Page 41 of Blood as Sweet as Roses
Paige
Crimson chuckles. “We’re almost there, Paige.”
My nose is practically against the glass of the window of our car.
Silverlake City is similar in size to Midnight City, and it’s bright and bustling on this weekend evening.
But the hotel where the magical conference is taking place is in the heart of downtown Silverlake City, unlike the more secluded mansion where Crimson and the Night vampires reside.
It’s so exciting! But there’s also a twist of anxiety in my stomach.
What are the Silverlake City vampires going to be like?
Do they have human donors, too? Will there be other magical people there?
Crimson mentioned witches and mermaids, which seems impossible, but I’ve experienced so many unusual things in the past several months…
Then a flash of lightning illuminates the block ahead of us, and I can see it.
The Respite hotel. It sits like a palace on its own city block, a castle of washed stone and bright windows. It’s huge, even bigger than the mansion, enclosed by a stone fence all around.
As our car enters the long, gravel driveway, I have to resist the urge to lower the window to get a better look. When we pull up to the front entrance, its tall doors gleaming with polished brass, I don’t wait for the driver to get my door before I hop out.
There’s no rain, but a clap of thunder rings through the heavy, heated air and I jump.
Murad comes out of the car behind us. We landed within twenty minutes of each other, so all of Crimson’s vampires are arriving in the same convoy. “It’s all right, Paige. It just means the evil witches are already here.”
“Evil witches?” I ask, not sure how that’s supposed to make me feel like everything is all right.
“And it looks like the conference has booked the whole hotel out,” Crimson adds as she steps out of our car. She nods at something in the air behind me.
I twirl around, and have to catch my breath.
There’s a flash of blue and purple in the sky as two figures on broomstick circle around the exterior of the hotel, soaring through the air. They’re laughing and shouting, and seem completely oblivious to the arriving vampires.
“Oh my god,” I gasp, watching them as they disappear into the dense trees of the courtyard beside the hotel. “I can’t believe it…”
“That is odd, isn’t it?” Sabina says with a frown, joining our party at the entrance of the hotel. “Wasn’t that one of Tudor’s progeny?”
“I think it’s refreshing to see vampires riding brooms,” Murad counters thoughtfully. “Must be Amrita’s magic academy.”
“We should start training our younger vampires in magic,” Crimson says, grimacing at where the broomstick-riders disappeared. “We don’t want the northern vampires to have too much of a strategic advantage over us.”
“For once, I agree with you,” Sabina replies coolly.
Murad shakes his head at the other vampires. “We’re here for a magical conference. We should be thinking about how to develop cohesive partnerships, how to work together, not how to get a leg up on Celine and the northern vampires. This week is about magical community.”
“You seem to have forgotten what happened at the last magical conference the hotel hosted,” Sabina says pointedly to Murad.
He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I’m sure all of that is behind us.”
I look up at Crimson nervously. “Um, what happened at the last…?”
“Good evening, members of the Night clan,” says a richly-attired doorperson, coming up to our party and giving us a deferent nod. They gesture grandly toward the doors of the hotel’s entrance. “We’ve been awaiting your arrival. Please, come inside and we’ll check you in.”
There are about two dozen of us, mostly vampires, with a few favourite donors who are easily identifiable by the unconcealed bite marks on our necks and wrists. I stand to Crimson’s right, feeling shy but excited. Bellhops in red uniforms collect our luggage from the dark limos we arrived in.
Crimson leads the way, of course, flanked by Murad and Sabina. I follow them dutifully, wanting to stay close to Crimson. The other vampires and donors arrange themselves in some sort of complicated vampire pecking order as we walk through the hotel’s ornate double doors.
The lobby gleams brightly, a stark contrast to the dark night outside.
I gaze around in wonder and surprise. I was expecting the hotel to be similar to Crimson’s mansion, with gothic hues and dim lighting.
But this could be any luxury hotel. At least, I assume it could be.
I’ve never stayed in a hotel before, although I’ve seen pictures from Blake and Amanda’s travels.
Two marble desks stretch out on either side of the lobby, staffed by a full contingent of smiling concierges.
They seem to be mostly alive, but I really don’t know to tell for sure.
They’re all busy checking in guests, who appear to be much more magical.
Golden luggage racks hold suitcases, bags, broomsticks, and cauldrons.
There’s a group of people (witches?) wearing robes of deep jeweled tones, heavy jewelry on their ears, necks, and fingers.
One of them has an owl on her shoulder, another holds a large rabbit in her arms. It glares with its beady black eyes at group standing off to the side.
They’re the opposite of the witches, wearing loose, casual, modern clothes and no shoes.
They don’t seem to have brought any luggage, and they eye the other guests with suspicion.
The moment they see the Night clan arrive, they scamper out of our way. In fact, the entire lobby quiets as Crimson strides in. Every magical person notices her presence, and gives our group a wide bearing.
Crimson seems to enjoy the spectacle. There’s a gleam in her eye and a smirk at the corner of her mouth. She walks into the hotel like a king, every eye upon her.
I’m expecting us to go up to one of the desks to check in, but instead, another vampire appears out of the chaos of the lobby, flanked by two others directly behind her.
I can’t always tell if someone is a vampire or not, especially if they were recently turned, but with her, it’s immediately clear.
She moves like she’s walking through water, smooth, purposeful, with a deadly glint in her eyes.
They’re supernaturally pale, like Crimson’s, and her skin is light and colourless.
She wears a sleek, black blazer and a slightly wary expression.
She gives our party a tight smile, flashing her sharp fangs.
Instinctively, I duck behind Crimson, fear getting the better of me.
