Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

“Adam Vex, you have been deemed a category five Lost One and a threat to the public,” the assessor said across the bar table from me. He seemed like a nice enough guy, although his features were all crowded close, making his head too large for his pinched face.

The test’s outcome was inevitable.

“Can I answer some of those questions again?” I leaned forward and gestured at his piece of paper. “That one about how many people I’ve threatened? I mean, I kinda guessed. Maybe I guessed wrong?”

The assessor blinked twice. “Even at a guess, Mr. Vex, you admit in your own words that the figure is likely to be in the thousands.”

“Yeah, but... when I’m a dragon, people are real small. Sometimes, I can’t even see them. I can’t help it if I have a threatening personality. I don’t mean to come off as a fire-breathing jerk, it’s just... dragons aren’t very nice.”

The assessor sighed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Vex. The results of the test are very clear. And practically, we can’t have random dragons flying about the city. It’s not a good look.” He collected his papers. “It scares people.”

“But I did stop an evil sorcerer?”

“You also caused multi-million dollars’ worth of damage to a national landmark. It’s a miracle nobody died last night.”

I huffed and leaned back. “Maybe next time I should let the bad guy win?”

“Mr. Vex, according to your test results, you have killed people?—”

“Just bad ones.” Mostly.

“And others you have no explanation for how they disappeared?”

That was because I’d eaten a few of them, but at that point in the test, I’d figured telling the truth wasn’t helping my case.

“You should get your affairs in order and prepare for transportation. I’m sorry.” He stood but lingered long enough to add, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you did what you did, and I thank you on behalf of all San Franciscan citizens. But in the eyes of the law, Lost Ones of your caliber cannot be allowed to roam free.”

The assessor left, and after a few moments Zee poofed into the chair next to mine. “How’d it go? You’re a fuckin’ hero, right? They should give us a medal, or the key to the city, or summin’. Do we get a reward?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was going to be locked up for my service to humanity. “It’s fine.” I smiled. “They said everything is fine and they thanked us.”

“That’s fuckin’ it? After everything we went through? Ugh. Whatever. We’ll celebrate anyway. Cain’s a flaccid old man who’s gonna spend the rest of his dull, miserable days shouting at clouds. I know for a fact all the Lost Ones are queuing up to thank you. Noreen Greene wants an exclusive interview, and she’s said her editor will pay a shit-ton of cash for the scoop.” He leaned forward, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. “She knows an agent who wants to buy my story for a movie. Imagine, me on the big screen, exactly as it fuckin’ should be. I was destined for Hollywood. We are set for life, Kitten.” He shoved from the chair and flicked his wings out. “Imma tell everyone. We’re celebrating. Party of the century tonight, right here.”

“Sounds great, Zee.”

He trotted off to tell Tom.

A part y would be great. He deserved it. And I’d enjoy what might be my last night at the hotel.

Tom and Zee tossed ideas back and forth, Zee getting more excited with every new, outlandish idea. Then he poofed off to find Victor. Tom’s gaze found me sitting alone among the crowd. He jerked his chin, plucked a bottle of whiskey from the rack behind him, and poured me a drink, summoning me to the bar.

“So, when you gonna tell them?” he said, sliding the whiskey into my hand.

Nothing got past Tom.

“When the SSD come to get me, I guess.” I sipped the whiskey and let it burn all the way down. “Not tonight.”

“That’s the end of the hotel, then?”

“No, Zee’s here, and Victor will see it safe. The hotel will be fine.”

“Adam.” Tom tossed his cloth over his shoulder and braced an arm on the bartop. “You still don’t get it? Without you, this shithole fails.”

I tried to smile, but his words rang true. Whatever happened to me, the hotel was important. It had to survive. Not least because we had a portal home in one of our closets. “Have a little faith, Tom.”

“Ah, Adam.” Victor perched himself on the barstool beside me. “Bloody Bitch, please Tom.”

“Coming right up.” Tom busied himself fixing Victor’s drink.

“Are you alright?” Victor asked, sensing something was off.

I tried to show him my most normal, bravest smile. “Yup, it’s all good.”

“I just had an interesting call from Pierce, the royal lawyer. Of course, I had to go outside the wards to speak at length with him. It seems the council would like me to join them.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Really? Just like that, you’re pals now?”

“It seems they’ve been trying to end the royal line of succession for a long time. As Daisy hasn’t been seen and has, ahem, likely passed without an heir, the council are about to step in. But they need to be seen to be united, and have someone among them who others can get behind. While I was never more than a minor player in the background, I am well known here.”

“Wow. What about them suing us?”

“All Daisy’s idea. If I join them, the legalities will be dropped.”

“Wow, that’s... I did not see that coming. Are you going to accept?”

Tom handed Victor the bright red Bloody Bitch. “If you ask me,” Tom said. “Which I’m sure you were about to do. The vampires could fuckin’ benefit from someone like you as the handsome face of their PR.”

“Tom, is that a compliment?” Victor asked.

“Ha. No. But ever since you arrived this place has gone to hell.”

“He arrived on opening day, Tom.”

“Exactly. Coincidence?”

I huffed a laugh. “You sound like Zee.”

“I have not decided. If I were to accept, it would mean I’d have to spend a great deal of time away from the hotel. Away from you.”

