Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires 4)

"Yeah, and I need you to promise not to freak out."

"No one ever says that unless the odds of freaking out are pretty high."

"True." I paused for courage, then spit it out.

"I need to talk to you about Celina." I gave him the details, from the would-be rave to the woman named Marie outside Temple Bar.

There was a long pause. "And what, exactly, do you think she's doing?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe soliciting humans for some kind of vamp anger-management sessions?"

He made a disdainful sound. "Merit, even if I conceded the point, which I don't, the GP isn't going to put her behind bars."

"Maybe not. But if we have enough

information about what she's really doing here, we tip the odds. And if nothing else, we gain a better understanding of what she's up to and how we can keep her from destroying the city."

"So, let me get this straight - you want me to help you investigate my Master, the woman who made me a vampire, whom I gave two oaths to serve, against the wishes of the GP, and you don't have any evidence of whatever it is you think she might be involved in?"

"'Investigate' is a really strong word. I prefer 'keep apprised of.'"

He went quiet.

"Look," I said, "I know it's a lot to ask, especially from you, especially from me. But she's tried to kill me twice, she's tried to kill Ethan, and God only knows if she's really staying out of Navarre business."

That last one was a stretch, but given the quick hitch in his breath, I figured I was on to something.

"She's got friends," I reminded him. "At least a couple from Cadogan, and that's not even her House. Have you lost any members lately?"

I had to give it to him. His tone changed, from adolescent angst to vampire in charge.

"No," he said. "But they loved her. And I haven't made any vamps yet. Won't until the spring, so their allegiances are to her. Would it surprise me if they'd been in touch? And that they hadn't told me about it? Eh. I wouldn't put great odds on it, but stranger things have happened."

"If she is mixed up in this - getting humans to vamp parties - why would she do it? What would her motivation be?"

"Well, she did have the crown whipped out from under her, so to speak. If she can't play the vamp heroine, maybe she's ready for a stint as the antagonist."

"The humans don't like her anymore, so she'll happily feed them to the wolves?"

"Like I said, stranger things have happened.

But I seriously, seriously doubt she's playing it that loose. Showing up at a Cadogan bar where folks might recognize her? That doesn't play for me."

And now Morgan and Ethan were thinking alike. That was a frightening development. But they'd both forgotten something important about Celina.

"But those folks might include me. And she's taken the chance for a showdown with me whenever it's presented itself." The woman had it in for me, although I wasn't entirely sure why.

"I don't know. I'm just not feeling that argument."

"Well, if you start to feel it any more strongly - or maybe you hear anything concrete about Celina or her whereabouts - could you give me a call? And if you don't want to do it for me, consider the fate of the city."

"You think she would cause that much trouble?"

"Yes, Morgan, I do. Celina is very smart, very savvy, and, from what I've seen, very unhappy about the way things went down. She expected to play the martyr with humans as well as vamps.

She might have a few vamps on her side - "

"And Cadogan vamps at that," he interrupted.

I rolled my eyes, but continued. "She might have a few vamps on her side, but she doesn't have humans anymore. And that's the thing that bothers her."

"Get me some evidence," he said, "and we'll talk."

He hung up the phone.

Why did everyone keep demanding "evidence" and "facts"? I swear, cop and courtroom dramas were ruining the good name of gut instinct.

Well, either way, I was going to have to get more info. Might as well get started.

My attempt at Temple Bar espionage couldn't get started without a little introductory chat, so after I showered and donned more club-worthy clothes - my black suit pants and another tank, this one in red, matched with red Mary Jane - style heels - I headed to the basement.

The House was four stories of vampire wonder: dorm rooms and Ethan's suite on the top floor. Dorm rooms (including mine), the library, and the ballroom were on the second floor. The first floor held administrative offices, the cafeteria, and the sitting rooms. The basement, however, was all business: training room, the Cadogan House arsenal, a gym, and the Operations Room. The Ops Room served as Luc's office and the HQ for the Cadogan House guards, including Lindsey and, on rare occasions, me. The Ops Room door was cracked open, and this time I had the good sense - and the patience - to peek inside before storming in.

Juliet and Kelley sat at computer stations along the wall, which meant Lindsey was probably outside patrolling the grounds. Luc sat at the conference table that took up the middle of the room - but he was wearing a suit.

Across from Luc sat a tall, slightly gawkylooking man in a suit at least a size too large. He was talking at full speed about his video-gaming hobby.

"And I try not to use cheats, but you can't always rely on the designers to have created a game that progresses logically through any particular portion of the world, so occasionally you have to compromise your standards and find a cheat code in order to move forward, because you really don't want to lose the inertia of forward, progress or you'll completely lose interest in the quest."

When he paused for breath, I found myself sucking in air, too. This guy, whoever he was, did not know when to stop.

"Thank you, Allan. I think that's an interesting answer, although it doesn't entirely speak to how you could contribute as a House guard."

Oh, my God, Luc was interviewing this guy.

We were a man down since Peter's betrayal, so he must have been looking for a replacement. I hoped this one was a safety pick and not Luc's first choice; otherwise, we were in trouble.

Allan's expression was withering. "It goes to the times in which I, as a House guard, would need to rely upon my own fighting instincts and occasionally disobey the standard procedure - the standard protocol, if you will - rather than following the dictates of a Guard Captain who - "

"Wow," Luc interjected, "that is an excellent clarification, and I think that will do it for us today, since we've got another meeting coming up - oh, and look, here's our Sentinel now!"