Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Time flew by as I got our guests settled in. It was typical that when the hotel was fully booked, Tom Collins was AWOL. I could have used his expertise in the bar. Instead, Chef étrange had stepped in and had a crash course in mixing drinks—some of which were palatable.

I checked the clock on the wall—one a.m. How long did it take to break into a real estate mogul’s mansion, find his master suite, steal a precious bead, and get out again without anyone noticing?

I’d been busy with the influx and time had slipped by me, but Zee and Victor had been gone several hours.

What if they didn’t come back?

What if I had to go after them?

Leaving the bustling bar, I headed for the stairs, to avoid the small queue for our single elevator.

I could ask Abe to come along... maybe some of the Razorsedge demons too?

I shoved through the door, into the stairwell.

They were probably fine. When they worked together they were formidable, and Victor had promised me he’d call off the plan if there was trouble.

“Ah, the stupid little human.”

Seb’s sickly sweet drawl pulled me to a stop on the bottom step of the stairs. He’d followed me into the stairwell. He must have been lurking in the lobby, and I’d missed his distinctive presence among the bustling, colorful crowd.

The door swung shut behind him with a solid thunk .

Seb was tall, even in his shiny black and white flat-bottomed shoes. He wore his brilliant white suit and had braided locks of his long white hair, ending each in colorful beads. His quick smile flashed with sharp teeth.

Backing up the stairs a few steps gave me some much-needed height over him. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing,” he purred, sidling closer. “Just a little chat.”

At eye level, I folded my arms, and tried to ignore my heart’s pounding. The wards would stop him from lashing out, but the empty stairwell wasn’t giving off safe vibes. “I didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to come back here.”

“I’m not the bad guy, Adam. I only ever wanted to help you. But Zodiac and a human? It was never going to work. You’re his food , darling. I was just trying to save you from the inevitable heartache.”

“I thought you’d figured it out? I’m not human and never have been.”

“Oh, I knew that. You never did smell right.” He gave the air a sniff. “But you smell different now.” His sharp teeth gleamed behind a smile. “Weaker... and wounded. Like a dying rabbit.”

“You need to leave. You’re not welcome.”

“Where is your vampire bodyguard? Hm?” He approached my step, pushing into my personal space. But the wards hadn’t reacted, so he didn’t mean to harm me. This was all just typical demon posturing. “I imagine Zodiac is already pleasuring the guests?”

“He doesn’t do that anymore, and unless you have something to say that’s worth listening to, this conversation is over.” I turned my back on him and grabbed the rail, to climb up.

Seb’s hand snatched my wrist and jerked me around, chest to chest.

“Hey—”

Fingers cinched around my neck, forcing my head back. I gasped, and tried to dig my nails behind his grip.

“Oh no,” he mock-whined. “Gideon Cain was right. You really are pathetic. Just demon bait, and I’m about to eat you all up.” He pushed his face close to mine. “Like the stupid little human you are.”

What was happening? Why hadn’t the wards kicked in? In the past, I’d have been strong enough to push him off, but I barely had enough strength to keep my eyes open.

My hearted drummed in my ears, darkness rushed in, and Seb’s leering grin followed me into unconsciousness.

The only place left in the hotel that hadn’t been rented out was the attic, and that’s where I coughed myself awake. Dry, musty air scratched my bruised throat, while thick rope secured my wrists to the chair I was slumped in. But it was Seb, gloating near the boarded up attic window that really soured my mood.

He could have killed me.

But hadn’t . . . Which meant he needed something.

Seb raised his right hand and waggled his fingers, displaying a glinting ring. “A gift from Gideon Cain. Aren’t you fuckin’ surprised?”

“Not really.” I had a ring just like it on my finger, but while I could attack Seb, I’d have to get free of the ropes first, and my limited human body was as weak as a kitten. Even if I did manage to untie myself, I was no physical match for him.

Pretending to be human had been a terrible idea. What had I been thinking? Being human was fraught with danger and limitations.

“Let me go now,” I warned. “And I’ll consider not killing you when I do eventually get free.”

Seb gave a disbelieving snort. “How fuckin’ stupid do you have to be to let me stay at your hotel? Gideon sent me to steal your AI bartender, by the way. Just in case you didn’t figure that out.”

“We knew,” I drawled. “Is this going to take long? It’s just, I have a hotel full of guests?—”

“Shut up and listen!” He marched forward, shoes striking the dusty boards, and bent down to grab my chin. “I am supposed to take you back so he can grill you about the bean or heart or whatever that fuckin’ thing is that he’s obsessed with, but imma have some fun first, since you’re the reason Zodiac hates me.” Seb flicked a sharp nail down my nose.

“I think he’s mostly always hated yo?—”

He gripped my cheeks, squeezing them against my teeth. “You took him from me. You took Razorsedge. You took my life! I’ve been nice to you. Tried to warn you. Even gave you information on Cain. And what do I get? Tied up and shoved in a dark room, that’s what !”

“Maybe,” I mumbled around pinched cheeks. “If you weren’t such a horrible person?—”

“Gah!” He tore his hand free, stinging my jaw, and stomped back to the boarded window. “I found this place while snooping around this pathetic shithole hotel. Is this where you keep the bodies of all the people you kill? Yeah, I fuckin’ know you’re not as cute as you have everyone believing. You’re a psychopath. That’s what I hear. All cutsey and sweet, but you fuck people up just like Cain does, just like the rest of us have to. You’re nothing special. Does Zodiac know you’re a murdering cunt?”

I huffed, and slouched on the wooden chair. “You got me all figured out. So let me go, and we’ll go chat with your master. You know, the one holding your leash.”

“You stupid fuckin’ whatever you are, you’re not calling the shots here, I am.”

