CHAPTER 16
MEET THE PARENTS

"YOU are so irresponsible!" Elizabeth shrieked, waving her clawed hands in the air. "An irresponsible and impudent child."

Hadley picked at the skin around her nails – a nervous habit – as Elizabeth circled her, like a predator with its prey. She sat on her mother's cream-colored couch, sinking deep into the cushions as a way to hide. The living room was quiet, besides her mother's yelling and the crackling of a dwindling fire. The silence almost made Hadley wonder where Tristan was. She hadn't seen her mother's recent lover for quite some time, but she wasn't really complaining.

Elizabeth was accompanied by James March – much to her own disapproval – but once James heard the screams from his fictional family, he came running, willing to provide a father-figure role in the situation. Neither of them wanted him there.

She planted her feet right in front of Hadley, who slowly viewed up at her mother-figure. Elizabeth tried to scare her with the untamed rage in her stare, but Hadley couldn't be intimidated that easily. Elizabeth had made her see a lot of horrific things after she was turned – things that only monsters could handle. Her mother's sudden anger was nothing compared to that. Hadley's eyes went narrow as she said, "Well, you could've at least knocked."

Elizabeth's eyes burned with fury. She bent down to Hadley's eye level, jabbing a claw in her direction. "How dare you disobey me! How could you lie to me like that?!" She seethed through clenched teeth. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I don't know if I can ever trust you again!"

"Oh, calm down, Elizabeth," James cooed, resting a hand on the blonde's shoulder, which she quickly ripped off. "You can't blame her for wanting a boyfriend – for once."

Elizabeth whipped her head in James' direction. "He's a human blood bag. Not a boyfriend." She slowly turned back to Hadley, eyes forming into slits. "And also someone that should've been dead a long time ago, as I instructed."

Hadley stood up then. Her face was becoming hot, and she couldn't stop herself from moving close to her mother, glaring right into her icy stare. "You knew from the moment I told you that I was hesitant on killing him. He isn't a human blood bag to me." Her jaw shifted. "I felt a connection to him when we first met, much like how you were with me. I can be around humans without losing control. He cares about me. He doesn't mind that I'm infected. I feel like I've known him in another life."

Elizabeth lifted her chin, but she said nothing. It was like she was afraid to say something she'd regret.

"You cannot tell me that you've never felt something like that before," Hadley continued, softer this time. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry for disobeying your orders, but I will not kill this one. You can't ask that of me."

"I'm your creator," she added. "I can ask anything of you."

Hadley shook her head firmly. "Not this time," she spat. "You're going to have to get used to seeing him around. I'm not hiding him anymore, and his mortality will stay intact."

"Perhaps, we should get to know the boy, then!" James chimed in, squeezing his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders once again. The blonde cringed slightly at his touch, red lips curling in disgust. "How about I throw us all a family dinner? I'll take care of the whole thing. You all just show up tonight with your pretty faces."

Hadley lifted a brow. "We're not a real family."

"You cannot be serious, James." Elizabeth gave her husband a deadpanned expression.

"Oh, I am serious," he replied, mustache twitching with a quirk of his lips. "You act as if I haven't planned fabulous galas in this hotel before."

Elizabeth lifted a hand. "That's not why I'm arguing with you," she scoffed. "You will not host a 'meet the parents' dinner, James. We are not a family, and I refuse to watch Hadley parade around this boy that she's been hiding for months."

"Hey!" Hadley exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't even want to go either. Knowing you both, you'd try to make my boyfriend the meal."

James held a hand to his chest, face masking a shocked expression, while his wife rolled her eyes and shrugged, as if she were agreeing with that statement. James huffed, turning to his fake daughter with utter confusion. "I would do no such thing!"

"I would've," Elizabeth muttered, sending James an honest glare.

Hadley raised her hands, holding them up in surrender. "It doesn't matter. You're not hosting some party, James. End of story."

"End of story? No, my dear. The story has just begun." He grinned big, twiddling his fingers in a startling way. It made a chill run up Hadley's spine, and she promised herself then that if March tried to even lay a finger on Percy, she'd find a way to destroy his soul – somehow. "You two will arrive at Room 78 by seven o'clock sharp and don't be late. You know how I feel about tardiness."

Elizabeth slapped a hand on her side. "I will not go through with this, James –"

But before she could finish her statement, James March was gone, and the velvet curtains floated in the wind as he dashed off. Elizabeth and Hadley locked eyes, both harboring the same malicious expression. Hadley refused to break her glare, until Elizabeth finally wagged a finger in her direction, "You see what you get us into!"

"I didn't do anything." Hadley's tone was mocking as she attempted to maintain Elizabeth's regular drawl.

