Page 113 of Kiss of Light

“Is that why you didn’t tell him about us?”

“I thought he had enough to deal with. I’ll tell him tonight.”

“Not sure he’ll be thrilled.”

“That’s not my concern.” Lemar drew Tala to him and stroked his thumb over her cheek. “My only concern is that you’re happy.”

“Yeah? In that case, there’s something I really, really want. Right now.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

She linked her hands around his neck.

“A bath. A long, hot bath. With bubbles. I still have mud in places you wouldn’t believe.”

He laughed, a rich velvet sound, and she felt her stomach jolt. He kissed her lightly, a kiss full of promise.

“That, my beautiful shaitun, is something I can provide.”

Forty Seven

The palace interior wasn’t nearly as forbidding as its outside appearance. She should have known. Vetali had many talents, but being able to rough it wasn’t one of them. They loved their luxuries.

The corridors were wide, clean, and draught-free. Not a cobweb in sight. Thick rugs adorned the stone floors and rich tapestries decorated the walls. Lemar led Tala through the hallways and up an imposing staircase. The lighting was sparse, but then again she supposed vampires didn’t need brightly lit rooms.

He opened a door into an opulent suite of rooms dominated by a massive four-poster bed. Tala eyed the silk sheets and down-filled pillows.

“Your old room, I take it?”

“Hasn’t changed a bit.” Lemar gazed round in satisfaction. “The bathroom’s through there.”

Tala peeked in. A huge claw-foot tub stood in the middle of the tiled floor. The taps were already running and a cloud of scented steam filled the air. Tala inhaled happily, then jumped as she saw a figure at one end of the room lighting candles. Not a Vetali. Her nostrils flared as she caught a familiar scent and she backed out hurriedly.

“Lemar! There’s a human woman in your bathroom!”

“Must be one of the servants. They make the best domestics. Fae are hopeless.”

“But… who is she?”

“An American, probably. We bring them in through the New York Gate. Rather conveniently, it opens just outside the palace.”

“How?” Tala was aghast. “How do you get them to work here?”

“The usual way. Through a recruitment agency.”

“No, I mean how can you do it at all? Don’t they freak out? Don’t their families report them missing? You can’t just make people vanish from New York!”

“You’d be surprised what you can do in New York. But it’s easy. We tell them it’s a three month stint working on a remote holiday island. When the three months is up we glamour them into believing that’s exactly what they were doing and take them home.”

“Youkidnapthem?”

Lemar shrugged, not bothered in the least.

“They’re perfectly safe. Feeding from them is forbidden and we pay them well. How else are we supposed to get the staff?”

“Oh yes, heaven forbid that Vetali do menial chores.”

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