“And Adrian.” Layla grinned at Dusk. “Don’t forget Adrian.”
“Of course,” Dusk laughed brightly now as he gathered Layla more firmly into his rock-solid body. “Adrian has been a pain in my ass since we were younglings. Always will be, I’m sure.”
“I heard that.” Strolling down the ruined hall, a path now cleared so people could pass, Adrian was stunning today in a light grey twill vest and trousers with a blue-green pocket square that matched his vivid Mediterranean-aqua eyes. Tall and whip-lean and utterly handsome, his sleeves were rolled up, his short hair rakishly styled, his collar open like usual as he approached them with a lightness in his heart that matched Dusk’s. Touching Layla’s shoulder as she turned to him, he leaned his tall height down to give her a sweet, lingering kiss. “How are things going here this morning?”
“Passable.” Dusk responded as he smiled at Adrian, taking up the Assignations Ledger and gesturing around. “As you can see, the main hall is a literal wreck. But the computing wall was still mostly undamaged, as was the Assignations Ledger, which is a blessing. And the computing crystals weren’t smashed, thankfully saving the Hotel’s operational records.”
“Reginald tells me that bookings in the outbuildings and in the summer pavilions he’s had set up all over the grounds have skyrocketed in the past few days.” Adrian chuckled as he glanced at them both now. “Everyone wants to see the Hotel and hear the story of the most infamous battle of our modern age. Though most of the Palace of Versailles’ main halls were wrecked by so many Dragons fighting, it’s amazing how much King DuVir’s original magics protected the grounds and adjacent buildings. We’re lucky a great deal of the ministers’ wings and the stables are still hale. Even though the main palace will take time to recover, I think this place will have no lack of guests or money coming in. Everything that’s still in good condition is booked out three years already. And Reginald’s opened up bookings one year from now for the damaged areas, too.”
“I’m relieved.” Dusk chuckled as he smiled at Adrian. “We lost a lot of good fighters when we battled Hunter, but life goes on. And our planning saved a lot of lives. Which is something I’m glad for.”
“I am, too.” Adrian smiled now as he glanced at Layla. “Shall we do lunch? Reginald has set up a spread in the Crystal Cathedral for us. Rhennic’s already left for Chartres and Rikyava is heading there later, but if the rest of us fly out tomorrow morning on my jet, we’ll make it for Rhennic’s Kingship ceremony. He’s got events planned for us for three days after he takes the throne, but then we fly out to Wahdi Atlamenta for my Kingship.”
“King Adrian Rhakvir. It has a ring to it, you know.” Dusk smiled cheekily as his blue eyes shone, pleased.
“But all of that can wait right now.” Adrian smiled back with a chuckle as he shook his head. “Come on, you two. Shall we get to Reginald’s and eat?”
“Sure.” Layla smiled, linking her arm through Adrian’s.
Nodding to a passage that would take them out back behind the Hotel, Adrian started moving in that direction with Layla as Dusk followed. Though many of the adjacent buildings of the palace had been spared, the rear quadrangle where the battle had occurred had been badly damaged – and in some places was gone entirely as they now came to a hall that was nothing but rubble, alabaster Dragon-glass, and scorch.
Swirling up on Layla and Adrian’s winds, they walked above it, heading out over the cratered and charred near gardens. Twisted remains of gold braziers lay throughout the area, and only once they were past the scorched remnants of topiaries did they come to a swath of fountain-gardens that were still largely intact. Beyond, the forests of the Paris Hotel had survived, and nearly all the outbuildings. Touching down and walking past rows of lilac, still blooming in the high summer, they came to the gemstone marvel of the Crystal Cathedral.
Nodding to a pair of Siren guards there, they moved inside the vaulted citrine ingress and into the cathedral’s massive space of rose quartz columns and domes, amethyst pinnacles, and a glassy green aventurine floor. As the heavenly scent of blossoming trumpet-vines writhing up every column hit her, Layla saw lunch set up on a gilded French Baroque dining table, Reginald’s bedroom and temporary office inside the cathedral artfully parceled off by painted screens. The entire fourth floor of the Hotel had been one of the casualties of battle, in addition to the Administration Wing. But the Crystal Cathedral was now their hub of reconstruction; as Reginald saw them enter, he waved out a horde of Twilight Realm architects and restoration specialists crowding around the planning-table with its schematics.
Everyone departing with deep nods for Layla, Adrian, and Dusk – the Bind’s exploits against Hunter famous now – as Reginald moved over to greet them.
“Layla, Dusk, Adrian. Thank you for joining me for lunch.” Reginald spoke in his sharply elegant voice as his eyes flashed sea-gold with pleasure. Stepping close in his cream vest and trousers with gold pinstripes and a Hotel-crimson pocket square, Reginald’s golden hair was bound loosely over one shoulder today as he kissed Adrian and Dusk on their cheeks, then kissed Layla on the lips. Their kiss lingered, a sweet wash of Reginald’s oceanic power sighing into Layla as he pulled away. Receiving the Assignations Ledger from Dusk with a pleased nod, Reginald turned and put it in a drawer of his desk, then gestured to the table.