Elizabeth laughed falsely, grabbing her favorite fur coat from the arm of her couch, and shimmied herself into it. "Yeah, well, you just better hope James doesn't have any secret plans for your little human boyfriend tonight." She looked her daughter up and down, mouth forming into a tight line. "Or he's as good as dead."

•••

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hadley?"

She looked up at Percy's question, pausing as she finished adjusting his tie. Hadley blinked in his direction before swallowing the bile rising in her throat, and then flattened out the collar of his dress shirt. They stood a few feet from the dreaded Room 78, and Hadley was trying to stall as much time as possible before the clock struck seven. She hardly gave Percy time to get ready when she told him of their plans tonight, and suddenly, she wished they had more time to simply run away from the hotel and never look back.

But tonight wasn't one of those nights.

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not. March asked of it, and he gets what he wants." She blew out a heavy sigh. "Why are you asking? Are you nervous? Do I look nervous? Because, I swear, I'm not nervous –"

"Well, maybe because this all happened due to the woman who inflicted you walking in on us having sex," Percy suggested. Hadley's eyes went wide at the sudden realization that his words were true, and her insides churned. "And you're also making me have dinner with her, as well as the ghost of a serial killer from the 1920s. Forgive me for being a little spooked."

She fixed his collar one again. Hadley had him dressed quickly, finding the best outfit in Donovan's old closet, which consisted of a black dress shirt and pants with a dark red tie. Hadley tried to pair herself with him, sliding on a tight, black dress with red-bottomed heels to match. The uncomfortable footwear wasn't doing anything to calm her nerves.

"Just ..." She huffed, squeezing his hand when he laced their fingers together. "Just stay with me at all times. I won't let any of them touch you."

He nodded slowly. Hadley looked at her phone, watching the hour change to seven o'clock. After a moment of hesitation, and throwing him an anxious glance, they approach the door to Room 78 and knocked lightly. It opened instantly, revealing Elizabeth in a low-cut silver gown, complementing her infamous glitter glove on her right hand. She leaned against the doorway and sent the two a delightful sneer.

"Oh, Hadley," she giggled, looking Percy up and down, practically undressing him with her piercing gaze, "you didn't tell me that your boy has a jawline for days."

Percy's brow shot up, while Hadley simply narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Elizabeth shrugged. "At least I'm trying."

The blonde woman moved out of the way, gesturing for them to venture inside the suite. Hadley clutched Percy's hand tightly as she dragged him into Room 78, but he still managed to catch Elizabeth winking in his direction. The corridor led into the dining room, where a long table sat, packed to the brink with various wines and hors d'oeuvres, with a large shrimp cocktail placed in the middle.

"Shrimp cocktail is one of my all-time favorite foods," Percy whispered, leaning down to her ear as they entered the main dining room. "How did he know that?"

Before Hadley could answer, their heads whipped towards James at the head of the table, who said, "I know everything, Mr. Isaacs. I'm the eyes and ears of this whole hotel." He then gestured to the two seats closest to him, lips curling maniacally. "Please, sit."

Percy swallowed hard, deciding to follow Hadley on this one. She took the seat closest to James, while she pulled out Percy's chair on her left. He noticed her fidgeting with her hair as Mrs. Evers appeared from the shadows, beginning to serve everyone a glass of aged wine. Elizabeth took hers gratefully from her seat at the other end of the table, red lipstick staining the delicate glassware.

James swirled his own glass once Hazel poured the decadent, dark red liquid into the cup. However, when she got around to Percy's glass, Hadley found herself thrusting her hand out, laying it on top of the wine glass before a mere drop could fall into it. Percy leaned back into the chair, startled by his girlfriend's quick reflexes. He'd never get used to that.

"Oh, calm yourself, dear. It's just a Beuverand Pinot Noir." James tsked, setting his cup down slowly. "If I wanted to kill your human, I would've done so already in a much craftier way."

Hadley sent him a glare, before finally releasing her hold on Percy's glass. Hazel hesitated, and then tipped the aged bottle, filling Percy's cup halfway. James silently urged him to taste it. Hadley held her breath when he raised the wine to his lips and took a sip, but all they got from him was a quick nod. "Bitter, but aged well," he commented.

James sat back in his chair and gave Hadley a satisfied grin. She kept her glare consistent, jaw clenching as she seethed, "Are you suddenly trying to take the evil dad approach now? Because, remember, you're still not my dad."

"I may not be the best father, but I can surely assume the role," James quipped. His anger was subdued, but Hadley could tell that it threatened to boil over the edge. "And if he does anything, I don't like – well ... I have many blocked-off rooms that could use an occupant."

