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The lobby was empty. No patrons were sitting in front of the giant roaring fire despite the chill outside. Even the front desk was clear. Wilder walked with purpose to the elevator, checking around him. Something felt off but he couldn’t name what the feeling was. It was late, much later than the humans would normally stay up. That explained the empty lobby but why were there no employees around? And why did he feel like he was being watched. Atlas, Sein, and Hela stood next to Wilder.
“Do you all feel that?” Wilder asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Hela nodded, as Atlas looked around them, and Sein whispered back, “Yes.”
“Let’s use the stairs. The elevator doesn’t seem to be working.” Wilder said more loudly than needed. Again, Hela nodded, following her brothers to the hidden staircase. Once inside the stairwell, Atlas pulled out his phone, sending a text to Willa asking her to have Selena cut the power to the lobby. Someone was waiting for them.
###
“Fucking hell,” Lottie groaned, holding her head as she tried to push up from the ground she was lying on. She opened her eyes as pain pulsed behind them. She squinted, trying to remember where she was, nothing looked familiar.
“Finally.” A gruff voice came from the corner of the small wooden room. Lottie thought she may be in a cabin but not one of the resort cabins. She tried to turn her head, but jolts of pain ran down her neck to her arms.
“Where am I?” What happened? Did I have some kind of accident?” Lottie closed her eyes, begging the pain away.
“You haven’t had an accident yet, but you will.”
Opening one eye, Lottie turned her entire body toward the voice. She’d knew the woman’s voice, but she still wasn’t she who it was. A tall figure stood, shadowed in the corn of the room.
“What?” Lottie asked, squinting again.
“You are such scum,Empress Liselotte.”The woman mocked. You are no more an empress than myself or my daughter. Self-proclaimed royalty, giving yourself and your followers leeway to do as they please but making demands and strict rules for anyone outside of your circle. It’s disgusting and it’s the reason Beau and I have tried to get rid of you and your kind.”
“Katherine?”
“Do not address me by my first name. Everything that comes out of your mouth is hateful and full of sin. That’s all The Jovial made up of; hate, sin of the flesh, vulgar lifestyles, drinking…from humans!” she could barely get the words out. Katherine Bryant walked out from the shadows dressed in the same shimmering blue dress Nova had been wearing.
“Where is Nova?” Lottie demanded, pain screaming through her head.
Katherine slapped Lottie across her face, knocking her back to the ground. “Do not let me hear you speak of my daughter ever again. You and your family have ruined everything we’ve spent lifetimes building, in a matter of days. Is this a game to you? Did you honestly think your uncles could just swoop in and fix everything for you, again? You thought they would come here and make sure pretty princess would get her way in the end?” Mrs. Bryant was mocking her again, but Lottie didn’t care. She pressed her head against the hardwood floor, willing the pain to subside long enough for her to try and have a conversation with the lunatic standing in front of her. She needed to know that Nova was safe. Even if she was involved with this.
Staying on the ground, Lottie moved her head slightly, so Katherine was in her view.
“So, you got me. What now?”
Katherine wrung her hands together, looking at the door. “You don’t need to worry about that. It’s almost over for you,” she sneered but Lottie noticed some of the venom had left her voice.
“Not that it matters now, and not that you’ll believe me, but I didn’t call The Jovial here.”
Katherine scoffed but didn’t respond. She stared at Lottie.
Lottie closed her eyes again. “I didn’t. They have quite the network. I, uh, I’ve actually called on them for anything. I suspect they have someone watching me.”
Katherine visibly relaxed. “Most likely they do. We've always had a little extra security around our daughter.”
Lottie tried sitting up again. “It’s understandable, I guess. I’m sure you’re just doing what you think is best.”
“Exactly,” Katherine was nodding, looking beyond Lottie. “I’ve just wanted her to be safe more than anything else. Cain was safe, I thought.” Her face turned grim again. “But he’s not. He’s just like Beau; doing anything and using anyone to get ahead.”
Lottie stayed silent, hoping the other woman would continue talking so she could use the time to figure out a way out of there, preferably without being hit again.
"It’s just men in general, I think. They don’t know how to control themselves. All they want is power and they will step on anyone who get sin their way! There may be something to the idea of dating women.” Katherine let a brief smile pass across her face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
Still feeling as if her head was going to explode, Lottie straightened her legs out in front of her then moved her neck from side to side. The pain was awful but becoming more bearable. Before Lottie was able to push herself off the ground the cabin went black. Katherine let out a small yelp. The darkness had caught her off guard. Lottie got to her feet then, ignoring the throbbing in her head. She backed up against the wall stilling having no idea where she was or how to get out of there.
“Lottie, come towards my voice. I’m not going to hurt you; we can walk out of here together.” Katherine sounded further away than she had when the lights were on. Taking a deep breath, Lottie was about to make a run for it until the unmistakable scent of smoke filled the air.
“Lottie,” Katherine started, her voice high pitched. “Come over to me, we have to get out of here. I…I think the place is on fire.”