Which was about to happen anyway, as I’d be locked behind bars in a powerful Lost Ones holding facility. “You were meant for more than running a three-star hotel, Victor.”

Tom snorted. “Two stars, at best.”

“What of Zodiac?”

“He’ll be fine,” I said. “He’s got some hotshot Hollywood agent wanting to buy the rights to his life story. There will be movies, books, the works. He thrives in the spotlight.”

“Hm. I shall consider my options.” Victor sipped his drink, making thoughtful noises.

It seemed as though everyone had a future—everyone but me. But maybe that was how it should be? I had done terrible things. I did eat people, which wasn’t very socially acceptable. But nobody was perfect, right?

It didn’t matter.

I’d enjoy the party, and tomorrow would come whatever happened.

“Have you seen Zee? He’s organizing a big shindig tonight to celebrate everyone being alive. At least, I think that’s what it’s for.”

“I have not. I will make sure to avoid him. He’s incorrigible when party planning.” He said it with a smile.

“Or.” I puffed out a sigh. “We could all hop into the Love Wagon and tour the country, solving crimes. Or doing them?”

“That would be an appealing alternative, if it weren’t for the fact the Love Wagon exploded with the harvester right after we’d extracted Cain’s power.”

“Oh, right, I forgot. Y’know, why did it turn him human?”

“The same reasons it turned you mostly human. Gideon Cain had been hiding in human glamor, just like you. With the harvester turned up to its maximum potential, and the majority of his power extracted, he was reduced down to whatever was left. In his case, a late fifties mortal man.”

I finished up my whiskey. “At least it’s over.”

“Indeed. At least it is over,” he repeated, sounding about as happy as I was. Which is to say, not much.

“Well, you two are rays of fuckin’ sunshine,” Tom grunted. “Go mope somewhere else, you’re scaring off real customers.”

I had hotel chores to do, and Victor had some life choices to make, so we left the bar. The rest of the day passed by in a blur of fielding multiple calls from the press, room changeovers, folks checking out now the Gideon threat appeared to be over, and new guests checking in. The gremlins were causing a riot in the kitchens, so I sent Claymore down there with Jimmy to sort them out. Shadow had decided they wanted to travel outside the attic and maybe attend some night classes on how to blend in with humans.

The sun inevitably set, and the time to party soon came around. As promised, Zee had decorated the bar in extravagant streamers and dick-shaped balloons—I figured he’d got them from Razorsedge. The evening passed in a blur of celebration, Zee’s performances, demons dancing, and a whole lot of general fun. And nobody died. Which had to be a good thing.

But it was tough staying jubilant, knowing it was all about to be over.

Why did good things have to end?

Zee found me later on the roof, where I’d climbed to admire the twinkling city under the stars like we used to. He didn’t say anything, just sat next to me, pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his tail around his boots, and stared at the view.

Victor arrived later, making quick work of the window and the drainpipe, to climb up and sit on my left.

“Told you Murder Daddy was capable of dragging a body in through a window without anyone noticing,” Zee said, taking a swig from an unmarked bottle that Tom had probably given him.

He handed the bottle to me. I sniffed it, figured what was the worst that could happen, then drank from it too, and handed it to Victor.

“Do we know its contents?”

“Let your hair down and fuckin’ live a little, Vic,” Zee said.

“My hair is down.” Victor smirked around the bottle and gulped it down, making the rest of us look like lightweights.

“So, this is what the end looks like, huh?” Zee said.

“It’s the end in one sense, but a beginning in another.”

Zee rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Fancy Fangs. I’m not a fan of this fucked-up nervous feeling inside. We won, we should be feeling great.”

“Guys, so... tomorrow... Uh...” I looked up and found them both waiting for me to finish. The ache in my heart grew heavy. I couldn’t say it. I didn’t want our story to end. It wasn’t right.

There was the portal? I could go through that, but that place wasn’t my home anymore. I wasn’t sure it had ever been a home. This world was. San Francisco was. The SOS Hotel was. Victor and Zee were my home. “We should uh... look at converting the attic into rooms. I spoke with Madame Matase and she said if the occupancy rates stay this high, we’ll be making a profit real soon.”

“Fuckin’ awesome. We are the best hoteliers ever.”

“Right,” I agreed.

“I concur.”

“Wait, hold up, did Lord Fuck-Hard just say I was the best?”

“I think he said we , but . . .”

Victor smiled. “Demon, you are the best of your kind... the best demon, the best lover. Indeed, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. The both of you are. And I’ve lived a great many lives, seen a great many things, but never truly loved like I do in this moment, with you.”

Zee beamed. “Fuck, you’re old.” He laughed, and we passed the unnamed drink around. “We got this, right?” Zee asked.

I wasn’t sure what this was, but we definitely had it. “Yeah,” I agreed, my heart warming.

“Of course,” Victor said confidently.

“Great, now let’s get back down there, because imma dance and you two are joining me. No arguing.”

Zee stood, his outline sparkling in the moonlight. Then Victor was on his feet too, suitably dramatic with the city sparkling behind him. I offered my hands, and they both pulled me to my feet.

We returned to the bar and danced the night away, as though tomorrow wasn’t right around the corner, when we all knew, everything was about to change.