Page 1

CHAPTER 1

Sun, sea, and sand. Okay, so maybe Zee wouldn’t much like the sand, but after everything we’d been through, the beachfront villa in Florida surrounded by swaying palms and twinkling ocean was a slice of paradise we sorely needed. Finally, we were getting our vacation.

“Mi casa es su casa,” Toby said, guiding us back into the spacious living room after our brief tour.

A pool, a TV bigger than our bed back at the SOS Hotel, a bed bigger than the TV, a well-stocked bar, and a view of the ocean from every front-facing window . . . and there were a lot of them.

I didn’t know what to say. I’d never seen a house as fancy as this. Or one so close to the ocean.

“I mean yeah, it’s alright, I guess.” Zee’s tail swept back and forth, attempting to play down his excitement.

Toby snorted a laugh. “It’s probably not as grand as your hotel. But you guys saved me, so you’re welcome to make yourself at home.”

“It’s great.” I couldn’t have hidden my grin if I’d tried. “Thank you.” The shower had two heads. Two! For two people showering together. That’s a thing humans had thought of. And this house had it.

“Thank you guys for saving my ass on the road. I mean it.” Toby grinned too, making the lines on his face crease. Trolls always looked older than they were. On the road, he’d told us he was the youngest brother in a big family. I hadn’t asked much more, fearing we’d get into sibling territory, and as mine wanted to eat me, my friends, and the rest of the world, family talk had been off limits.

“Oh, and hey.” Toby scooped up a remote and pointed it toward the big wall of windows. At the push of a button, the windows dimmed. “UV filters . . . for you know, the sun intolerant.”

We all turned to Victor, lurking at the back of the room near the open-plan kitchen, as far away from any sunlight as was possible in a house made from eighty percent glass.

“Appreciated,” he said, not sounding all that appreciative. He’d been unusually quiet on the last leg of our journey—quieter than his typically brooding vampire self. He was probably hangry, as Zee often said, because he hadn’t had blood in a while. With our unexpected guest tagging along, we hadn’t had the privacy to get up close and personal during the last few days.

“Gah, I gotta take this.” Toby plucked a vibrating phone from his pocket. “So uh, you guys get comfy, and I’ll be back later tonight to see how you’re settling in.”

“Okay, sure.” I followed Toby toward the main entrance at the back of the house, shoes squeaking on the smooth marble floors. “Thank you again. This is really . . . It’s super great.”

“Hey, you’re welcome, Adam.” Toby smiled one more time, opened the door, and stepped out. On the step, he hesitated and turned back. “So uh . . . just uhm . . . Maybe don’t wander too far, alright? There’s not much around here but palm trees anyway, but a few of the locals aren’t all that Lost Ones friendly and I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in something . . . bad.”

“Oh, sure, that’s fine. What would we need to leave for anyway?” I laughed, brushing off his concern. “We have everything we need right here.” We had hostile locals in San Francisco too. We’d be alright.

“Yeah, that’s right.” He looked me dead in the eyes and repeated, “You don’t need to leave.”

“Uhm . . . sure?” Hadn’t I already said we wouldn’t? What was he waiting for? “Uhm . . . Thanks again?”

A quick smile dashed across his lips. “Later, gator.” And off he went, striding down the path, his creased suit jacket flapping in his haste. He hurried past our rusted pink minivan slumped on the drive and jogged down the sidewalk, disappearing along the road lined with palm trees and little else.

Was that warning weird? No. Probably not . . . Maybe?

I shrugged it off and closed the door. Since we’d fled the Pacific Northwest trying to outrun my brother, and ended up in not-so-nice Minnesota—leaving the hotel there in ruins, and maybe a murder charge hanging over my head—my mind wasn’t all that clear. But it was nothing a hot shower, fresh clothes, some good food, and the company of my two favorite people wouldn’t fix.

“Kitten. I iz in fuckin’ demon heaven!” Standing by the couches in the living room, Zee threw out his arms. His wings poofed into sight, raining fizzing sparks. “This is the best place we’ve visited, and no weird-as-fuck cameras or creepy concierges.” He tilted back on his heels and fell into the couch, demon-spreading all his fabulous self across the many cushions. With a huge sigh, all of him melted into place, molding to the couch. “Imma like Florida. I can tell.” He beamed.

“Adam, would you like a coffee?” Victor asked from the super clean and shiny open-plan kitchen.

“Oh, uh . . . yeah.” I headed over and watched him fuss about finding some mugs, then the bag of ground coffee.

“There’s whiskey in the minibar,” Zee said, lolling his head back and peering over at us through sleepy, half-closed lashes.

We’d only just arrived. Would whiskey be appropriate? “Oh, I don’t know if I should drink his whiskey.”

“You heard Toby, he’s grateful. It’d be fuckin’ rude not to partake of his kind hospitality.”

That was true. I didn’t want to be ungrateful. “Later, for sure.”

Zee sighed a long, relaxing sigh, then shot to his feet. “Imma check out the pool.” He slid open the tinted doors, letting in the sound of the ocean and rustling palms.

The air here smelled of damp salt and hot sand. It was heavy with humidity too, and I found myself wondering what it would be like to fly over Florida’s golden shores. I probably shouldn’t, though. People didn’t take too kindly to massive dragons overhead.