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“Adam Vex!” her voice boomed, rattling through the hotel walls. Ice darted across the floor, up the boxes, jerking and snapping, coming right for us.
“To the elevator!”
We bolted, dashed into the elevator cage, and rammed the rattling door home. Jagged bits of ice cracked and snapped, breaking and remaking itself as it climbed over everything to reach us. The ancient elevator stuttered and finally shuddered into motion, carrying us higher.
“This is good.” Ice lunged for my leg. I kicked it back. “We can work with this.”
Ice grabbed Zee’s tail. He yelped, spun, and jerked his tail free, then kicked the reaching ice back. “This is the fuckin’ worst vacation ever. I want a refund.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We’ll go to the beach next.” A huge icy tentacle sprang for my face. I ducked, and Zee punched it to dust.
“Really?”
“Yeah, somewhere hot and fun. With cocktails and sunsets.”
“Fuck yes. Fuck this ice and snow. Minnesota is not nice.”
We finally reached the foyer and stumbled from the elevator. Ice encrusted the chandelier above our heads and formed enormous, sparkling, sinewing arches, turning the foyer into one of those Icelandic hotels with icy blue walls and blocks of ice for beds. Who pays to sleep on ice?
By the front desk, and Larimer’s frosty remains, a vast vapor cloud came together to form Stephanie Frostweaver.
“Look, lady.” Zee stepped forward, tail flicking. “Before you get your icicles in a twist, your beloved was already dead, and I get the whole grieving thing, but it’s been what, a few hundred years? You really need to move the fuck on.”
She screamed, and flew at Zee.
His purple aura instantly bloomed around him, his wings exploded open . . . then he stopped. “Wait, Kitten. If I make her come, is that cheating on you, because I don’t wanna ever—”
“Do it, Zee!”
He clicked his fingers, igniting a few sparks, and Stephanie’s charge pulled up short. Her scream cut off and she frowned.
“Was that it?” I hissed.
Zee clicked his fingers again. His spark fizzled and died.
Stephanie shook her head, her frown deepening.
Zee cleared his throat. “This has never happened to me before. I always satisfy my lovers, okay?”
“You’re out of juice,” I said.
“Fuck, I’m out of juice!” He winced and stumbled backward. “Ugh, all that talking when we should have been doing!”
“You insolent, pathetic little creatures!” Stephanie bellowed.
“Zee! Look out!”
Stephanie lunged.
Zee poofed to the other side of the foyer.
“Catch!” Wesley called, appearing at the bottom of the stairs. He tossed the bell at me. By some miracle, I caught it and—
Ding!
Stephanie screamed, grabbing her head and hunching over.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
