House Rules (19 page)

Ethan flipped the pages, glancing back and forth between them. “It doesn’t say, specifically,
the damages are comprised of the House?”

“It doesn’t. But the language is vague, so there’s no way to tell exactly how a court
might interpret it.” He shrugged. “But that’s just my opinion, and I’m not a lawyer.”

Ethan glanced at Malik. “And what do the lawyers say?”

“They’re reviewing and researching now. They indicated they might not have a final
answer until the sun rises again, but they do have some concerns about judicial interpretation.”

“They always do,” Ethan said. “The primary problem being we’d have to fight the GP
in court, even assuming the courts have jurisdiction over vampiric problems. That
‘solution’ creates years of litigation, which does not accomplish my goal of resolving
this issue before Darius leaves for London again.”

He looked at Luc. “A show of force?”

“We could fight the fairies, but you know how they fight: to the death, or they deem
it hardly worth the trouble. They prefer seppuku over losing, so any battle would
result, at a minimum, in the deaths of multiple vampires or the deaths of all fairies.”

Gabriel whistled. “The city of Chicago will not like that.”

“No,” Ethan agreed. “Nor is it something I can countenance. And I still find it hard
to believe that Darius would condone such a thing.”

“He doesn’t think you’ll follow through with it,” Lacey said. She sat at the foot
of the table, facing Ethan across the piles of materials. “He knows you wouldn’t allow
your vampires to be injured for the sake of a building, and assumes you’ll bow out
before then.”

“Why the House?” I wondered. “Is it the symbolism or the structure?”

“Both,” Lacey quickly answered, playing the authority on the GP’s motivations, which
maybe she was. “Symbolically, it demonstrates the GP’s power—that the Houses are utterly
within its control, and failure to fall in line will leave a House, quite literally,
without resources.”

“And structurally,” Ethan put in, looking at me, “it defines who we are. We are unified
by Peter’s name, but it is the House that brings us together. If we will not follow
the rules, Darius will strip away the tie that binds.”

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, which squeaked beneath him. “That’s a class act
you have there.”

“We’re very proud,” Ethan dryly said.

Gabriel sat up again and looked at Ethan. “We are friends,” he said. “But I cannot
offer soldiers now. Not when there’s another way.”

He meant not when we could leave the House and avoid the fight altogether. Ethan didn’t
look thrilled at the news the Pack wouldn’t assist us in a fight—they were, by far,
the largest group of nonvampire allies we had—but he took the news graciously.

“I understand your position,” Ethan said. “It doesn’t thrill me, but were I in the
same place, I’d likely make the same decision.” He looked around the table. “What
else?”

“Extortion?” Paige suggested. “I don’t know much about these vampires, but do we have
anything on any of them we could use to change their minds?”

Ethan and I exchanged a glance. We knew Harold Monmonth had murdered at Celina’s behest,
but there was no way Darius or any of the other GP members would care. The GP generally
thought human lives were beneath their concern. A centuries-old death wouldn’t inspire
much interest.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Ethan said.

“We can’t buy them off,” Malik said. “We’re out of money.”

“What about the egg?” Gabriel asked.

Everyone looked at Gabriel. “What about it?” Ethan asked.

“It’s the key to the entire thing. The fairies want it; Darius has it. I assume he
hasn’t given it to them yet and won’t—not until they follow through on their promise
to attack. If you can get it back . . .”

“Then we hold the trophy,” Ethan said, “and the fairies won’t care what the GP wants
them to do.” He sat back, then looked at Michael. “Thoughts?”

“It’s an idea,” Michael said, nodding at me. “Satiating the fairies would solve the
immediate problem of keeping the House, but not the long-term issue. Darius isn’t
just making a one-time play here. If he wants the House, he’ll try again to get it.”

“A fair point,” Ethan said. “But perhaps, for now, we play the hand we’ve been dealt.
Where might the egg be?”

“Darius and the rest of the GP members are staying at the Dandridge,” Malik said.
“He might take it there.”

“Eh, I’m not sure about that,” Luc said. “They’re gambling here, and he has to know
we’re having this conversation. That spot seems too obvious.”

“Too obvious, and too hard to breach in any event,” I said. “Celebrities and senators
stay at the Dandridge. I’m not even sure we could get through security to check the
rooms.”

“I think it’s safe to assume it’s in the metro area,” Michael said. “They can’t take
it too far away; there wouldn’t be time to get it back into the fairies’ hands again.”

I bet he was right. Unfortunately, Chicago was a big city.

“We have to look,” Ethan said. “The search begins now.” He looked at Malik. “Start
with the other Houses’ Seconds. Find out what they know, if they have any information
about where it might be.”

