Blood Games (Chicagoland Vampires 10)

Ethan considered, shook his head. “Not for me. Amit? Malik?”

Both of them shook their heads.

“Perhaps one of the GP members’ former names?” Amit asked.

I moved to Ethan’s computer, typed in a search. Unfortunately, Ronald Weatherby wasn’t an uncommon name. There was an actor, a pub owner, a man with a gardening show on a local television station, a member of Parliament, and two soccer players . . .

Wait. I stopped short, scrolled back through the results.

Mallory had said the obelisk had been magicked, in part, by someone who knew his or her way around flowers and herbs, including the sassafras powder.

The Ronald Weatherby with the gardening show lived in Henley-on-Thames. His photo showed a small, hobbitesque man with an impressive belly, crown of white curls, and four adorable Corgis. He owned and operated a small flower shop and traveled around the world to acquaint himself with plant varieties.

He also considered himself a top-notch herbalist.

Ethan walked toward me. “Have you got something, Sentinel?”

“Actually,” I said, smile dawning, “I think I have.” I swiveled the screen so he could see it. “Mallory did a forensic analysis of the obelisk, culled out all the spells and charms and whatnot that went into spelling it. There were herbs and magic in the mix from the US and the UK, but she couldn’t tell us any more. Turns out, there’s a Ronald Weatherby in England who’s an herbalist and fancies himself a ‘botanical traveler.’”

Ethan arched an eyebrow at the screen. “He doesn’t appear the type to manipulate a Master vampire and arrange an international theft.”

“No, he does not. But I’d bet he prepared that obelisk and got a nice little paycheck for his trouble. His name was on the smaller account.”

“The payoff,” Malik said.

“Exactly.”

Ethan’s eyes went hard. “Good work, Sentinel. Find Lakshmi. He’s in the UK, so we’ll set the GP’s dogs on his trail—and his vampiric employer’s.”

I nodded, switched places with Ethan, and left the office. I expected Lakshmi would be upstairs in the ballroom planning out her obstacle course, but when I rounded the stairs, I heard my name.

I glanced behind me, found Lakshmi in jeans, a leather jacket, and black boots, which she wore like a model. There was something in her eyes I didn’t like.

“Hey, Ethan’s looking for you.”

Her expression stayed flat. “We’re preparing to begin the test. I presume by now you’ve heard only the Masters and their Seconds will attend the physical testing alone?”

Shit, I thought, my first reaction being that she knew about our plan to spy on the proceedings and keep an eye on Ethan. I bluffed. “Yes. Ethan told us.”

“Well, that’s not entirely accurate. We’d actually like your assistance, as well.”

Before I could register relief, I felt a sudden sharp pain at my shoulder. For the second time in a matter of days, night came early.

Chapter Twenty-one

IRON MAN

My eyes opened again, and dark hair swam into focus. My head seemed to be spinning on my neck, or maybe that was just the room. “What did you do to me?”

“Apologies for the intrigue and nerve pinch,” Lakshmi said, standing in front of me. “That seemed the best way to transport you without incident.”

“Transport me? Where the hell am I?”

“The testing location. An unused warehouse complex on the south side of the city.”

Lakshmi stepped aside, let me get a look at my surroundings. I was in a room with brick walls and a worn wooden floor. I faced an open doorway, the door heavy and metal and set on giant brass hinges. I was in a simple wooden chair, my arms tied behind me. I pulled, moved forward to break free, but their hold was tight. The sensation made me panicky, but it also woke me from my stupor.

“What the hell is going on? Why am I here?”

“We find most vampires expect the physical testing will pit them, solo, against some obstacle. We find that’s not the best way to test a potential head of the GP. Their job, of course, is not to stand alone against enemies, but to lead their soldiers into battle. To strategize. To partner.”

I struggled against my bonds again. “Where is he?”

“Nearly here,” she said, without elaboration. “Your goal is to find him and escape before your time is up.”

My heart began to thud louder. “What time? How much time do we have?”

She pulled a long box from an interior jacket pocket, slid it open, and held out a very long pink-tipped match.

I pulled against the ropes, the chair bouncing beneath me. “You have got to be f**king kidding me. The floors are wooden. This place will go up like a tinderbox.”

She struck the match against the side of the box, and the flame bounced orange and blue at the tip. She watched it burn for a moment, then looked back at me.

“Becoming head of the Greenwich Presidium is the most important position a vampire can hold, Merit. He or she will control the fates of thousands of vampires. Must protect thousands of vampires, even at great personal cost. That is not a job to be undertaken lightly, or without a full understanding of the sacrifices. He has every opportunity to find you and get you out without danger. He must be strong, cunning, creative, all while fearing for your safety. That is no more than we ask of every GP leader every day.”

The match still in hand, she stepped outside before settling her gaze on me. “I wish you and Ethan luck, Merit, and hope to see you soon.”

It didn’t matter to me that her justifications were logical. I was scared—for me and him—and I was pissed. “You’re a psychopath!” I yelled out, pulling against the chair again. “The entire GP is made up of sadists!”

And since she’d been the one who’d asked me to convince Ethan to run for the position, I screamed out a few more choice phrases that ripped through every curse in my arsenal.

She only smiled politely, then pulled the door closed behind her. It was enormous and thick, overlaid with a metal plate and held in place by large brass bolts.

“She’s going to set us on fire,” I said, glancing around the room. How, exactly, was I supposed to get out of this?

* * *

I tried to reach Ethan telepathically, but he didn’t respond. Too far away, I guessed. The telepathy didn’t cover long distances.

I forced myself to breathe, to stay calm, to think. The only way I was going to ignore the panic attack was to focus on one small task at a time. The first step was to get the hell out of this chair, and out of this room.