Chapter 1

The demon hotel in the depths of the Florida Everglades was a sprawling structure with two long wings surrounded by lush gardens. A week ago, it’d been hidden behind a thick layer of magic, but the spell had been broken, and the demon guests had been encouraged to leave the premises.

At the time, Chiron’s only thought had been to have some time alone with Lilah. After all, when a vampire finally located his true mate, it was a time of celebration. And since Chiron was quite convinced that his beautiful witch, Lilah, was the most special mate since the beginning of mates, the celebration had to be something special.

Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of mice and vampires tended to go to hell. And even as Chiron had shooed away the guests and sent Ulric—his faithful Were guard—to track down his master who’d just escaped his prison, he’d realized that any hope of a private oasis was a fantasy.

And, as if to emphasize the fact that the honeymoon was on hold, the King of the Vampires had arrived a half hour ago, demanding a full account of the unfolding disaster.

Now they stood in the middle of the vast lobby of the hotel. Styx, the current Anasso, the formal title for king, stood well over six foot, with stark Aztec features. His hair was long and as dark as midnight. Currently he had it pulled into a braid that was threaded with turquois medallions. And as usual, his massive frame was covered from head to toe in leather. Oh, and he had a sword the size of a shovel strapped across his back.

Chiron had dark hair as well, but he kept his neatly trimmed. He also preferred to wear designer suits that were tailored to fit his slender frame. He was a wealthy owner of a chain of hotels, spas, and casinos called Dreamscape Resorts, and that catered to humans. He sold sophistication and luxury, so that was the façade he’d adopted over the years.

Beside him was Lilah, his new mate. She was a foot shorter than Chiron with a lush figure and glorious, untamed curls that fell past her shoulders. She had honey-gold skin and her eyes were a swirl of gold and green. Unlike the two male vampires, she was a human witch who stayed young by bathing in the Fountain of Youth that was conveniently located in the back of the garden in a hidden grotto.

Styx folded his arms over his chest, his expression grim. “Explain to me again what happened.”

Chiron swallowed his impatience. He was a Rebel, which meant he didn’t consider Styx his king, but the ancient male had the sort of power that could flatten the hotel and potentially destroy the fountain that kept Lilah alive. Chiron couldn’t risk that.

“I discovered that the former Anasso captured Tarak and handed him over to the King of the Mer-folk,” Chiron said in clipped tones.

Styx already knew that his predecessor had locked away Chiron’s master, Tarak. That was why he’d given Chiron the scroll that had led to this hotel, and eventually to the key that’d released Tarak from his prison.

What none of them had known was that Tarak had been betrayed by the previous Anasso and given to Riven, the leader of the mer-folk, for some nefarious purpose.

Styx scowled. Had the ancient vampire hoped that Chiron’s story would have changed? Probably.

“You’re sure?”

Chiron nodded. “Positive.”

“Why would a merman imprison a vampire?” he snapped.

It was a question that had plagued Chiron since he’d realized who was holding Tarak captive. As far as he knew, the mer-folk had disappeared from the world centuries ago.

“I have no idea,” he admitted. “You’ll have to ask Riven.”

“Oh, I intend to.” The ground shook and the lights flickered as Styx’s power thundered through the lobby. “First I have to deal with a crazed vampire who you released to rampage across Florida.”

A burst of anger stiffened Chiron’s spine. This male had refused to heed his warnings that the previous Anasso was bat-shit crazy. And that he was using intoxicated humans to fuel his addiction. Then he’d accused Chiron of lying when he said he was convinced that his master, Tarak, had been taken prisoner, and had done nothing when Chiron was banished.

“I suppose you would have preferred that I leave Tarak in his prison,” he accused the older vampire.

Styx narrowed his gaze. “I wouldn’t have brought you the key if that’s what I wanted. But I’d hoped you would keep him contained until we could determine if he was a danger to the world.”

Chiron bared his fully extended fangs. “He wouldn’t have been a danger to the world if you would have listened to my warnings about your predecessor.”

Styx stepped forward, the marble floor cracking beneath his heavy boots. Suddenly, Lilah was grasping Chiron’s arm, giving it a warning squeeze.

“Maybe we should concentrate on what we’re going to do now instead of squabbling over the past,” she suggested in low tones.

The lights flickered before Styx was visibly loosening his tense muscles.

“A wise mate,” he told Chiron.