Pausing with her office door open, Layla glanced back.
But Quinn was already gone, the door between their offices closing with a soft click as his chill nimbus of power disappeared behind it.
CHAPTER 2 – FRIENDS
Wrung-out after an excellent yoga class, Layla’s eyes fluttered open insavasanaas Rake André finished orating a wake-up in his gentle tenor voice. Over a hundred people were stirring now in the broad hall used for Rake’s classes; a second-floor space of gilded mirrors, potted greenery, and indoor fountains with enormous windows that looked out over the gardens. Beside Layla, dressed in comfy yoga clothing on her mat, the blonde Head Guardswoman Rikyava Andersen stretched her statuesque Swedish frame as she came awake also. Rolling to one curvaceous yet entirely fit hip, Rikyava propped her head on her palm, giving Layla a beaming smile.
“Thatwas an awesome class, hey girl?”
“Totally.” Layla agreed, giving a lazy grin to her best friend at the Hotel, though the rest of her was still too tired and pleasured to move. Yoga with Head Courtier Rake André was not like regular yoga. Every movement was inspired by the bliss of his breath-oriented magic, pushing the body to new heights in flow after flow. Though his classes were only an hour, they felt like three hours of body-wringing decadence as a person imbibed lungful after lungful of Rake’s decadent power. Layla felt elated now, and laughed with a massive smile as Rikyava did also.
Both of them deliciously high on some of the best energy the Paris Hotel had to offer.
“Ladies? Good class?” Rake spoke gently as he moved by, checking in with genuine care. Tall and sexily yoga-fit, the current Head Courtier and Head Bartender had green eyes that sparkled like polished jade as he gave a smile like the world’s sexiest Buddha. His blond hair was rakishly short, his body so cut that Layla could see the imprint of his hard, lean muscles through his draping rough-silk pants and white silk shirt. A rudraksha mala was wrapped around his left wrist, one of rose quartz and jade around his neck. As Rake beamed at her, Layla could feel his incredible breath sighing through his lips.
Rake’s unique magic kissing everyone in the room.
“Awesome class, dawg. Truly.” Rikyava grinned, making a fist for Rake to bump, which he obliged with a low laugh. Rake and Rikyava were good friends, and Layla had become close to both of them during her time at the Hotel.
“Layla? How about you?” Rake glanced at her, his green eyes penetrating. Though the class had been amazing, Layla had struggled with thoughts about Deep Harbor the entire time. She wanted to see Reginald and help Adrian with this tech that might locate Hunter, but Reginald was trying to get his life together up at his clan-home, and her arrival would put pressure on that. Plus, she still didn’t quite trust Quindici, though she couldn’t see anything overtly wrong with his motivations. It had made Layla churn for most of class, and Rake could sense such things. He could also see auras, and had an uncanny way of knowing what was on people’s minds.
“It was a wonderful class, Rake, I’m just processing something right now, that’s all.” Layla half-smiled, not wanting to delve into it.
“Sometimes the work of the body is just the thing to calm the mind.” Rake smiled, his green eyes knowing. With gentle grace, he let the subject drop, and Layla loved him for it. He wasn’t a Dragon and she had only partly been with him once, but there had always been tension between them. Rake was a gentleman, however, never pushing his friendship with Layla. With a nod, he moved on, speaking to another group.
“Hey chica, you hungry?” Turning to Layla, Rikyava pulled out her ponytail holder and scratched sweat from her long blonde locks. “Want to get dinner? I gotta pack tonight for my weeklong vacation tomorrow, but my Dragon’s damn famished after all that. Shall we go get a quick bite?”
“Absolutely.” Layla smiled as she toweled off sweat and stood. Slinging her towel around her neck, Rikyava stood also, both stepping off their mats and using some crystal-infused spray to cleanse. In a moment, they had their mats rolled up and secured with straps, then slung over their shoulders. Stepping to the gilded cubbies at the edge the room, they found their shoes and slipped them on.
“I could use a bite also, if you ladies wouldn’t mind a third.” A calm voice spoke near Layla, and turning, she found Rake’s riveting presence beside her once more. With a subtle shine in his jade-green eyes, he gave her one of his classic shy-bold smiles.
“We would love it if you joined us, cutie pie!” Rikyava spoke brightly, threading her arm through Rake’s with the jubilance of a sister.
