It was day four and Stephan was not pleased with what he’d learned.
Tom was here. Rather, Tomas. He’d heard the name but hadn’t made the connection until he’d seen a figure cross the hotel’s courtyard with Tom’s unmistakable stride. Stephan kept his head down, praying that he was out of Tom’s sensing distance, and continued to fiddle with the pipe he was working on. One thing that had been in his favor was that arcana, like people on vacation everywhere, never bothered to look at the maintenance staff. So far all of the masquerada he’d passed, if they had assumed the aura was emanating from some other guest. No one had challenged him at all.
His buddy Lucas nudged him. “Hey.”
“Yo.”
Lucas gestured to Tom with his chin. “Watch out for that guy, eh? He’s a big man around here.”
“That guy?”
“That guy, man. He’s weird. Eyes are all fucked up, like he never sees you. Not to mention the voice.” Lucas shivered. “Had to go fix the shower in his room and he sat on the chair and stared the whole damn time. Not a word. Dude didn’t even move. When I left, he talked to me.”
“What did he say?”
“No idea. Wasn’t Spanish or English. Creeped me out.”
Tom was intense, but not boss-level intense. What had they done to him?
Lucas kept talking. Stephan had taken the precaution of buying the beer on his first night and they were now firm friends. “I heard that he doesn’t sleep either.”
Lucas was human, as were the rest of the maintenance and housekeeping teams except for Juana. They’d been told the guests were testing out the property, to see where the best renovations could be made, like a focus group. It was a flimsy excuse to Stephan, but he supposed it was better than announcing that a bunch of monsters out of legend were milling around sipping piña coladas. People who needed good-paying jobs had reasons to not ask too many questions.
They finished with the pipe—luckily, Stephan’s basic plumbing skills and spot-on Googling had made him minimally competent at the job—and headed back to the break room to get a drink. Already the place felt a bit homey.
Juana called him the second he sat down and propped his feet on the coffee table in front of the dilapidated couch. “New guy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She rubbed her temple. “Knock of the ma’am stuff. Need you to unclog a sink. Room 1543.”
Lucas took a swig of Coke. “You need me, buddy?”
“I got it.”
The resort was huge and, freed from Lucas, Stephan made sure to take the scenic route to the room. What a weird place it was. The resort was two buildings, the east and west. So far, he hadn’t even been able to get into the west pavilion and Lucas, uncharacteristically, had changed the subject when he asked about it.
Naturally, he was dying to get in there.
Later, though. First he’d get that sink unclogged, then he’d check out the west pavilion. It wouldn’t do to have a complaint about his tardiness called into Juana. The elevator chimed the moment he came into the lobby and he joined a few vampires who were chatting to each other in low voices. Stephan hadn’t figured out what was going on at Sol de Playa. These people certainly didn’t look as though they were in training for the next battle, unless it was about to take place on a sand-volleyball court. There was a guy with a tennis racket. They all looked as if they were on vacation.
He hadn’t been able to find out much more from the maintenance staff. Apart from the forbidden west pavilion, which they’d been told was too run-down and dangerous for them to enter, the humans were kept busy and ignorant in the east side. They slept in rooms on the second floor and Stephan had taken the precaution of double-locking and then dragging the chair against his door. He had a feeling he knew why the Dawning insisted their human staff sleep on-site. It was good to have meals at the ready.
The hotel’s carpets were a dull indigo patterned with red and green flowers. Warm sunlight came through the windows and Stephan paused to look out at the beach. For a moment, Estelle’s thigh was under his hand again, and her lips on his.
He shook his head to dismiss the image.
The room was near the end of the hall, close to the stairwell and he gave it a light tap. “Maintenance,” he said.
“Come in.”
Stephan stared at the door before he opened and carefully shut it behind him.
He knew that voice.
Estelle sat cross-legged on the bed and held a finger up to her lips. He nodded. He’d suspected the rooms could be bugged as well and it was better to be cautious.
