Biting Bad_ A Chicagoland Vampires Novel(86)
“Hey,” I said, “can you ask Gabriel about my car? Not that I’m totally eager to have the orange monster back, but he’s probably going to want the Mercedes.”
“Sure,” Mallory said. “I thought I heard him say the repairs were done, but maybe I missed it. I’ll check.”
We exchanged good-byes, and they left the office. When they were gone, Ethan took my hands and looked down at me.
“What?” I asked. “What are you fretting about?”
“Mallory,” he said. “I want you to be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not going to get hurt.” I could hear the defensiveness in my voice, and I hated that.
“I’m not saying she’s going to hurt you,” he said. “But the possibility exists. She has made bad decisions before. Maybe she’s on the road to recovery. Maybe this is her second chance at a good life. But in case it’s not, I want you safe. I want you whole.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “I want both of us whole, Merit. I am trying to be patient, to realize that she was under the influence of something old and ancient and much larger and more powerful than she was, but she violated the sanctity of this House.”
“I know.”
“I do not love her the way that you do. She is your family, possibly more so than anyone else.”
“Except you.”
He tipped up my chin, his eyes wide with surprise. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. Somehow, you’ve become my family. But you’re right. She’s family, too, so she gets another chance.”
“I want you happy,” he said. “And I want you safe.”
“I want to accelerate a few days and gorge myself on steak at Tuscan Terrace,” I said with a smile. “Sometimes we don’t always get what we want.”
“And sometimes,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips, “we get exactly what we want. Go get back to work.”
“Dictator,” I said, but felt the weight around my heart lighten, just a bit.
Chapter Fifteen
JEFF’S HOUSE OF FUN
Ethan addressed and the internal riot momentarily quelled, it was (past) time to get back to business. Taking the stairs to the basement, I rounded the corner to find Lindsey blocking the Ops Room door, her arms stretched out across the threshold like a human baby gate.
Her hair was pulled into a ponytail today, and it sat stylishly on one shoulder. But the look she gave me was definitely not pretty.
“Stop. Fighting,” she said.
Ethan and I radiated magic when we fought, but this time we hadn’t actually been the ones fighting.
“I wasn’t fighting. Connor got into it with one of the Grey House vampires. And then Mallory had a prophecy.”
Lindsey grimaced. “Apparently we missed out on a lot. Fight first, then prophecy.”
“Too many vampires in one House,” I explained. “Connor’s embarrassed, and he’s probably going to get the vampire version of KP duty for mixing it up with Grey House, but yeah, he’ll live.”
“That sucks.”
I nodded. “And the prophecy was something about blood and the ‘fount of life.’”
“Weird.”
“You should have seen it in person.”
“I’ll pass,” Lindsey said. “She still gives me the heebie-jeebies.” She looked at me askance. “But there’s more. You and Ethan had some kind of something?”
“You’re fishing. And we didn’t have something or anything. We’re just bummed it’s Valentine’s Day and I’m spending it with you guys.”
“Yeah, well, tone down the magic. You’re giving me split ends.”
“I doubt that’s even biologically possible, since you’re a vampire, and regardless, no. What’s got your undies in a twist this evening?”
Was it the entire House? Perhaps the angst of so many vampires packed into a small space, or worry about the riots or the GP, but everybody—me included—was in a mood tonight.
“The psychic sewer,” Luc called out from the Ops Room. I considered that my invitation, and slipped around Lindsey and into the room.
“Psychic sewer?” I asked, taking a seat at the table.
Tonight, only Cadogan House vampires were in attendance. Luc was at the table, Lindsey now beside him. Juliet was still recuperating, and Kelley was probably on patrol outside, which left the temps at the computer stations.
“Because she’s empathic,” Luc said, “she gets the dregs of all the various emotions floating around this House. And trust me—with this many vamps stuck together, there are many, many dregs.”