“They may not want to help,” Luc said. “This is precisely the kind of anti-GP behavior
Darius wants to punish.”

“Perhaps,” Ethan said. “Convince them anyway. Someone knows how to fix this, and I
want an answer tonight.”

* * *

Unfortunately, he didn’t get it. Two hours later, even after sharing the snack Gabriel
had brought, we were no closer to a solution. Other than guessing it might be at the
Dandridge, no one from the other Houses had any idea where the egg might be; nor were
they forthcoming with even that unhelpful suggestion. Not that their mum’s-the-word
attitudes were surprising; neither Navarre nor Grey wanted to involve their Houses
any more than necessary. That was how they’d stayed off the GP’s radar before, and
Darius’s nuclear threat only reinforced the lesson.

Ethan rubbed a hand over his face. “Dawn is coming. We will reconvene at dusk.” He
looked at Gabriel. “I appreciate your time.”

Gabriel smiled wolfishly. “Devil you know versus the devil you don’t. I’d much rather
have you in this House than a bunch of GP assholes.”

We couldn’t argue with that.

* * *

With minutes to spare before dawn, Ethan came to me with exhaustion, and sought solace
in my arms. Fear hung over me: Lacey’s knowledge of my meeting with Jonah. The unknown
killer outside our gate. The threats against our House and home.

We lay together in the dark, bodies intertwined, as the sun rose outside. As the minutes
and hours of our remaining sanctuary in Cadogan House slipped away, one by one.

“I cannot lose this House,” he drowsily murmured, as the sun wandered into the sky
again. “I cannot . . . disappoint them.”

I ached for him, and swore to help him keep the House, but not even love could stop
the rising of the sun.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE FIRST RULE OF FRIGHT CLUB

I
woke slowly after dreaming that I’d had to reapply for my position as Sentinel, and
Ethan had found me utterly lacking for the job. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the
origin of that fear—namely, that I was being blackmailed by a woman in love with my
boyfriend, even while my House was on the brink of destruction.

Ethan was already up, so the bedroom was utterly quiet. Indulgently, I pulled the
sheet over my head and let myself pretend the world outside was empty and blackmail-free.

I didn’t want to tell him. I wasn’t
supposed
to tell him. After all, what was the first rule of the RG?
Don’t talk about the RG.

The entire point of the organization was to monitor the behavior of Masters and the
GP so they couldn’t act dictatorially and hurt vampires along the way. It was hard
to do that when they’d identified you as a spy. How could I give up the Red Guard
to a Master’s scrutiny? How could I punish Jonah for my lack of discretion and Lacey’s
obsession with Ethan? If I confessed where I’d been, wouldn’t I be negating the GP’s
careful effort to be anonymous, their decades of work, and all the members who’d given
their twenty years of service?

Wouldn’t I be betraying Jonah?

But I also couldn’t let Lacey be the one to spill to Ethan what she’d seen. He wasn’t
supposed to know at all, but he certainly shouldn’t find out from
her
. Especially not when she’d use it as an excuse to drive a wedge between us.

Maybe I’d wanted too much, hoped for too much—that I could be an RG member and have
a relationship with a Master vampire, of all people. Maybe this would be the end of
us: our friendship, our camaraderie, our relationship.

That conversation was going to suck. I knew he’d be angry and feel betrayed, just
like Lacey had said. In true Sentinel form, I analyzed the risk, walking through every
possible result of my confession:

1. Ethan, drunk on love, would tell me he was proud I’d agreed to serve vampires by
joining the RG.

2. Ethan would dump me in a special ceremony in front of Cadogan House.

3. Ethan would kick me out of the House in a special ceremony in front of Cadogan
House. Commemorative T-shirts would be prepared bearing the words
I SURVIVED MERIT’S EXCOMMUNICATION
.

4. Ethan would do both two and three, then kill Jonah.

5. Ethan would turn inward, then let loose a silent but deadly rage that would destroy
Cadoga n House and most of Hyde Park. Mayor Kowalcyzk would blame it on our genetics;
Catcher would blame it on love.

The scenarios were the least comforting, because one way or the other, Ethan was going
to find out, and Jonah was going to be exposed.

I had an unwinnable choice, which was hardly a choice at all.

I hated regret, and that was what I was feeling right now. Not so much regret that
I’d said yes to Jonah, but that I hadn’t been more careful the night before and that
I’d baited Lacey enough to prick her into blackmailing me.

Unfortunately, sitting around and whining about it wasn’t going to change anything.
A killer was still roaming the city and my House was facing a ticking time bomb. Oliver,
Eve, and Cadogan needed someone to fight for them, so I flipped off the sheet and
climbed out of bed. The night would bring what the night would bring. Better to face
it like a soldier—head-on, and without fear—than cower beneath a sheet.

