The dark in 14B wasn't hotel dark. It was older. It smelled like rosin and old blood.
I hadn't moved.
Keycard in one hand. Alistair’s contract in the other. The crack in the window threw back the neon.
I should have called security. Breach of contract. Structural damage. Dynasty risk.
I didn’t.
Because Elspeth finally looked at me. And she wasn't afraid.
“Close it,” she said. Voice rough from playing. “Unless you want your night manager to hear.”
I shut the door. The lock sealed.
“You’re under my custody,” I said. Flat. “Arranged courtship. Those were Alistair’s words.”
“I’m a prisoner,” Elspeth answered. “With better curtains.” A ghost of a smile. “My father pays you to keep me quiet until the merger.”
She stood. The violin stayed in her hands.
My training screamed: confiscate. My hands didn’t move.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” I said. “No unsupervised hours.”
“I have a Juilliard audition in three months,” she said simply. “They don't care about curfew.”
The words hit like cold water.
Julian. Seventeen. Same fire. Same stupid belief that we could have more.
He tried to sell family secrets to human syndicates. I was given a choice: execute him, or watch the Kade name burn.
I chose the empire. I still felt his weight in my arms.
That same fire was in Elspeth now. And Alistair would break her hands for it.
“I should take that,” I said. Nodded at the violin. “Your father gave me permission.”
“Then do it,” she said. Tilted her head. “But you won't. Because you heard it.”
“I heard a violation.”
“You heard it,” she repeated. Softer.
Silence. The crack in the window ticked.
“What do you want?” I asked.
Elspeth smiled. Tired. Reckless. Sixteen and already done with fear.
“Three hours,” she said.
“Of what.”
“Of night. Unmonitored. Every night. 23:00 to 02:00.”
“That’s not possible.”
“I'm in your hotel, Damian. You own the cameras. You own the logs. Mark Suite 14B as ‘acoustic calibration.’ No staff. No feeds.”
“You're asking me to commit treason against her father. Against the council.”
“I'm offering you a trade,” she said. “I'll be the perfect Vance doll for the press. White dresses. Pearls. Smiling at your side for the merger photos. I'll play the arranged courtship perfectly.”
“And in exchange?”
“Three hours. To play. To practice. To pretend I'm not cattle in a gilded cage.” She lifted the violin. “You let me have that, and I'll make sure no one finds out why your windows are cracking.”
It was insane. If Alistair found out, he’d take her hands. And mine.
But I saw Julian again. _They can't take everything, Dam. Not if we don't let them._
They did.
“I can't protect you if you get caught,” I said. It was the closest I had to _please don't die_. “If he finds out, he'll—”
“I know what he'll do,” Elspeth cut in. “That's why it has to be you. You froze. When I played. You didn't reach for the contract.”
She stepped closer. One meter between us. “That means there's still something in there. And I'm betting it's louder than the Kade legacy.”
My jaw ticked. I hated that she was right.
“Three hours,” I said. Voice rusted. “23:00 to 02:00. My override. If Alistair comes, I can't stop him.”
“I know.”
“If you're late, if you make noise, if anyone sees you, it's over. And I'll be the one who delivers you to him.”
“I know.”
“And you play the doll. Perfectly. For the merger.”
Her smile turned real for half a second. “I've been playing dolls my whole life, Damian. Vampires are very good at pretending.”
“Fine,” I said. “Three hours. Starting tonight.”
She nodded.
“Good,” she said. “Then practice.”
She set the violin down. Straightened her spine. Lifted her chin. And just like that, Elspeth Vance vanished.
In her place: the heiress. Eyes lowered. Mouth soft. Hands folded.
“Good evening, Mr. Kade,” she said. Voice higher. Empty. “Thank you for escorting me. I'm looking forward to our courtship.”
It was flawless. It made my skin crawl.
“Stop,” I said.
The doll vanished. Elspeth was back. She rubbed her arms. Pretending to be cold.
“That’s what he wants,” she whispered. “That's what you're contracted to enforce. Three hours is the only time I get to be me.”
Something twisted in my chest.
“Go to sleep,” I said. “For real. I'll log maintenance.”
At the door I paused. Didn't turn. “If he breaks you, Vance, it won't be by my hand.”
“You can't promise that,” she said behind me.
“No,” I admitted. “But I can try.”
I left. Logged maintenance: Suite 14B. 23:00-02:00. Acoustic calibration. Authorization: D. Kade, Proprietor.
It went through.
22:58. I was back.
Elspeth was already in the doll uniform. White dress, pearls. The merger prop.
But when she saw me, the mask slipped. Rosin on her fingers. Fire in her eyes.
She didn't speak. She held out her hand. Bare. Warm. Vampire-warm. Not cold like mine.
Touch wasn't in the contract. Touch wasn't in the ledgers.
But bargains are sealed with hands.
I lifted mine. Ice. Dead veins. Pureblood cold.
She pressed her warm palm to mine.
And for the first time in twenty years, heat shot through me. Through the frost, through the ring in my pocket, through the ghost of Julian.
I gasped.