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“Are those fangs?” the guest asked.

“What?” I looked at Daisy . . . and the fangs poking out from between her lips.

Zee flopped Daisy’s head back, then tugged her lips down over her fangs. “Nope,” he said. “Just normal human baby teeth.”

“Human babies have teeth?” the guest asked.

“Yes,” Zee said, with confidence. “Huge teeth. Big chompers. So normal, not a vampire. Like Adam is normal. Aren’t you Adam?”

“Uh—”

“Adam is also not a vampire,” Zee continued. “Unlike that dashing piece of suit-clad ass looming behind you. He looks creepy, but he’s actually a softy and knows a hundred ways to use a tie in the bedroom. Say hello, Daddy Vampire.”

Victor frowned.

“Say it, Fancy Fangs, the lady is waiting,” Zee urged through his thin smile. Beads of perspiration made his face shine under the elevator’s new, intense lighting.

“Good evening,” Victor said through his teeth, as though chewing glass.

“See, he’s a vampire. This girl is just a sleepy human who can’t hold her milk. We’re taking her to her comfy room where everything will be fine⁠—”

“Zodiac,” Victor said. “I suspect you have said enough.”

The elevator chimed and jolted to a stop, and the guest left, eyeing us suspiciously.

“I think she bought it,” Zee said, once the doors had closed on us and we were underway again.

“Where are we taking Daisy?” I asked.

“Housekeeping’s storage closet,” Victor explained. “Unless you know a better temporary location?”

“Okay, alright . . . that works.” The closet was pretty large, with a lockable door, and if I had all the keys nobody would stumble on our dead vampire.

“Get her feet,” Zee ordered Victor. “This cutesy girl is heavier than she looks.”

Victor bent and grabbed Daisy’s ankles, then picked her up so they had the vampire queen slung between them.

“This is fine,” I puffed, and willed away a wave of lightheadedness. “We’re doing so fine.”

“Are we?” Zee’s voice pitched higher. “I’m not feeling fine. He doesn’t look fine.”

Victor was even paler than before. Was he about to pass out? Then we’d have two limp vampires to deal with.

“I am fine,” he growled. “I’m internalizing the fact we have killed a second vampire queen and will likely start a war.”

“Nobody needs to panic. We’re all doing great,” I told them, hoping it didn’t sound as panicked as it had in my head. “This is great.” That one I muttered for my benefit.

The elevator pinged and the doors opened. I took a quick look at the corridor, found it clear, and waved them out. Storage was at the end. The little room would be crammed with brooms, mops, buckets, but should be large enough for a corpse.

“We look like three fuckin’ pedos right now,” Zee mumbled, walking backwards, his hands under Daisy’s armpits. “Kidnapping a twelve-year-old. This is a new fuckin’ low, and I fuckin’ know low. You must get this a lot, Fancy Fangs. There’s always an age gap with your ancient ass.”

“She’s a great deal older than twelve, and would most certainly have had us all killed as soon as our meeting ended,” Victor grumbled, holding her ankles.

I unlocked the storage room and flicked on the light. The room had never looked smaller, and wasn’t much larger than a normal closet. Shelves stocked with sheets and towels filled the walls. All the hotel’s cleaning equipment was stacked at the back. “Okay, stuff her in the back with the mops.”

Zee backed in but quickly ran out of room, so he shoved Daisy upright and pushed her floppy body into Victor’s arms. “Demon?” Victor growled.

“It’s fuckin’ tight in here . . . I’m fabulously huge . . . and she’s your problem.”