Wild Things

Chapter Eight DEEP-FRIED TRUTH

My heart and head went numb, shocked by the request.

She wanted Ethan to challenge, outright, the head of the GP? I couldn’t imagine anybody, much less Darius, would take kindly to the idea. Just by trying to leave the GP we’d ended up with murder at our doorstep. We were still dealing with the fallout from that decision, which was why I was at a carnival in Loring Park, Illinois, in the freezing air of February.

And then there was the other issue: The GP was in London. Ethan would have to go there, live there, and work there while I stayed in Chicago, honor bound to serve Cadogan House.

My heart jumped in my throat. “We aren’t even part of the GP anymore,” I said. That was the only defense I could think of, the only words I could put together.

“Not the GP as it was before,” she said, turning to lean back against the railing. There was a glimmer of strategic excitement in her eyes. She and Ethan had that in common.

“The GP as it could be. A different kind of organization. A federation of Houses, not a dictatorship. And not led by a vampire who lords himself over the rest of us.”

I almost snorted. If she didn’t think Ethan would lord himself over the rest of us as head of the GP, perhaps she didn’t know Ethan as well as she thought.

“You don’t think he’d try to take control?” I asked. “You don’t think he’d impose his will on the Houses?”

She tilted her head at me, an expression that reminded me she was a vampire—a predator—of repute. “You would convince me he’s ill suited for the job.”

“He’s stubborn.”

“Not so stubborn that you aren’t in a relationship with him.”

She had a point, so I tried a different tack. “He has enemies, and challenging Darius would only make more.”

Lakshmi nodded gravely. “The road would not be easy. Ethan has enemies, certainly. His campaign would be difficult. There would be many to convince, to bring to his side. Travails to overcome.”

“What travails, exactly?” The Canon had been shady about the process of getting a new king.

“He’d have to demonstrate his worth and fitness for the position. Convince the Prelect’s council he is worthy of the task, that he is powerful and strong.”

I grimaced. Harold Monmonth had been the Prelect. And we all knew how that had ended up.

“And then the Houses vote,” she said.

“That all assumes Darius steps down peacefully.”

She nodded, acknowledging that. “There is no point in being coy. Ethan would have opponents from the beginning to the end. But he is worth the battle. He’d bring peace and honor to the GP, which have been lacking of late.”

Handy, I thought, that she was a member of the GP. Bringing honor to the organization would help her—raise esteem for her and the rest of them. Bring her power that she’d lost in the recent drama.

But there was power, and then there was power . . .

“Why not run yourself?”

She slipped her hands into the trim pockets of her coat. “Because I’m too young. Because Ethan has more allies—even those who don’t have insignia above his door. They know him. They don’t know me. And there are . . . skeletons in my closet.”

“Skeletons?” I asked without moving, like she was an animal I might frighten away.

But she was wise enough to avoid the trap. “My life is no concern of yours, Novitiate. We all have our secrets to bear.” She looked at me for a moment. “You’re in love with him. I can hear it in your words, see it in your eyes. The fear of loss.”

I waited a beat, unsure of her motives, and nodded. “I am.”

Her eyes flattened. There was a different kind of predator in her eyes now. “You aren’t the only vampire that needs him. We are endangered, and you must consider whether your needs as an individual are more important than the needs of your House, the Chicago Houses, the American Houses, all the Houses in the GP. Ethan Sullivan, I believe, has the opportunity to become a Master of Masters. And consider this: If Ethan doesn’t become the new head of the GP, who will?”

We looked at each other for a moment. “You’re in Chicago because the GP wants to extract some price of the House. What is that price?”

She looked at me for a moment, taking my measure. And, I belatedly realized, sending her soft and delicate tendrils of glamour, sweeping curls of it, to test me and my defenses. My endurance. My stubbornness. Fortunately, I had some immunity to that kind of magic.

“That,” she concluded, “is also not for your ears.” She put a hand on mine. “This will not be an easy road to travel. I understand that. But it is the right road. I know you understand that and will make the right decision.”

