The Problem With Black Magic Page 23
Sam clammed up for the rest of the nine-course meal, picking at his food and shaking his head softly when anyone tried to engage him in further conversation. Cassie guessed he was shocked that Serenus had brought up something so personal in front of the entourage. For his part, Serenus was more talkative, but still seemed somewhat subdued throughout the meal, as though he were only half paying attention.
As she ate, Cassie tuned out the conversation about tomorrow’s sightseeing, and thought about what she knew about Serenus’ and Sam’s relationship. If Serenus had been in a relationship with Sam’s mother, that would explain how the two knew each other— at the very least, she was positive Serenus wasn’t his father.
Looking at Serenus over her roasted squab and black truffle shavings (or something like that; she’d stopped paying attention to a lot of the dish explanations), she wondered about the strange relationship he seemed to have with Sam. He was fiercely protective of him at times, almost like a favorite uncle, but there was resentment there, too. His comment had hinted at the fact that he blamed Sam, at least partially, for the fact that things hadn’t worked out with his lover.
The courses came quickly, no doubt motivated by the fact that the staff wanted to get them out of the restaurant as soon as possible. If any money changed hands on the way out, Cassie didn’t see it. It was still fairly early in the evening when Serenus hailed two more cabs to take them to the hotel.
In a matter of minutes, the cabs pulled up in front of the Regencia, a golden hued-building with swirls of crystal visible on the door handles and window frames; there was no doubt this was an expensive place. Cassie and Jay shared excited comments as the liveried hotel staff who met them at the curb took their minimal luggage and led them through the golden double-doors. Mike, who had stayed at expensive hotels with his parents before, tried to act casual, but Cassie could tell that even he was impressed.
The group approached the front desk, all feeling motley and out of place in the grand, cream-colored entryway with sumptuous leather coaches and marble floors. Serenus took the lead once again.
“Reservation: the Regencia Deluxe Suite, booked through Sunday,” he said, smiling at the lady at the counter. Cassie stared: even the woman who staffed the hospitality desk was wearing a sheer cream-colored evening gown, stunning against her ebony skin.
The employee returned his smile with a warm one of her own, surprisingly warm in fact; Cassie supposed that this place wouldn’t tolerate insincere half-smiles for the amount of money they paid. “Of course, Zeitbloom party, for the dental convention. One moment, let me get your keys,” she said, turning her back to them for a moment.
The group, including Sam, exchanged confused glances: dental convention? Serenus turned and whispered to them while the woman was occupied with the keys.
“That’s how they like to book these things: You say ‘dental convention,’ people get bored and they don’t ask any more questions,” he said with a subtle shrug.
The dark skinned woman returned with a small velvet drawstring bag, which Cassie assumed contained seven keycards. “Check-in, where you can pick up your badges, runs through midnight tonight in the Valencia Ballroom. Please enjoy your stay.”
Even though they were all bracing themselves for opulence , the sight of the suite still caused everyone except Serenus to pause in the entryway, jaws agape. An elevated platform in the center of the large living room, tucked under a large crystal chandelier, housed leather couches and an onyx coffee table, filled with champagne and overflowing trays of bread, cheese, chocolate bonbons and fruit. A staircase led down from the platform to a pair of large hot tubs, with what must have been a sixty-inch flatscreen TV hanging on the wall above them. There was a full dining room, complete with a wetbar and a glass minibar complete with all manner of snacks, and an alcove that seemed to be set aside just for massage tables. Topping it off, the back wall was all glass, allowing for a breathtaking view of Central Park.
“Whoo!” yelled Khalil, ripping off his shirt and making a beeline for the biggest hot tub. Cassie averted her eyes when he continued stripping. “Hey!” she yelled, only to calm when she realized he had a pair of bright red swimming trunks on under his pants. He cannonballed into the tub, splashing water over the edge and onto the marble floor.
Mike looked at him wide-eyed as Khalil came up for air, settling into a corner of the tub with an expression of perfect contentment on his face. “I’ll be right back,” he said, running off to find a bedroom to change into his bathing suit. Jay quickly followed behind him.
Serenus approached the onyx coffee table while Mike and Jay yelled something about the size of the beds. Dwight walked over to the dining room, picked up a frosted paper card, and tossed it to Khalil in the hot tub. “Check this out,” he said.
Khalil looked at the paper and then whooped again. “Whoo! Free room service 24-7!”
“We just ate,” said Sam, speaking for the first time in a while.
“Yes, I know,” said Khalil, his face hidden behind the menu. “It was so enjoyable, I might want to do it again sometime.”
Dwight looked over to Serenus. “They gave us all this for free? Seriously?”
Serenus motioned to Cassie, and she joined him at the elevated platform. Sam came up behind her and collapsed into one of the leather couches. “Despite Sam’s admirable attempts to lower the average salary of demonkind singlehandedly, money is usually no object. This is nothing to them,” Serenus said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He poured two glasses of sparkling wine and handed the first one to Sam and extended the second one to Cassie. She held up a hand to decline. “I’m underage,” she said.
“I don’t think it matters here,” said Sam, taking a small sip from his glass.
Serenus took the champagne he had poured for her and sipped it delicately. “Your choice, but you might want a little something to relax you: we have to go to check-in.”
Khalil groaned. “I have to get out of the tub?”
“Not you,” Serenus said without turning around to look at him. “We three,” he said motioning to Sam, Cassie and himself.
Cassie felt her mouth go dry. “What’s at check-in?”
At that moment, Jay and Mike ran into the living room from the bedroom and jumped into the hot tub in their swimsuits. Dwight had to jump out of the way to avoid getting splashed, laughing softly.
Sam drained his glass in one quick motion. “Mingling, I’m afraid.”