Layla woke to grey, heavy clouds beyond the windows of her apartment. Dusk wasn’t with her anymore, but Rikyava sat in a chair at her bedside, the Blood Dragon back in her regular crimson Guard attire. Her 1800’s uniform bristled with daggers in her weapons harness, a rapier at her hip as she sat with one black boot crossed over her knee. A fire blazed in the hearth and someone had found Layla’s dappled stuffed horse she’d kept since childhood and tucked it under her arm while she was out – probably Dusk. Layla cuddled it, feeling disoriented like she’d been having fever-dreams, though she couldn’t remember them.
Rikyava stirred, gazing at the bed. A smile lit her violet eyes as she sat forward, reaching out to pour a glass of water from a copper pitcher upon the bedstand. “Hey, girl. Good to see you finally came out of it.”
“Came out of what?” Layla’s eyes were gluey as she pushed to sitting and accepted the glass. Drinking gratefully, her parched mouth was relieved as she finished and set the glass aside. “I remember having a fever.”
“Fevers are part of shift-stasis,” Rikyava spoke with her Guardswoman no-nonsense, giving Layla the lowdown. “Anytime we shift into our Dragon and shift back, we need down time while the body re-adjusts to being human again. It’s like if you get wounded and have to rest while your body grows new tissue. Technically, you didn’t shift three nights ago at the Dragon party, but your body went through a similar kind of hell.”
“Wait…threenights ago?” Layla blinked, staring at her friend. “I’ve been out for three whole days?”
“Wakey, wakey, Sleeping Beauty,” Rikyava teased. “But sleeping a lot during shift-stasis does keep us Dragons lookin’ hot and young through the centuries, so you got that going for you now.”
“Shit. But I was supposed to be on the Concierge desk yesterday!” Layla protested.
“Don’t fret. Dusk changed the schedule. You’re off for three more days. Your body’s going to feel like hell for a while, even with everything he did to help. There’s some chicken soup on the table, you want?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty hungry actually.” Layla realized, as her stomach rumbled for food.
“Coming right up.” Rikyava motioned for Layla to stay in bed as she rose, striding to the breakfast table and ladling out a bowl of soup from a ceramic crock. Putting it on a silver tray with a bowl of oyster crackers, she returned, setting the tray on the duvet over Layla’s knees.
“Want me to feed you, sweetie?” Rikyava teased in a motherly voice.
“As if.” Layla grinned then took up the spoon, scattering a handful of oyster crackers in the soup. The chicken soup was rich and hearty, thick with flavorful oils and vegetables. It immediately lifted her spirits, ease flowing through her tired muscles as she ate. “What’s in this soup? Crack?” She joked lightly, feeling better.
Rikyava gave a laugh as she went to the table and poured two coffees from a French press, then mixed in cream and returned, handing one to Layla. Layla took the mug and sipped gratefully as Rikyava spoke, her fatigue rolling back more.
“Nah, my friend Justin in Catering just worked his usual wonders. But when I was having him bring everything up, Rake André waylaid us in the hall. He breathed a little of his magic in the soup. Says they’ve missed you at yoga, and to heal up fast. I think he’s got a crush on you, Layla Price.”
Layla smiled, recognizing the yoga instructor and Head Bartender Rake André’s signature calming energy in the vapors of the soup now. As if the power of theOmcould be made manifest as scent and taste, Rake’s magic was able to charm any food or drink. Layla felt his soothing, uplifting sensations pour through her with every bite, and a feeling of gratefulness swamped her.
“Rake’s really thoughtful.”
“He is.” Rikyava smiled, stretching her boots out and leaning back on her elbows upon the bed. “You’ve had other visitors. Dusk’s been in and out, checking on you. The Madame stopped by last night and also Reginald, to see how you were. Sylvania’s been busy with Assignations, but says she’ll say hi today.”
A tender feeling moved through Layla, that so many people had been worried about her. “Wow. I never thought I’d be so missed.”
“You’ve made an impression here, Layla. People like you at the Hotel.” Rikyava chuckled. “And… you had another visitor this morning. One who wasverysad you’d not woken up yet.”
“Adrian?” Layla frowned, noting that Rikyava hadn’t mentioned him coming to visit her.
“Not that sexy cousin. The other one.” A twist of humor graced Rikyava’s lips.
“Fuck! Adam.” Layla suddenly realized she had missed their dinner appointment two nights ago, where Adam was going to answer her questions about the Desert Dragon clan. She fell back against the pillows with a curse.
“Don’t worry,” Rikyava chuckled, re-crossing her boots, teasing rampant in her frank lavender gaze. “Adam knows about your condition. He’s happy to reschedule anytime. Though you should have seen his face two nights ago when I told him you were still unconscious and wouldn’t be coming to dinner. Priceless. Kinda seems like he was hoping to get in your pants.”
“I’m not hopping into bed with Adam, Rikyava.” Layla snorted, having another bite of soup. “He’s a jackass.”
“Don’t I know it,” Rikyava teased back, her gaze sly. “But you have to admit, that orchard-sweet energy of his is pretty charming.”
“I think Adrian would have my head, or Adam’s, if that ever happened.” But Layla frowned, wondering again why Adrian hadn’t come to visit while she was out.
“So?” Rikyava slapped the bed as a scent of scorch lifted in the air around her suddenly. “Fuck Adrian! After that stunt he pulled three nights ago, you’re well within your rights to tell him to go fuck himself, Layla. Almost causing you to shift for the first time on Hotel grounds? That’s bad news. He’s a Royal, he’s supposed to have better control of his magic than that. But the moment he saw you in the hall, his energy went roaring out to you. And when he kissed you it was a hundred times that. He basically poured his magic into your body through that damn Bind you two have.”
“I don’t remember it,” Layla tried to push herself back through those memories, but found only blackness. “What happened?”
“You collapsed.” Rikyava’s gaze was intense, something dark and worried in it now. “Adrian’s magic hit you so hard when he kissed you, that you went down in seizures. It was only by Dusk’s fast action that you weren’t seriously injured, or shifted. Your skin was rippling with light – a pre-shift aura. You were lucky Dusk was standing right beside you when it happened and that crystal is his channeling medium. He took all his power and rang that fucking cathedral like a bell, hammering your magics back inside your body. Dusk acted quickly, but Adrian was stupid. I wouldn’t be surprised if Adrian gets canned by the Board of Owners if they hear of it. Unfortunately, the shiftee tends to get blamed in situations like this, even if it’s triggered by someone else. Like I said, you were lucky.”
“Dusk really did save my life, didn’t he?” Layla sat back upon the pillows, her brows knit as a deeper realization of the danger sank in. “He wasn’t just mad when he blew up at Adrian as I was recovering. He was afraid. Terrified that he might not have been able to stop my shift and that I’d be a goner by now. So he was justified in how pissed he was at Adrian for triggering it.”
