The door had been closed for an hour. Voices had been raised, and the disagreement between Ethan and his soldiers spilled tense magic into the hallway. That was my particular point of contention. I was Cadogan's Sentinel, but I hadn't been allowed in the office. The words "plausible deniability" had been thrown around—right before the door had been shut in my face.
"The mayor knew there'd be trouble," I said. "The CPD already said Ethan acted in self-defense. And we just handed McKetrick to them on a silver platter. The city has absolutely nothing to complain about where we're concerned."
The detective's warning had come only hours after we'd managed to prove McKetrick, the city's now former supernatural liaison, was the source of the riots that had spread violence, destruction, and fire around the city. You'd think that would have put us in the mayor's good graces. Alas, no.
"They won't stay away forever," I said. "Jacobs wouldn't have warned us if he didn't think they were serious. And that doesn't give us many options. Ethan flees, or we have to fight."
"Whatever their next move, the House will be ready," Lindsey said. "We just have to scoot Ethan out of here." She checked a delicate gold watch. "Not much time before sunrise. This is going to be close."
"Papa Breck could still say no," I pointed out, wrapping my arms around my knees. He and Ethan were different sups, but equally stubborn.
But Lindsey shook her head. "Not if he's smart. Arresting a vampire for a bullshit reason isn't far from arresting a shifter for a bullshit reason. If Papa Breck doesn't take a stand now, he'll put the Pack at risk. But if he does take a stand?" She clucked her tongue. "Then he wins, double or nothing. We'll owe him a favor, and he'll have stood up to Kowalcyzk. That reinforces his power, and it's just—"
Before she could finish, the office door opened.
Luc and Malik emerged, Ethan behind them. All three were tall and bore the toughened shoulders of men in charge, but the physical similarities ended there.
Luc had tousled blond-brown hair and preferred snug jeans and well-worn boots to Ethan's and Malik's exquisite suits. Since Ethan's welfare fell under his jurisdiction, Luc's ruggedly hand- some features were tight with concern.
Malik had cocoa skin, closely cropped hair, and pale green eyes that thoughtfully took in the hallway of vampires. Malik was reserved, careful, and unquestionably respected by the House. But like Luc, he also didn't look thrilled with the circumstances.
And then there was Ethan.
He was built like an athlete—long and lean, with taut muscles and a body that fit perfectly into his trim black suit. His hair was straight, shoulder length, and golden, framing a face so gorgeous it might have been sculpted by a master artist. Straight nose, honed cheekbones, lush mouth, and eyes as sharp and green as flawless emeralds. Ethan was as alpha as they came, protective and pretentious, intelligent and strategic, and stubborn enough to match me well.
We'd had our false starts, but we'd finally found a clear path to each other. That might have been the biggest miracle of all.
Ethan's forehead was pinched in concern, but his eyes gave away nothing. He was the Master of our House; he didn't have the luxury of self-doubt.