“Bonsoir,” the vampire says with a curt nod. “And welcome to the Respite hotel. On behalf of the northern vampire alliance and my clan, I want to extend our sincere appreciation that you were able to join us for our gathering.”
Crimson returns her nod, although it’s impossible not to detect the tension between the two. The lobby has quieted significantly, as everyone watches the interaction with bated breath.
“Thank you for the invitation, Celine,” Crimson responds. “We look forward to continuing the partnership between our two clans. And to strategize regarding our…mutual interests.”
“Good,” the other vampire answers. “I believe this conference will be a suitable avenue for fostering a productive relationship between our clans.”
“I share your intention.”
They stare at each other, unblinking, for a tense moment.
Although the words they speak are positive, there’s no denying the thick atmosphere of suspicion.
I know that Crimson told me the relationships between the vampire leaders can sometimes be complicated, and I’m seeing that now.
It’s clear there’s a lot at stake here, and it’s impossible not to be drawn in to what’s unfolding.
But the tense interaction is interrupted by the appearance of another vampire, holding a black clipboard.
She wears a crisp, white dress, a heavy bangle on one wrist and a shining smart watch on the other, the picture of professional elegance.
Her black hair is cut in a sharp line across her jaw, and her olive skin is smooth and clear.
“Good to see you, Crimson,” she mutters. She gazes at our large group with a glimmer of irritation in her dark brown eyes.
“Hi, Renata,” Crimson replies with a smirk.
Renata taps sharply on her clipboard. “Let’s check you all in.
The hotel is completely booked out all week for this conference, and the majority of the guests are arriving tonight.
I had asked that everyone stay within their scheduled arrival times, but the evil witches were two hours late and none of the shifters own watches, so… ”
She gestures toward the front desk, indicating that we should move forward.
But before we can, another vampire appears.
She towers on glittery platform shoes, wearing a matching silver bodycon dress.
She has flowing, platinum blond hair and pale, porcelain skin.
She looks more like a model in a magazine than a vampire, and her demeanor is completely different from the other two.
“Hi, Crimson, hi, Murad!” she says cheerfully. “Great to see you again!”
With a flourish, she gestures to a server beside her, who holds up a tray of glasses filled with thick, red blood.
“Are you thirsty?” she offers. “You must be so exhausted after your travels.”
“Lexi, if they want your stale, distilled blood, they can have it in their suite,” Renata snaps, looking ferociously at the new vampire. “We have to get everyone checked in before the next guests arrive!”
“Well, excuse me for being a good host,” Lexi replies, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. “I’m creating an experience for our guests!”
“If you keep undermining my check-in system, then all our guests will experience will be me staking your unbeating heart!” Renata declares.
“That’s enough,” Celine snaps, glaring at the other two vampires. “Renata, Lexi, behave. And ensure our guests are checked in and comfortable.”
Renata scoffs, but obeys the other vampire’s command. She confirms the party numbers with Sabina, as Murad takes a glass of blood with a gracious nod to Lexi.
Celine turns back to Crimson. “My apologies for my sisters’ behaviour. It’s been a long night.”
Crimson steps forward, and drops her voice. “No apology needed. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who has difficult managing my Creator’s other progeny.”
“Speaking of that,” Celine’s eyes dart around the lobby, suspiciously, then fall on me. A shiver crawls up my spine, and I instinctively move closer to Crimson.
“She’s with me,” Crimson replies brusquely. “This is Paige, one of our human staff. You can speak freely in front of her.”
Warmth radiates through me. I didn’t realize that Crimson trusted me like that. And I like that she said I was with her. I’m glad I wore my collar today.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Celine nods in my direction.
“Celine C?té, leader of the northern vampire alliance.” Then she turns back to Crimson, dropping her voice so low I almost can’t hear it.
“When you’re settled, we should discuss the situation with Cedric and Oana.
Damien and I have a team of vampires tracking them, but they’ve been incredibly evasive. ”
“I have a few of our guard keeping tabs on them as well,” Crimson replies, her eyes darkening. “I was hoping the concern would die out after I’d established myself more firmly as the leader of the Night clan, but it seems to be escalating.”
Celine sighs. “They’ve got their eyes on us, too. I think it’s just a question of where they strike first.”
I don’t like the sound of that, and I look anxiously to Crimson. But she has a devious twinkle in her eye.
“I’d prefer if they targeted me directly,” she says, a playful tilt to her voice. “Better than having them lurk around in the shadows, accumulating power. I’d love the chance to sink my stake into Oana’s chest. It would increase my count for the year.”
Celine’s lips curl into a smirk. “I’m at forty-one.”
“Forty-six,” Crimson counters immediately, a matching smirk on her face.
The hushed conversation seems to have come to an end, because the other vampires look over at us.
“Why don’t you both just take out your stakes and measure them?” Renata sighs, joining the conversation with a disapproving shake of her head.
“Are they bragging about how many vampires they’ve staked again?” Murad asks with a grin.
“I can’t help it if I defend my territory well,” Celine replies smoothly.
“Well, I defend it just a little bit better,” Crimson says, provoking a glare from the other vampire.
“You two are so immature when you get together,” Lexi says, holding an enormous glass of blood in one hand.
“You’re just jealous because you only got twenty-six,” Celine retorts.
Lexi huffs. “I got twenty-seven!”
This prompts a chuckle from Murad and a genuine smile from Crimson. I’m glad the tension seems to have dissipated for now.
Renata glances down at the glitzy smart watch on her wrist. “All right, enough of that for tonight! The Morgan witches are arriving any minute and you know how Amrita likes to make an entrance. Let’s get you all settled in your suites.”