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I wondered if they even had electricity in this place with all the candles.
“You guys are all about embracing stereotypes, huh?” I comment, still looking around with Fintan’s watchful gaze tracking my every movement.
The furnishings and decorations are like a fusion of gothic aesthetics and luxuriousness that makes it feel artificial and uninviting. The only thing that adds much-needed warmth to the space is the blood-red Persian rug in the sitting area.
“Would ye prefer the cold sterileness of modern design?”
No, definitely not. Though I wouldn’t consider this much of an improvement. Personally, I prefer the country charm of my cottage home.
“Perhaps the vibrant colors and groovy vibes of the 1970s are more yer style?” he suggests.
Groovy? What is this vamp going on about?
“I could get something else set up for you. Each room at Elysian is designed and decorated with a different style.” Fintan runs his fingers along the soft fabric of the couch. “It would be pretty boring if all two hundred and eleven rooms were identical, don’t you think?”
“Elysian?”
As in Hotel Elysian? I drove by that place on my cab ride from the airport. Bernard pointed it out to me. He said the place has been abandoned for years—that it was condemned.
No way this is the same place.
I walk across the room to the window to see for myself and immediately back up when my anxiety spikes and a rush of vertigo nearly has me crawling on my hands and knees.
Too high. Too soon.
We’re so high the window is right next to the burnt-out ‘L’ in the Elysian sign. It flickers every few seconds as it tries in vain to come to life.
The interior of the hotel shows none of the run-down, abandoned look of the exterior of the building. Okay, maybe the creepy-as-hell basement dungeon, but not this room.
It’s bright despite the blacked-out windows. The furniture looks brand new and high-end, and the hardwood floors shine as if they had just been installed.
How many of the so-called abandoned buildings in the city are housing secret hordes of vampires?
“Do ye need anything before I leave?”
“Leave?” I spin from the view of the city bathed in the soft light of the sunrise to Fintan, who has been watching me. I assumed he would take me from Sebastian to enact a bit of revenge of his own before forcing me to become his Unity Witch.
“The sun is rising, and I will sleep until nightfall, so if ye need anything, speak up now.”
“So, now you’re concerned about being a hospitable host?”
Fintan shrugs. “You are a guest in our home, after all.”
‘Guest’ is a strange way of saying ‘prisoner’.
“Right. This place is super homey.”
It occurs to me that for a vampire, maybe it is.
“Would ye prefer yer previous accommodations?” he asks, raising a brow at me.
No, definitely not.
I don’t doubt my captor would hesitate to shove me back into the much-less roomy cell and I would much rather sleep in the plush-looking bed… minus the heavy velvet blanket. I would sweat to death if I slept under that monstrosity.
“Now that you mention it, I guess this room is better than the damp, musty basements I’ve been staying in lately.”
“I’m sorry for all ye’ve gone through.”
