A shiver works its way down my back as I pull up to the curb at The MetroCosmo. A valet immediately comes to my door, opening it for me. I step out, double-checking my sunshades as I climb out.
The sun is just barely beginning to creep into the horizon. I drove all through the night to get here, stopping for gas just once, and draining the attendant of half of his blood.
I think he will survive. I don’t think he’ll turn to a Bitten.
I hope.
The cars in front of and behind me stop, and guards from the House of Valdez hop out, one man taking my bag from the trunk of my car.
I turn to the incredible doors of the casino, and just then Hector, Raphael, and Edmond walk out.
Where there was once a twinkle of annoyance in his eyes when Hector looked at me, now there is only reverence.
All three of them bow deeply.
“My Queen,” each of them mutters.
Logan and Sevan clash. To Sevan, it is so familiar. So natural. She stands a little straighter, holding her chin high. But Logan wants to recoil and scoff a little.
“Hector,” I address him. “Edmond. Raphael. It’s a pleasure to meet you…for the first and second time.”
They don’t know how to react to that, but all three of them do their best to contain it.
“We are honored that you chose to spend time with us in your first hours of Resurrection,” Hector says, and I do hear the surprise and humility in his voice. “Though we are surprised to see you here without your husband.”
I raise my chin just a little higher and look behind them so I don’t have to meet their eyes. “Cyrus had business to attend to back in Roter Himmel, and I had my own.”
The growling roar of an engine reverberates against the walls as a huge black truck stops just behind my caravan.
For the first time since I woke up, a little smile curls on my face.
Larkin steps out from the driver’s seat. The danger in his eyes is dominant as he walks around to join us at the doors.
He stands over six feet tall, well over two hundred pounds. His dark chocolate skin flows smoothly over heavily muscled arms. His black t-shirt stretches over an even more toned chest. Black boots are strapped about his feet and even though he wears black jeans, I know he’s hiding a multitude of weapons on his person.
His eyes remain fixed on my face as he approaches, but he keeps them controlled, hiding his emotions. He stops just three feet from me and takes a deep bow as he takes my hand.
“It is an honor to stand in your presence once more, my Queen,” he says in his deep voice.
Briefly, he kisses my knuckles.
“It is good to see you again, Larkin,” I say as my smile spreads. He stands, and I don’t hesitate in wrapping my arms around his thick middle, resting my cheek against his chest.
I sense it: the entire House of Valdez watching the reunion of their long-dead queen and her most trusted operative. But I don’t really care. Right now I’m lost in the overwhelming relief of feeling that for now, just one single thing is right.
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” I say as I release him. He only nods once, but I see it there in his eyes now: he’s happy to return to me.
“Larkin,” Raphael says with a nod. “It’s…good to see you again.”
His tone says otherwise.
“Come,” Hector says, angling his body toward the doors. “Your friend from the House of Conrath is waiting for you.”
He stands to the side, waiting for me to enter first. Conflict once more claws its way through my blood as I walk forward. Larkin immediately follows me.
The MetroCosmo is even more impressive as a vampire. My eyes can more fully appreciate the richness of the purples and blues that reflect on the mirrors. My skin tingles with the electric energy.
But my nose feels assaulted.
There’s the scent of blood, but most overwhelming are the unwashed bodies after sitting at the tables too long. The stench of cigarettes and alcohol.
I’m beginning to understand a little better why Cyrus dislikes Las Vegas so much.
It’s kind of disgusting.
I lead the way to the elevator I’ve ridden in before. Hector places his hand on the mirror, and the doors open.
“Unless you have another request,” he says once everyone is inside and the doors slide closed. “We’ve placed you in the same room as your last visit.”
“That’s just fine,” I say. And Logan wants to say stop making such a fuss over me and chill.
With impressive speed, we rocket up through the belly of the casino. Up and up and up and then finally we slow, and the doors open. We all step out.
I walk forward and immediately turn left to go to my room when Hector speaks out.
“My Queen,” he says. I turn and look back at him, Larkin just to my side. “May I ask: what can we expect from your visit? And how long do you wish to stay?”
And I don’t know who it is—Sevan or Logan—who lets the smile curl on my lips. “I’ll stay as long as I need. And as for what to expect, just plan to stay on your toes.”
I shouldn’t appreciate the uncertainty and worry in their eyes so much. But I do. I really do.
I finish the short walk down the hall and place my hand on the mirror. The doors to my suite slide open, and we step inside.
A glittering mirror chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the central lounge room. The lights are dim and low, but still, those purples and reds dazzle me.
But I don’t have much attention for them.
Not when my oldest friend from this life sits in a chair, looking at me.
Rath immediately stands, his posture overly at attention, his eyes wide and expectant. “Logan,” he breathes. “Are you…are you alright?”
I stop outside the circle of chairs and couches, studying him.
Once more, I search, trying to recall.
But I’m certain.
I’ve never met Cornelius Rath before this life.
But it’s his scent. It’s his heart. His blood.
Rath isn’t a vampire—Born or Bitten. But he’s definitely not human either.
“So it’s done then,” he says, watching me with regret in his eyes. “You’ve Resurrected.”
I nod once, taking a step closer. Like a shadow, Larkin steps forward as well, and Rath’s eyes slide over to him.
“And you know this man?” Rath says, as if sizing him up. Comparing himself to Larkin. And I see the angst in his eyes. The disappointment. Because Eli knows everyone in my life, and Rath does not know this man who stands so protectively near.
“Yes,” I confirm. I stop beside a high-backed chair, resting my hand on it. “Larkin is a friend. Someone I trust even more than I once trusted you.”
I knew my words would hurt Eli. But he tries to hide it.
And he bows to me, his head sinking low. “Then hail to the Queen.” He straightens once more, his expression hardening. “It is an honor to meet you, after hearing of your legend all these years.”
I hate that. Every single word he just said. All the formality. The absence of everything familiar between us.
But really, we’ve been strangers my entire life.
“I have a question,” I say. My eyes drop to the chair beside me, but I don’t really see anything. “How long were you going to wait? Was there a certain point that you and Alivia agreed that I could finally be told the truth?”
Rath doesn’t immediately provide an answer. He hesitates just long enough that I look back up at him.
“Your twenty-fifth birthday,” he says. “We were going to wait until then. I was to introduce you to this world, gently. And then Alivia was going to leave it up to you if you wanted to meet her.”
Twenty-five. I just turned twenty last month.
I picture it. If it had all gone according to Rath and Alivia’s plan, I would have had five more years of normality. Five years of being under Shylock’s thumb, in debt. I’d be homeless by this point. I’d be miserable and stubborn, trying to provide for myself when everything was crumbling around me.
I’ve lost everyone I care about now. Yet I’ve also opened so many doors to others I had forgotten about.
Like Larkin.