Page 54 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

“What?” I gasp, staring at the younger vampire who stands in the door.

I expect Crimson to go with him, or at least to clarify more details. Instead, she pulls out her phone from the pocket of her dress pants and puts it to her ear.

“Renata,” she snaps. “What’s the most secure location in this hotel for a living human?”

There’s a pause, then Crimson nods her head.

“Thank you,” she says, then she quickly hangs up the phone. “Alin, take Paige to the holding floor immediately. Ensure that she is safe, then watch the elevators for any intruders. Do not leave her for any reason, do you understand?”

“Yes, my king,” he replies.

She moves to leave, but I quickly push myself between her and the door.

“No way!” I shout. “Crimson, I’m not leaving you! If the hotel is being attacked…”

She puts her hand on my shoulder, her eyes fierce and determined.

“Paige,” she hisses. “I can’t fight the intruders unless I know you’re safe. Do you understand?”

My heart aches. I hate the thought of leaving her, but…the way she’s looking at me right now, the intensity of her gaze…

“I understand, my king,” I whisper.

She bends down to kiss me.

And then, like a shadow disappearing into the night, she’s gone.

The holding floor is stark and dimly lit, a hallway of bare concrete. The moment we step off the elevator, Alin quickly exits and types in a code to the panel on the wall.

“Who is it?” shouts a voice from down the hallway.

“Alin and Paige, from the Night clan!” I answer, looking nervously down the hallway.

“You go ahead,” Alin says, nodding toward the door at the far end. “You’ll be safe there. I’ll guard the elevators.”

“Ok,” I reply, nervously.

I hurry down the hallway and through the open door.

It looks like a security guard’s office. There’s a desk at the center, surrounded by computers and monitors displaying different areas of the hotel. There’s a rug at the center of the room where a little boy sits, drawing in a colouring book. He looks up at me as I enter.

“Hi, I’m Eli!” he tells me with a big, lop-sided grin.

“Eli, this is my friend Paige,” says a familiar voice.

It’s the woman I met earlier today, Lily Harper. Although she looks a lot more anxious than she did in the lounge. She’s sitting at the desk, a headset over her ash-blond hair, a strained smile across her face.

“Lily,” I sigh. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I’m glad you got up here safe,” she answers. She pats the desk chair beside her. “Settle in, I don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

I take the seat beside her, looking around at the many monitors.

Lily’s fingers move swiftly over the keyboard in front of her. She speaks into her headset.

“Lexi, can you and Kate check the courtyard? The wall should be high enough to stop younger vampires, but it wouldn’t be able to stop any witches or vamps that can fly…”

I shiver, and pull my thin robe around me tightly. Anxiety pulses through me as I scan the monitors. One of them shows a narrow alleyway full of shadowy figures moving with supernatural speed. Their forms blur together, and it’s hard to make anything out.

“I think the front entrance is covered…” Lily says.

She presses a button, and the main monitor displays the front of the hotel.

Crimson is there, and Celine, along with most of the other vampires.

They hold stakes and daggers in their fists as they stand off against a wave of intruders.

Their movements are impossibly quick, and my heart skips a beat as I watch Crimson take on a trio of attacking vampires.

But her and the others seem to be holding them back.

The intruders haven’t made it into the hotel yet.

“Can I help?” I ask Lily, desperate to do something.

She nods, and hands me a headset. “Keep an eye on the cameras,” she instructs. She shows me how to navigate between the different views. “Most of the vampires have smartwatches, so you can call them and tell them where they need to go.”

“Got it,” I answer, putting the headset on and adjusting it. I feel much better having something to do.

“Keep an eye on the front cameras,” Lily tells me. “If you see another wave coming, we can call in some of the shifters and witches who are covering the rest of the perimeter. I’ll watch the alley and the courtyard, in case they strike from the back or the sides.”

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Is it Oana and Cedric?”

“I think so,” Lily sighs, grimly. “They must have been biding their time until they could strike.”

“Mama?” Eli asks, poking his head out from around the desk. “What’s biding?”

