Elwin stopped, taking a moment to linger in the incredible sensations. Then it was time to deal with Ashlee. Gripping her, Elwin pulled her back. Ashlee gasped. Her eyes widened.

"When did she get to you?" he whispered in her ear.

"What are you talking about?"

He could hear the fear in her voice. Elwin was no fool, at least not lately he wasn't.

"Was it Kendall or Heather that sent you here?"

"I don't know who they are. Let me go."

Elwin did as she asked but turned Ashlee and pressed her to the widest wall of tiles. One finger ran up her spine, finding the junction that sat in line with her ribs. The other hand soon found the second junction between her shoulder blades. Pressing deep into her skin caused Ashlee to groan, but the large wings emerged.

They curved towards Ashlee when the wings hit the wall. Elwin stepped back and looked at the wings as Ashlee turned. She closed herself off, fearing what was going to happen now that the truth was revealed.

"You're a southern highland fae, but it appears that you've got a trace of the east in you," Elwin said as he ran his finger over the curved tip that protruded from the radius.

"What do you want from me?"

Her arms covered her chest as if Ashlee thought it would hide the obvious.

"Well, I want to know why you're here."

"Sex. Your brother said that you wanted a one-night stand. That's what this is. Why are you acting weird?"

"Having spent a lot of time dining in five-star restaurants, I know what to expect from the wait staff."

Elwin removed the condom, cleaning the contents out. He tried not to be paranoid, but now that it was obvious that either Kendall or Heather were targeting him, he wasn't prepared to take risks or make mistakes.

Flicking off the water, Elwin grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He held one out to Ashlee. She retracted her wings and took the towel with a soft murmur of gratitude.

"I ignored it with the belief that you were probably new. Then I saw that you tried to hide the marks of your wings with the tattoo. So, what's your deal, and how much did they pay you?"

Ashlee frowned, shaking her head. Elwin could see that she was going to pretend that it was just a coincidence, but he knew that they didn't exist in his world. The pieces were slowly falling into place. This puzzle was still waiting to be solved, but Elwin was beginning to see the bigger picture.

It was probably Kendall's grandfather's plan. He didn't think that Kendall had it in her to stoop so low, but then, their demise was pretty brutal and unexpected. Maybe this was her plan and had little to do with her grandfather. Elwin figured that she probably didn't take a step without consulting him first.

"I will push you out into the hall without the towel."

To ensure she knew how serious he was, Elwin grabbed her elbow and dragged Ashlee out of the bathroom.

"Okay," she cried out. "A woman approached me just after you ordered your meal."

"This woman?"

Kendall was still on his lock screen. He hadn't gotten around to changing it. That would definitely change after tonight. Elwin had no idea what he'd replace it with, but he'd figure something out.

"Yeah, that's her. She said that needed evidence of some sort. Suggested that after sex, I drugged you and took some photos. I didn't want to, but she offered me a lot of money."

To prove it, Ashlee opened her bag and revealed the bundles of cash. There was a lot of money in the bag.

"So, the thing is, I kind of forgot my phone anyway. It's in my locker in the closed restaurant."

"Uh-huh."

Elwin still checked her bag, not that it mattered when the bathroom door was shut. The bonus of the layout of the bathroom was that even if she had a recording device on her clothes, it wouldn't have caught a single thing. They were hidden behind a wall, and he'd dropped his clothes on hers. It wasn't intentional. It just happened that way.

Dumping the cash back into her bag, Elwin put it back on the stand and looked at Ashlee.

"Now what?"

Elwin had no idea how to answer her. He turned and banged on the internal door. A few seconds later, the door opened, and one eye peered at him through the crack.

"What do you want?"

"We have a slight problem."

With a gesture to Ashlee, she came forward. Elwin turned her and lowered the towel enough that Kelleck could see the wings.

"Let them out."

The wings emerged again, and Elwin stared at his brother. Kelleck sighed.

"Kendall?"

"Yes. Looks like about ten grand in cash for evidence."

"It's ten," Ashlee murmured as she retracted the wings. "And I didn't plan on getting any evidence for her."

Kelleck rolled his eyes.

"Give me five minutes."

The door was closed, and Elwin turned to Ashlee.

"I know the woman who approached you. I've known her for a long time. If you don't provide evidence, she will make you disappear."

"Really?"

"Well, maybe not Kendall, but all she would need to do is to tell her grandfather of the arrangement and your lack of evidence, and he'd order the hit. Ever heard of the du Crépuscule family?"

Ashlee's eyes were wide as the tears welled.

"But I left my phone in my locker. I can't give her anything."

The door opened, and a partially dressed and rather annoyed brother walked into the room.

"Alright. You've ruined an incredible night so let's get this mess sorted."

"I don't want to die."

The two brothers looked at each other. They might be immortal, but it didn't mean that death couldn't happen. Their father was proof of that.

"When Kendall approached you, how did it happen? What did she say? Where was it?"