Hadley pounded a fist against the table, causing Percy to jump. "Don't you fucking dare –"

"Can I say something?"

They didn't expect Percy's question, but once the words flew from his mouth, three sets of eyes were upon him. He wasn't sure which one he was more afraid of. His throat closed up, making it difficult for him to finally reply. Would it be better to just try and run now while he could?

"Listen," he began, pacing his words carefully, "I know that you're both mad that Hadley lied to protect me. I get it. And I understand you're also mad that I'm human, but in my defense, I did ask her for the virus."

Hadley's grey eyes went wider than ever before, especially when she saw the vicious grin appear on her mother's crimson lips. Elizabeth sat back in her seat and took a small sip of her wine. "My, my," she drawled, swirling the red liquid in her glass, "this is some exciting news. You want to be inflicted, boy?"

Percy noticed Hadley shaking her head quickly from the corner of his eye, but he ignored it, deciding to speak his truth instead. "If it means that I get to stay with Hadley forever, yes."

"What a fascinating human," James added, glancing from Percy to his wife. "Alive, yet so intimate with the dead. Or perhaps, it's just monsters."

Elizabeth, for the first time in years, giggled towards her husband. "So it's settled then," she grinned, lacing her hands together and propping them on the table. "Our dearest Hadley is making her lover a blood relative."

"I am not!" Hadley thundered. She pushed her seat out, threatening to stand up and make a scene, but Elizabeth's hand shushed her. "He is to stay a human. I will not rip his mortality away from him."

Elizabeth's stare went narrow, but she made no movements otherwise. Hadley wondered if she had an ulterior motive. "Well, if you won't turn your lover, then I will." Her tone was so sickeningly casual, and before Hadley could pull Percy behind he back, Elizabeth was chuckling, "Oh, not your lover, child. I mean, my own."

James and Hadley chorused together: "What?"

The blonde's head twitched, arching a brow in her husband's direction. She had a wild look in her eyes, one that pulled James in from the first moment he saw her. "I didn't tell you?" She asked, directly to James this time. Her lips pulled even wider. "I've met someone."

"Are you talking about Tristan?" Hadley asked.

"No," her mother replied, fiddling with the fork near her plate. After a short second, she stabbed the utensil into the shrimp cocktail, ripping through it with her canines. When she was finished, she added, "Tristan had to die. I'd rather not say."

Hadley blinked rapidly. Percy continued to look back and forth between James and Elizabeth, questioning if they should slip away. It seemed that he was put in the middle of a situation that didn't concern any of them, but Elizabeth clearly wanted to make a show.

James scoffed, "Well, this is certainly news to me –"

"Of course, it is. I'm telling you now, aren't I?" She shrugged, as if lying to her husband meant nothing. Were they still considered a married couple if one of them was still alive? Elizabeth guessed not. "I will be marrying Will Drake in a private ceremony. We've fallen in love, you see."

Hadley's elbow hit the table, and she rubbed at her temples as she tried to understand her mother's revelation. She didn't particularly care just who the Countess copulated with anymore, but Hadley realized that her mother never introduced her to this Will Drake the entire time he had been at the Cortez. If she was so important – her unrelated daughter – why wouldn't she have her meet him sooner? Elizabeth was hiding him away, and Hadley was suspicious.

"You can't be serious," Hadley snorted. She looked from Elizabeth to James, who both maintained humorless facial expressions. "This is a joke. You're in love with the guy who has somehow bought the hotel? A guy that probably has loads of money? Who is also a human?"

Elizabeth's jaw shifted. "Do I look like I'm laughing?" She snarled. "I'm not telling you all so you can accept it. I don't care if you do. However, if you wish to attend, Hadley, I am inviting you and your little boyfriend to the ceremony."

Hadley didn't have a chance to respond, because James was already standing up, pounding a fist against the already-broken table. It almost snapped in two upon impact. James was fuming, steam could pour out of his nose, if he desired. The sight made Percy tremble, but he was able to disguise it the second Hadley took hold of his hand.

"This is absurd, Elizabeth!" He exclaimed, voice booming off the walls. "I will not stand for this! I will not allow you to make a fool out of me! You are not –"

Mrs. Evers appeared from the kitchen, plucking the cover off of a steaming hot pot of homemade beef stew. "Dinner is served!"

Percy thanked the gods that it wasn't him.

•••

A/N: You maaaaaaay have noticed that this chapter is a day late, but it was intentional! I posted on my message board a few days ago that there will be (sadly) only one update this week, because I'm going to a convention in Boston! I'll be there from Friday—Sunday, and I really didn't want to have to worry about a Friday update while I was there. Sorry about that!!!