“Please, sit.” Reginald spoke. “Rikyava and Rake will be here shortly, and though the Madame and Amalia send their regards, they’re too busy with clean-up efforts in the Hive to be pulled away just now.”
As everyone moved to the gilded table, Rikyava suddenly bustled in. Clad in one of her crimson Hotel Guard outfits with her French rapier on her hip, her Swedish-blonde hair was up in a high ponytail today, her stride professional. Her lavender eyes flashed with pleasure as she swept forward, kissing cheeks and giving Layla a squeeze before she sat at the table, already filling a plate with gusto as the others took seats. As they did, Rake André entered the hall, crossing the ballroom floor with his tall grace in one of his black Bartending outfits – kissing cheeks and beaming quietly at Layla with his jade-green eyes as he took a seat next to Rikyava.
“God! I’m so hungry I could eat a Giant!” Rikyava spoke as she loaded her plate with French dishes, everything from coq au vin, to spinach and quail quiche, and salade niçoise. “Clearing all this rubble just so we can start reconstruction is a bitch and a half, especially out of the Guardhall. We still can’t even get to half the armory, and three fight-halls are totally fucked. We’ll need some serious Crystal Dragon support when the time comes to rebuild it all, Dusk.”
“Already on it.” Dusk chuckled as he loaded his plate also, nodding his thanks as Reginald poured them all some chardonnay. “I’ve got my Egyptian Clan Fourth Trevor Sachs already organizing a crew of the best Crystal Dragon Architects from around the world to come help. And my Clan Third, Ruby Nile, will be here tomorrow with a crew of heavy-lifters to clear rubble and shore up structures the Crystal Dragon way. Should speed things up a bit.”
“It should help a lot. Thanks, bro.” Rikyava grinned as she saluted Dusk with her chardonnay.
“It was prudent as a new Hotel Owner.” Reginald spoke with a nod at Dusk as he cut politely into a piece of roast duck with his gilded knife and fork. “The welfare of every Hotel is now Dusk’s responsibility, all around the world. Adrian, Layla, Dusk, Quinn, and I are all Owners now and responsible for how our charges fare – even though as a Hotel Head here and Head of the Hotel Owner’s Board now that Hunter is gone, I’m closest to the action on a daily basis.”
“You’re basically like a Dragon King yourself now, Aldo.” Rake chuckled quietly as he glanced at Reginald, taking a sip of his chardonnay. “Higher up in the rankings than Quinn, at last.”
“As you like, Rake. As you like.” Reginald chuckled, though his sea-grey eyes were pleased, his full lips curling into a smile.
“Speaking of Quinn, where is he?” Layla asked then. “I haven’t seen him since the battle.”
“He’s taken his Vampires back to Florence,” Reginald answered as he took another bite, his gaze thoughtful now. “Not only is he stewing about the very frank conversation I finally had with him four days ago, he’s also stewing about the bargain Adrian made with that Revenant.”
“That bargain saved lives.” Dusk pointed at Reginald with his fork now as a flash of iridescence washed through his hair. “A lot of good fighters from all our clans lived because of it, even though we don’t have to follow through with the bargain now, because the affected Revenants are already freed.”
“Yeah, how did all that turn out?” Rikyava spoke as she chewed a bite of sandwich.
“When Hunter died, the mind-lock he put on his Bound Revenants to guard his vault in Thin Ways disappeared.” Adrian spoke now as he swirled his wine, glancing to Rikyava. “Apparently, not all the Revenants in the Thin Ways were controlled by him, only three hundred. When Hunter’s Bind disappeared, Gold-Eyes was able to locate and mind-master those on his own. When Dusk and I went down to the Thin Ways yesterday, we discovered that Gold-Eyes considers our contract fulfilled. Those three hundred are now his; and even though the other thousands of Revenants that haunt the Thin Ways aren’t, he considers our deal fulfilled because we killed Hunter and made it possible for him to start his hive.”
“Dark Haven.” Reginald corrected as he watched Adrian with a complex look now. “A Clan of Vampires is called a Dark Haven. And though he let you off easy from his bargain, what Gold-Eyes is doing is not good news, Adrian. Though not all the Vampire Revenants of the world were mastered by Hunter, three hundred is quite a strong force. Now, we have to deal with the fallout of them following a new master. A master whom Quinn very decidedly does not trust.”
As Reginald spoke, Layla suddenly felt a text buzz in the pocket of her dress. Retrieving her phone, she glanced at it and smiled as a silver-sweet glow filled her.