With that, she tucked her hands back into her pockets and turned toward the exit, her heels clacking on the asphalt with every step. After a moment, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me in a sea of humans with worry in my heart.

I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my phone and dialed up my partner.

“Hello?” Jonah said. “Merit?”

“Lakshmi’s here. In Loring Park. She came to talk to me.” The words flooded out.

“Wait,” he said, “hold on a minute.” I heard him speak, murmuring to others around him, and then a door opened and closed.

“Sorry, I was in our ops room,” he said after a moment. “What’s this about Lakshmi?”

“She came here to talk to me. I owe her a favor because she gave us information about the location of the dragon’s egg.” The Faberge-style egg had been a gift from fairies to Peter Cadogan, the House’s founder. On the GP’s orders, Monmonth had stolen it in order to bribe the fairies to war with Cadogan. He’d been successful, which was another mark against him.

“I remember,” he said. “And much like the Grim Reaper, she’s come to collect. What did she ask for?”

It took me a moment to put the words together, because once I said them aloud, they’d be true. “She wants Ethan to challenge Darius for his spot on the GP. And she wants me to convince him to do it.”

There was silence.

“I don’t know what I think about that.”

I knew what I thought. Both sides of it. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t tell her no—I can’t piss off our best ally on the GP. But I can’t help her.” And, most important, I couldn’t send Ethan to London.

I sat down on a bench bookended by a dead shrub and a pile of dirty snow, which seemed about right. “He may very well want to do it. But I can’t just demand he undertake that kind of risk. And he can’t do it right now, anyway. We’re stuck here until Chicago comes to its senses.”

I sighed. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to go out with her? Sweeten her into giving up that favor?”

“You want me to pimp myself to make your life easier?”

“Now that you mention it, yes. Could you?” I asked, feigning hopefulness.

His voice was flat. “No. And I hate to say it, Mer, but her idea’s not bad. Ethan’s old, he’s powerful, and he’s got friends. He’s one of the few vampires out there who’d actually use all that power and political capital for good.”

I didn’t disagree that he’d be good at it, that he’d be good for vampires. But I’d be suborning the overthrow of the GP, a ground-up revolution, with Ethan as Paul Revere and George Washington rolled into one. The last American Revolution had been successful in stripping away England’s rule. But I wasn’t sure we’d get lucky a second time around. And my job was to keep him safe.

I’d also have to give him up. For the greater good, perhaps, but he’d be gone nonetheless.

“What are you going to do?” Jonah asked after a moment.

“I don’t know. How does a person decide something like that?”

“With your very good brain and your very good heart,” he said. “Keep me posted.”

I promised I would, and hoped I’d have good news to share.

• • •

I pulled the prop grocery bag from my pocket and walked back to the restaurant, using the strip mall as a windbreak. Fears flitted through my mind like dancers.

London. Treason. Rebellion.

I remembered the first time I’d been near Ethan, when he knelt behind me, bit my neck, and changed me into a vampire. I remembered the first time I’d really seen him, when Mallory and I had barged into Cadogan House. I remembered the night Celina had thrown an aspen stake at me and he’d stepped forward to intercept it, turning to ash before my eyes. I remembered the night I’d seen him emerge from the smoke and destruction that Mallory had wrought, alive once again.

We’d overcome vampires, monsters, death, and each other. And now I was honor bound to send him to war . . . and to London. Thousands of miles away from Cadogan House.

Thousands of miles away from us. I couldn’t do that.

On the other hand, how could I not? The GP was tyrannous. Dictatorial and cruel. They’d ignored Celina’s antics, blamed the House for everything that went wrong in Chicago. They’d sent a sadist to live in the House and demanded we prove our obedience with blood and fire. They’d extorted money, killed humans, and tried to kill us when we hadn’t followed the party line.

Wasn’t I obliged not just to encourage him, but to do everything I could to help him actually win? Ethan was honorable, fair, dedicated. He believed humans were more than cattle and that all supernaturals should get a fair shake. He knew how to make alliances, avoided making enemies whenever possible. He was willing to take a stand, but also to compromise. He knew the value of both.

