Blood Games (Chicagoland Vampires 10)

Brody nodded, aimed at the schedule with a laser pointer. “Lakshmi will be here first. Her plane lands in about two hours. Nicole will be here about three. Lakshmi will meet with both of them, and the psych test will take place at five o’clock. The physical test will take place tomorrow at midnight, and the scores from both tests will be tabulated. The top three contenders make it onto the slate, and then the Houses vote.”

I leaned forward, linked my hands on the table. “How bad are the tests going to be? They have to run an obstacle course, or what?”

“The Prelect sets the challenges,” Luc said. “That’s Lakshmi, at least temporarily, so that could help us. The psych test is . . . intrusive. He’ll face a strong psych who’ll access his mind, his memories, his love, his fears. Poke around in there with a stick and see what gets stirred up.”

Vampires weren’t universally strong. Their abilities varied, and they were rated internationally by three measures: strength, psychic skill, strategic ability. Amit Patel, a friend of Ethan’s, was currently the strongest vampire in the world. It took strength, skill, and resolve to become a Master, but that didn’t mean I wanted Ethan subjected to psychological battery.

“Will it hurt him?” I asked.

“It won’t be a skip through the park with Mary Poppins. There’s at least one report on record of a Master being incapacitated by the testing. They broke his mind.”

“Oh good,” I weakly said, and sat back in the chair.

“In fairness, that particular vampire was notoriously weak—got the job as Master because of some well-placed bribes.”

So Ethan’s innate, infuriating stubbornness would actually help him here. That was something, anyway. “And the physical test?”

“The obstacle-course analogy isn’t totally off,” Luc said. “He’ll be presented with a physical challenge, and he’ll be scored on his success.”

“His strength?” I asked.

“His survival.”

My blood ran cold. “Jesus, Luc.”

“That’s the deal, Sentinel. He knew what he was getting into, and you know he’s stubborn enough to go forward with it.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure that made me feel better.

“Now,” Luc said. “As we all know, in addition to the rigorous and dangerous testing practices, there is one more small wrinkle. Brody,” he prompted, and Brody replaced the schedule with a photograph of Nicole Heart.

“We have information which does not leave this room,” Luc said, “that Nicole Heart is responsible for the shooting at the Cadogan Dash.”

There were murmurs around the room.

“And now she’s coming to our House, to stand against our Master. She’s an official challenger, so she has a right to be here. But I do not trust her, any of her entourage, and you shouldn’t, either. Her primary goal is to win the GP, at any cost. She apparently believes that Ethan is a real contender for that throne, and she’s willing to do what it takes to keep him out of it.”

“You’re thinking she could fix the tests?” Lindsey asked. “Or sabotage them?”

“Lakshmi’s proctoring,” Luc said, “so we’ve got an ally there. I don’t think she’d let Nicole get away with any obvious hanky-panky. The problem is, we don’t know what she’ll try, so we can’t plan ahead for the specifics. Thus, we go in on high alert, and we treat her like an enemy combatant. If you see or hear anything suspicious, you report it. She’s already demonstrated a willingness to be violent. She will not be violent in this House. Is that understood?”

There was a peppering of “sirs” around the room.

“Good. In that case, you know what you have to do.” He looked at me. “Merit, why don’t you take a stroll around the grounds, get a good look-see? No point in taking any chances, and you haven’t had the joy of a patrol walk recently.”

I rose from my chair as guards and temps returned to their stations. But I had one more trick up my sleeve, so I walked to the other end of the table, took the chair beside Luc.

“Sentinel?” he asked.

Mallory had suggested I make a secret play to break through Ethan’s stalemate. She was right. And talk of Balthasar and Nicole made me think of the men and women he’d met in his centuries as a vampire.

Maybe some allies were better in situations like this than others. Maybe some were more powerful.

“I have an idea. Something I think might be the jolt Ethan needs. The timing’s tight, but it might at least help him before the phys test tomorrow.”

Luc cocked his head. “I’m listening.”

“We need to support him, to support the House, and to show Nicole Heart that we don’t stand for nonsense. I think we do that with sheer vampire power.” I smiled fiercely.

“I think we call Amit Patel. And I think we invite him to Chicago.”

* * *

The night air was cool, but compared to the claustrophobic energy inside the House, it was a welcome relief.

The guards at the gate nodded as I passed by them and turned to head around the block. Cadogan House was situated in the middle of a large tract of land, surrounded by green space on all sides, the border marked by a privacy hedge and a tall, black, iron gate. That was where I traveled tonight, walking the perimeter to ensure there’d been no breach, no enemy plot, just like a sentry might have done two hundred years ago at the perimeter of his castle, sword at the ready.

It wasn’t unusual for paparazzi to be parked outside the House; their presence waxed and waned with the public’s interest and their desire to find dirt. Tonight, with murders on Chicago’s mind, there were half a dozen in their designated spot near the corner. Mostly men, mostly in their thirties, mostly with large black cameras or small digital recorders.

“Merit, what are you doing out tonight?”

“Merit, any comment on Samantha Ingram’s murder?”

“Did vampires kill Brett Jacobs? Samantha Ingram?”

That one stopped me in my tracks. A hand on the pommel of my sword for emphasis, I walked back to the man who’d asked it, kept my eyes flat, and decided to give them something to print.

“We are Chicagoans,” I said. “We love this city, have lived in this city for many, many years. We’re from this city. Of this city. And there is nothing we like less than those who hurt it, who tear at its heart, who kill its citizens. Vampires didn’t kill Brett Jacobs or Samantha Ingram. But we’ll do all we can to help them find justice.”