the House to contend it is the rightful owner of some of our assets. Part of that anticipated claim we must honorably accept; another part we will dispute. Regardless, to address our alleged debt, tomorrow we will give a substantial sum to the GP.”
He paused while the vampires whispered nervously.
“This House has existed for centuries, and it will continue to do so. But we must tighten our belts. We will live, for the time being, more as humans, and less as vampires with decades upon decades of compound interest. Our assets will be consolidated. Some antiques will be sold. My vehicle, which was admittedly ostentatious, will be returned to the dealership.”
There were masculine moans of disappointment from the crowd.
Ethan smiled with understanding and raised a hand to quiet the crowd. “This exercise will prove two things to us. First, that the GP is exactly what we believed it to be: selfish, motivated by fear, and unconcerned about the needs of individual vampires. Second, that we are strong. That we appreciate fine things, but we do not need them to survive. For we are Cadogan vampires.”
There were appreciative hoots in the crowd.
“We are, of course, on our way to becoming Rogue vampires, at least of a sort. You may know two of our Rogue brothers and sisters were recently killed. Oliver and Eve were, by all accounts, lovely and caring individuals. Let us take a moment of silence in their memory. And let us hope that we soon can lead the murderer to justice.”
The room went silent, even the magic calming as we offered our thoughts to Oliver and Eve.
“There is one more matter to attend to,” Ethan said. “Our arguments with respect to the disputed contract provisions may not be strong. But we believe there is one act that will help simplify and solidify our position.”
The lights suddenly went out, causing a moment of panic among the vampires, at least until they realized a golden glow emanated from the front of the room.
I moved quietly through the crowd to get a better look.
“Malik,” Ethan said. “Come forward, please.”
Malik stepped onto the dais holding a small white taper candle. The room was utterly silent but for the soft pops of the flickering flame as we all waited to find out what the hell was going on.
Ethan looked at him. “You’re sure?”
“I am.”
“You have the paperwork?”
“I do,” Malik said, placing the candle on a holder in the dais. He took a folded piece of paper from his lapel pocket, then held a stick of red wax over his candle’s flame. Droplets of wax began to bead as the wax melted.
Candlelight casting shadows across his face, Malik looked across at Ethan. “Upon this night, I set my seal upon this page and I relinquish the House to you, my Liege, its only and rightful Master.”
We roared into applause and joyous shouts.
Ethan was taking his place again as Master of Cadogan House.
Malik moved the stick of red wax, and it dripped—thick and scarlet and fragrant—onto the paper in his hand. He put down the stick and pulled a handled brass seal from his pocket, pressing it into the wax and making official the act we’d been anticipating for so long.
The deed done, Ethan sighed with what sounded like relief. But even as he did it, his shoulders straightened, as if he’d donned again the mantle of House power and was ready to wield it. This time, my goose bumps were for a completely different reason.
He looked over the ballroom of vampires. His vampires. His eyes blazed as they made contact with mine.
“I am alive,” he said. “I am alive and well and in good health. The House has been relinquished to me, and I have undertaken its leadership once again. I presume none of you object?”
Once again, the ballroom exploded with applause. The world might end tomorrow, but for tonight, our Master was back, and he was most definitely in charge.
* * *
Ethan stayed behind to answer questions from the vampires. Because dawn was rising, I headed upstairs to get ready for bed, and found a message on my phone. It was from Jonah.
“The lighthouse,” he said. “Tomorrow night. Nine p.m. Look for the rocks. We’ll be there.” That was it.
The lighthouse stood in Chicago’s main harbor, and provided light for ships seeking safety from Lake Michigan’s breaking waves and rocky coastline. The lighthouse helped them find safe passage; now, ironically, it would be a place of reckoning for me.
I sat down on the