He’d make an inarguably good addition to the GP. And while there was little doubt Malik would make a fantastic Master in Ethan’s absence—he was doing it now—I didn’t want Ethan to be absent. I wanted him here, with me, being cheeky and jealous and fighting at my side. I wanted his intelligence and snark and sarcasm. I wanted him.

I paused and wondered, just for a moment, what it would be like to snap my fingers and become someone else. Bizarro Merit, the evil or twisted version of myself. Bizarro Merit would have her own agenda. Bizarro Merit wouldn’t encourage Ethan to run for the GP, or tell him that Lakshmi had suggested the idea. She’d snap her fingers, send the GP into a parallel universe, and warp space-time so she could spend immortality with Ethan and a book on the deck of a boat on Lake Michigan.

While I stood there, engaged in my fantasy, the hairs on the back of my neck lifted, piqued by something . . . magical?

I ignored the quick punch of fear. Without moving my head, I scanned the area around me. I was facing down the length of the shopping center, but other than the usual traffic in and out of the parking lot, nothing looked unusual.

Looks, I knew, could be deceiving, so I closed my eyes, let the breath flow out of me, and allowed the sensations of the world to drip back into my consciousness.

Sound became a roar—moving cars, the squeak of carnival rides, the slide of the automatic door at the grocery store, the faraway whispers of humans . . . and the nearby shush of fabric. And now that I was paying attention, I sensed the faint, tart smell of magic. Fresh, green, vegetal.

Someone was here. And I needed a look.

I closed the barriers again and pulled out my phone, feigning sudden interest in it, but sliding my gaze to the store window beside me.

She was behind me, probably fifteen feet, mostly hidden behind a concrete pillar.

I didn’t recognize her, or even what she was. She looked physically similar to the mercenary fairies who’d once guarded the gate at Cadogan House. Tall and slender, with a lean face and hollows beneath her sharp cheekbones. But her chin was more sharply pointed, her eyes larger and rounder, dominated by huge, dark irises. Her hair was dark, closely cropped, forming curled wisps around her face.

She wore a simple dark tunic with a keyhole collar and match- ing pants, the fabric nubby and homespun. She didn’t look like a threat . . . until I turned to face her.

Wheeee.

Whistling like a bottle rocket, a three-foot-long arrow flew into the empty planter on the ledge beside me.

My mouth went as dry as dirt.

The shaft of the arrow, pale and slender, with stripes of gold and teal, ivory feathers slitted into the end, vibrated from the movement.

Slowly, I glanced back over my shoulder.

Now a man stood behind me, also in a dark tunic and with short hair, a four-foot-long recursive bow in hand, an arrow tipped with a shiny silver point already strung and taut. The fingers that held the bow were long and thin, ending in long and equally sharp nails.

Had the circumstances been different, I might have admired the weapon. It was carved of pale wood and beautifully curvy. Unless the shafts were made of aspen, being shot by an arrow wouldn’t kill me. But that didn’t mean I was looking forward to it.

I glanced back, looking for egress, but they’d been joined by another woman and man. It was four to one, and my allies were still tucked in a restaurant down the road.

The odds were not in my favor, but I put on my fighting face—a haughty expression punctuated by a hell of a lot of feigned bravado.

“I think you’ll want to lower your weapon, friends. And explain why you’re following me.”

The man watched me silently without blinking. I could read nothing in his eyes. They were too dark, too glassy, too shielded. “You have made war against us.”

“Excuse me?”

“You have attacked the People. You have breached our trust and our pact. We claim the right of retribution.”

Completely flummoxed, I evaluated my chances while trying to ferret out what the hell was going on.

“We haven’t attacked anyone. We were attacked last night. A squadron of harpies struck from the air.” Keeping my eyes on them, I flipped the thumb guard on my katana.

