subject. “When will our esteemed leader be here?”
“Evidently in two hours.”
I blinked, shocked Ethan wouldn’t get a little more advance notice for the arrival of a man we had to call Sire. “And you’re just discovering this now?”
Ethan wet his lips, irritation crossing his face.
“Darius apparently believed it would be best if he visited the House au naturel, so to speak. No warning meant no time to fake conditions in the House, or some such concern. He wants to see us in our typical home environment.”
“Being the knuckle draggers we usually are?”
He smiled thinly. “As you say. He’s on a plane—has been since before sunset—and will be here relatively shortly. Helen is preparing an evening meal. There are . . . traditions that must be followed.”
“Virgin sacrifice?”
“The finest corn-fed, midwestern beef. In copious amounts for Darius and his entourage.”
That word tightened my stomach. “When you say entourage—”
“I’m not including Celina. He won’t be bringing any other GP members, just his usual traveling staff. He’s already got an advance man in Chicago. They’ll be staying at the Trump.”
“I’m surprised he’s not staying here if he wants to keep an eye on things.”
Ethan scoffed. “The largest room we have available is the consort suite, and Darius’s taste runs to something larger—and more refined.”
I hadn’t developed much respect for the GP in the relatively few months I’d been a vampire; this info wasn’t doing much for my impression of Darius West, either.
Now that he’d explained the furniture shenanigans, it was time to give Ethan a second dose of fun news. I gestured toward Helen and her helpers. “Can I speak to you privately?”
“To discuss?”
“House business.”
He glanced up, meeting my gaze for a moment while gauging my request. “Helen,” he said, his eyes still on me, “could you give us a moment?”
“Of course.” With a smile, she closed her binder. With a twirl of her hand, she rounded up her assistant and the movers.
“You have the floor,” he said when the office door closed behind them.
“First matter of business, my father wants to involve you in some kind of investment. Feel free to call him back or not; I only promised that I’d tell you about it.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “That explains his chipperness at Creeley Creek.”
“My thoughts exactly. As for the other Creeley Creek business, I visited the Ombud’s office. They haven’t heard any chatter about violent episodes.” I steeled my will and offered up the lie I’d prepared. “Since we’ve suspected the raves are operated by Rogues, I called Noah.”
Ethan paused, probably debating whether it was worth the trouble to scold me for making a call to the leader of the Rogue vampires without his permission. But after a moment, he relented.
“Good thinking.”
It was a lie, is what it was. And that did not sit well in my stomach or heart. But it had to be done.
“He called a few minutes ago,” I added. “He was flashmobbed a time and place for some sort of event tonight.”
“A rave?”
I shrugged. “He doesn’t know. He only got time and place. A high-rent place in Streeterville.
Two a.m.”
Ethan pushed back his shirtsleeve and glanced down at his watch. “That’s not much time. And with Darius coming in, I can’t go, and I can’t spare any guards.”
“I know. Noah volunteered to go with me.”
Ethan watched me for a minute. We’d usually, by circumstance, ended up on our various adventures together. This would be a first for me—an escapade with another vampire.
“I’m not crazy about this idea,” he said.
“If Tate’s information is correct, we’re looking at something bigger and nastier than raves—maybe something the raves are evolving into. We have to figure out what it is. If we don’t, you’ll be wearing an orange jumpsuit.”
“I know.” He picked up a black pencil and tapped it absently on the desk before gazing up at me with translucently green eyes. “You’ll be careful?”
“I have no interest in ending up on the wrong end of an aspen stake,” I promised. “And besides, I took two oaths to serve your House. It wouldn’t exactly be kosher of me to skip out just because I was afraid.”
His expression softened sympathetically. “Are you?”
“I prefer to avoid violence.”
“I know the feeling.”
At the sudden knock on the door, we both looked up. Two vamps, unescorted by Helen, stood in the doorway, sharing the weight of a massive marble pedestal.
I glanced at Ethan, eyebrow lifted.
“It belonged to Peter Cadogan,” he dryly explained. “We’ve had it in storage, but Helen thought it would add verve to the room.”
“Far be it from me to disagree.”
“We can move this in?” one of the vamps asked.
Ethan waved them in. “Of course. Thank you.” As they scurried across the floor, marble in hand, he glanced back at me. “Good luck tonight.
Report when you’re back.”
With that, he looked down at his papers, excusing me from his office.
It took me a moment to turn around and head for the door again. It was not that I’d expected a teary goodbye, but we had become de facto partners. I could understand his reticence to talk about raves in front of other vamps, but a few words of wisdom wouldn’t have been amiss. I might have been a soldier, but I was still a newbie one . . . and even vampire soldiers were occasionally frightened.
As much as I loved casual, and as steamy as August had been so far, I knew jeans and a cotton tank top weren’t going to cut it tonight.
We were heading to a rave. At best, it was going to be a party for vamps, and I needed to look the part; at worst, it was going to be a battle of vamps, and I was going to need the protection.
No, tonight was a night for leather. Well, leather pants, at least, since it was much too hot for the full ensemble.
I know, stereotypical vampire. I had that thought every time I pulled the leather out of my closet. But you ask any Harley rider who’s experienced road rash, and he’ll explain why he wears leather. Because it
I pulled a longish, flowy, gray tank top from the closet and paired that with the leather pants, then pulled my hair into a high ponytail, leaving a fringe of bangs across my forehead. I skipped the Cadogan medal—I was attempting to fly undercover, after all—but I pulled a long necklace made of strands of pewter-colored beads over the tank. With my black boots, the ensemble looked half-runway, half–party girl. It didn’t scream vampire soldier, which I figured could only help. Element of surprise, and all that.
I slid my dagger, inscribed on one end with my position, into my right boot, then stuck my phone and beeper into a tiny clutch purse. I wouldn’t take the purse or the beeper to the event, but at least I wouldn’t have to carry a handful of gadgets to the car. En masse, they weren’t exactly ergonomic.
I’d just added blush and lip gloss when there was a knock at the door. Luc, I assumed, having been sent upstairs by Ethan for a last-minute strategy session.
“About time,” I said, pulling the door open.
Green eyes stared back at me. Ethan hadn’t sent Luc upstairs; he’d come on his own. He scanned my outfit.
