Page 1 of Tall, Dark & Horny

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ADAN

The Abyss never slept. My hotel practically breathed with the night, inhaling every secret and whisper that drifted through its ancient stone walls. Ten stories tall, carved from stone and shadow, it stood as a fortress for the supernatural. A place where creatures of all kinds could come to lay their weary heads. A haven with rules as strict as the iron fist I ruled it with.

But tonight, the building and land surrounding it pulsed with something different. Almost unsettled.

Staring out the window, I scanned the darkened woods for any sign of the source of my uneasiness. When I didn’t find one, I allowed my demon side to push forward just enough for my powers to sweep the area. Still nothing.

I stepped onto the stone balcony outside my top-floor chambers, dragging the chill of the night air deep into my lungs. I didn’t catch anything unfamiliar in the scent of the wind, but my disquiet didn’t ease.

The land I had claimed stretched below me like a sleeping beast. Its wards pulsed steady, strong, and familiar. As they should be since they were mine.

The building and the land surrounding it for as far as my supernatural eyes could see were mine to protect. And so was every soul in my domain.

If an unknown danger lurked on my land, I needed to uncover it…and eradicate the threat.

I called my demon half forward, letting it take over my body. Flames flooded my vision, turning my eyes to swirling black pits lit with fire. My skin thickened, toughened, as bones cracked and reshaped beneath the surface. I relished the bite of pain as my wings tore free, leathery and massive, their deep magenta color fading toward the bottom. Then my horns pushed through with a satisfying ache, ribbed and black, curving slightly. And finally, my segmented tail unfurled behind me, black with the exception of the deadly magenta tip.

I rolled my shoulders, the weight of my iron guards grounding me. With a low growl, I leaped into the sky. Wind rushed over my chest and thighs, the night air wrapping around me as I soared above my land, every inch of the soil steeped in power that answered only to me.

From up here, I could feel the heartbeat of The Abyss below—slow, watchful, alive. I circled the perimeter twice, wings slicing through the clouds like blades, but whatever had stirred my wards left no trail I could follow. There was no sign of an intruder. No flare of power other than my own. Just the quiet hum of magic that had long been mine.

Dissatisfied, I banked low and landed near the side entrance of the stone building, the sidewalk cracking beneath my iron boots as I touched down. Heat shimmered across my skin as I shifted, my larger demon form folding inward to my human one. My horns retracted, my tail drew inward, and my wings vanished in a gust of smoke and embers. Then my shoes hit the ground. My black dress slacks from earlier were untouched, and the black shirt I’d worn was still clinging to my back.

I didn’t need glamours or illusions to keep my clothes in place. My body adapted to my form, and the corresponding wardrobe came with me. The perks of being forged in hellfire with a father who was often referred to as “Destroyer” by supernatural beings with plenty of their own power yet still feared him.

I had built this place with blood, stone, and resolve. My own domain, where I didn't have to share power with anyone else. Not even my father.

I always felt a deep sense of satisfaction walking through the doors of The Abyss. The building and surrounding acreage were more than just symbols of my status in the demon world. They were my sanctuary. My throne. But also my burden in some ways.

My boots echoed against the stone as I headed into the heart of The Abyss. At the reception desk, Lyra looked up from her tablet. Silver streaked her black hair, and her fitted blazer over bloodred silk marked her as one of my staff.

“Problem in the eastern wing.” She tapped the screen. “Our newest guest did not react well to the subtle changes in their room.”

My hotel was alive in its own quiet way. The rooms morphed deliberately to meet the needs of my guests. A shifter might step into silence so thick it dulled every sound, their mattress firmed to cradle muscle and bone shaped by instinct. A vampire’s suite was darkened during the day, allowing them to rest without fear of the sun’s rays. Or a fae guest could wake to find vines curling delicately around the light fixtures.

But the changes were meant to be subtle, not disorienting.

My nostrils flared. I must have been more distracted than I realized since I rarely made mistakes like this. “The harpy eagle?”

She nodded. “He neglected to let us know he had recently been named alpha of his convocation.”

The changes made to the room when his species stayed with us were particularly unobtrusive because of their exceptional spatial awareness. But as a new alpha, his territorial instincts would be at an all-time high, making him hyper-attuned to even the smallest shift. Even a chair less than an inch off its usual angle would feel like a challenge to his authority. “It’s been handled?”

“Of course.”

She turned and gestured toward the wall behind her. A crystal glyph embedded in the stone pulsed faintly red before fading to blue. It was barely perceptible. A signal keyed to my blood. One only a handful of people in this building knew about and even fewer could see.

Some of the tension eased from my muscles. “Remind me to give you a bonus.”

“Already added it to my check.”

My lips twitched in the barest semblance of a smile.

“That’s why you hired me.”

I left her and moved to the second floor to look at the lobby from the railing, one of my favorite spots in the building. I could see everything from this vantage point.

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