Page 69

I swallowed and fought back a shy smile. “Alright . . .”

Victor extracted himself from Zee’s grip to march over and pin Leomaris under his strict glare. “While Zodiac can be bought with pretty things, and Adam has a good heart so naturally believes in doing the right thing, I am not so easily quelled, and should you or the SSD attempt to take Adam from us again, please know my undying wrath is no trivial thing.”

“Oh, my fuck.” Zee eye-rolled and stomped up to Victor. “They get it, you’re a vampire badass. Now let’s go to your room and find a nice silk tie you can use to roleplay that wrath. I wanna make a nest for Adam, and we’ve got some catching up to do now he can take it like a dragon again. Adam,” Zee purred my name. “Do not keep us waiting.” He dragged Victor after him, back through the stairs doorway.

“Thank you,” I told Elion.

Their smile bloomed slowly. “Frankly, if you hadn’t accepted the offer, we’d all be on our way to Lost Ones prison. Our fates are in the hands of a vampire, a demon, and the last dragon. Please do not make me regret it.”

“We won’t. We’re good at this. Mostly. I mean . . . together, we’re generally pretty good at saving people. Sometimes. We’re not perfect, but who is?”

They laughed. “Alright. Well, you had better go be with them before they start arguing, no?”

“Right. Yes.” I glanced at the door Victor and Zee had passed through and back to Leomaris. “So, uhm . . . About those portals that are opening up. We might have one? Just a little one.”

They nodded and gazed about the foyer. “This is a better place than most. Guard it, and in time, the authorities will see about sending those home who want to return. As it should be. I suspect the SOS Hotel will pave the way in that regard.”

“Okay, sure. You uh . . . you don’t want to go home, if it turns out we can?”

“There was a time I preferred hunting people, now I prefer saving them. This is my home, as I suspect it is yours. Good day, Mr. Vex. And do not give me cause to regret our association.”

I gave a little wave, and Elion returned a soft nod.

Message understood. They would absolutely put me down if I happened to get the wrong idea about being a hero.

With Elion gone, and the reception’s phone ringing, doors slamming, elevator pinging, and Madame Matase chatting with a guest at the front desk, I studied the certificate.

Heroes of the City.

It must have been right, if it was on a certificate.

As it turned out, I’d been the hero of this story all along. I grinned, and briefly soaked up the SOS Hotel atmosphere. Me? A hero? How crazy was that.

CHAPTER 21

I climbed from the black sedan under a hail of camera flashes and placed shiny shoes onto the red carpet. A tiny little flutter of nerves constricted around my heart. Just seven weeks ago, I’d shied away from the spotlights, hidden in average, pretending to be nobody.

“Adam! Adam! A photo for your fans? Adam! We love you Adam!”

I smiled, tugged at my cuffs, fiddled with my collar, and tried to look casual. The limelight was going to take some getting used to.

A kerfuffle was happening inside the car I’d climbed from. Zee was urging Victor to hurry up, but Victor would not be rushed. He’d coached me on how important this was. We were to project normal, friendly appearances, not mayhem and murder vibes.

Victor emerged from the back of the car, wearing a classy black suit with subtle purple stitching and a lining of purple silk inside. The hail of camera flashes ignited all over again. He’d never looked more handsome. He reached out and looped his arm with mine. My grin had my cheeks aching.

But our moment was over as soon as Zee stuck a knee-high laced-up boot out of the car, then followed it with the next. He had the best legs out of all of us, so when he emerged like a butterfly from a chrysalis, and his wings unfurled behind him, the crowd of press and fans we’d collected lost their collective minds.

He was born for this. While Zee soaked up all the attention, Victor and I climbed the steps and entered the concert hall, where our Heroes of the City ceremony was about to take place. It was a glitzy affair, paid for in part by the vampires, who wanted their new council member to project nothing-bad-here vibes.

I wasn’t sure what it meant, that Victor would be on the council, or what tomorrow would bring. But we would be together. That much I was certain of.

Some of the staff guided us to our table, where Leomaris and their partner Delores were already seated. Claymore was here too, filling space for three at the table. He grumbled a hello. Jimmy had draped himself in an empty champagne glass, having already consumed his weight in wine.

Even Tom was here, projected from a phone on the tabletop, arms crossed, berating everything and everyone around us for their shoddy service. Madame Matase had remained at the hotel, holding down the fort until our return.

Victor and I took a seat, and Zee joined us a few minutes later, poofing into his chair, bringing with him his brilliant smile and a sprinkling of purple sparks. “Now this is what I’m fuckin’ talkin’ about. This . . .” He sat back and circled his hand in the air. “This is our fuckin’ destiny. Totally worth almost dying for on multiple occasions.”

“I’m glad you approve.” Leomaris smiled.