But there was no time for anything else as they suddenly arrived at their destination. A beautiful island resort with natural groundskeeping that used native trees and flowers in an artful riot, they’d come to an old-world French Colonial building at the deepest inlet of a private cove. Massive, the sprawling antique building had extensive grounds and a wrought-iron fence out front, bordering a circular drive with a fountain full of flowers and vines. As the chauffeur opened the doors and the three of them came untangled, Adrian helping Layla out with Dusk exiting from the other side, Layla saw they had arrived at a private section of the island.
And a lovely bay of bright Caribbean-blue ocean.
Surrounded by forest, Layla saw incredible huts and yurts, treehouses and more cascading up the mountains that rose from the water. Like a paradise by the sea, the sight took her breath away as the chauffeur got their bags, then led them to a wrought-iron ingress with two gates between the driveway and the sprawling main house. Beyond each of the closed gates, an impeccably-dressed butler in a white linen vest and trousers waited, watching as they arrived. With a blink, Layla realized both butlers and the chauffeur wore the classic red ‘R’ pins of the Red Letter Hotel.
Glancing at Adrian, the chauffeur spoke in a cultured Caribbean accent. “Twilight side or human side, sirrah?”
“Ladies’ choice.” With a renegade smile, Adrian looked to Layla. “We have the same group of suites booked in both.”
“What?” Layla blinked, seeing both Dusk and Adrian grin at her now and not understanding.
“The Red Letter Hotel Antigua has both a Twilight Realm side and a Human Realm side,” the chauffeur explained to her kindly as he gestured to each of the gates in turn. “Dragons are welcome at both, provided they maintain an appropriate glamour on the human side, if needed.” This last was spoken directly to Dusk, who nodded at the chauffeur in understanding.
“I don’t know.” Blinking, Layla glanced to Dusk. “Have you been here? Which side is better?”
“The Twilight side has betterservices,” Dusk gave her a cheeky lift of one eyebrow, “but the human side’s activities at night are more fun. Rowdier bar. You know. More tequila and rum.”
“Can we go between both?” Layla asked, glancing to their chauffeur.
“Of course, madame.” The man smiled kindly. “It is one of the perks of this Hotel, that any guest may move as they please between Realms and enjoy both sides. But unfortunately, we can only set you up in guest rooms in one place at a time. Though since you have the same suites booked on both sides, if you’d like to switch your rooms to the other Realm after a night or two, it can be arranged.”
Cocking her head, Layla thought about it. She’d spent so much time in the Twilight Realm lately that some part of her was actually looking forward to having a mostly normal human vacation. It was the Red Letter Hotel of course, so it would be ridiculously opulent either way. But Layla had never had a ridiculously opulent human vacation. When she’d been in grad school and doing her PhD, she’d not had the money, and when she’d been dating that train wreck Gavin Abernathy, he’d always promised to take her someplace nice but never done it. Since she’d met Adrian and Dusk, it had been all Twilight Realm all the time except for a few short excursions. And now with her Dragon slumbering inside her, Layla suddenly realized she would quite enjoy a human vacation.
A sunny, fun, drunken, and relatively normal human vacation.
“Human side.” She spoke decisively, as Dusk and Adrian both grinned.
“Human side it is.” The chauffeur nodded with a smile.
And then he was moving to the right-hand gate, nodding to the butler behind it. With a professional smile, the butler opened the gate, stepping back and welcoming their trio in with a deep bow. As they moved through, Layla didn’t feel the rush or whine of passing through Realms. Stepping into the lush gardens beyond the gate, she saw the second path with its butler and gate had vanished, leaving only theirs. As she looked around the gorgeously unchanged view, smelling the normal scents of ocean and flowers and sun, something inside Layla eased in relief.
Her entire body suddenly beaming with excitement.
“Crazy human vacation, here we come!” She laughed. “First thing: where’s more rum?”
“On its way!” Dusk laughed as Adrian laughed also. “Come on, wild woman. Let’s head inside and get checked in.”