“Nonsense,” came the prim voice of the woman who’d followed me. “Harpies are imaginary creatures.”

“They were made of magic. And we lost four in the battle. I’m not sure what happened to you, but it wasn’t because of us.”

The man’s gaze narrowed. He pulled the bow tauter, raising his arms so the arrow pointed directly at my heart. Apparently, he meant to skewer me here and now, in front of—I glanced at the store beside us—Pilchuk Mufflers, which, according to the carefully painted storefront, had four convenient metro locations to serve all your muffler needs.

It would be ignominious to die, I thought, sprawled on the sidewalk in front of Pilchuk Mufflers. So I decided not to.

“Harpies!” I yelled out, shifting their attention just long enough to move. I dropped and punched the bowman in the kneecap, drawing a groan and enough distraction that he let the arrow fly over my head.

I pulled my sword, raked the biting edge against his shins. Blood, thin and shockingly green, spilled through the new slit in his leggings and dripped to the ground. He roared in pain, eyes wide in fury that I’d had the temerity to fight back—and that I’d managed to nick him.

He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Before I could move, he kicked, his boot connecting with my abdomen and sending a wave of pain and nausea. I nearly retched on the sidewalk but managed to roll enough so his second shot just grazed me.

Then I was violently hauled to my feet, dropping my katana in the process. I found myself staring back into the eyes of the man.

His orbed black eyes were wild with fury. I brought up a knee, trying to catch him in the groin, but my aim was off and he blocked the blow with a shift of his knee.

He slapped me. The world wavered, and my mouth filled with blood.

Someone behind me pulled my ponytail, wrenching back my head with a hot flush of pain that spilled down my neck like boiling water. My head upside down, I saw the first woman behind me, a feline smile on her face.

She wrapped her arm around my neck and squeezed. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t find air at all. Panic struck, my vision dimming on the edges as my legs kicked backward, as I tried to free myself from her vicious grip and find air again.

This is the way the world ends, I thought, and the world went black.

• • •

I woke in darkness, gasping for air. It took moments to realize that I was alive, my head still attached, but my neck sore and probably bruised. My throat ached, and my head felt unusually heavy. I couldn’t see anything around me. If I could, I imagined it would be spinning.

But I wasn’t dead. Which was completely unexpected.

I also didn’t think I was in front of Pilchuk Mufflers. Shapes and faint colors began to emerge in the darkness. I lay on a braided rug on the dirt floor of a small round room. The walls were made of pale birch saplings strapped together, and a conical roof was built above it, rising to a point in the middle of the ceiling. The remains of a fire sat in a depression in the middle of the room, and the entire space vibrated with low and malignant magic.

“Merit?”

It was Jeff’s voice, and I nearly wept with relief.

“Yeah,” I whispered, but my voice was scratchy, hoarse. I rubbed my throat, swallowed past parched lips, and tried again. “It’s me.”

Slowly, I pushed myself up on an elbow, looking through the darkness. My hands and feet were bound by large silver manacles and chains tethered to a large metal hook in the dirt floor.

Jeff and Damien sat a few feet beside each other, bound in the same silver chains. Their faces were bruised. Jeff’s right eye was cut and swollen, and the air carried the peppery scent of blood. They were hurt, but they were alive.

“You’re okay?” I asked. My words were scratchy but clear enough.

“Okay,” Damien agreed. But his eyes looked a little woozy and unfocused, which couldn’t have been good. “Silver chains. And silver-tipped arrows.” He nodded toward a dark spot of blood near the crux of his left shoulder.

Not all myths about supernaturals were accurate, but it appeared the shape-shifter weakness to silver was right on.

I glanced at Jeff, who nodded. “Glad you’re awake,” he said with a sheepish grin, which belied the worry in his eyes.

“Where are we?”

“We aren’t sure,” Damien said. “We were out when they brought us here. Farther from the carnival—I can’t smell it.”

He was right. The air smelled woody, smoky. “In the forest,” I guessed. But there was a lot of forest near Loring Park, so that didn’t narrow it down much.