I checked my phone and found a message from Jonah:
CHECKING WITH RG CONTACT ABOUT CADOGAN; WILL ADVISE.

I wasn’t sure how plugged in his contacts were. But he’d clearly been right about
the contract clause. Maybe he could offer help. It would be an absolute godsend.

Since Ethan and the others were downstairs handling the House, I took a long, hot
shower, trying to think through the murders I still hadn’t managed to solve. We knew
Oliver and Eve had been killed after visiting the registration office. Their bodies
had been placed in a warehouse in Little Italy, and there were slivers of aspen near
the body, possibly from a weapon created by McKetrick.

We also knew a black SUV was involved in their deaths and our House drive-by, and
that McKetrick had used black SUVs in the past to terrorize us.

Of course, this was Chicago, and black SUVs were a dime a dozen. And McKetrick denied
any knowledge of the murders, and particularly the idea that someone had used his
weapon. Frankly, if he was so certain he had scads of political power, why lie? Why
not admit to me what he’d done, and trust that no one would believe if I pointed to
him as the culprit?

I wasn’t ready to give up on McKetrick as a suspect, but I was beginning to think
there was more to the puzzle than met the eye.

When I was clean and dressed, my hair in a ballerina-esque topknot, I downed as much
blood as I could—the kitchen blissfully empty of Lacey Sheridan—and headed downstairs.

Ethan was behind his desk, the only one in his office. He wore a white button-down,
the sleeves rolled up and the collar unbuttoned. He was ready for a long night of
work, but he looked exhausted. He probably hadn’t slept well.

“Good morning,” he said.

There was no hint of anger in his voice, which suggested Lacey still hadn’t spilled
the secret she thought she knew. That made me breathe a little easier.

“Good morning.” I sat down in a chair in front of his desk. “Any news?”

“Nothing of note. The humans are on guard outside, and we made it through the night
without incident. I’m pleasantly surprised Darius didn’t buy them off, too,” he sardonically
added.

“Bribery is clearly in his playbook. No news on the murder front, either. Or at least,
no messages from the Ombud’s office.”

“The killer covered his tracks well,” Ethan said. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t
a clue out there ready to be found.”

Exactly why I wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.

“I’m going to ask everyone to pack a bag,” Ethan said.

I stared at him, my heart deflating. He didn’t think we could do it. He didn’t think
we could find a way to stop this, and thought we’d lose the House. That I’d be camping
out on my grandfather’s couch by nightfall.

The defeat in his eyes brought tears to mine. “We have tonight and most of tomorrow
night. We can find a way.”

“Can we?” he asked. “Without bloodshed?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, lacking a good retort.

There was a knock at the doorway. Lacey stood there in a trim black suit with white
piping. She smiled at Ethan, but scowled at me.

“Lacey,” Ethan said. “Coffee?”

“That would be lovely,” she said, stepping inside.

He glanced at me. “For you?”

“No,” I said, watching Lacey. “I’m fine.”

Ethan put in a call to Margot, requesting espressos for both of them. As he offered
the instructions, Lacey moved closer to me, her gaze growing colder with each step.

“Did you tell him?”

We were only a few feet from Ethan’s desk, and my heart began to race. No doubt, in
some primal part of her brain, she thought she’d ferreted out a traitor—and that bringing
me to justice would bring her and Ethan closer together.

But I wasn’t going to let her destroy my relationship, regardless her motive. I narrowed
my gaze at her. “There is
nothing
to tell, and I have more important things to do than worry about what you think you
saw.”

“I saw enough,” she quietly said, watching Ethan as he chatted with Margot on the
phone.

“Can you please just focus on the drama we’ve got instead of creating drama that isn’t
really there?”

“Creating drama?” Her eyes flashed silver, which raised goose bumps on my arms. “I
am here,” she fiercely whispered, “in this city, because you are a child with no sense
of how grave this situation is. Because you can’t give him what he needs.”

“I give him exactly what he needs.”

“No,” she said, “you’re just easily accessible.”

I nearly growled at her. “If he wanted you, he’d be with you. But he’s not. At the
end of the night, he comes home to me.”

My mouth had gotten me in trouble before, and that had been exactly the wrong thing
to say to a woman already threatening to tell Ethan what she’d seen after she’d followed
me halfway across town.

“Ladies?” Ethan asked, staring at us from across his desk, the phone back in its cradle.
There was no mistaking the tension and magic in the air. “What’s going on?”

“It’s about Merit.”

My chest heaved as I tried to suck in air, waiting for my enemy to strike, to place
her pawn before I made my own strategy.

I loved Ethan. But Jonah was my partner. I had to protect both of them. I just hoped
I was clever enough to do it.

