Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires 3)

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. If we were going to fight like adolescent sisters, might as well go the distance. "Eat it. Eat the whole thing while I'm standing here."

"Maybe I - ," she broke off, raising the back of her free hand and chewing a mouthful of chocolate.

"Maybe I will," she finally got out. As if acting on a dare, she arched an eyebrow, then snapped another bite - although a tiny one - off the end.

"Don't snap my chocolate at me."

"I'll snap whatever I want at you whenever I want. It's my house."

"It's my chocolate."

"Then you probably shouldn't have left it here," said a manly voice in the doorway. We both turned to look at the door. Catcher stood in the doorway, hands on his hips. "Does either one of you want to explain what the hell happened to my house?"

"We're making up," Mallory said, still trying to masticate the mouthful of chocolate.

"By destroying the living room and going into sugar shock?" She shrugged and swallowed. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." As if suddenly realizing that the gruff boy she loved had come home, she smiled. Her face lit up with it. "Hey, baby." He shook his head in amusement, then pushed off the door and went to her.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we keep it PG for the kids, please? Think of the children." Catcher stopped when he reached her and clucked her chin between his thumb and fist. "Just for that, we're going to have a steamy make-out scene."

I rolled my eyes and looked away, but not before I caught sight of him dipping his head for a kiss. I gave them a few seconds before I began clearing my throat, the universal symbol of uncomfortable friends and roommates everywhere.

"So," Catcher said, moving around me to nab the last piece of casserole-style pizza from the box when they finally unlocked lips. "How are things in Cadogan House?"

"Merit and Ethan did it."

He paused midbite, then turned to stare at me.

My cheeks flamed red.

"If you're here instead of basking in the glow, I assume he did something incredibly stupid."

"That's my boy," Mallory said, then slapped him on the butt and headed for the fridge. She opened it, grabbed two cans of diet soda, handed one to me, then popped the top on the other one.

"What an idiot," Catcher said, and put the rest of the slice back in the box. He placed his hands on his hips, his expression mystified. "You know that I've known Sullivan a long time, right?" When he looked at me, brows raised, I nodded. I didn't know how they knew each other, but I knew they went "way back," or so Catcher had said.

"This may not come as much consolation after the deed is done, so to speak, but he'll regret it, and probably sooner than later. But you got something out of it, at least." At my lifted brows, he pointed at Mallory. "You two are talking again." Mallory looked at me from across the island. "Funny, isn't it, that it took Darth Sullivan to bring us back together?"

"Well, he did have the honor of tearing us asunder in the first place." She held out her hands and wiggled her fingers. "Come on over. Let's hug it out." And so we did.

When Catcher got his appetite back, he worked on the last slice while Mallory and I rummaged through my chocolate collection. As an act of good faith, I donated most of it to the Carmichael-Bell house, but that didn't stop me from stuffing chocolate bars filled with almonds and dried cherries into my pockets before I left. I also nabbed a bag of chocolate-coated pecans and sat down to catch up with Mallory's beau. He didn't yet have any additional information about the investigation of the bar shooting, but I filled him in on the basic details of the Pack meeting at the Brecks'. Eventually, I thought to check my watch.

Dawn was approaching, and I still had to meet Ethan and Luc to discuss the convocation. "I need to head back to the House."

"Maybe Ethan's come to his senses since you've been gone," Mallory said. "Maybe he's pining outside your door."

We both contemplated that for a second before snorting simultaneously.

"And leprechauns might poop rainbows on your pillow," she said.

"What do I do, Mal? Do I argue with him? Tell him he's wrong and we can work this out? Ignore him?

Scream? How am I supposed to work with him?"

"I think that's exactly his point, Mer. As for arguing, think about it this way: do you want to be with a man who has to be convinced to be with you?"

"Not when you put it like that."

She nodded, then patted my cheek. "You're ready. Go home." I knew when to take an order.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

HOUSE OF PAIN

I found Luc perched on the edge of the conference table that took up the middle of the Operations Room. Lindsey was at the computer station opposite Luc, where she could monitor feed from the security cameras in and around the House or research whatever supernatural drama was threatening to bubble over into Hyde Park.

They both looked up when I entered.

"How bad was it?" Luc asked. I guessed he and Ethan had talked about what had happened at the Brecks.

"It wasn't fabulous."

Lindsey swiveled around in her chair. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Her voice rang with quiet concern.

"Not especially."

"Ethan seemed weird," she said. "He didn't tell us anything about you and him, but he seemed really weird." I almost snarked back, but when I saw the worry in her expression, and heard the concern in her tone, I threw her a bone.

"I was dumped, and I'd like to think about something else for a little while." I pointed at the spread of documents on the conference table. "What's all this?"

"I - he did what?"

I appreciated the shock and dismay in Lindsey's voice but shook my head. "Business, please."

"Your show, Sentinel," Luc said, then hopped off the table and turned to face it. "This is prep work for your convocation field trip - schematics of St. Bridget's Cathedral." The door behind us opened, and Ethan walked in. He gave me a quick nod of acknowledgment before settling his gaze on the table. I reminded myself that I'd managed a relatively professional relationship with Ethan for all but one of the nights we'd known each other. If he was going to reject me for fear of mixing the personal and the professional, I could play the all-business vampire, as well.

"Plans?" Ethan asked.

Luc nodded. "Ask and ye shall receive."

"Technically," Lindsey said, turning back to her monitor, "check your e-mail and ye shall receive them from the Apex of the North American Central."