wanted to enjoy his revenge, and that meant watching what happened when his time-release wafers did their thing.
He’d worked fast, so that meant once the ones he’d placed in the towers activated then the rest would follow at about five-minute intervals. And if his timing was right, the ones in the towers were about to go off right . . . about . . . now.
Within minutes, he could hear the rise in the level of voices drifting from the open door. Those voices grew louder and louder as the minutes passed. People started spilling from the castle. Soon the courtyard was jammed with pissed-off and complaining guests.
A woman with her hair in rollers leaned close to him. “I was getting ready for bed. But then this . . . this”—she waved her hands in the air—“smell oozed under the door and filled my room. I almost threw up right there. They charge megabucks to stay in this place. I want my money back.”
Thorn smiled into the darkness. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad.” And it was. Even standing thirty feet from the open door he could smell the raw sewage stench. It made even him want to run to the bushes and heave. He’d have to send Dr. Clancy flowers, candy, or maybe a few air fresheners.
The best part of the whole thing? Sparkle and her crew would find no evidence. The wafers evaporated as they released the odor. And this was the gift that kept on giving. The hotel’s staff wouldn’t get rid of the smell just by opening a few windows. Any guests who chose to stay would have to sleep with gas masks.
He was chuckling as he turned away. Then he saw her. Katnip. She wore jeans, a red T-shirt, and a light jacket along with a suspicious expression. Interesting. The other people around him assumed the castle just had a plumbing problem. He wondered what
she
thought.
Thorn worked his way to her side. “I’ve smelled some bad stuff in my time”—piles of burning bodies during the plague, charnel houses—“and this is right up there with the worst of them.”
Startled, she turned to look at him. “Are you staying at the castle?”
“No. I hung around to watch the next fantasy.” He smiled. “I liked ours better.”
She frowned. “Ours was a disaster.”
He decided not to comment on that. “What’s your real name?”
“Kayla.” She raised one expressive brow. “And yours?”
“Will.” Centuries of practice had taught him to lie smoothly, without any tells. “So are you going to be able to get back in there to sleep tonight?”
She nodded. “They have people working on it now. Sparkle said the smell would be gone in less than an hour.”
Thorn maintained his bland expression. Holgarth and Zane. Damn. He’d hoped it would take longer than that for them to get rid of the stink. Too bad. He would have enjoyed offering Kayla a place to stay for the night. He perked up at the thought that this might be the last night Zane helped save Sparkle’s ass. “So I assume you have a job description other than succubus.” He waited for details.
“Yes.” No details.
Kayla’s narrow-eyed gaze made him a little wary. Her expression said she was trying to solve a puzzle. He couldn’t afford to be that puzzle. “Guess all the fun is over. I’ll head on home. I live here on the island, so maybe I’ll see you again.” He turned to walk away.
“Oh, Will?”
He paused and glanced over his shoulder.
“Is there a reason you wear colored contacts and a wig for just a night out at the local theme park?” Her expression showed only casual interest, but her eyes said, “Gotcha.”
“I work for the dreaded Succubi Seekers. We heard there was a rogue succubus messing with men’s dreams in Galveston. I’ve been working undercover to find her.” He made sure his tone sounded lightly teasing. “Mission accomplished.”
She wouldn’t be able to see his eyes well in the darkness. But if she could, would she read the truth in them, understand the danger? If she didn’t fascinate him, and if he
He’d worked fast, so that meant once the ones he’d placed in the towers activated then the rest would follow at about five-minute intervals. And if his timing was right, the ones in the towers were about to go off right . . . about . . . now.
Within minutes, he could hear the rise in the level of voices drifting from the open door. Those voices grew louder and louder as the minutes passed. People started spilling from the castle. Soon the courtyard was jammed with pissed-off and complaining guests.
A woman with her hair in rollers leaned close to him. “I was getting ready for bed. But then this . . . this”—she waved her hands in the air—“smell oozed under the door and filled my room. I almost threw up right there. They charge megabucks to stay in this place. I want my money back.”
Thorn smiled into the darkness. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad.” And it was. Even standing thirty feet from the open door he could smell the raw sewage stench. It made even him want to run to the bushes and heave. He’d have to send Dr. Clancy flowers, candy, or maybe a few air fresheners.
The best part of the whole thing? Sparkle and her crew would find no evidence. The wafers evaporated as they released the odor. And this was the gift that kept on giving. The hotel’s staff wouldn’t get rid of the smell just by opening a few windows. Any guests who chose to stay would have to sleep with gas masks.
He was chuckling as he turned away. Then he saw her. Katnip. She wore jeans, a red T-shirt, and a light jacket along with a suspicious expression. Interesting. The other people around him assumed the castle just had a plumbing problem. He wondered what
she
thought.
Thorn worked his way to her side. “I’ve smelled some bad stuff in my time”—piles of burning bodies during the plague, charnel houses—“and this is right up there with the worst of them.”
Startled, she turned to look at him. “Are you staying at the castle?”
“No. I hung around to watch the next fantasy.” He smiled. “I liked ours better.”
She frowned. “Ours was a disaster.”
He decided not to comment on that. “What’s your real name?”
“Kayla.” She raised one expressive brow. “And yours?”
“Will.” Centuries of practice had taught him to lie smoothly, without any tells. “So are you going to be able to get back in there to sleep tonight?”
She nodded. “They have people working on it now. Sparkle said the smell would be gone in less than an hour.”
Thorn maintained his bland expression. Holgarth and Zane. Damn. He’d hoped it would take longer than that for them to get rid of the stink. Too bad. He would have enjoyed offering Kayla a place to stay for the night. He perked up at the thought that this might be the last night Zane helped save Sparkle’s ass. “So I assume you have a job description other than succubus.” He waited for details.
“Yes.” No details.
Kayla’s narrow-eyed gaze made him a little wary. Her expression said she was trying to solve a puzzle. He couldn’t afford to be that puzzle. “Guess all the fun is over. I’ll head on home. I live here on the island, so maybe I’ll see you again.” He turned to walk away.
“Oh, Will?”
He paused and glanced over his shoulder.
“Is there a reason you wear colored contacts and a wig for just a night out at the local theme park?” Her expression showed only casual interest, but her eyes said, “Gotcha.”
“I work for the dreaded Succubi Seekers. We heard there was a rogue succubus messing with men’s dreams in Galveston. I’ve been working undercover to find her.” He made sure his tone sounded lightly teasing. “Mission accomplished.”
She wouldn’t be able to see his eyes well in the darkness. But if she could, would she read the truth in them, understand the danger? If she didn’t fascinate him, and if he
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