“It’s the bathroom sink,” she said. “I think it’s clogged.”
“I’ll take a look, ma’am.”
The next five minutes were a banal conversation about taps and water. Finally Stephan yanked out a wad of toilet paper and rolled his eyes.
“Nice,” he whispered as he turned the tap on.
She grinned. “Worried about calling you, so I hoped this would work. Stephan, Tom’s here.”
“I know. You need to get into the west pavilion. That’s where it’s happening, whatever it is.”
“Anything on the missing people?”
“I’d put my money on the west pavilion.”
“Me too. The people here are all willing recruits. They found me at the bar, they were looking for me. Not me, but arcana who want to join the Dawning. Invited me here. I’m going under the name Janet.”
“I’m with the humans in maintenance. They put me in the staff dorms on the second floor. There’s a lithu in charge.”
“I’ve seen one or two but they’re mostly vampires. I think I start training tomorrow.”
“For what?”
“Dawning stuff, I suppose.”
He put his hand on the tap. “Be safe.”
“You too.”
“I need to collect on that dinner you owe me.”
It took her a few seconds to remember their bet, but then she gave a tight grin. “If we get out of this alive, I’ll take you to Paris for it.”
“There’s an incentive.” He leaned in and kissed her, loving the lilac smell of her hair and skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in again before nuzzling him.
“I love you,” he said. Best he say it now before he lost the chance forever.
Her eyes were huge, but before she could say a word, he turned off the water. Estelle thanked him for helping her out, the perfect guest.
* * * *
At least Stephan was here. It gave her additional confidence to know she had some backup because whatever was going on in Cancun was bigger than she imagined.
That he had said what he did…she needed some time to absorb that. Though she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
“Hey, you ready?” Pearl called through the door.
Estelle opened it. “For what?”
“Orientation, silly!” Pearl walked past her and perched on the end of the bed. “We all need to do it. It’s an old place, so they give you instructions on where construction is happening and what to expect. All the new recruits go. It’s really fun.”
“I’m glad you’re here to help me through,” lied Estelle. “I’d feel so dumb if I messed up.”
“No way.” Pearl shook her head vigorously enough that her hair stuck to her thick, glassy lip gloss. “You’ll do great.”
She would if she didn’t run into Tom or Madden or anyone who recognized her as the seneschal major, thought Estelle gloomily. Her disguise was good but not masquerada level. She grabbed her purse, but Pearl snatched it from her playfully. “Won’t need that! Nothing to buy here. It’s all paid for by the Dawning.”
“Wow,” said Estelle. “That’s so nuts.”
“I know. They treat us right.”
Not exactly what she was thinking, but Estelle kept her mouth shut and followed Pearl down to the elevator. At least her phone and her identification—false, thanks to a guy she’d met on the beach selling weed—were on her. There was nothing incriminating in her bags.
Which was good because she was sure they were about to be thoroughly checked while she was at orientation.
Pearl stopped by a small kiosk and handed Estelle a cup of coffee. She took a sip and Pearl laughed at the expression on her face. “Good, huh? You’ll need it. This isn’t all fascinating so it’ll keep you awake. After we’ll go down the beach, okay?”
The orientation was held in a medium-sized conference room filled with round tables covered with white tablecloths. Men and women sat behind glasses of water and notepads and pens trying not to stare too hard. There was a mix of arcana, Estelle noted, mostly vamps but also masquerada, and even some weres. Pearl motioned her to a seat and Estelle sat, then looked up to see another couple come in, the man trying to hide his anxiety; his partner with a benign smile.
Hmmm. All the newbies had their own escort.
As she mulled this over, a door near the podium opened and an older, strangely familiar woman walked in. “Buenos días,” she said. “Welcome to the first day of your new lives.”
There was a murmur around the room at that, and some of the recruits shifted in their seats and stole furtive looks at each other. Perhaps they’d been sold this as more of an information session, thought Estelle, and were now wondering what they were getting into.