His gaze switched to me. “Merit?”

But before I could speak, she made her move. “She’s having an affair with Jonah.”

My eyes went dinner-plate wide.
That’s
what she thought I’d been doing? “I most certainly am
not
having an affair with Jonah.”

Ethan looked confused . . . and dubious. “Jonah? The Grey guard captain?”

“The same,” Lacey said. “Last night she left the House. I thought her behavior, her
disappearance, was suspicious. So I followed her.”

Ethan looked equally suspicious. “You followed her.”

Lacey slid me a glance over her shoulder, equal parts daring and accusing. “She drove
to the harbor, where security let her in. She met Jonah on the harbor wall. They were
alone. They embraced.” She looked back at Ethan, ready to deliver the final blow.
“There was blood in the air.”

Ethan’s gaze silvered.

“She isn’t faithful to you, Ethan. You had to know that. I had to tell you.”

“Lacey, leave us, please.”

But she wouldn’t listen. Her eyes were frantic, her voice panicked. She’d made her
final play—her only play—and she wasn’t sure whether it had worked. “Don’t you see
what she’s doing to you? What she’s done to you—to the House?”

“Lacey, get out!” Ethan bellowed.

“Ethan—”

He turned to glare at her, his expression no less polite than it had been with me.
Sure, she’d accused me of cheating on him, but she’d also come tattling to Ethan.
That wasn’t exactly laudable behavior.

She did as she was told, slamming the door shut behind her.

Ethan stood up and walked toward me, a thousand questions in his eyes. “Tell me,”
he said. “Tell me now. Do not make me wonder, Merit. Do not make me put our relationship
in her hands.”

I swallowed down a bolt of panic. I hadn’t prepared for this—for the assumption she’d
actually made. What was I supposed to do now?

I certainly couldn’t tell Ethan I was having an affair. I
wasn’t
having an affair; I wouldn’t do that to him, or anyone else.

There was no honorable exit strategy here, only a least offensive option. I could
be honest, pray that he’d forgive me, and hope to God that Jonah did, too.

I called up every ounce of bravery I possessed, and it was only barely enough to force
the words past my lips.

“I joined the Red Guard.”

Ethan’s face went white, and his eyes went huge. He stared at me, and my heart fell
to my knees.

“You—you . . .” He tried to speak, but he was furious enough that he couldn’t get
the words out. “You did
what
?”

I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice and remember why I’d made the decision
that I had.
Because I’d been given the choice to serve, and I knew my choice had been right
. “I joined the Red Guard. I’m a member now.”

He just stared at me, as seconds or minutes or hours passed. I waited on tenterhooks
while he assessed my dishonesty, and probably the validity of our relationship. Finally
I broke, and filled the silence I could no longer stand.

“You were gone,” I said. “And the GP was destroying us from the inside out. They came
to me, and I said yes for the House—for what was left of us without you.”

He put a palm against his chest. “For my House? To join an organization whose sole
purpose is to spy on us?”

“We aren’t spies,” I insisted, holding my ground. “It was the right thing to do.
Is
the right thing to do. We were falling apart, and things certainly haven’t gotten
any better. I’m so sorry. I hated keeping it from you, Ethan.
Hated
it. But I couldn’t tell you.”

He glared at me. “Don’t talk to me about your motivations.” He wet his lips and looked
away. “You’ve been inducted?”

Fear strangled me, and it took me a moment to answer. For both of us, there was no
turning back. “Yes. Lacey saw it. She followed me to the meet.”

His jaw clenched. “And he’s your partner?”

I shrank back into myself, fearing this answer would seal my fate. If Ethan hadn’t
been at stake, I wouldn’t have answered. But it would be disrespectful to lie to him.

“Yes,” I finally admitted.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” His eyes flashed silver, and a pulse of bright, hot,
furious magic filled the air.

I swallowed, and nodded. Ethan’s chest rose and fell, shock and fury battling in his
face. He looked like he couldn’t decide whether to scream or cry, whether to bellow
out his agony or curse the gods.

“You were gone,” I repeated.

He barked out a laugh. “And that’s the rub, isn’t it, Merit? I’m back now.”

I nodded.

“I’ve been back . . . for a month . . . and you hadn’t bothered to tell me?” He took
a menacing step closer. “I had to find out like this, from another Master, Merit?
From a vampire I made and trained? A vampire who has, apparently, more honesty than
my own girlfriend.”

“I couldn’t tell you. You may not agree with what I did, but you know why they exist.
You know what they stand for.”
Right and justice
, I thought.

That didn’t seem to matter to him. “Did you share blood with him?”

“It was just a drop. Just a drop on a blade. There was no drinking. I swear it.”