And from the look of it as I unfastened buttons and pulled the shirt from his shoulders, it was.
“They did a number on you,” I quietly said, unsure whether I should be screaming or crying at the outrage.
“I’ll heal,” Ethan said, gaze on me as I dropped his shirt to the floor, flipped off his shoes, and helped him unbuckle his pants. Under any other circumstances, his gaze would have been demure and seductive. But tonight, he looked exhausted.
I turned off the fire, flipped off the lights, and climbed into the cool sheets beside him. The pain be damned, he pulled me against his body.
“Thank you for rescuing me, Ballerina,” Ethan drowsily said. “And if he ever so much as lays a hand on you, I will break it.”
I smiled against his chest, fell asleep to the sound of the slow and steady beating of his heart.
Chapter Twenty
THREE-RING CIRCUS
The sun fell, and my eyes snapped open. Ethan, golden and beautiful, stood beside his bureau, already dressed and pressing cuff links into place. He’d showered and cleaned up and looked perfectly healthy.
“Good morning, Sentinel.”
“Good morning, Sullivan. Sleep well?”
“I slept,” he said with a smile. “After the last twenty-four hours, that was glorious enough.”
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, hoping for a message or update from Jeff about Regan’s position or the collection. But I found nothing.
“The kidnappings?” Ethan asked, and I nodded.
“Luc filled me in on the details last night. It was a good idea, calling Tate.”
I felt a tingle of relief. “We weren’t sure you’d see it that way.”
“If he’d hurt you, I’d have killed him myself. Fortunately, all is well. And he has a family.”
“That’s what it seems.”
“Chicago has become a very unusual world now that you’re in it, Merit.”
“I’d like it to become a smaller world. We still don’t know where Regan is.”
Ethan nodded. “Keep at it. You’ll find her eventually, and when you do, I want to know about it. I’d also like to address the House before everyone begins their days.”
A bolt of nerves shot through me. Discussions in the ballroom meant serious matters. “About?”
“The future of the House,” he cryptically said. “Get dressed.”
I gave him a salute and toddled to the shower.
• • •
I dressed in leathers and wore my katana, which made me the odd vampire out in Cadogan’s lovely second-floor ballroom. Most everyone else wore their black standard-issue Cadogan suits, their new teardrop medals winking atop pale skin. Luc, who wore jeans, and Helen, who wore a pink tweed suit, were exceptions to the general rule. I moved to Luc, stood beside him and the rest of the guards.
The mood of the vampires who filled the room was nervous but excited. Those who’d missed Ethan’s arrival were obviously glad to see him back, and I could hear the whispers about how their Liege had fared in custody, and if he was as healthy now as he’d been when he left.
Ethan stepped to the dais in the front of the room, Malik beside him. Thunderous applause filled the air. Ethan smiled, letting his gaze scan and catch the eyes of the Novitiates who stood before him.
Ethan allowed the applause to go on for a moment—he still had his ego—before lifting his hands. The room quieted instantly.
“It’s nice to be home again,” he said, which set off another round of hoots and applause.
“The city acted unfairly toward us, toward Grey House, toward Navarre. We have helped this city over the last few months with issues they were unable or unwilling to address, and they have done us no service by accusing us of wrongdoing.”
His gaze narrowed. “I can affirm, for better or worse, that they believe they are doing the right thing for Chicago. This is no political ploy or attempt to win votes. They, the mayor included, have been advised by many—and wrongly—that supernatural creatures are the enemy. Frankly, much of the trouble we’ve seen in the last few months can be laid at the feet of supernaturals. That fact is undeniable. But we also are the solution. And the vast majority of us are trying to do right by the city that we love.
“I’m happy to announce the mayor has agreed to begin peace talks with the city’s supernaturals. The mayor also has agreed to engage Merit’s grandfather once again as supernatural liaison on a probationary basis.”
There were happy cheers and several friendly pats on my back. I would, of course, have preferred my grandfather become a fan of daytime television instead of dealing with more supernatural drama. But he was who he was. And it wasn’t my place to deny him that.
“But there is another issue we should discuss,” he said. This time, my stomach curled into a tight knot.
“Lakshmi Rao has traveled to Chicago to meet with us as a representative of the Greenwich Presidium to set forth the GP’s demand for retribution in the death of Harold Monmonth. As you may imagine, I don’t believe their demands have any basis in reality. But the GP is what the GP is. We will hear her offer, and we will act accordingly.”
He looked at me. “The world is changing. Our world is changing. We will do our best to meet the challenges we face with honor, with bravery, with respect for those around us. That,” he said, looking across the sea of vampires again, “is what makes us Cadogan vampires.” He raised his fist into the air. “To Cadogan House!”
“To Cadogan House!” shouted his vampires in unison.
I loved Ethan Sullivan. Lusted for him, in many instances. But I respected him most of all. And just like my grandfather, he was who he was.
It wasn’t my place to deny Ethan, either.
• • •
Ethan excused the House, and the vampires filed out the door, heading off to their jobs or assignments. Ethan and Malik lingered in the front of the room.
I glanced at Luc. “I’ll meet you in the Ops Room.”
He nodded. “Do that, Sentinel. We’ll be waiting for you.”
I walked toward Ethan, nodded at Malik as he clasped Ethan’s hand, then filed out with the rest of the vampires.
He still stood on the dais, a foot above me, looking down with hands on his hips. “Hello, Sentinel. I recall we’ve been in this position before.”
“So we have. When you named me Sentinel.”
He stepped down, touched a finger to the medal at my neck. “And much has passed since then.”
I looked up at him, ignored my fear, and spilled out what was in my heart. “We need a change. Vampires need a change, solid leadership, and a new direction. You could provide all that. You should challenge Darius. Make the GP respectable again.”
Shock and pleasure in his eyes, he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around me, and pressed his lips to my forehead. “There is much to be gained. And much to be lost.”
My heart pounded with sudden fear that he’d included me in the latter category.
“The future of the House is uncertain,” Ethan said, but he didn’t seem worried. He kissed me again. “For now, Sentinel, get down to the Ops Room and see about its present.”
• • •
I found Jeff tucked in with Luc and Lindsey at the conference room desk.
“How’s the search going?” I asked, taking a seat on the other side of the table.
“It’s not,” Jeff said, with unusual irritation. “Do you know how long it takes to search every square block of the city looking for trailers one block at a time?” He winced, ran his hands through his hair. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated. This is taking for-freaking-ever.” He looked up at me, and even Jeff—Jeff of boundless energy and good humor—looked tired. “And we don’t have any basis to narrow this down. We have no bio information, no personal information. I even looked online to see if Regan might have sent invitations electronically, and found nothing.”