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“We should round up all the Zees,” I said. “Now they know you’re the real deal, they’ll definitely help us out.”
“An army of Zodiacs?” Zee’s grin turned sly, especially when he spotted Victor’s arched eyebrow of judgment. “Cheer up, Fancy Fangs. I’ll round up the Victors too. One of ’em is bound to have a ruler you can all get gooey-eyed over.”
“Wait . . . Zee, you’re onto something. Stephanie knows who we are, but if there are lots of us, it may be enough to confuse her. Add in the silver bell, and we might have a chance of distracting her enough to be able to get close again. Then take off her head.”
“Only if Zodiac is able to tone down his light show,” Victor warned. “Else he will not blend in among any decoys.”
“I can do that. No, really, I can,” Zee added after seeing Victor’s doubtful expression. “The first time I wasn’t ready. Now I know what to expect I have definitely got control of it.”
“What about the staff? I asked. “Once they realize we have nefarious intentions, they’ll try and stop us. Plus, there’s the golem.”
“Then we do this during the day, when the golem isn’t active.”
“Let’s start by rounding up all the SOS Hotel cosplayers.” I smiled up at Zee. He’d be perfect for this.
“Free pancakes in the bar for SOS Hotel fans only, and I will personally ensure they are only drugged with the good stuff.” Zee poofed away, probably out into the hallway, leaving me with Victor and our suite full of recovering victims.
“Tom Collins would be so proud,” I said.
“Proud is not a word I’d associate with our unfiltered barman.”
“How is Wesley?” He may not have been our favorite person, but he hadn’t turned out to be all that bad.
“Asleep on the bathroom floor.”
“Has Eddie woken up yet?” We’d put Eddie in the bath to bring his temperature up slowly, although we probably hadn’t needed to. After we’d rescued the others, we realized a warm blanket and time might just be enough to thaw them all out.
“Not yet, but I am certain he will.”
I watched the others sleep. “You know . . . we’re actually pretty good at saving people.”
“After everything we’ve done—stopping Gideon Cain, ending the vampire queen’s reign—you’re still surprised?”
“Every day.” I chuckled.
He smiled too. “There is Larimer to deal with. I have my suspicions he is not human, and linked to the golem. He disappears when the axe-wielding golem is on patrol, as though they work in tandem. They may even be two sides of the same individual—one guarding the hotel and Stephanie at night, the other during the day. If Larimer believes we are a threat to Stephanie, he will be a threat to us.”
Larry could also be the axeman? But that was alright. I had a plan to kill two birds with one stone. “Don’t worry, I have a plan for Larry.” I grinned and shuffled against Victor’s side, inviting his arm around me then holding it firmly in place.
“Oh? And are you going to enlighten me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Intriguing.” He kissed the top of my head. “As are you, my dear.”
CHAPTER 13
Zee maneuvered to the front of the restaurant to enthusiastic applause. His audience was made up of . . . well . . . us. Several Victors stood out in their suits or Dracula costumes. Plenty of Zees sparkled and bounced, their strap-on wings, tails, and horns jiggling and pointing in all directions. Several average-looking guys with messy blond hair loitered . . . they could have been Adams, or maybe they had no idea what was happening and had just showed up for free pancakes.
“It is rather a universal joke that Vlad was the worst of us, and yet the fool now represents vampires throughout this world,” Victor grumbled, side-eyeing a Dracula lookalike.
“Dracula was really a vampire?” I asked.
“Dracula and the cliché outfit is a work of fiction, but Vlad was unfortunately real and has been giving vampires a terrible reputation for centuries.”
“I think maybe vampires have been doing that themselves,” I told him with a playful smile.
“Point conceded.” He smiled back.
