I didn’t know if she meant me and Theo, or me and Connor. Probably both. And I wasn’t sure how much of this was earnest concern versus the questioning technique of a very skilled investigator. But Theo trusted her. So I decided I would, as well.
“I’m not angry at Theo.” I scrubbed my hands over my face, giving myself a minute to collect, to gather my thoughts. Then pushed my hair back and sat up again, looked at Gwen.
“I don’t know you, but I do know him. I like and respect him. He’s smart, and he’s savvy, and he’s pretty funny, although I’d never admit that to his face. He’s had my back, and I hope he’d say the same thing about me. As to the AAM, I probably wouldn’t have any complaints about them if they hadn’t decided to make an example of me.”
I broke eye contact for a moment, deciding how much I should tell her. And, since she’d given me the space for it, opted for the truth.
“Carlie was dying,” I said, glancing back. “We were in the woods, surrounded by monsters and too far away to get the help that she needed fast enough. I had to make a decision. And, honestly, I was scared shitless. I’d never made anyone before, and not everyone survives the transition. There was a very good chance I’d screw it up. But it was the only way I knew to save her. So I did, and she survived. I think that should be the end of it.”
“She’s in Minnesota?”
I nodded. “There’s a small vampire coven near her home. The leader agreed to help her through the transition. That way, she could stay near her family and friends, the place she’d lived her entire life. I checked on her earlier. She’s safe for now.”
“The coven leader,” Gwen said. “Is he still angry at you?”
“He says no,” I said, and felt that clutch of guilt again.
“And the AAM has targeted you for this.”
“Its Compliance Bureau, at any rate.”
She nodded, shifted a little in her seat as she crossed one leg over the other. “From my discussions with them, I think most Masters would agree the AAM is necessary. Those in Chicago, certainly. And from what I’ve heard, Heart generally stays out of the way of Masters trying to do the best for their people.” She frowned. “Is something else going on?”
Yes, and Testing was at least part of that something. But she hadn’t raised that issue, and I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up—or have the CPD wondering why I was so opposed to it. But there was another part.
“It’s Clive, I think.”
She looked at me. “Yeah?”
I thought back to the moments before the fighting had begun. “He had a lot to say, and a lot of it was personal. I get away with too much, I can’t use my origin differences to break the rules, I’m a risk, et cetera. And it wasn’t just the words. He had a look in his eyes.”
“A look?”
“He was angry, and he was arrogant. But he was also . . . excited? Not like an officer carrying out a duty, but . . .”
“A believer,” she said quietly, and I looked up at her.
“Yeah. That’s it exactly. He had the glow of the righteous.”
She blew out a breath through pursed lips. “That’s going to make him—and all of this—difficult. More difficult than it is already.”
“I don’t want to make trouble for Chicago, for anyone. But I’m not going to give up my autonomy because he’s on some kind of mission.”
She nodded. “The press will be told you were interviewed, released. If the security footage confirms your whereabouts, they’ll be told you were not near the scene when the incident occurred. And I would ask that you contact us, me or Theo, when the AAM makes contact again. I don’t say ‘if,’ because you strike me as a logical person, and you can surmise as well as me that those who have the glow of the righteous, as you put it, won’t stop.”
I nodded. “I’ll give you whatever information I can.”
“Then I think we’re done here.” She rose, moved toward the door, opened it. “Thank you for your time. You’re free to go, but don’t leave the city for now.”
I stepped into the hallway, found Theo waiting. And was unsure what I wanted to say to the man who’d been all but my partner a week ago . .