“I am mortified,” Ethan said. “Furious, disappointed, and mortified. They are guests in our home. And whether you condone their behavior or not, they are to be treated as guests. Is that clear?”
“Liege,” Connor quietly murmured.
“I didn’t hear that,” Ethan gritted.
“Liege,” he said again, this time with conviction.
“Malik’s office,” Ethan directed, and Connor disappeared down the hallway.
“Upstairs,” Scott echoed, gesturing toward the Grey House vampire. “The rest of you get back to it,” he said, and the hallway cleared of vampires.
In the silence, we heard the scribbling of a pen, and we glanced back to the office doorway. Nick Breckenridge stood there, scribbling furiously, notebook and pen in hand.
Ethan sighed, and looked at Scott. “I suppose we asked for a story about the riots’ real, unscripted effects.”
“You get what you ask for,” Scott agreed.
“Unfortunately,” Ethan said, glancing at Scott, “I think it might be time to reconsider the offer on that building you found.”
Scott nodded. “I think you might be right.”
Nick followed Scott, Jonah, and the Grey House vampire upstairs, leaving me and Ethan alone in the hallway. He rubbed his temples for a moment before stepping back into his office. I followed him.
“Have you heard anything about Juliet?”
“She’s awake and resting,” Ethan said. “She wanted to be up and outside this evening, but Luc declined her offer.”
A weight lifted from my chest. “That’s wonderful news.”
“This is one of those nights—one of those weeks—in which I think I could very much enjoy a mundane human life.”
The admission, so close to what I’d been thinking, struck me in its honesty.
“I know,” I said. “I’ve had nights like that, too. When a cubicle and a desk job and mind-numbing boredom seem preferable.”
“I don’t think a cubicle is our only other option. We could buy an estate in Scotland on the moors or in the wilds of Alaska where no one would ever find us.”
“The grass is always greener,” said a voice at the door. Looking up, we found Catcher and Mallory in the doorway.
Mallory’s hair was in two long braids, a knit cap pulled over her brow. She wore a puffy down jacket and calf-high winter boots over jeans. Catcher, on the other hand, wore a thin barn coat over jeans, no gloves, hat, or scarf in sight. He was, however, wearing one of those expressions that said, quite clearly, “The world is an idiot.” I guess his anger was keeping him warm.
“Looks like we missed some excitement?” he said.
“Too many vampires and too much testosterone in the House,” I explained, earning an eye roll from Ethan. He could object to the phrasing as much as he wanted, but facts were facts.
“What brings you by?” Ethan asked them.
“We heard about what happened last night,” Mallory said. “We wanted to check in on you.” She gave me a head-to-toe look. “You look whole.”
“I am,” I said. “Just a little sore.”
Catcher and Mallory stepped inside, and Catcher closed the door behind them. “I hear the GP didn’t fare so well?”
At Ethan’s gesture, we all walked to the office’s sitting area. It had been a long time since we’d shared a casual chat at the House with the two of them.
Mallory and Catcher sat down. Catcher practically commanded the seat, arms on the armrests, one leg crossed, ankle over knee.
Mallory sat beside him, but she looked vaguely uncomfortable, perhaps because she hadn’t actually been inside Cadogan House since Ethan’s death. And that visit hadn’t exactly turned out for the best.
“Harold Monmonth is no longer with us,” Ethan confirmed. “And my blade is the reason for that.”
“Can’t say I envy your position,” Catcher said, “although the guy attacks your House, he has to know the risks.”
“One would assume,” Ethan said. “But logic has often eluded the GP.”
“How has the GP responded?” Catcher asked.
“They haven’t,” Ethan said. “We’re awaiting their move.”
“So the atmosphere around here is cool, calm, and collected as usual?” Mallory asked lightly.
“Pretty much,” I said. “What about you? How are things with the Apex?”
“About the same.”
I thought of my conversation with Catcher and the work Mallory and the shifters were doing together. I considered not asking her about it since she hadn’t mentioned it herself, but playing subtle with Mallory had only ended in despair the first time around.