Page 18 of Icy Reception (SOS HOTEL #9)

ICY RECEPTION

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

“Me casa es su casa,” Toby said, as we arrived back in the spacious living room from the brief tour.

A pool, a TV bigger than our bed back at the SOS HOTEL, a bed bigger than the TV, a mini bar and a view of the ocean from every front facing window.

I didn’t know what to say. I’d never seen a house as fancy as this.

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

Toby snorted a laugh. “It’s probably not as grand as your hotel. But 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 that humans had thought of. And this house had it.

“Thank you guys for saving my ass on the road.” Toby grinned too, making the lines on his face crease up. 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, that topic was 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.”

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 that was eight 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 usual brooding vampire self. He was probably hangry, as Zee said. Victor 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.

“Gah, I gotta take this,” Toby said, plucking a vibrating phone from his pocket. “So uh, you guys get comfy, 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, but 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 One friendly and I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in something… bad.”

“Oh, sure, that’s fine. What do 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. “You don’t even 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. “Laters, gators.” 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 not much 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, ending up in not-so-nice Minnesota, and leaving the hotel there in ruins—and maybe a murder charge hanging over my head—my thoughts weren’t all that clear. 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 the visible spectrum, raining fizzing sparks. “This is the best place yet and no weird-as-fuck cameras or creepy concierges.” He tilted backward and fell into the couch, demon-spreading all his fabulous self across the many cushions. With a huge sigh, all of him melted in place, molding to the couch. “Imma like Florida. I can tell.”

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

“Oh, uh… yeah.” I headed over and watched him fuss with finding some mugs, and some ground coffee.

“There’s whiskey in the minbar,” 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.”

“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 suddenly shot to his feet. “Imma check out the pool.” And off he went, sliding open the tinted doors. The sound of the ocean and rustling palms filtered into the house. 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 casting shadows over their houses.

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 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?—”

“Whoo!” A huge splash outside rained pool water up the windows. Zee had flung himself into the pool, clothes on. Although, he wasn’t wearing much to begin with anyway. 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 on the counter.

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

“So do you.” I tucked myself against his side. 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 hot 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, so am I.”

“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 with Toby Skrinde’s character that I believe warrant further consideration. I presume you noticed the weapon he carried?”

“Oh the gun? Yeah, but I figure maybe Lost Ones have some issue down south and maybe 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 the side of the highway was an old, poorly-maintained wreck.”

“So is our van.”

“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 monetary means to purchase a newer vehicle.”

“Perhaps he likes 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 rear view mirror, and 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—I mean, being on the road—that everything starts to look suspicious when you don’t get much sleep? Or blood.”

A small smiled thawed his expression. “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 at me, his dark eyes aswirl with power. “We’ll mention it to Zee later. Right now though, we really need a break from thinking. Even you.”

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 imagined I could already feel his mouth on mine. He waited, so close that I was sure heat sizzled between us.

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

“Hm?”

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

“My dear, 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 when 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 his silvery eyes. “It has been sometime since we’ve been 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 allowing 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.

The end is here! Again. Purchase SOS HOTEL 10: End of the Road here. And dive into Adam, Zee’s and Victor’s final adventure. For real, this time.