Chapter 13Blaze
Blaze let Arik lead them up the wide, sweeping front steps of the Victorian-modeled hotel. The doorman tipped his cap, staff swept away their bags, except for Blaze’s, which Blaze refused to relinquish, and the welcome-wagon hurricane landed them in front of an intricately paneled, solid-wood reception desk. Arik made nice with the receptionist, and Blaze took in the faux-candle chandeliers, the oriental carpets, the late nineteenth-century antiques, and the lofted ceilings, which had been such a necessary luxury when the building had been originally constructed. There were some inaccuracies in the architecture where modern builders had repaired molding and fixtures, but Blaze liked the old-world atmosphere of the place immediately.
“Ah, you have the Master Suite!” The re
