Chicagoland Vampires: Wild Things Part 32

He was in denial.

"Chicago is troubled," he said.

"It's not perfect. But it moves forward, and it fights. Its people and its vampires fight."

He made a sarcastic sound. "For what? There will always be another monster around the corner, Merit. And I know. I was one of them. People will always be afraid of the monster. And that fear will win every time."

"Courage has nothing to do with winning," I quietly said. "Courage is about fighting the good fight. Stepping forward, even when stepping forward is the c.r.a.ppiest of all possible options."

I looked at Jeff, saw the appreciation in his eyes, and smiled. "It's taken me a long time to understand that," I said. "But I do now."

I glanced at the people who moved behind us, hauling pallets, reviewing clipboards, and preparing s.h.i.+pments.

I looked back at Tate, the furrow of his brow as he looked at them, and the distance that I saw there. He wanted to be part of what they were-of lives that were simpler than his own. I understood that perspective; I'd shared it for some of my nights as a vampire. But like me, he knew it wasn't to be. He just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

"I don't begrudge anyone their recovery," I said, thinking of Mallory. "But there's something to be said for redemption. And right now, you have a perfect opportunity."

I kept my gaze on his, hoping against hope that he'd change his mind, spring up, go with us back to Chicago.

But he didn't speak a word, and my chest tightened with fear and frustration.

"If you change your mind, you know where to reach me." I turned my back on him, began to walk with Jeff toward the parking lot again.

"Merit," Tate said, filling me with hope.

But when I looked back, there was nothing but regret in his face.

"I'm sorry."

The apology made me feel even worse.

I didn't text the House that I'd been unsuccessful. I wasn't ready to admit how utterly useless our trip had been or how resistant Tate had been to helping us. I wasn't ready to face the degree of his denial about how he'd shaped the city, helping make it what it was today, for better or worse.

Of course, I still hoped he'd come to his senses and appear outside Cadogan House, holding a radio above his head, contrition in his eyes and stern words for Diane Kowalcyzk on his lips.

Unfortunately, and much to Luc's chagrin, life wasn't a movie, and Seth Tate wasn't interested in our concerns. I empathized with him. It was undoubtedly easier to make good for your past bad acts in a tidy, cheery warehouse miles away from the mess you'd made, than on the ground in Chicago and in the middle of the trouble. In Chicago, he was the defrocked mayor, the man with the nasty past. In Portville, he was Father Paul. A man with a mission to help others.

Maybe that was what irritated me most-that he'd gotten a clean slate, free and clear. Tate hadn't stayed in Chicago to face the consequences, to tell his tale, or to pick up the pieces. I had to give Mallory props for sticking around, fessing up, and trying to make it right.

"What are you going to do now?" Jeff asked as I focused on the road ahead of us, which was marked by billboards for outlet malls, chiropractors, attorneys.

"I don't know. But it's making me irritable."

"I wish I had some advice to offer," he said, glancing out the window. "Or some strings to pull."

"Yeah. Me, too."

My phone beeped. I was a careful driver, so at my nod, Jeff checked the screen.

"Well, well, well," he said.

"Ethan's free?" It was easy to tell what was on my mind.

"I doubt it, because there are a hundred supernaturals picketing in front of the Daley Center demanding his release."

Chapter Eighteen.

OCCUPY CHICAGO.

I dropped Jeff off at his car and raced back to Cadogan House. Car keys still in hand, I joined Malik, Luc, and a dozen other Cadogan vampires in the front parlor, where the television had been tuned again to the drama at the Daley Center.

In the time it had taken me to get back to the House, the crowd of protestors had grown to several hundred, many of them carrying FREE ETHAN! and SUPERNATURAL JUSTICE signs. I didn't see anyone I recognized, but most were bundled up against the frigid night air.

"Any luck?" Luc asked, when I sidled next to him in the crowd of vampires whose gazes were trained on the screen.

