Yes, she is fine,” I said those last words, like it might help convey that nothing was wrong.

Zee scraped Daisy’s limp body off the bar and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Rigor mortis hadn’t yet set in, so Daisy was pliable. Thankfully, her eyes were closed. “She’s just sleepy.” He grabbed her wrist and made her hand flap. “Too much milk does that to a vampire.”

“Milk does this?” Noreen asked.

“Noreen, wow, thank you so much for putting us on the map.” I draped an arm over her shoulders and scooted her in the opposite direction from the murder scene. “Look at what your article did. Everyone here is uh . . . safe from Gideon Cain.” Just not safe from us, I mentally added.

A quick glance back revealed a gap at the bar where Zee, Victor, and Daisy had been, and Tom grinning like a crazy murderbot. Maybe his homicidal stand-in hadn’t been so far from normal Tom after all. What if I’d created a serial killer? No, Tom was Tom, just like he’d always been—our barman who routinely drugged and verbally abused customers . . . What was a little murder anyway? We’d all done it.

“Is everything alright?” Noreen asked.

“Oh, yup, just fine.”

“How is the meeting going with Daisy?” Noreen glanced behind us, but I quickly urged her on.

“Oh, uh, you know, not great, actually. I think she had to leave, to get back for some kind of vampire emergency.”

“She did?”

“Anyhoo. Tell me all about this article. What did you say that has people lining up to stay at our amazing hotel.”

“Simply that the prophecy is real and you are the Chosen One who will save all Lost Ones from Gideon Cain’s dark ways.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “You wrote that?”

“Oh yes. I’ve turned over a new leaf.” She preened and poked at her stiff hairdo. “I report only the truth, and as your identity is something of an open secret these days, it added that spicy pizzazz to a story that everyone loves.”

“Oh . . . uh . . . yes. Good, I guess.”

Everyone here knew who I was? They’d all come because they thought I could save them? Me?

Oh dear. “Er, if you’ll excuse me, I just need to check on . . . the gremlins.”

“Let’s have a drink Mr. Vex, to celebrate the inevitable downfall of that terrible man.”

“Uhm, yes, later . . .” I hurried off, leaving Noreen staring after me. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Every guest wanted me to be their hero? That wasn’t part of the plan. I had to find Victor and Zee.They needed to know that the whole world knew I was the Chosen One. I had to stay calm. I could do calm.

Where would they have taken Daisy? The kitchens? To make pies? No. We didn’t do that. Maybe the attic? Yes. I’d take the elevator . . .

I hit the elevator button and the doors immediately rumbled open, revealing Victor and Zee inside and arguing. Zee had his arm looped around Daisy’s waist, and Daisy was slumped over like a pink and white ventriloquist’s dummy.

“Why are you still here?” I hissed, and hopped inside the elevator. I was quickly followed by a glamorous fae guest who had long, straight white hair and was dressed in a pale green pantsuit.

Zee and Victor fell silent.

The doors closed, and we shuddered into motion.

Well . . . this was . . . awkward.

“Is she okay?” the tall, well-dressed fae asked.

“She’s my sister,” I blurted, then laughed. “She’s so silly. We’re just taking her back to her room. A bit too much happy juice and she’s out cold. You know what sisters are like.”