Joy beamed through Layla as the butler led them up the sprawling main steps of the beautifully royal French Colonial mansion with its tall white columns and wide, sprawling verandas. Stepping inside, the interior of the mansion was all smooth mahogany and ornate rattan, with silk loungers in bright Caribbean prints, potted ferns, and flowering vines in a riot everywhere. Rattan fans whooshed above, antique Tiffany floor lamps of wrought-iron and colorful glass providing a splendid mood. As they approached the broad mahogany desk, a tall man with lovely dark skin and long, glossy black dreadlocks looked up. Dressed in a white vest and trousers like the rest of the staff but with a ruby and diamond pin on his vest, he gave a hearty laugh with a singsong lilt to it, flashing a brilliantly white smile below his lovely onyx eyes. Rounding the desk, he embraced Dusk like a brother, slapping his back. And then shook Adrian’s hand solidly with a grin before giving Layla a bow.
“Well!” He exclaimed in a flowing baritone deep as the sea. “I never thought the Crystal Dragon King Dusk Arlohaim and the Moroccan Desert Dragon First Adrian Rhakvir would choose my most humble side of our grand establishment!”
“Parties are more fun on your side, Florian.” Dusk beamed, grinning to beat the band as he gestured to Layla. “But actually, Layla chose.”
“I am humbled to the roots of my fins, Ms. Layla Price, Royal Dragon Bind.” The man nodded to her now. It was then that Layla saw a shimmer of ear-fins beside his sleek dreadlocks and gill slits beneath his lobes, disguised by a glamour, and realized he was a Saltwater Merman. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Florian DeVray, Hotel Head of this fine establishment. At least, on the human side. My beloved partner Merea DeVray runs the Twilight side of things. We are a humble Hotel with but seventy employees, nearly the smallest in the entire Red Letter Hotel chain. But what we lack in grandeur we make up for with fun and style. I do hope you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m sure we will.” Layla beamed, enjoying Florian’s beautifully welcoming manner.
“Your other guests have already arrived, my King,” Florian spoke, turning to Dusk next, “and we have set everyone up with rooms in the Parrot’s Nest overlooking the bay, though all three of them have chosen to be on the Twilight side of your suites. Of course, if you would like to have everyone together—”
“Hold it, Florian.” Dusk held up a hand suddenly. “Guests, plural? Only the Storm Dragon Regent Rhennic Erdhelm was supposed to—”
Just then, a commanding presence entered the lounge beyond a group of potted palms, and Layla felt a swirl of peeved oceanic energy hit the desk. Wearing a slim tan waistcoat and slacks with gold pinstripes that fit his perfect dancer’s build like a second skin, Reginald Durant’s long braid of golden hair shone in an errant ray of sunlight as he stood tall at the mahogany desk. As Layla’s Royal Siren set his long white fingers to the desk and stared down the poor Concierge on duty with menacing allure, Layla felt a slap of oceanic wrath hit the poor man. He gaped at the Royal Siren, and Reginald’s voice dripped with cold disdain as he spoke.
“Mermaid-weave linens are simply atrocious, and I will not tolerate them on my bed. Your fellows on the Twilight side of this tawdry Hotel are busy, so I am coming to you to see to my needs. Please see to it that my room on the Twilight side of this establishment is freshened with Siren-silk linens at once. I know every Hotel seaside resort has them. You are dismissed.”
“Paris Hotel Head! At once!” The poor young Concierge, whom Layla could tell was a Merman now, bowed with reverence to Reginald before he rushed quickly away to do the scary Royal Siren’s bidding. The whole episode left Layla laughing and covering her mouth as she tried not to. As she, Dusk, and Adrian all turned toward her Royal Siren, he blinked and turned their way – feeling them in the lobby suddenly also.
“Ah. You’ve arrived. Good.” Reginald spoke archly with a raised golden eyebrow above his piercing blue-grey eyes. “Though I can’t imagine why you would choose the human-world side of this awful place, I’ll get them to refresh your linens also with—”