“They got you at the restaurant?”

Damien nodded. “Outside it. We were looking for you. When you didn’t come back, we got worried. Where’d they get you?”

“Walking back to the restaurant.” I considered Lakshmi’s visit to be RG business, which made it none of the Pack’s. “They were following me. And when I confronted them, they pounced. How long was I unconscious?”

“It’s one in the morning,” Damien said.

We’d been gone for a few hours. Ethan would be in a panic. I called his name, tried to activate the link between us, but couldn’t reach him. He was too far away.

“What the hell are they?”

“Elves,” Jeff said. “At least, that’s what they looked like. They’re relatives of the fairies—mutated relatives. They look even less human, so they had an even harder time assimilating. They call themselves the People. Believe they are the highest order of sentient beings. Everyone else is Other.”

“Early Europeans found them, hunted them down,” Damien continued, looking around, wincing when the move strained his shoulder. “They were believed extinct. Looks like that’s fundamentally wrong.”

“They must have migrated,” Damien said. “But how did we not know they were here?”

I glanced at the carefully constructed room, the gaps between the saplings neatly filled with mud or daub. This place hadn’t been built yesterday; the elves had been here for some time. Which made me also wonder how the shifters had missed them.

“Magic?” I suggested, but that didn’t seem to satisfy Damien, who shook his head.

“Do you know what they want?” Jeff asked me.

“They said they were attacked.”

“By the harpies?”

I shook my head. “The ones that jumped me said harpies were imaginary. They thought I was lying.”

Sounds rose outside—shrieks and pounding feet. Instinctively, I pulled at my chains, seeking freedom.

Sentinel?

My head darted up, searching for the sound of his voice in my head. Ethan? Are you here? We’re chained.

Working on it, he told me. I’ve brought your army.

“Something’s up,” Damien said, glancing at the noise that was beginning to shake the walls of our prison.

“Ethan’s here. He said he’s brought an army.”

Before I could answer, a door on the other side of the room was shoved open. Three elves, the man from before and two new men, walked in. Without speaking or acknowledging our existence, they unlinked the chains that bound us to the floor. But they didn’t unchain our bound hands and feet.

They yanked us to our feet and pushed us outside.

It was dark, the bits of sky visible through the canopy of limbs still indigo. But that was the only thing that made sense. We were in a wood, the trees stripped bare by winter.

We were also in a village.

Structures, cylindrical like the one we’d just stepped out of, filled every clearing in the woods around us, white smoke puffing from the openings in the conical roofs. Footholds had been cut into the tree trunks, and smaller structures hung from the trees. The structures looked old. Comfortable and lived in, with rough-hewn tools hanging along the exteriors and green linens strung across lines that extended between the trees. This wasn’t a camp; it was a neighborhood.

The elves were everywhere. Hundreds of men and women, all approximately middle-aged, trim and fit in the same tunics, either running toward the sounds of battle with slicked bows in hand, or battening down their simple homesteads. Untying lines of laundry, carrying steaming cooking pots into their homes.

There was an entire city of elves tucked into the woods outside Chicago and no one had seen it? No one had discovered them? How was that possible?

“And I didn’t even have time to welcome them to the neighborhood with muffins,” Jeff murmured beside me.

“I didn’t get muffins, either,” I pointed out, trying to keep some levity.

“I didn’t know you then. We get out of this, I’ll get you a muffin.” He tried for a smile, so I tried back.

“Deal,” I said.

“This way,” said the man from the shopping center, pulling my katana from the scabbard he’d belted around his waist.

I generally preferred not to be poked with my own sword, and certainly not by the very person who’d taken it from me. He yanked my arm, pulling me forward. Since we were moving toward the sounds, I didn’t fight back. They were taking me precisely where I wanted to go.

With Damien and Jeff stumbling behind us, we walked the narrow path through the trees and up a low rise, which gave way to a snowy field, still dotted with the remains of last year’s cornstalks . . . and marked by the columns of the invading army.

They’d found us.