“Really?” I winced. “I don’t think so. Still seems as though you’re dancing to Gideon’s tune. You’re scared of him. That’s okay. It’s alright to be scared of someone more powerful than you.”

“No, I’m fuckin’ not,” he laughed.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to pretend with me.”

“I’m not—the fuck?! You should be scared of me!”

I shrugged. “It’s just, you’re not very scary, Seb.”

His face scrunched with disgust. “Are you crazy? Have you lost your cunt-fuckin’ mind?!” He flicked out his right hand, showing off shimmering nails. “You know I can gut you from dick to nipples, right? These pretties aren’t just for thrilling hand jobs.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “It’s just, honestly, the shadowbeast behind you is a whole lot more frightening.”

“What?” He straightened fast, like a rod had been shoved down his back, but didn’t turn.

“Shadow is real hungry since he’s not been eating gremlins. And you, with all your shiny shoes and tail bling. You kind of look like ...” Trailing off, I shrugged my good shoulder.

“Like what?”

“I shouldn’t say it.”

Seb’s eyes shifted. “Say what, fuckface?”

“Bait.”

He swallowed, then coughed a nervous laugh. “There’s nothing behind me, you dumb fuck.”

“Okay.” If that’s what he wanted to believe.

“There isn’t. You’re trying to make me look—trying to distract me! I’m not an idiot.”

“Okay.” I shrugged again... not easy with my wrists bound to the chair arms.

“I’m not the stupid one here, you are.”

“Sure,” I repeated. “I’m the stupid one.” I rolled my eyes.

He folded his arms and glowered. “You can’t trick me.”

I smiled. “Nope.”

Seb’s right eye twitched. He so wanted to turn. But if he did, he knew it would be a win for me, whether there was a shadowbeast behind him, or not.

His eye twitched again, and slowly, he lowered his arms. He’d felt something—maybe a change in the air, a tightness across his chest, a chill down the back of his neck? I couldn’t feel a darn thing, being human, but I had eyes.

Seb snorted. “You’re stalling. After Cain kills you, Zodiac will come crawling back to me, begging me to take him in.” He stomped forward. “He’ll be back on his knees, sucking me off whenever I want, like your stupid twinky ass never existed.”

I tilted my head, and focused on the space behind him.

“Fucking fuck! There’s nothing behind me!” He spun on his heel, and barked a laugh. “See, nothing fuckin’ there! Oh, you’re gonna get it good now?—”

He twisted, turning back to face me and came face to face with a wall of humanoid darkness.

He’d been right, there hadn’t been anything behind him, but Shadow had been lurking all around us, and he was here now, a huge smoky cloud of pissed-off incorporeal beast who really didn’t like loud, shiny things in his attic.

I frowned. “Sorry, I guess. This is probably going to hurt.”

Seb drew breath but didn’t get to scream because Shadow swallowed him. At least, I think that’s what happened. The sentient cloud of darkness whooshed over Seb in his white pantsuit, and must have taken a swipe at his soul, or some other integral part of Seb, because he froze, face locked in horror. Maybe Shadow had taken Seb to the nowhere place. I wasn’t sure how these things worked, but it didn’t look good.

I jerked at the knots holding my wrists and thrashed in the chair, finally working the ropes loose enough to yank my arms free. With that done, I had my legs untied in just a few seconds, and I was free.

I could have left Seb to Shadow. The gremlins would have dealt with his remains—no more Sebastien.

But Seb was on my Bad People list.

And after everything he’d done, it was time to make sure Seb could never be a risk to me, the ones I loved, or the hotel again.

“Shadow, I’ve got this.”

Shadow’s swirling mass thinned and ghosted into the corner, vanishing among cobwebs, leaving Seb panting. He dropped to his knees, swallowing great gulps of air.

“So, here’s the thing...” I began, then crouched in front of him. “I might have forgiven you some foolish decisions. Like you said, you were only trying to survive, and I know what that feels like. We’ve all done things—bad things—but Sebastien, some of the things you did? They’re unforgivable.”

Seb looked up and blinked pale, tear-brimmed eyes. “It’s not my fault,” he blubbered.

I wasn’t buying it. “The demons voted to let you live. I respected that, just like Zee did. But then you came back, and you tried to hurt me and mine again. You had your chance to do better, and you failed.”

“Wait . . .” he snuffled. “Wait, you can’t hurt me. The wards . . .”

I showed him the ring on my finger. “Oh look, we match.”

“How did you... It doesn’t fuckin’ matter. You kill me? He kills me? What have I got to live for anyway?”

“Shadow here can kill you without touching you, they don’t need a ring... And I’m not going to lie, I was going to end you and maybe stuff you up a chimney. But I’ve got a better idea.” I straightened, and looking down at Seb scrunched up on the floor, I almost pitied him. Almost.

“You’re going to let me live?” he asked. “I knew you were good, really... I did?—”

“Yeah, no. Do you remember how you left Zee’s friend on the hotel steps? How you killed her to get to him? You remember that, right?”

His face fell.

Mine brightened with a smile. “I’m going to send Gideon Cain a gift.” I turned my back on him and headed for the attic door. “Shadow, he’s all?—”

“Wait, no! You can’t do this! Zee will never forgive you!”

“I’m doing this for Zee,” I growled so low Seb may not heave heard.

“You have a heart?!” Seb barked. “You don’t have to do this! You’re not as bad as Cain says!”

I glanced over my shoulder, and nodded at Shadow’s form swelling inside the darkness. “No... I’m worse.”

Seb let out a desperate roar, and launched off the floor, wings and claws out, face twisted in murderous fury. There was no doubt in my mind, he’d have killed me.

But Shadow got to him first and swallowed all those screams.