Chapter Seven

Amara yawned as she swiped the card key and opened her hotel room door. She took her holster off from around her hips and swung it over the back of a nearby chair. She looked forward to the soft plush bed and warm covers when she looked up to find Stephanie and Christopher sitting on her bed together. She took a deep breath to keep from shouting.

“There are two beds here. Why do you have to be on mine?” Amara asked, sounding as exhausted as she felt. Then it hit her that Christopher was in the room as well. “What are you doing here?”

“I come bearing tidings,” Christopher beamed as he said the words proudly. A little too proudly for Amara’s current sleep-deprived state of mind.

“Chris got us all an audience with Alexander,” Stephanie announced just as gleefully as Christopher had.

Amara gave them both a look. She didn’t believe it. In that amount of time? Only a few hours? There was no way in the time she spent maiming Jason to get him to request a meeting that Christopher really just called.

“You two are really bad at practical jokes,” Amara mumbled as she lay down on Stephanie’s bed.

“No, we’re totally serious,” Stephanie said quickly, looking more genuine. When Amara glanced up at them to check she went on. “We’re meeting him tomorrow. He’s talking to us between meetings. Right after he meets with some vampires from out of town. He wants us in his waiting room at The Black Swan tomorrow at eight.”

“What’d you do? Blow him, Chris?” Amara asked lightly. The comment was enough to drown the happiness from Christopher’s expression. There was a slight bitterness to the question. How did he manage it? What exactly was his history with this vampire?

“You don’t have to be so sharp,” Christopher snapped in return and lay back on Amara’s bed. Clearly, he didn’t intend to leave any time soon.

“Are you jealous?” he went on. “You had to go out, find Jason, beat him up, and still got no progress. All I did was lift a phone and dial.”

“No.” Amara shook her head. “I wonder how you managed it. Does he know who he’s meeting with?”

“Yeah.” Stephanie sounded excited. Of course, Amara knew it would take a lot more than a silly euphemism to get Stephanie’s goat.

“What’s the catch?” Amara was still skeptical. She knew Alexander better than this.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll owe him a favor. Or rather, he already owes me one. Consider it a guilt trip,” Chris said lightly.

“I don’t believe he has a conscious to make him feel guilty,” Amara murmured.

“Not everyone cares what you believe,” Chris said angrily. He suddenly became very defensive, but before Amara could point that out Stephanie chimed in.

“Come on, you guys, we’re all on the same team,” she pleaded. “Can you just stop arguing until we get this finished? Then the two of you can have a battle to the death, okay?”

“Looks like I’ll win.” Amara smirked and Christopher shook his head.

“Stephanie, you’re right,” he said and locked eyes with her for a half a moment, and she blushed. “We need to work together if we’re going to figure this out before it’s too late, and someone else gets killed.”

“Thanks, Chris,” Stephanie whispered quietly. She had a light flush to her cheeks, embarrassed suddenly. She brushed her hand over his gently, and after a few moments, he pulled away.

“I need to get back to my hotel room.” Chris got up off the bed and left Stephanie sitting there alone.

“You can spend the night here,” she suggested quietly.

“If he’s spending the night here, he’s sleeping in this bed, and we’re both sleeping over there,” Amara shouted.

Chris chuckled a little and shook head.

“That’s okay, Stephanie,” he smiled to her. “Keep your focus where it needs to be. I’d hate to miss any details.”

Stephanie nodded and watched him walk to the door with a sort of sadness in her.

“Good night, Steph,” Chris called back to her as he opened the door.

“Good night, Chris,” she said and watched him shut the door. Then she turned to Amara. “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean I can’t have a boyfriend.”

“There’s something off about him,” Amara said as she pushed up on her elbows. “I don’t like it. I sensed it back in the head quarters. Something isn’t right. How could he have managed to get such a quick response out of Alexander?”

“Are you saying he’s one of Alexander’s servants?” Stephanie sounded oh-so-very skeptical.

“No,” Amara corrected her quickly. “I’m saying that something about him isn’t right. There’s something important he isn’t telling us, and I intend to find out what it is.”