Page 12 of Icy Reception (SOS HOTEL #9)
CHAPTER 12
Ding-dong!
“Good morning guests of the Stephanie Hotel. The storm is forecast to clear today. We hope you’ve had a restful stay at our hotel, but it’s time to leave. Bye now, and don’t forget to post a five - star review!”
There were strangers in our bed, Eddie in the bathtub, and several more unknown people wrapped in quilts on the floor—people taken and frozen by Stephanie, people who looked as though they may actually pull through this.
“As if we’re just going to walk away!” Zee snorted from his spot resting against the dresser, arms crossed, tail flip-flopping his frustration. He wore a tight T-shirt proclaiming I’m a Bad Bitch in playful font, and tiny shorts that emphasized his long fishnet-clad legs.
Victor emerged from the bathroom, sleeves rolled up, hair in disarray, and suit creased. “Eddie’s heartbeat is strong. Against the odds, it appears he will make a full recovery.”
We’d done a good thing. We’d saved people. Although none of us had actually escaped the hotel yet... but from the announcement it appeared as though the real management wanted us gone. So they could ensnare the next batch of guests?
I crossed the room to Zee’s side, and Victor approached too, all three of us drawn together. I slotted myself against Zee’s hip, and welcomed his arm hooking around me as we watched the thawing people sleep.
“I am prepared to take one for the team,” Zee whispered, then grinned at me. “You give me another amazing blow job, I’ll power up and zap Elsa with the orgasm of her ice-bitch life, then Victor will ride in and cut off her head. How’s that for a plan?”
It had merit. And not just because I got to power up Zee.
“I do not have a sword,” Victor said, dashing our hopes. “Or anything remotely sharp. Much of the restaurant cutlery is blunt.”
“You tryin’ to tell us, Murder McDaddy Fangs, you can’t kill someone with a spork?”
“Frostweaver is not just someone . She is a powerful immortal who has no doubt lured unsuspecting victims into her trap for centuries.” He ran his hands through his long hair, tugging out a few unacceptable knots. “Although... I can indeed, and with little effort, expire someone with a spork.”
That was good to know, and not all that surprising. Wait, had he actually done that? Never mind. It was better not to know.
“What did you two talk about over tea?” I asked instead, keeping my voice low so our thawing human popsicles didn’t hear that their rescuers had been enjoying a spot of afternoon tea with their icy jailor.
“There was a beloved, but as a mortal he perished long ago, before the hotel was constructed. She has been trapped here, punishing this land and its people ever since.”
“Then she’s not going to stop?” It was a long shot, but we had to know if there was a chance she could be reasoned with.
“I had hoped so, but it appears she was playing us. No, my dear, she will not stop.”
“So my plan... The best plan,” Zee clarified. “Still stands. Blow job, then Elsa’s death by orgasm.”
“While your allure is formidable?—”
“Thank you.” Zee preened.
“It is, however, unlikely to kill her,” Victor continued. “And will not stop her ice from quickly encasing you”
“Then what will?” I asked.
Victor looked me dead in the eyes. “You.”
I knew where he was going with this... the same as Wesley. “You mean my fire? I’d have to shift, and after that happens I’m not a precision instrument.” The last time I’d unleashed my true self, the aftermath had closed the Golden Gate Bridge. It was still closed for repairs. And the moment I shifted, someone would also upload a picture of me online. My brother would be on us in hours, assuming he wasn’t nearby already. “Assuming we can get her out into the street, then maybe I can turn her to ash, but she knows what I am. She’s unlikely to leave herself exposed like that.”
“Or we ensure the hotel is evacuated,” Victor suggested. “And you dispatch her within its walls.”
“If I shift in this hotel, there won’t be much left of it after.”
“A predicament,” Zee agreed. “But going back to my original suggestion. I’ve got the juice to fuck her up... literally. Then, while she’s getting off, you guys can move in and off her for real with a spork.”
“Uhm, why a spork?” Had I missed the reason behind that somewhere in this conversation?
“Murder Daddy says he wants to.”
“I said it was possible, not advisable. I’d prefer a sword. ”
“The LARP guests have weapons,” I said. “Some looked real.”
“Oh my fuck, yes. A fake Zee had a fake Shareen that looked super sharp. Put some vampire muscle behind it and it’ll work.”
“We should round up all the Zees,” I said. “Now they know you’re the real deal, they’ll definitely help us out.”
“An army of Zodiacs?” Zee’s grin turned sly, especially when he spotted Victor’s arched eyebrow of judgment. “Cheer up, Fancy Fangs. I’ll round up the Victors too. One of ’em is bound to have a ruler you can all get gooey-eyed over.”
“Wait... Zee, you’re onto something. Stephanie knows who we are, but if there are lots of us, it may be enough to confuse her. Add in the silver bell, and we might have a chance of distracting her enough to be able to get close again. Then take off her head.”
“Only if Zodiac is able to tone down his light show,” Victor warned. “Else he will not blend in among any decoys.”
“I can do that. No, really, I can,” Zee added after seeing Victor’s doubtful expression. “The first time I wasn’t ready. Now I know what to expect I have definitely got control of it.”
“What about the staff? I asked. “Once they realize we have nefarious intentions, they’ll try and stop us. Plus, there’s the golem.”
“Then we do this during the day, when the golem isn’t active.”
“Let’s start by rounding up all the SOS Hotel cosplayers.” I smiled up at Zee. He’d be perfect for this.
“Free pancakes in the bar for SOS Hotel fans only, and I will personally ensure they are only drugged with the good stuff.” Zee poofed away, probably out into the hallway, leaving me with Victor and our suite full of recovering victims.
“Tom Collins would be so proud,” I said .
“Proud is not a word I’d associate with our unfiltered barman.”
“How is Wesley?” He may not have been our favorite person, but he hadn’t turned out to be all that bad.
“Asleep on the bathroom floor.”
“Has Eddie woken up yet?” We’d put Eddie in the bath to bring his temperature up slowly, although we probably hadn’t needed to. After we’d rescued the others, we realized a warm blanket and time might just be enough to thaw them all out.
“Not yet, but I am certain he will.”
I watched the others sleep. “You know... we’re actually pretty good at saving people.”
“After everything we’ve done—stopping Gideon Cain, ending the vampire queen’s reign—you’re still surprised?”
“Every day.” I chuckled.
He smiled too. “There is Larimer to deal with. I have my suspicions he is not human, and linked to the golem. He disappears when the axe-wielding golem is on patrol, as though they work in tandem. They may even be two sides of the same individual—one guarding the hotel and Stephanie at night, the other during the day. If Larimer believes we are a threat to Stephanie, he will be a threat to us.”
Larry could also be the axeman? But that was alright. I had a plan to kill two birds with one stone. “Don’t worry, I have a plan for Larry.” I grinned and shuffled against Victor’s side, inviting his arm around me then holding it firmly in place.
“Oh? And are you going to enlighten me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Intriguing.” He kissed the top of my head. “As are you, my dear.”