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CHAPTER 1
You don’t get to be famous without breaking a few legs. That’s what Zee says. Although . . . he may have meant breaking a few eggs? But that doesn’t make much sense either.
Whether it’s eggs or legs, I never wanted to be famous. All I wanted was to live happily ever after in our tired hotel with the two people who matter the most. The two halves of my heart—Zee and Victor.
Sure, I’d done some bad things. Like eating a vampire duke . . . and maybe that one time, when I’d been having a real bad night and lured three demons into following me down a dark alley so I could eat them too.
Oh, and killing my entire family. But that was from before the veil sealed itself, locking a bunch of Lost Ones on the human side where we didn’t have much choice but to somehow get along.
I’d also killed a vampire queen . . . twice. Although technically, that had been an accident . . . twice. But who was counting?
We’d also saved lots of people from the dark sorcerer Gideon Cain’s wicked ways, preventing him from taking over the world, or just San Francisco. Not bad for a dragon hiding out as a human, an ex-adult movie star, and an out-of-work ex-billionaire vampire daddy.
The prophecy was fulfilled. My heart saved the world. It was over.
But I guess even after you turn the last page and close the book, the story never really ends. The heroes go home and live their lives.
And that’s where we begin—at the end, during our happily ever after. We didn’t know it yet, but our story was far from over. In fact, it had only just begun. And what happened next made Gideon Cain’s attempted reign look like the warm-up act to the real showdown.
CHAPTER 2
In the two weeks since I’d eaten Gideon Cain in full view of the world’s press, the SOS Hotel had been at full occupancy. It turned out live villain-eating made for great publicity.
Zee’s performances filled the hotel bar every night, keeping the drinks flowing and Tom Collins as happy as Tom Collins could ever be—i.e., not very. The gremlins had been hard at work, under Little Jimmy’s strict management, making sure the hotel’s moving parts were well oiled so nobody accidentally died in an elevator malfunction. And Victor was in furniture-making heaven, renovating two additional rooms and the attic so we could maximize occupancy and profits. Madame Matase kept the front desk and bookings operating smoothly, and Chef Étrange kept the mac and cheese flowing.
As for me? I oversaw it all. Putting out fires—some real—and making sure the hotel ran as smoothly as possible.
Somehow, it all came together, and the SOS Hotel thrived.
On nights like tonight—with the bar bustling, the foyer abuzz, and the guests happy—I toured the building, checking in on Zee who was belting out a hit and giving a fabulous performance as usual, before moving on to find Victor upstairs in one of the quieter corners of the hotel.
The door to his latest room renovation hung ajar. Easing it open, I spied him standing with his back to me by the window, lit by moonlight and surrounded by pieces of flat-pack furniture. He’d bundled his hair into a messy man bun, in contrast with the business suit and dark-purple, almost black shirt. Only Victor would wear a suit while assembling furniture.
Folding my arms, I leaned against the doorframe and admired the view. The way his shirt cinched around his narrow waist, and how those straight-legged pants made all his edges sharp? The man was designed to ensnare his victims. It had to be some kind of miracle I got to wake up between him and Zee every morning. I was still waiting for this dream to end.
“Adam,” he said, without looking. That voice . . . my name on his lips? It melted me into a puddle every time.
“Hey.” I crossed the room and folded my arms around his waist, then stood on my toes to peer over his shoulder at the highly organized display of bits and pieces that would eventually make the world’s most sturdy dresser. “You should take a break and come down to the bar. Zee is getting his ‘Lady Marmalade’ on.”
Victor purred low in his throat—a sound I’d learned was a good one—and twisting in my arms, he scooped me up around the waist so fast my insides dropped. At my sharp gasp, he buried his face in my neck, breathing me in, and my heart skipped, tripping over a rush of adrenalin.
“Is he wearing stockings?” Victor growled.
“And knee-high boots.”
Victor rarely told Zee how much those outrageous outfits rewired his typically calm and collected thoughts, turning them savage with lust. Probably because it was obvious when they were together that Victor couldn’t take his eyes off Zee, especially during Zee’s performances.
Hashtag Reyzee had gone viral since the rumors about them had been proven true. Nobody cared much for my part in the threesome, though, which was fine by me. I already had enough of a spotlight on me for being the last dragon.
Victor’s firm hands lowered me back to my toes, but instead of letting me go, he swooped in for a kiss. Helpless to resist, I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him back, throwing enough strength into it to make him stagger. I could do that now—be free with who and what I was, without fear.
He growled into my mouth and nipped at my bottom lip, making it spring back with a pop.
I laughed and bumped my forehead to his, watching his silvery eyes attempt to hypnotize me. “Hm, furniture makes you hungry?”
“No, but you do.”
I wanted nothing more than to climb him like a pole right here and now, and the only way to improve on that idea would be for Zee to join us. “I’m on shift,” I rasped.