“During your time at the Sol de Playa, you will have the opportunity to learn about the Dawning. No doubt you’ve heard the lies and misinformation spread by the leaders of your communities. The fact that you are here says much about your critical mind and strength of will and I commend you.”
Around her, people sat a bit taller, nodding as the woman spoke.
“I’m Delia and one of the leaders. Perhaps some of you are here for the same reason I came—because I was tired of hiding in the shadows. I was tired of hiding who I am.”
Estelle nodded with the others and made the connection. Delia was one of the lithu who had met with Felix. Her heart thumped. Hopefully that meant he was here.
“Because what are the humans? They’re weaker than us. Yet we are the ones who cower.”
It went on like this for a while and Estelle made sure to match her expression to the ones around her. This became slightly more difficult when Delia began calling out various leaders, including Wavena and Estelle herself, accusing them of being corrupt traitors. The man beside Estelle booed and she glanced over to see his face contracted with hate.
This was sickening.
Finally, Delia slowed down. “Everything here is voluntary, but we know you’ll want to join in areas where you have an aptitude. The Dawning appreciates any support as we fight for our freedom and our proper place as rulers of the world.”
A cheer.
“Finally, some housekeeping. Please stay clear of the west pavilion. We’re renovating, so it’s unsafe. Vampires, if you’re hungry, we have humans available but they are not to be accessed without permission as they are on a rotation. You must check with your associate.”
Available how? Estelle didn’t like the sound of that. Everyone nodded at this, the vampires perky at the thought of live blood to order.
“Masquerada are asked to remain in a single masque until we all get to know each other.”
A mumble here, but Delia smiled. “Only temporary,” she soothed. “We have many enemies and want to be sure of our friends.”
The meeting broke up without any questions and Pearl steered Estelle back out. “Beach?” she asked brightly.
“What are the aptitude areas Delia mentioned?” Estelle asked.
Pearl laughed. She laughed a lot. “You are such a keener! I knew it when I saw you.”
“Are they like teams?” Estelle pressed.
“More like units,” said Pearl, serious for once. “I’m good at languages, for instance, so I work in translation.”
“What are the others?”
“Strategy, cyber-attack, procurement, operations. The usual you’d get in a war.” Pearl eyed her. “Do you have a preference?”
“I don’t know.” Estelle tilted her head to the side as she pretended to consider the options. “Can I try more than one?”
“Sure!” Pearl laughed. Again. “First, the beach. Get to know each other sober.”
Estelle reassured herself about her backstory and followed Pearl back upstairs to get into a swimsuit. Pearl had hers on under her dress but she waited in the room until Estelle went to the washroom to change. They grabbed some towels and water, and Estelle walked out onto the sand and sighed.
Despite the fact that she was in the heart of the enemy camp, it was heavenly on the beach. Pearl found a couple of umbrellas and they laid out on the deck chairs.
“This is nice,” said Estelle. “Do you do this every day?”
“Whenever I’m not training. You go to the beach often?”
Here it comes. Estelle spent the next hour answering Pearl’s getting-to-know-you questions. Her childhood. Clan information. Jobs. Friends. Pearl was more skilled than Estelle gave her credit for—had she not been watching for such an interrogation, she would have taken it as an overly enthusiastic woman happy to learn more about a new friend.
Part way through the talk, she tried to reach out cautiously to Pearl’s mind, then retreated instantly. There was an unusual element that hadn’t been there before, and she wasn’t sure what. In this environment, caution was the keyword. Pearl herself seemed quite psychically weak, though, making this even stranger. She would have to try with some of the others.
The questions continued and Pearl must have been satisfied with her answers, because at the end, she brought Estelle over to a small group; some of the men and women who had been in the orientation. They had either shell-shocked or happy expressions and most of them had a drink in hand. Pleading the previous night’s excesses, Estelle refused several offers of the hair of the dog and settled in with a cold pineapple juice. The two men next to her whispered in low voices and she heard, “…west pavilion.”
Then Pearl was back at her side.