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“Indeed.”

“You could come by my room, if you like? Just for . . . tea? Nothing else, I mean . . . Nothing you don’t want. Or do want? I am open to everything—not everything, but most things. What?”

Reynard’s face finally brightened. “Tea will be lovely.”

Reynard gently placed the frog ornament on his dresser, and caught my eye, making it clear I was not to comment on that either, and the fact he obviously appreciated it.

Zee was going to be so grumpy in the morning. Not only had he missed the once in a lifetime event of witnessing Reynard laugh, he’d passed out on Reynard’s bed, and missed the tender way Reynard treated the frog ornament.

We headed to my room, our steps lighter. Clearing the air felt good, even if it did have world-ending consequences that I was definitely not getting swept up in. Nope. I was quite happy in the hotel, doing hotel things. There was no reason the prophecy had to find me here. None at all. I was going to have tea with Reynard, and then fantastic bossy sex. And everything was going to be fine.

“I collected some teas from Chef Étrange,” I said. “So there’s all sorts of different ones to try.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Adam. But I’m sure the company will be more delightful than the tea.”

I was definitely getting some action. What else could go wrong? Zee was out cold, so there wouldn’t be any more untimely interruptions from him, and the hotel was running smoothly. Disasters had been averted. We weren’t going to prison. The black market body-parts business had been foiled.

This was my moment, my downtime, and my chance to get on my knees for Vampire Daddy.

I opened my room door—and slammed it shut again.

“What is it?” Reynard asked.

“Oh it’s . . .” I’d seen the inside of my room. The image had gone into my eyes, but I struggled to turn it into words. Instead, I sighed, and opened the door so Reynard could witness it too.

Gremlins.

Everywhere.

Swinging from the light, climbing the curtains, burrowing in my open dresser drawers. Several were eating the carpet. More appeared to be getting frisky with my pillows.

A gremlin party.

Or, depending on where you looked, a gremlin orgy—and they were not shy.

On my bed, in the middle of all the chaos, the ringleader’s beady-eyed glare met mine. Little Jimmy, the mass-murdering pixie from the fae market, raised his middle finger.

“Oh my stars.”

“Adam, you appear to have a gremlin problem.”

I sighed, closed the door, and pinned a smile to my face. “Let’s have tea in the bar.”

“You’re going to leave the gremlins?”

They’d already trashed my room. It couldn’t get much worse. “That’s tomorrow’s problem.”

“Very well.” Reynard’s lips ticked, almost as though he threatened to free another untimely laugh.

“Do you think this is funny, Victor?” I asked, teasing.

“You must admit, it is rather entertaining in a chaotic, desperate way.” He hooked his arm around my waist, tucking me in close as we walked toward the elevator. Maybe I didn’t get to drop to my knees tonight, but this was good too.

My smile softened. Despite the gremlins, things weren’t all that bad. We’d gotten Tom Collins back, avoided jail, made a tentative ally in Agent Leomaris, and slightly inconvenienced Gideon Cain. Again. Not bad for a sex demon, a vampire daddy, and an average human.

The elevator doors rumbled closed, the cables twanged, and the car jolted down.

Reynard eyed the rickety walls. “Some investment in the hotel is overdue. After everything you’ve done for me, I’m happy to assist financially.”