A hush instantly fell over the room. “Novitiates.”
“Master,” they said in unison, as if responding to a pastor’s call-and-response.
I didn’t say it, because I hadn’t known it was a thing. I should have perused the actual Canon instead of just the Desk Reference. Not that I’d had a lot of free time.
“There have been many battles in the previous days. Many acts of bravery among our people, and many acts of treachery by those outside our House, including the woman whose name will no longer be spoken in its halls.
“In those other battles, we followed the dictates of others who believed, however wrong they were, that they knew what was best for the city. Tonight, we strike out against a monster plaguing the city in our own manner, in our own way.” He paused, leaving every vampire on the edge of his or her seat. “Tonight, we fight with steel.”
There were whoops of approval.
“Whatever happens here tonight, know that I am proud to be your Master, and proud that you are my Novitiates.” He raised a cup. “All hail Cadogan House!”
“Cadogan House! Cadogan House! Cadogan House!” Hands slapped tables in time with the chanting, as Ethan drank from his stein and toasted the room.
• • •
“It was a good speech,” Malik said, when Ethan sat again. “You will stay alive, or I will be monumentally irritated.”
“Hear, hear,” I said, and raised my cup.
Because hungry vampires were dangerous vampires, carts were rolled around the room by Margot’s staff, and food was dished out to hungry vampires. She brought the cart to our table herself.
Margot placed dishes in front of us. “Breakfast du jour,” Margot said, and lifted the silver dome.
On a plate big enough to serve the entire table was an enormous amount of food. Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham—in case the bacon and sausage weren’t porky enough—sliced tomatoes, neatly cubed potatoes, toast, a muffin with a suspicious absence of chocolate chips, a cup of fruit, and a pile of what I thought were grits. I hadn’t tried grits before. Although that was beside the point. There was also something black and vaguely sausagelike that I didn’t want to think too much about.
“I don’t think I need all this.”
; I tilted my neck toward him, offering him the intimacy, the connection, that only vampires could share. “Take,” I said to him, and, when his fangs pierced tender skin, and lightning bowed my body, called his name.
Forever, he said, our new mantra. Our love spell.
Forever, I agreed, and gave over to sensation.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DRINK WITH ME
At dusk, the dragon was back, perching on the Chicago Lighthouse, where the Red Guards that inhabited it stayed silent and monitored its activities.
The mayor and governor were eager to move. But we were waiting on our sorcerers and their magic.
Mallory’s text messages, which she sent me throughout the day when she should have been sleeping, and the rest of us were allayed by the sun, told quite a story:
BEGINNING WORK ON WEAPON MAGIC.
WEAPON MAGIC IS WEIRD.