"In finding him, yes. In convincing him to talk to the mayor, no. He's started a new life, and he wants to stay that course. He's working at a food bank. n.o.ble work, but not exactly helpful here. Any news from Andrew?"

The question made his brow furrow, which made my stomach turn uncomfortably. Luc was usually unflappable. If he was concerned now, we had problems.

"They haven't released Ethan, and they haven't allowed Andrew to speak with him. He hasn't had blood since he arrived. Just water. They're saying they think blood will turn him into some kind of supervampire."

"That's ridiculous." It was also worrisome. A blood deficit would weaken him, and eventually that need would drive him to find blood wherever-and however-he could.

"That's bureaucracy. And never mind that you can buy Blood4You at every supermarket in town."

"What about the feds? Andrew thought he might have some luck there."

"They've declined on jurisdictional grounds," he mockingly said. "They'll send in troops if there's a 'legit' threat to public safety, but they don't feel that's happened yet." He turned back to the screen. "That might change, now that Ethan's fan club has taken the stage."

"See anyone you know?" I asked Luc, who squinted at the screen.

"Not that I can tell."

"How'd it get started?"

"We aren't sure. Rogue vampires seem like the best bet, but we haven't heard anything from Noah suggesting this was going on or asking us to partic.i.p.ate."

Noah was the unofficial leader of Chicago's Rogue vampires. "And are we partic.i.p.ating?" I wondered.

Before he could answer, a crowd of vampires in jeans and parkas tromped down the stairs and paused in the foyer, checking in on us. I recognized the ringleader, a sable-haired vampire named Christine, whose father was a famous Chicago criminal defense attorney. Not Ethan's attorney, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn they'd been in contact.

She pulled down the hood, revealing sharp cheekbones, sharper eyes, and a lovely face. "We're going to the protest," she said, meeting Malik's gaze. He stood on the other side of the arc of vampires in the parlor and watched her mildly.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace?"

"What you do on your time, including supporting our woebegone Master, is your business. But don't get yourselves arrested."

She grinned, nodded. "Liege," she said, and her troops left the House.

"I hope that doesn't make more trouble," I murmured. Christine had always been the boisterous sort.

"They want to support their Master," Luc said, "and unlike you, they don't get many chances to do it."

He had a point there. How many times had I had the opportunity to wield steel for Ethan and the House? Too many, by my count.

"It warms the c.o.c.kles of my heart to see all those sups stepping out in support of our Master. And probably some of that support is legit, and not just because they want to sleep with him."

I goggled, stared at him. "They what?"

Luc snorted. "He's not my type, but there are plenty of folks out there who appreciate your vampire boyfriend for more than his strategic mind." He tapped a finger against his temple.

I blinked. "And where is this coming from?"

He pointed to the screen and the gaggle of teenage girls who grinned and smiled at the camera, holding signs bearing glittery hearts and professions of love for one Ethan Sullivan. The girls, who had pink cheeks and infatuated smiles, couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen.

"Where are their parents?" I murmured, thinking I wasn't thrilled that my "vampire boyfriend" had a fan club.

On the other hand, they had excellent taste.

"Anything new on the carnival?" I asked him, lest we forget about the other supernaturals potentially in danger.

"Actually, yes," he said. "The librarian found one more location-Paul Revere Park. Carnival was there last year. But it's empty again. They appear to be laying low."

Which meant we had no other leads on where Regan, the carnival, or the missing sups might actually be-a.s.suming our theory was correct and they were still alive. It was beginning to look like we'd have to wait for them to make a move, which didn't thrill me. A harpy attack in the woods beside Loring Park was one thing; a harpy attack at Soldier Field would be something altogether different.

My phone beeped, a message from Jonah. NEED BODIES AT PROTEST. WEARING MIDNIGHT HIGH s.h.i.+RT?

It was an RG a.s.signment, signaled by the reference to the Midnight High School T-s.h.i.+rt. The school was fake, but the T-s.h.i.+rts were real, worn by RG members to secretly signal their members.h.i.+p.