“Absolutely. Let’s get some nosh.” Layla smiled, and Rake smiled back. Making an elegant gesture, Rake let the ladies go first. Exiting the hall and turning a corner, their trio stepped down a staircase to the first floor. Turning a corner into a vaulted glass corridor with enormous potted palms in Egyptian-style urns, they walked through a gauntlet of Hotel Guards in crimson 1800’s uniforms with long pikes. Heading into the sprawling 1930’s Egyptian art deco lounge where employees dined, Layla instantly felt herself relax. The employees’ hall was a place where Hotel staff could chat without worry of encountering guests. Surrounded by enormous Egyptian columns carved and painted like the temples of the Nile, the comfortable environment was shrouded in potted palms, stone statues, and clusters of silk chaises.
Stepping through the lounge, they found an empty group of royal purple chaises past a Balinese screen and settled in, Rake lifting his hand to catch the attention of one of his Bartending staff. The man came quickly, nodding as Rake ordered dinner and drinks for everyone from the spring menu. Drinks arrived promptly, Layla’s an Old Fashioned, a drink Rake knew she loved. With a beckon and a smile, Rake entreated Layla to hand her beverage over. Locking eyes with her, Rake raised his unique magic, then blew across one finger and stirred her drink. Handing it back, Rake attended Rikyava’s drink next, then his own before they all settled back on their chaises.
As she sipped, Layla was flooded by calm eros just like their breathwork in class earlier. But as she glanced around the hall, she suddenly spied the spot where Dusk had first made himself a vastly attractive nuisance on her first day here, and Layla’s mood dropped. Dusk was now King of the Crystal Dragons, and wouldn’t be returning to the Hotel. He’d submitted his resignation a week ago, and it had nearly ripped Layla’s heart out when she, Quindici, and the Madame had all signed it to make it official.
Life at the Hotel wasn’t the same without him.
As Layla’s attention lingered, Rake’s gaze followed. “Thinking about Dusk?”
“Yeah.” Layla sighed, feeling the drink Rake had mixed for her sweeten with a beautiful sadness. Rake had been there when Dusk had first accosted her after her interview, and Layla saw Rake watching her now with attentive gentleness. “I miss him. Every time I turn a corner, some part of me expects him to come ball-busting around it. But he’s not Head Concierge anymore… and won’t ever be again.”
“End of an era.” Rikyava spoke with a raise of her glass, as she and Rake shared a look. Layla suddenly recalled that all three of them were Dusk’s lovers, or had been at one time. Something about that made her feel a deeper camaraderie with both her friends rather than jealousy, as her Dragon stirred inside her veins with a wash of bourbon-gold heat.
“Dusk is where he needs to be.” Rake spoke gently as their food arrived and he gave a nod of thanks to the server, who placed it all on a low table between the chaises. A variety of French small bites, they had an extensive charcuterie board and a pot of French onion soup to share. “The Crystal Plateau was always where he was supposed to be, leading his people, using his tremendous energy, wit, and grace to navigate tricky political situations. His heart is as deep as the earth itself. And now all the Crystal Dragons of the world will benefit from it, and never again fear their King.”
“Yeah, why aren’t you in Egypt right now with your main squeezes?” Rikyava spoke as she doled out soup into three bowls, picking hers up and tucking in heartily.
“Adrian wanted someone here with Quinn, and I needed to learn the ropes of Hotel leadership,” Layla spoke as she took up her soup also. “So I came back while Adrian stayed to keep getting the Crystal Plateau hale again for Dusk.”
“You are a responsible Hotel Owner, being involved in our branch’s day-to-day operations, Layla,” Rake nodded at her pointedly. “Many Owners just reap the rewards of the Hotel’s function without caring about its employees.”
“There aren’t many Owners left since theRisorgimentoat Yule,” Layla spoke around a bite of soup. “We all have to lead, now.”
“It’s been a good thing for Hotels all around the world since the Intercessoria cleaned shit up.” Rikyava snorted as she dug into the charcuterie. “I’ve spoken with friends who work at other Hotel locations, and it’s like a breath of fresh air has swept in and cleaned up a lot of bullshit hidden behind the scenes. Everyone’s happier, safer, and calmer now. Including here.”
