Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires 5)

Benson's was filled with Cubs memorabilia, and although the Cubs' season had been over for some time, the bar was stil packed tonight. Where better to spend the end of the world than with your closest friends and your favorite liquor? Since humans weren't aware the bar was affiliated with Grey House, or vampires general y, the clientele was a mix of humans, vampires, and probably some supernaturals I didn't even know existed.

I waded through bodies until I caught a glimpse of Jonah standing in a back corner. He wore a short-sleeved V-neck T-shirt over jeans and a couple days' worth of stubble. It would have been a lie to deny that he was handsome, and when he looked up to watch me walk across the bar, I could have imagined - in another time and place - approaching him in a bar for an altogether different reason.

"Hey," he said when I reached him. "You managed not to get captured by malcontents. Wel done."

There was an irritatingly attractive twinkle in his eye, but since he'd had a good attitude about the kiss, I decided to let him keep it. "Ha ha," I said. "And yes. I did manage not to get captured by malcontents."

Jonah gestured to the man beside him, who was a little shorter than Jonah and had a crop of platinum blond hair.

"Merit, Jack," he said. "Jack is a House guard. We've been friends for years. Jack, Merit."

Jack, whose bright blue eyes were lined in kohl, looked me over. "You are - exactly what I expected," he said, in a voice that sang faintly of the South.

I smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, I think?"

"It's total y a compliment. You're adorable, and I love the bangs."

There was something completely disarming about Jack.

His smile was huge, and he gave the impression he didn't bother saying things he didn't mean, which made the compliment that much more meaningful.

But I wasn't sure how I felt about the fact he knew what I looked like. Had Jonah been talking about me?

"Thank you," I said. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"We were talking about double swords," Jonah said, then reached into his back pocket for his wal et. "You need a drink?"

"Not yet, thanks. What are double swords?"

"Using two katanas at a time," Jack explained. "I think it's a circus technique. Completely impractical and used only for show and intimidation."

"And I think our friend Jack here is ful of shit," Jonah added, "and double katanas are the next big trend in martial arts training."

"I swear to God you are stubborn," Jack said, rol ing his eyes. "When was the last time you were engaged in a battle and happened to have two swords handy?"

"I would if they were standard weaponry."

"Exactly my point," Jack said, offering me a wink. I offered back a smile.

"Look," Jonah said, "I'm talking about scope. And on the battlefield, anything goes."

"Including double swords?" I wondered.

"Including double swords, my single-katana-ed friend."

Jack made a sound of doubt, but clinked his bottle of beer good-naturedly against Jonah's. "I suppose if al else fails we can skip the double and triple swords and go right for the quads."

"Hooah," they belted out together, and clinked their bottles again.

Guys were just complete mysteries to me, and I stared blankly back at both of them.

"You know about the Four Swords right?" Jonah asked.

I shook my head.

"Can I give you a lecture about being a total noob?"

"I real y wish you wouldn't. Educate me, but only if you can do it without editorial commentary."

Jack grinned. "I knew I was going to like you. I knew it."

"Once upon a time," Jonah began, "in a kingdom far, far away, lived a Samurai. He believed that he was destined to travel the world and assist those who needed him. As a Samurai, he traveled with four swords at his side, each one representing one of the four elements in the world - air, fire, earth, and water."

There was a lot of that going around these days.

"The Samurai traveled the world to educate others about swordcraft and eventual y landed in Europe."

"This was the Samurai who trained vampires how to fight with katanas," I said, spoiling his punch line.

"It was," Jonah said. "But did you know Scott was the vampire who met the Samurai and introduced the craft to everyone else? And that those same four swords are now hanging in Grey House?"

I looked between Jonah and Jack. "Is that true?"

Jack touched my arm. "That story's true, but don't believe him when he starts in on how he saved al the orphans in Kansas City the time Godzil a ravaged it."

"It was a retirement vil age and an escaped mountain lion," Jonah corrected. If he was tel ing the truth, I figured that was dramatic enough.

Jack waved away the correction and checked his watch.

"I have to run. If the world's ending, I want to be in the arms of a loved one when it happens. Or at least Paul," he added with a grumble.

"The end of the world would solve the Paul problem,"

Jonah offered. "So would breaking up with him."

Jack made a dubious sound. "He's already promised to haunt me in hel if it comes down to it. And a breakup would go over just as wel ."

"Shut up or nut up, Jack."

"I wil cut you," Jack said with a smile, pointing a fierce finger in Jonah's face. But his expression dissolved. "See you tomorrow night, hoss. Quarterlies wil be on your desk."

"Appreciated," Jonah said.

Jack held out his arms, and then embraced me in a hug.

"Lovely to meet you, Merit. Take care of our captain,"

hecap," whispered, leaving me with a blush.

"Relationship trouble?" I wondered, hoping Jonah hadn't heard that comment, as we watched Jack disappear into the crowd.

"Never-ending drama," Jonah said. "I am, as you might have realized, not a fan of drama. Jack has a much higher tolerance. Paul's tolerance, unfortunately, is even higher."

"Jack seems like a stand-up guy, the drama notwithstanding."

"Jack is loyalty personified," Jonah said. "I appreciate loyalty."

"It's a great character trait."

"I have a sense you haven't seen much of it lately."

The insight was right on - and a little scary for it. "I'm not Sentinel anymore."

He froze. "What?"

I told him about Frank, about the testing, about everything that had gone down the night before.