Page 1

CHAPTER 1

Sun, sea, and sand. Okay, so maybe Zee wouldn’t much like the sand, but after everything we’d been through, the beachfront villa in Florida surrounded by swaying palms and twinkling ocean was a slice of paradise we sorely needed. Finally, we were getting our vacation.

“ Mi casa es su casa ,” Toby said, guiding us back into the spacious living room after our brief tour.

A pool, a TV bigger than our bed back at the SOS Hotel, a bed bigger than the TV, a well-stocked bar, and a view of the ocean from every front-facing window... and there were a lot of them.

I didn’t know what to say. I’d never seen a house as fancy as this. Or one so close to the ocean.

“I mean yeah, it’s alright, I guess.” Zee’s tail swept back and forth, attempting to play down his excitement.

Toby snorted a laugh. “It’s probably not as grand as your hotel. But you guys saved me, so you’re welcome to make yourself at home.”

“It’s great.” I couldn’t have hidden my grin if I’d tried. “Thank you.” The shower had two heads. Two! For two people showering together. That’s a thing humans had thought of. And this house had it.

“Thank you guys for saving my ass on the road. I mean it.” Toby grinned too, making the lines on his face crease. Trolls always looked older than they were. On the road, he’d told us he was the youngest brother in a big family. I hadn’t asked much more, fearing we’d get into sibling territory, and as mine wanted to eat me, my friends, and the rest of the world, family talk had been off limits.

“Oh, and hey.” Toby scooped up a remote and pointed it toward the big wall of windows. At the push of a button, the windows dimmed. “UV filters... for you know, the sun intolerant.”

We all turned to Victor, lurking at the back of the room near the open-plan kitchen, as far away from any sunlight as was possible in a house made from eighty percent glass.

“Appreciated,” he said, not sounding all that appreciative. He’d been unusually quiet on the last leg of our journey—quieter than his typically brooding vampire self. He was probably hangry, as Zee often said, because he hadn’t had blood in a while. With our unexpected guest tagging along, we hadn’t had the privacy to get up close and personal during the last few days.

“Gah, I gotta take this.” Toby plucked a vibrating phone from his pocket. “So uh, you guys get comfy, and I’ll be back later tonight to see how you’re settling in.”

“Okay, sure.” I followed Toby toward the main entrance at the back of the house, shoes squeaking on the smooth marble floors. “Thank you again. This is really... It’s super great.”

“Hey, you’re welcome, Adam.” Toby smiled one more time, opened the door, and stepped out. On the step, he hesitated and turned back. “So uh... just uhm... Maybe don’t wander too far, alright? There’s not much around here but palm trees anyway, but a few of the locals aren’t all that Lost Ones friendly and I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in something... bad.”

“Oh, sure, that’s fine. What would we need to leave for anyway?” I laughed, brushing off his concern. “We have everything we need right here.” We had hostile locals in San Francisco too. We’d be alright.

“Yeah, that’s right.” He looked me dead in the eyes and repeated, “You don’t need to leave.”

“Uhm... sure?” Hadn’t I already said we wouldn’t? What was he waiting for? “Uhm... Thanks again?”

A quick smile dashed across his lips. “Later, gator.” And off he went, striding down the path, his creased suit jacket flapping in his haste. He hurried past our rusted pink minivan slumped on the drive and jogged down the sidewalk, disappearing along the road lined with palm trees and little else.

Was that warning weird? No. Probably not... Maybe?

I shrugged it off and closed the door. Since we’d fled the Pacific Northwest trying to outrun my brother, and ended up in not-so-nice Minnesota—leaving the hotel there in ruins, and maybe a murder charge hanging over my head—my mind wasn’t all that clear. But it was nothing a hot shower, fresh clothes, some good food, and the company of my two favorite people wouldn’t fix.

“Kitten. I iz in fuckin’ demon heaven!” Standing by the couches in the living room, Zee threw out his arms. His wings poofed into sight, raining fizzing sparks. “This is the best place we’ve visited, and no weird-as-fuck cameras or creepy concierges.” He tilted back on his heels and fell into the couch, demon-spreading all his fabulous self across the many cushions. With a huge sigh, all of him melted into place, molding to the couch. “Imma like Florida. I can tell.” He beamed.

“Adam, would you like a coffee?” Victor asked from the super clean and shiny open-plan kitchen.

“Oh, uh... yeah.” I headed over and watched him fuss about finding some mugs, then the bag of ground coffee.

“There’s whiskey in the minibar,” Zee said, lolling his head back and peering over at us through sleepy, half-closed lashes.

We’d only just arrived. Would whiskey be appropriate? “Oh, I don’t know if I should drink his whiskey.”

“You heard Toby, he’s grateful. It’d be fuckin’ rude not to partake of his kind hospitality.”

That was true. I didn’t want to be ungrateful. “Later, for sure.”