“It’s like waiting, honey,” Lily responds.

“That’s a funny way to say ‘waiting,’” Eli comments.

“The vocab you pick up when you’re married to a vampire,” Lily says with a shrug.

“Oh!” I shout, pointing at a spot on the monitor. As quickly as I can, I type in a phone number. It’s not one that Lily has programmed into the system, but it’s one I know off by heart. I watch him on the screen as he picks up his ringing phone.

“Hello?”

“Murad, on your left! There’s a vampire behind the shrub!”

On the monitor, I see Murad dart behind the shrub, to take out the vampire that was creeping up on him.

“Thank you, Paige!” he says.

“No problem!” I answer, but the line is already disconnected, as Murad swings around to dodge another attack.

The vampires move so quickly, and their dark outfits mean that it’s difficult to tell them apart.

I have trouble keeping track of everything that’s happening across all the different screens.

“Shit,” Lily says. Immediately, I look over at her screen. There’s a wave of indigo across the monitor. Lily quickly dials another number, speaking into her headset. “Damien, it’s a wave of witches, coming from the north! But I don’t recognize them…”

“I think they’re Artemis witches,” I tell her, squinting at the figures on the screen. “Or independent witches, from Midnight City.”

“Damien, Paige thinks they’re witches from the east coast,” Lily relays. “Can you join Lexi and the wolves in the courtyard? Maybe bring some of the Night clan vampires?”

“Murad will know how to fight them,” I say, dialing him again.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as Lily and I keep track of the monitors, calling the vampires to update them whenever we spot something.

It’s terrifying, but it’s also…really exciting. I’ve never gotten to be part of the action like this.

I look over to Lily. “I think I’m really getting the hang of this,” I tell her. “Thanks for showing me…”

But then I see the look on her face, and I pause. Her eyes are wide, her hands on her stomach.

“Lily?” I ask. “What’s the matter?”

She swallows, and her voice comes out in a squeak. “Um, Paige…”

I shake my head as I realize what’s happening. “No way…”

“Yes way,” she replies. “My water just broke.”

“Absolutely not,” Alin replies, crossing his arms over his chest. “Crimson told me not to leave you under any circumstances.”

I draw myself up to my full height, which is not very tall, but I try to make up for it by putting my most assertive voice on.

“Alin,” I counter. “There is a woman in labour up here, and I need clean towels and water! If you don’t let me go downstairs, I’m going to call Renata Espina and…”

“Don’t call Renata!” Alin sighs, his eyes turning red with anxiety. “Fine, but you have to stay up here! I’ll go get what you need.”

“Be careful,” I tell him. “The vampires haven’t breeched the hotel’s entrance yet, but you never know. And take your time. Most labours last hours, so…”

We’re interrupted by a long screech from inside the security room.

“Um…actually, maybe don’t take your time,” I correct.

“Paige!” Lily shouts. “I think I had a contraction!”

Alin somehow becomes even paler, if that’s possible. “I’ll be as fast as I can! But please…go into the security room and bolt the door while I’m gone.”

I nod, and hurry back to Lily. I shut the door tightly behind me, and bolt the latch.

Lily is pacing around the security room, still wearing her headset.

“This was not in my birth plan!” she says, her cheeks flushed.

Something about her worry makes me feel more grounded. Like when Eloise had her allergic reaction.

“Lily, it’s going to be all right,” I tell her, surprised at the confidence in my voice.

“I’m sure that Crimson and the others will be able to protect the hotel, and in the meantime, I’ll talk you through things up here.

Alin is getting towels and water. I’ve never witnessed a birth before, but I’ve read about it… ”

Lily nods, her green eyes shining. “You’re right. When I had Eli, it was hours before he actually came. I’m sure it’ll be…ah…” She shuts her eyes tightly and clutches her large stomach.

I quickly pull out my phone to time the contraction. Then I hurry over to her side, putting my hand to her shoulder.

“It’s ok, Lily, just breathe,” I coach her.

