Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires 5)

And Juliet was closer to those rays than I was.

"This is ridiculous," I said, and could hear the hysteria in my voice. "She's closer than I am. The sun wil burn her before it ever reaches me."

"That was the luck of the draw," Frank said. "She drew the position she finds herself in. There is no one to blame for that."

But that simply wasn't true. Frank had directed us to our poles.

"I cannot believe the GP would condone such a thing,"

Malik said. "Not to any vampires who've taken oaths to their House, who've sworn to protect it."

Frank tilted his head at Malik. "You don't think facing the sun is an important skil for a vampire? You don't think it's a situation they may encounter?"

"God wil ing," Malik said, eyes narrowing, "should they everoulk it face it, it would be at the hands of an enemy, not an organization that exists to protect them."

And that, I thought, encapsulated perfectly what I'd seen of the GP. It might have been established al those years ago to protect vampires, to organize Houses, and to provide order, but from what I'd seen of Darius West and this monster, it was only now concerned with proving a political point.

Maybe it was time to reconsider my involvement in the Red Guard. Maybe, now that Ethan was gone and Malik was under the gun, it was time to think about taking a step to protect al vampires, not just those in the House.

As the sun breached the horizon and light crossed the yard, the case in favor of RG membership grew stronger.

The ray of sunlight lengthened, deepened, reaching Juliet's post and crawling up the side. Horrified, I watched as the tips of her tennis shoes began to glow bright red.

"Juliet? Are you okay?"

Tears began to stream down her face, but she clenched her jaw and maintained her position in stoic silence. She must have been in tremendous pain, and stil she stood atop her post, refusing to submit.

Her hunger also seemed to take its tol ; her eyes silvered and her fangs extended, the predator awoken by pain, hunger, and exhaustion.

I looked back at Frank, who was sipping from his mug, completely unmoved by her agony. "You have to cal a stop to this. Can't you see she's in pain?"

He just arched an arrogant eyebrow.

"Fine. If you won't do something, then I wil . I'l resign from the test." I made a move to hop down from the post, but his words stopped me cold.

"Maintain your position, Merit. Maintain your position on that post, or your position as Sentinel wil be revoked immediately. And the same goes for Juliet. If you cannot respect the importance of the common good over any individual vampire, neither of you deserve your positions."

A sob echoed from Juliet's corner of the lawn as I gaped at Frank. "You can't unmake me Sentinel. Ethan gave me that position. Only Malik can make that cal ."

"Oh, but I can," Frank said. "It's my responsibility to get this House in order. A vampire who voluntarily withdraws from the testing - who refuses to hold herself to the standards of her brothers and sisters in arms - is not a vampire who has the best interests of the House foremost in mind."

I looked over at Juliet, who was shaking ferociously at the pain, her hands wrapped around her waist as she sobbed.

"Juliet, get down from there!"

"I c-c-can't," she stuttered out. "I can't not be a guard. It's al I've known. This House is my life."

She wouldn't have much of one left if I didn't act. The punishment was unfair, but it was more unfair for Juliet to suffer doubly - the burns of the rising sun and the loss of her position in the House.

For as long as I was able to do it - even if only a few more minutes - my job was to protect the House and its vampires. If I could so easy dismiss the value of her life, I shouldn't have been Sentinel anyway.

It was an easy cal , but that didn't mean the repercussions would be easy to bear. Ethan had named me Sentinel. Ethan had Commended me into the House and thrown me into thewn t th position. And while I may not have been ready to accept it at the time, it was my position now. Mine to have. Mine to protect.

And just as with my Cadogan medal, mine to forfeit.

I found Malik's face in the crowd, and when he nodded at me, I raised my hands in the air. "I forfeit," I said. "I forfeit.

Juliet wins. Get her down!"

There was a mad rush to Juliet's pole. Luc reached up and grabbed her and carried her into the House, fol owed by a stream of vampires seeking the cover of shade. The sun was rising, and my faculties were deserting me. I was shaking with exhaustion, but I managed to hop down without fal ing into the nearing ray of light - only to face Frank, who stood before me with a gleeful expression on his face.

"There are simpler ways to get me to resign," I told him, and enjoyed seeing the smile wiped from his face. He'd been the one who'd ensured I was on the safest pole, that I'd have to forfeit in order to protect someone else from being burned. I guess it was a compliment that he thought I'd sacrifice myself . . . and that he thought me dangerous enough that he'd rather leave the House without a Sentinel than leave me in that position.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I doubt that," I said, "but that's between you and your conscience." I hurried toward Malik, who now stood in the doorway of the House, ensuring everyone made it inside safely.

Frank was the last one inside, and he made it in just as the sun fil ed the backyard with light. Thankful y, the House's shutters were already down.

I stood inside the cool, quiet of the kitchen for a moment with my eyes closed, savoring the darkness.

When I opened my eyes, Malik was the only vampire in sight.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "It may not have been the right thing to do for the House - to forfeit my position - but I couldn't just stand there and let her take it."

"It was the only right thing to do," he assured. "That said, with Cabot here . . ."

He didn't need to finish the point. I couldn't stand Sentinel as long as Frank - and the GP - had control of the House.

Oh, how things had changed. In a few short months, Ethan had lost his life and a new Master had been instal ed.

And summarily replaced. The Ombud's office had been dismantled. I'd been stripped of my identity as a Sentinel.

But just as there'd been no choice those months ago when Ethan had named me to the position in the first place, there was no choice now but to accept the change and deal with it with as much grace as possible.

Even if I acted alone, I would act with bravery. A Sentinel in heart and mind, even if not official y.