I glanced at Luc and the others. I could get away, but I was going to have to explain to him why I was leaving and where I was going. The odds I'd end up arrested or on television by the end of the night were too high otherwise.

I tucked the phone away again, leaned toward Luc. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

Luc's brows lifted, but he nodded and followed me to the foyer.

We stopped in a quiet spot beyond the staircase, where he crossed his arms, looked down at me with chin tipped down. "What's on your mind, Sentinel?"

I moistened my lips nervously. "I have to go to the protest. For reasons I'm not at liberty to discuss. But I didn't want to sneak out of here without telling you I was leaving."

He looked at me for a moment, then leaned closer. "This have something to do with that secret project Ethan has you working on?"

I opened my mouth, closed it again. I wasn't working with Ethan on a secret project, at least to my knowledge. I was only aware of two real secrets: Lakshmi's GP challenge invitation, and my RG members.h.i.+p. Maybe Ethan had prepared Luc for the inevitable fallout of one or both of those things.

"Yes?" I offered.

That must have been the right answer, because he nodded. "Be careful, and keep your phone on."

I messaged Jonah, arranging a meeting place, a spot two blocks north of the Daley Center, where we could find each other before we reached the chaos of the plaza and protestors.

Even from two blocks away, the sound was deafening. Much like during the human riots that had plagued the city last week, there were chants of protest, supernaturals demanding Ethan's release, demanding rights for the city's preternatural population. And like the humans, they weren't especially subtle about what they'd do if their demands weren't met. "No justice, no peace," was a common refrain.

But unlike the human demonstrations, this protest carried the signature sensation of magic. A lot of it-chaotic and unfocused, like eddies of water swirling in the rapids of a rocky stream.

Jonah rounded the corner, walked toward me. There was no denying it: The Grey House guard captain was a looker.

Tall and trim, with shoulder-length auburn hair that framed clear blue eyes. He'd gotten his fangs in Kansas City, but he looked more like a warrior from a windswept cliff in Ireland, with his honed cheekbones and chiseled chin. Tonight he wore jeans and a navy pea coat, which only added to the effect. I half expected him to speak with a lilting accent but probably would have enjoyed it too much if he had.

"Hey," I said, a little shyly. I hadn't seen Jonah in a few days, and I spent so much time dealing with drama on behalf of Cadogan House that I didn't have much time to serve as his partner in the RG.

"Hey," he said. "How's the House?"

"Nervous. They don't like Ethan being out of reach. How's Scott?"

"Fine. p.i.s.sed. There are a few Grey House vamps out there tonight. He didn't want them to come but didn't bar them outright."

"Ditto at Cadogan."

Jonah nodded. "Let's get moving."

We walked down the street and toward the plaza, each step bringing us closer to the noise and magic.

"Who organized this?" I asked.

"Don't know," he said. "Word of mouth, I a.s.sume."

It was a completely rational a.s.sumption, but that didn't make me feel any better about walking into it.

"Plan?" I asked him, now forced to raise my voice to account for the noise.

"We're monitoring. We're here as peacekeepers, and we'll stay on the perimeter. Help anyone who looks like they're in trouble, or help disperse the crowd if things get dangerous."

I'd left my katana in the car-all the better to keep the CPD from hara.s.sing me about it-but the dagger was tucked into my boot. It was the only weapon I'd have if things got ugly. On the other hand, if things got ugly here, even a sword might not have helped.

Daley Plaza was open on three sides, bounded by Clark, Dear- born, and Was.h.i.+ngton streets and the Daley Center. It was a large expanse of concrete, punctuated by an insectlike metal Pica.s.so sculpture reaching fifty feet into the air and a square fountain currently closed for the winter.

The plaza was packed with people, the crowd thick and heavy like deep water, so that each person was leaned or shoved into his or her neighbors, sending the wave forward.