“Mistress,” Grace said, those eyes furrowed and her face neutral.

Vampires rarely showed their true emotions, especially women. While Marc could get away with being a dour killing machine, women had to play the game better than queens. A single slip up can leave you with a second grave.

Grace knew the game well, so her choice to not play showed urgency. That did not mean Evelyn had to play along though.

“Ah, Ma chère Grâce,” Evelyn said. (Ah, my dear Grace.)  “Come and indulge in this wine.”

She normally did not indulge in blood wine, as Marc did not handle it well. However, The Grand offered it freely and it permitted her to work longer hours before getting hungry.

She took a sip and moaned, a clear sign that she was famished. Evelyn could control her hunger better than most, but even she could find herself in a state where all she thought about was feeding. Thankfully I’m nowhere near that point.

She greedily finished her glass and was filling another one when Grace walked inside. That particular vampire was one of the few people who could evade detection until nearly upon her. Marc taught her well.

“When I need her face, I’ll open the doors,” Evelyn said. “The workers can stare all they want.”

Evelyn always created in the nude, something she learned after destroying several expensive gowns and corsets. She learned to enjoy the freedom and as a vampire minor nicks and cuts were easier to deal with than dedicating much of her time towards cleaning or sewing together a new gown. Besides it would drive Marc crazy which was icing on the cake.

At the table she reached for a bottle of wine and poured some of it into a led-crystal glass. It was redder than a normal bottle of wine because it contained copious amounts of human blood.

She normally did not indulge in blood wine, as Marc did not handle it well. However, The Grand offered it freely and it permitted her to work longer hours before getting hungry.

Her model was no stranger to hard work, her arms and legs were toned, and her stomach visibly showed abs. She fits my image of a Grecko-Roman goddess perfectly.

This worked wonderfully for this room which would be dedicated to Artemis. The model was standing on one leg, pointing towards the ceiling with a bow. The pose was impossible for a model to hold for long. So, Evelyn had given her just enough blood to lend strength and maintain balance.

To deal with the toxic fumes from the lanterns, there was a wet cloth wrapped around her model’s face. Even now Evelyn could see how soot darkened the material.

The once solid block of granite was now taking shape. Her project was ambitious and it would take her a while to reflect the model before her. This woman was utterly delectable and had to thank Grace when she returned. This one is blessed with both youth and lithe beauty.

Evelyn might have made the same claim, especially when considering the dark hair, piercing eyes and soft alabaster skin. Their differences were in their musculature.

Her model was no stranger to hard work, her arms and legs were toned, and her stomach visibly showed abs. She fits my image of a Grecko-Roman goddess perfectly.

There was a large block of solid granite at the centre of this space. Many would expect the block to have been carried in before finishing the walls, but it was the other way around.

The lower three lowest levels of the hotel were built into the cliffside. Instead of bringing in the block, it was left there while they carved out the floor. In this case this space served as a transition point between the regular hotel and the southern wing that would house her kind.

Her bare feet were essentially standing on the cliff itself. She rather enjoyed the idea of creating a masterpiece from what was once the heart of this space.

The walls were still slats of wood running horizontally and in parallel. The workers had yet to apply plaster, and she suspected that would happen once she was done.

While cabling protruded from openings in the walls and ceiling, none of it was connected. Evelyn had to use several lanterns to chase away the darkness.

The air was thick with smoke which would have been a problem had she been human. Of course her model was, but Evelyn took precautions to ensure she was fine. I only need to see her body for the moment.

She normally worked from a studio and they allocated such a space for her within The Grand. However, some of her pieces would not fit through the doors and had to be carved on site.

Doing so came with risks, but Evelyn had been carving for several centuries. She was skilled enough to avoid making mistakes and mastered recovering from them if one occured. Either way, she rather enjoyed the challenge.

This room was still a skeleton, but even at this stage it showed much promise. It was two stories high, with a vaulted ceiling with voices that implied columns would be added later.

Evelyn paused, leaving her chisel and mallet on the rough hewn table. In the corner of the room there was a phonograph, an older crank style model with a horn. This worked well for her considering not every room was wired yet for electricity.

The needle was skipping against the edge, playing a few notes filled with hisses and pops before repeating again. She walked over casually and lifted the arm, filling the room in silence.

“Time for a break,” Evelyn said.