Zee sighed a long, relaxing sigh, then shot to his feet. “Imma check out the pool.” He slid open the tinted doors, letting in the sound of the ocean and rustling palms.

The air here smelled of damp salt and hot sand. It was heavy with humidity too, and I found myself wondering what it would be like to fly over Florida’s golden shores. I probably shouldn’t, though. People didn’t take too kindly to massive dragons overhead.

We were a long way from San Francisco, and hopefully from my brother. Maybe, just maybe, we could relax here for a while. Take a breather. Allow ourselves some much-needed personal time. And there was one among us who definitely needed some extra attention.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked Victor.

He stared at the coffee maker as though he could will the coffee from the beans. “Indeed.”

“It’s just... you seem a bit tense?—”

“Whoo!” A huge splash outside rained pool water over the windows. Zee had flung himself into the pool... with his clothes on. Although he wasn’t wearing much to begin with. I snorted a laugh, but Victor hadn’t looked up from the machine. Something was bothering him. Reaching out, I laid my hand on his where it rested on the counter.

He finally raised his head. “My apologies. I... have some concerns about our current situation, but I do not want to dampen your mood. You certainly deserve to enjoy yourselves.”

“So do you.” I tucked myself against his side, and his arm automatically looped around me, pulling me closer. “What’s on your mind?”

A whole array of micro-expressions crossed his typically stern face seconds before he stifled them. “Perhaps I am overthinking a few things. It’s likely nothing to be concerned about.” He smiled, and grabbing the coffee jug, poured me a cup. “Why don’t you freshen up. We’ll discuss it later.”

“I would, but now I know you’re overthinking something, I’m overthinking what it might be.”

“That was not my intention.”

“So tell me, and we can overthink together while Zee has fun.”

Victor inhaled, and poured a second cup for himself. “Very well. Adam, there are some inconsistencies in Toby Skrinde’s character that I believe warrant further consideration. I presume you noticed the weapon he carried?”

“Oh, the gun? Yeah, but I figured maybe Lost Ones have some issues here and might need some extra protection?”

“I had also come to a similar conclusion. However, Toby’s attire is of an exceedingly good quality, and likely tailored to his smaller frame. Especially as there are few well-made suits that fit trolls. Personal tailoring is not cheap.” Victor would know.

“It’s clear he has some money.” We only had to look around the living room to see that.

“Well, yes, but the car we passed on the side of the highway prior to rescuing him was an old, poorly-maintained wreck.”

“So is our van,” I snorted.

“But we do not have excess funds, whereas, if we assume the suit is tailored and this villa belongs to our host, then he clearly has the monetary means to purchase a newer vehicle.”

“Perhaps he likes beat-up old cars?”

“Also possible. But several times during our journey, Toby discreetly used his phone while you drove and Zodiac dozed. He assumed nobody was watching, but did not account for the rearview mirror, or me.”

When he laid all those little things out like that, Toby did sound a bit suspicious. “But is it also possible that all those things are just normal things and we’re so used to running—being on the road—that everything starts to look suspicious when you don’t get much sleep... or blood?”

A small smile thawed the concern on his face. “As I said, I may be overthinking this.”

“You’re right, you’re overthinking it, but also maybe not.” I took his coffee from his hand and set it down on the counter beside me, then stretched onto my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. Victor peered down, his dark eyes aswirl with silvery vampire power. “We’ll mention it to Zee later. Right now, though, we really need a break from thinking.”

The firm press of Victor’s hands settled on my lower back, drawing me closer. He bowed his head and teased a kiss so close to my lips I imagined I could already feel his mouth on mine. He waited, and the heat of anticipation sizzled between us.

“You know what else I think?” I whispered.

“Hm?”

“That there’s a double shower calling our names.”

“My dear.” His voice had dropped an octave into warm, smooth, chocolatey levels. “I desire nothing more.”

I turned my head to catch a glimpse of Zee doing backstroke laps in the pool. Victor’s firm fingers caught my jaw, but instead of turning my head, he held it still. The soft touch of his lips on the corner of mine summoned a smile and delivered a thrill that spilled all the way to my toes. He tilted my head, exposing my neck, and sent those fluttering kisses down my jaw to the beating pulse point, where his lips sealed and his tongue swept, but no fangs... not yet. He was teasing, and setting ablaze the embers that always burned between us.

Zee wouldn’t mind if we indulged without him. In fact, he’d be all for it.

The wild, ancient part of Victor peered out from behind those intense eyes. “It has been some time since we were last intimate, and I fear, my dear, I will not be gentle.”

My dragon heart skipped behind my ribs. “Do you hear me complaining?”

Would Toby mind that the first thing we did after he’d generously allowed us to stay in his house was to have desperate vampire-daddy sex in the double shower?

Too bad if he did, because this was happening, and nothing short of an earthquake would stop us.