I couldn’t believe what she was saying. 

But then again…yes, I could. “They just said don’t deal with demons and shoved you up on the sixth floor? And forgot about you?”

Coty nodded. “Yes. Basically. Most of us, anyway. Except for Faith. She was an intern, now she’s an assistant. Joselyn Taniss asked her if she wanted to help her with some research or something, a week ago. Faith says she’s mostly just entering data into an Excel sheet all day. Her, not Aida, even though Aida is a brilliant doctor. We don’t understand why she’s not working with Joselyn—except maybe they don’t trust us. Drew’s friend Mickey came for her, too. Took her off somewhere today. She hasn’t been back yet. I’m not even sure what is going on. Or what the rest of us are supposed to do with ourselves. Other than don’t cause trouble and don’t invite demons to the hotel. So…what’s your story?”

“I guess it’s not that much different,” I told her. “For some reason paid assassins were hired to kill me. Fifty thousand dollars. It’s been mostly demons, I think. I’m not even sure what I’ve done to get their attention. My sister was staying with me, but I can’t expect her to stay with me here forever. And…if demons are coming for m-me, then I d-don’t want—”

“Your sister anywhere near them. I get it. I really do. Sorry this is happening to you. At least we kind of understand it. Our father helped the Taniss guy kill like thousands, so people want revenge. Never mind that we had no part of it.”

The bitterness was hard to miss. How could it not be? I felt the same thing. 

“So we’re just supposed to hide. Until they tell us they have the answers and we are free to go. Prisoners. Even with all of this around us.”

“As long as we can afford to p-pay for it. I was told the room was comped, but food and clothing—that’s all on me. And what I can make working part-time for my sister. She writes novels.”

“They can’t logically expect us to just…live like this forever?” Coty asked. “I mean, I thought…I guess I don’t know how vampires really work. I have so many questions. Questions no one can answer, because other than the guards on our floor, you’re the first vampire to even talk to one of us. Besides Joselyn and her research assistant, but all they tell Faith is next to nothing. Mickey to Drew—and that’s just because they were kind of friends before all of this happened. What are we supposed to think? I don’t even know what a Dardaptoan is. Just that it’s a vampire. Maybe. And demons are real, too. And mermaids, but they are monsters. We don’t even know if we’re safe here.”

I couldn’t believe it. They should have at least assigned someone to serve as an aid to Coty and her sisters. To answer their questions and help them transition into the world they now found themselves in.

Instead…they had just been forgotten.

Just like me.

Well, I was going to change all that. 

I leaned toward my new friend. “Y-you ask me whatever questions you and your sisters have, Coty. I promise you I will answer you as b-best I can. Because you deserve to know the truth.”

“You won’t get in trouble for this?”

“I don’t care if I do or not. Some things…just have to be done because they are the right thing to do. Period.”

NOTE FROM CJ: Coty and her sisters first appeared in Captured by the Hunter.