Ashlee wiped the tears.

"It was shortly after you ordered. She approached the front desk where I was putting the meals into the system and asked if I'd like to earn a lot of money in one night. She said that she knew that I was probably living paycheck to paycheck and how much of a struggle it is in this economy. One large payment and all I had to do was get a scandalous photo of you."

Kelleck thought about it and then nodded with a smile on his face.

"Okay, I have a thought. Get dressed and meet me downstairs in the lobby."

With that demand, he returned to his suite to dress appropriately. Then he'd set his plan in motion.

Elwin and Ashlee entered the lift a few minutes later. Silence hit them as they descended into the depths of the hotel.

"I know that it probably means little to you, but I enjoyed, you know."

Elwin nodded, leaning against the glass. His hands were in his pocket, one toying with the door card, the other holding his phone.

"And I left my phone in the locker intentionally. When I knew who she wanted me to target, I couldn't go through with it. You were hurting, and adding to that would have been wrong, but I'd already agreed to it."

"How did you plan on providing the evidence she wanted?"

"I hadn't thought about that."

The lift stopped, and the doors opened. Elwin found his brother almost instantly. Kelleck waited to the side of the front desk, almost hidden in the darkness.

"Well?"

"Call Raven and ask him to help us."

With a subtle nod, Elwin stepped back into the darkness of the side corridor. Kelleck leaned on the large marble pillar, looking at the waitress with wet hair that was pulled into a ponytail. It dripped onto the white shirt, making a mess of it.

A minute later, Elwin appeared with Raven at his side.

"Master Rochester,"

Raven's eyes turned to the woman near them. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. Raven was used to that reaction.

"Mistress Whitnell. How can I help you tonight?"

"We need help on a few things, if you don't mind."

"It is not a problem."

"Great. Ashlee's phone is in her locker, and we need the records of the restaurant patrons for tonight and where they were seated."

The boy nodded and faded from their sight.

"That is so creepy," Ashlee muttered.

"Not as creepy as when he appears behind you." Kelleck offered as he tipped his head.

Ashlee turned and gasped, seeing the boy behind her. Raven handed the phone to the woman and then gave Kelleck a piece of paper.

"There we are and the other patrons around us. Anyone that you could have picked incorrectly because of her poor gesturing?"

"Any of these people around you."

"And who of these are staying at the hotel?"

Ashlee shrugged. "No idea."

"Raven, if you wouldn't mind?" Elwin asked.

With a subtle smirk, he nodded and disappeared once again. Ashlee was ready for him, pushing Kelleck off the column so that she could lean on it. There was no chance of standing behind her now.

Raven appeared and looked at the piece of paper, gesturing to two tables.

"One has a female at the table. We could presume she's a partner."

"Nuh, I remember him. He made an offer when he came to pay the bill. The man was with the woman, so I politely declined, even though he said that she was a business partner, not a girlfriend or wife. I just thought it was kind of rude to proposition someone and potentially leave her stranded. I had no idea he was staying here though."

Kelleck looked at the hotel guest list and found the matching name. There was no indication of the business partner staying here, but that didn't mean that they weren't sharing the room.

"One final request. Please take the phone to this man's room, and snap a photo that is scandalous without his knowledge. Or the woman, if she's there."

"For the purpose of giving it to mistress du Crépuscule?"

"How?"

Ashlee's eyes were wide as she stared.

"I am a Raven, mistress Whitnell. I see all that I choose to see."

Raven held out his hand, waiting for her phone.

"And I see a naked man ready for bed and waiting for a photoshoot. I doubt that this will take too long."

The minute had barely ticked over before he returned and offered the phone to Elwin. He grimaced before passing it over to Kelleck, who didn't bother to look at it before giving it to Ashlee. Elwin's reaction was enough to know that Raven had done a smashing job.

"Thanks. I appreciate that you've tried to help me rather than dragging me to the council."

"Oh, that could still happen." Kelleck taunted.

He gestured to the boy standing next to him.

"And we can find you," he whispered loudly, pointing downwards over the top of Raven's head. "Don't think that you can hide from us."

Ashlee nodded with a grim look on her face. She tried to smile when she said goodbye to Elwin, but it was forced.

"Before you go,"

She stopped, wary of the Raven as he stepped closer.

"Take this." he offered a small brown business card that looked like it was made of recycled cardboard. "Should any of the du Crépuscule family give you any trouble regarding this incident, merely rip this card in half. A Raven will come to your aid and remind them of their failings and the laws that they have broken."

Ashlee clutched the card as if it were her only lifeline.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Raven nodded and watched as the woman walked away.

"Why did you throw her a lifeline?" Elwin asked.

The boy turned and tilted his head.

"Not that I care, and it was probably for the best, but kill my curiosity, please."

Raven softly smiled and shrugged.

"Sometimes, the things we do today affect the things we do tomorrow."

With the intriguing statement left hanging in the air, Raven faded out of sight, leaving the two brothers bewildered.