CHAPTER 1 – OWNER
Sitting behind the gilded desk in her office at the Red Letter Hotel Paris, Layla Price gazed out the French Baroque windows, watching the Hotel green from winter to spring. Buds were on the lilac, the gardens lush with daffodil, tulip, and iris. The late-April afternoon was drippy, a fine mist of clouds blowing above the Palace of Versailles in the Twilight Realm. Listening to the radiators hiss, Layla drifted from her work – marveling at how much life had changed since last spring. She had come to the Paris Hotel a Concierge, then trained as a Courtesan after her tempestuous Royal Dragon Bind-power opened last year. But since her furious Desert Dragon had been tamed by Binding her four Royal drakes these past months, Layla’s life had calmed.
And now it was the most peaceful it had ever been.
Glancing down at the gilded leather folio upon her fleur-de-lis carved desk, Layla returned to the April earnings reports from the Paris Hotel. Crossing her bare legs with her black stiletto heels under her burgundy cocktail dress, Layla fiddled with one of her sable curls as she read, come loose from the chignon at the side of her neck. Her Royal Desert Dragon Adrian Rhakvir was normally Head of the Paris Hotel, and this had been his office until two months ago. But after her other main squeeze Dusk Arlohaim’s ascension to the Crystal Dragon Kingship in February, Adrian had ceded his position to Layla, to keep things running while he was away in Egypt helping Dusk manage his new Lineage. Working alongside the Vampire Barone Quindici DaPonti – who also headed up Hotels in Italy – Layla had continued their work deepening the Paris Hotel’s modernizations while preserving its old-world French appeal. As she glanced over reports on Hotel attendance now, she saw they were up fifteen percent.
Although they were still down ten percent in annual revenue.
Glancing out the window again, Layla sighed. As if Quindici could hear it from his adjacent office in the Administration Wing, he knocked on the towering French Baroque door that separated their offices, then strolled on in. Classically chic, the Master Vampire was all tall style in a tan three-piece suit with a crimson tie and pocket square plus gold details. Taking a seat opposite Layla in a red velvet chair, he clasped his long white fingers around one knee. Gazing at her with dark onyx eyes full of intelligence, his wavy auburn hair perfectly coiffed, Quinn’s dark power curled through the room, casting everything in subtle shadows. Though the Vampire’s magic devoured daylight, Layla was used to his flowing nimbus now.
Though his dark onyx stare still unnerved her – penetrating like the gaze of the dead.
“Layla. I could have felt that sigh all the way out in the gardens just now. What’s wrong?” Quindici’s baritone was elegant as it eased around her with his power, his dark eyes calmly attentive.
“We’re still running in the red.” Layla gestured to the reports on her desk. “Even after the changes we’ve implemented, overall revenue is still down. The Assignation Department is downthirtypercent despite recent increases in attendance. By all accounts, we should be up – how is this possible?”
“Because the Assignation Department has lost a very significant member recently. One who contracted with excessively wealthy patrons – Reginald Durant.” Quindici chuckled with a deep knowing in his eyes. “Reginald was highly sought-after, his Assignation schedule booked out years at a time, and he generally brought in over forty percent of the department’s earnings. My old protégé from the Florence Hotel was a masterful Head Courtier. Rake André is a lovely Head Courtier, but he is no Reginald.”
“I guess not.” Layla spoke, closing the reports and gazing at the business-savvy Quindici. She’d already known how valuable her Bound Royal Siren was to the Paris Hotel, though this made it hit home. Glancing out the window, Layla was about to ask if the Hotel could flourish without Reginald, when her cell phone buzzed. Picking it up off her desk, she glanced at the number and felt a flutter in her heart.
“Quinn, it’s Adrian. Do you mind if I answer?” She spoke as she glanced at Quindici.
“Be my guest.” With an elegant gesture, Quinn sat back in his chair.
Answering the call, Layla held the phone to her ear, turning to the windows as a smile blossomed over her face. “Hiya sexy.”
“Hiya sexy yourself,” Adrian Rhakvir chuckled on the other end of the line, his lovely baritone smoldering. In her mind’s eye, Layla could see her Royal Desert Dragon standing between the citrine columns of the Temple of the Sun at the Crystal Plateau in Egypt. Dressed in a royal blue suit with a deep purple pocket square, Adrian was sexily modern with his tall, lean frame and rakishly cut dark hair. A stubble on his angular jaw only accentuated the sensual fullness of his lips and the bright aqua of his Mediterranean green-blue eyes, flecked with gold.
