Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires 4)

"Maybe you should substitute Noah in the version you tell Ethan."

Since Noah was the de facto leader of Chicago's Rogue vampires, that made sense. Of course, I'd still have to lie to Ethan. I wasn't crazy about that idea, but it wasn't fair to rely on Jonah and his intel and then out his RG membership.

"Probably a good idea," I concluded.

"I'll give Noah a call and fill him in," Jonah said. "I'll see you tonight. Call me if you need anything."

I said my temporary goodbyes, sincerely hoping I could make it through the next few hours before meeting Jonah without having to call him for help.

Of course, even if I wasn't calling a vampire for help, I still had to ask a vampire for permission.

The food truck was gone when I returned to the House, and the humans looked tired again.

Ethan probably hadn't counted on the truck's second benefit - the post-hot-beef food coma.

I walked past the protesters with a friendly smile and wave, then trotted into the House and headed for Ethan's first-floor office. I found the door open, the office abuzz with activity.

Helen, the House liaison for newbie vamps, stood in the middle of the room, pink binder in hand, directing the flow of sleek new furniture into Ethan's office. The room had been mostly emptied after the attack, the bulk of his furniture reduced to matchsticks. But that was being remedied by the men and women - presumably vampires, given Tate's human-free-House policy - who were carrying in pieces of a gigantic new conference table.

Another vampire I didn't recognize flitted around, offering suggestions to the movers about furniture placement. Since she wore a nubby pink suit that exactly matched Helen's, I assumed she was Helen's assistant.

Ethan sat behind a new desk, his chair pushed back, one ankle crossed over one knee, his gaze on Helen. He watched the two of them work with a mix of amusement and irritation in his expression.

I walked over and noticed the spread of glossy paper on his desk - home-decor catalogs, catering menus, lighting plans. "What's going on?"

"We're preparing."

Hands behind my back, I glanced down at one of the catering menus. "For senior prom? Let me guess - 'A Night Under the Stars' is your theme."

Ethan glanced up at me, a line between his eyes. "For the imminent arrival of Darius West."

That floored me. Darius West was the head of the Greenwich Presidium. Since the GP was headquartered near London, I couldn't imagine Darius's arrival in Chicago portended anything good.

That took care of convincing Ethan not to join me and Jonah at the rave tonight. Darius gave me a perfect excuse to keep Jonah in the closet.

But that didn't mean I wouldn't take the opportunity to tweak Ethan. "Yet another surprise visit to Cadogan House?"

He kept his voice low. "As we've discussed, Lacey's visit wasn't a surprise, although it was somewhat accelerated." He looked up at me.

"And as we've also discussed, you're the only one I'm interested in."

I wasn't up for this conversation in an empty room, much less a room full of vampires, so I changed the 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.