“Is mama ok?” Eli says, looking up from his book with concern.

“I’m ok, honey,” Lily says, through short, deliberate breaths. “This just means…the baby’s getting ready to come…”

Eli’s eyes get wide. “Am I going to be a big brother soon?”

Lily moans, clutching her stomach again.

“Hopefully not too soon,” I say. But when I check my phone to see how far apart the contractions are coming, I wish I hadn’t said anything. “Um, Lily…do you want me to call Renata?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want her to worry about me. She’s got to focus on the hotel…if the other vampires get through…ah…”

Lily squats down, rubbing her stomach.

I see Eli watching her, his tiny mouth in a tight line. His expression reminds me of Renata’s, when she first checked us into the hotel.

“Hey, Eli,” I tell him, as brightly as I can. “I have a really important job for you, ok?”

He looks over at me. “What is it?”

“Well…” I think as quickly as I can. “Before the baby comes, we’re going to need a new family picture. Can you draw a picture of your family, with the new baby in it?”

Eli clutches his crayons tightly in his small fist. His little, shining face is full of determination. I can see an echo of Lily in his eyes. I guess he takes after both of his mothers. “Yep, I can do that!”

The little boy bends over his colouring book, turning to a blank page so he can draw his picture. While he’s preoccupied, I walk Lily around the room. The movement seems to steady her nerves, although I can see by the expression on her face that she’s worried.

I’m about to insist that we call someone, when I hear a knock on the door.

“It’s me!” shouts a faint but recognizable voice from the hallway.

I hurry over and let Alin in. He’s holding an armful of rose-embroidered towels and a large bucket full of warm water. He sets everything down on the desk.

“Thanks, Alin!” I tell him.

Lily moans again, and I take my phone out.

“The contractions are coming five minutes apart,” I report. Then I hand my phone to Alin. “Can you time them, while I get the towels and scissors ready?”

“Um, ok…” Alin says, fumbling with my phone.

Luckily, the security room had a first aid kit, in a drawer along with several sharpened stakes and what I assume are silver chains.

I quickly get everything ready, so we’re prepared for when Lily starts to push.

Part of me still prays it won’t get to that point, that the vampires will be able to secure the hotel and we can just call an ambulance.

But another part of me knows I should be ready.

“Three minutes and forty-five seconds!” Alin reports. Lily is now in a squatting position, sweat dripping down her brow. “Um, Paige?”

“Yes, Alin?” I ask, wiping down a pair of scissors with alcohol and placing them on a sterilized tray.

“Someone’s calling you…”

“Can you tell them I’m busy?” I answer, handing a towel to Lily so she can wipe her forehead.

Alin puts my phone to his ear. “Hi, sorry, she’s actually delivering a baby right now…could you call her back?”

“I finished my picture!” Eli declares, holding up his colouring book for Lily and I to see. He’s drawn little stick figures of himself, Lily, Renata, and a tiny egg-shaped baby, beside a yellow square that I assume is the Respite hotel.

“That’s beautiful, honey,” Lily pants.

“She can’t, because the hotel we’re staying at is being attacked by vampires,” Alin explains, still holding my phone to his ear. “And witches, but we’re not sure which ones. Probably Artemis witches.”

“Alin!” I shriek, putting down the scissors with a clank. “Who are you taking to?”

“I don’t know, you told me to answer the phone!” Alin says defensively, handing it back to me. “This is a very overwhelming situation!”

I put the phone to my ear. My stomach drops when I hear Miles’s frantic voice.

“Paige? What’s going on? Is someone having a baby?”

“Miles, I can explain everything,” I tell him. “I just need to…”

Lily moans again. “Paige, I think I want you to call Renata!”

Alin points to the largest monitor, opposite the desk. “The vampires have breeched the hotel lobby!” he shouts.

“Did he say vampires?” Miles gasps.

“Miles, don’t worry, I’ve got it all under…” I start, but I’m interrupted when all of the lights in the room, including the monitors, turn dark.

The phone call disconnects.