Those eyes brightened roguishly as Adrian grinned at Layla’s greeting, leaning upon the balcony rail and gazing out over the crystal citadel. As he did so, Layla could see his crimson, black, and gold Dragon-tattoo curling up his left wrist – symbol of his position as Clan First in the Desert Dragons of Morocco and the Mediterranean. As Adrian chuckled into the phone, Layla knew he could see her also through their Bind. But his gaze sharpened suddenly, flicking over Layla’s shoulder as his straight dark brows frowned.
“Layla, is Quinn there with you?”
“Yes, he’s here.” Turning, Layla glanced at Quindici, who lifted a calm russet eyebrow.
“Good. He should be made aware of the situation also.” Adrian spoke, straightening at the railing in the way that made Layla know this was a business call today, rather than pleasure.
“What situation?” Layla prompted, turning back to the windows and gazing out at the rain.
“Our Hunter situation,” Adrian spoke with a growl now. “I got a call from a scientist of mine up in Deep Harbor, Reginald’s home in the North Sea. The scientist is family of his, Leniana Morregain, a half-sister through his mother. She’s had a breakthrough in some tech that might help us locate Hunter. She left me a message a week ago, but cell service and internet across the entire Plateau were down. Basically, I need someone to go up to Deep Harbor to check out her tech and speak with her. Dusk can’t go, I’m tied up here helping him, Rhennic’s in Scotland on Storm Dragon business, and Reginald isn’t answering my calls. I was thinking either you or Quinn could take some time off from the Paris Hotel to go up to Deep Harbor. I know you’re busy with Beltane coming up in three days, but this jaunt shouldn’t take long.”
“Tech that might help us pinpoint Hunter?” Layla’s entire body thrilled, wondering if they might soon have a way to one-up their Royal Dragon Bind nemesis. Sitting up, eagerness flooded her as a spiced bourbon-orange scent washed from her skin, her Dragon roiling to attentiveness inside her veins. Layla lifted an eyebrow at Quindici, but the Master Vampire was already sitting up also with deceptive nonchalance. Even though his pale fingers were clasped over his knee, his onyx eyes shone at the mention of Hunter. Quinn knew all about Hunter, and smiled in a vicious way that showed his razor-sharp, intensely white canines at the news they soon might be able to track Hunter’s whereabouts.
“How soon do you need someone to go up to Deep Harbor?” Layla asked Adrian.
“Tomorrow morning would be ideal.” Adrian answered, setting a hand on the citrine rail.
“Hand me the phone, Layla.” Quindici suddenly beckoned. But before Layla could give it to him, he’d risen with grave-cool precision, plucking it from her fingers. Holding the phone to his ear, the Vampire gave a beaming smile in his fellow-well-met way. “Adrian. It’s Quinn. Layla will go to Deep Harbor tomorrow to investigate this issue, since she also has Hotel business to attend concerning Reginald. With the impending Beltane Bacchanalia here at the Paris Hotel, I cannot be absent, but she can. Send your jet. She’ll be on it bright and early tomorrow.”
Layla couldn’t help the incredulous blink she gave Quindici, that he had just yanked the phone from her. She wanted to smack him as he nodded at something Adrian told him. Through the Bind, Layla got impressions of what Adrian was saying –that’s fine, see that Layla gets everything she needs to go up north, and would you please call Reginald and tell him to expect her?Adrian had to go, something about a new internet cafe serving French coffee and Egyptian pastries; a grand opening that Adrian was supervising for Dusk. Adrian sent Layla his love with a smile and a flick of his gorgeous blue-green eyes to her through the Bind, and then he was gone.
Hanging up the phone, Quindici set it back on Layla’s desk.
“Where do you get off, planning my schedule?” Layla asked archly, settling back in her chair and crossing her arms, peeved.
“You need to be the one to go up to Deep Harbor, Layla, it can only be you.” Sitting back also, Quindici gave her a darkly coy smile, pleasure shining in his onyx eyes as he watched her. “The Grand Masquerade of Beltane is in three days, and with all the recent changes to the Paris Hotel, I have other priorities right now. Plus, Reginald is still up at Deep Harbor, and it’s been a while since the two of you have seen each other. Since early December, really – so this jaunt would be a good time to visit him.”
“Setting me up to have some alone time with one of my beaus?” Layla smiled wryly, though she was still irritated at Quinn. But the thought of going up to see Reginald at his Siren clan-home was exquisitely appealing – Layla’s drakaina turning over eagerly in her veins with a wash of spiced bourbon-orange scent to see her Bound Royal Siren lover.
