Хлоя Нейл - Twice Bitten

“Now that we’ve discussed the philosophy,” Ethan began, “how can we assist with your projects?”

Gabriel popped a wedge of summer sausage into his mouth. “First off, we’re meeting tomorrow night—the leaders of the American Packs.” He glanced over at me, amusement in his eyes. “Bonus points, Kitten, if you can name the other Pack leaders.”

“You should know this from the Canon,” Ethan put in. I rolled my eyes, but played the part of the dutiful pupil . . . and thanked God I’d actually read the reference guide’s chapter on supernatural populations (Chapter 7: “Sup’s On!”).

“Oh, uh, Jason Maguire, Consolidated Atlantic. Robin Swift, Western.” I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to mentally flip back through the pages of the Canon to find the final name. “Great Northwestern . . . Um.”

“Here’s a hint,” Luc said. “His name is half cartoon tiger, half football player.”

The lightbulb went on. “Tony Marino, Great Northwestern.”

Gabe nodded. “Well done. Anyway, the point of this meeting will be to make sure the alphas are on board. The Packs will take their cues from their alphas. I don’t need Robin and Jason and Tony to make a decision on staying, but I need them to agree that taking the question to the Packs is the right course of action.”

He sat forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped before him. “I need them to accept the possibility that the status quo will undergo a profound change by the end of the week, one way or another.”

“Do you expect them to refuse the convocation?” Luc asked.

Gabriel frowned, his gaze on the small plate in his hand as he picked over its contents. “I’m not expecting a lot of drama from Jason or Robin,” he said, “but Tony’s another story. The Great Northwestern is headquartered in Aurora, and he’s quick to hit the panic button. He likes playing king of the castle. And if he thinks there’s any argument that we should go home, he’ll try to send us there, and without a convocation first.” He shrugged. “Alphas don’t issue dictates from on high, nor do we simply follow our own agenda. We make the best decision for the Pack; we embody the collective voice, in a manner of speaking. Well, we’ll find out when we find out. I’ll get you the address of the meet. When you get there, find Berna. You can hardly miss her.”

Ethan nodded in understanding. “And after the meet?”

“Assuming all goes well, we’ll convene on Friday.”

Today was Tuesday. “Are three days enough time,” I wondered aloud, “to get all the Pack members into Chicago?”

“It won’t be all the Pack members, just the activists. Some are here already; some are waiting for directions. You know the Breckenridges—the kind of lifestyle they lead. They’re very tied down to the land. Most of us are more mobile.”

“Where will you meet?” Ethan asked.

“We’ve nailed down a spot in Ukrainian Village—some of our members have connections to the neighborhood from the Old Country.” He shrugged. “It’s lower profile than renting out a ballroom at the Hyatt.”

Ethan nodded. “And where do we come in? You said you wanted to speak about security arrangements. Was that in reference to the convocation or to the meeting, or both?”

Gabe gestured with a cracker. “Both. And I actually had both you and Merit in mind. You’re both skilled, capable. You bring something extra to the table.”

Something fanged, I silently wondered, or something involving samurai-quality steel?

“You remind them why we’re meeting,” Gabriel said, as if in answer to my silent question. “You remind them what’s at stake, and why I’ve asked them to travel from Aurora or Charleston or the Bronx to Chicago. You remind them of the consequences of deciding to resettle, of leaving human and vampire affairs behind. And besides,” he added, looking at me with humor in his gaze, “you have the attentions of one of my favorite Pack members. I understand you and Jeff Christopher are friends?”

My cheeks heated with a warming blush. Jeff was a friend; he also had a magnificent crush on me. More important, he’d done vampires some pretty serious favors, helping us figure out that Peter had been the saboteur assisting Celina from within the halls of Cadogan House.

“Jeff is a fabulous friend,” I agreed.

“He was an integral part of our resolution of the Breckenridge threat,” Ethan added.

Gabriel nodded. “Jeff’s good people, and your grandfather, Merit, has done right by him. Jeff’s in a good situation, and he’s not into playing the politics of a vampire-shifter conflict. But I’m not sure he’s in the majority. I’ll be honest, Ethan. I think the odds they’ll decide to head home are pretty good—sixty, seventy percent maybe. And if that’s what they decide, I’ll abide by that decision. My responsibility is to give voice to the debate, to let them reach the best decision for the Packs, however that might be defined.”

“I understand,” Ethan said quietly. “I appreciate your candor, and that you’re taking the question to the Packs at all.” But it was easy to tell that was not what he wanted to say, and that he had more choice words for the possibility that the shifters wouldn’t, for once, make the right call.

Gabriel looked at Ethan. “I know you have a security staff, and that they’re probably capable of doing this on their own. But I’d consider it a personal favor if you could be there. Having a Master in attendance shows the Packs that vampires are prepared to listen, not just judge. That’s important.”

Ethan let the weight of those words hang in the air for a moment. “At this point, do you anticipate violence?”

I assumed he asked because shifters, like sorcerers, seemed to have some kind of tap into the future.

“I’ll be honest—it wouldn’t surprise me. We’re talking about folks with a lot of pent-up emotion and some very specific ideas about whether they should head out for a long vacation or suffer through a summer in Chicago because vamps aren’t playing nice. I’m paraphrasing there, of course.” Gabe’s tone couldn’t have been drier.

“I don’t have an objection to participating,” he said. “But since we’re effectively asking her to risk herself for the sake of those who may, ultimately, forsake her, I think it best that Merit be allowed to decide for herself whether she’ll assist.” He glanced at me, probably saw the shock on my face, and lifted his brows in question. “Merit?”

It took me a moment to gather myself, not because of the question—I was oath- and honor-bound to help protect Cadogan House, and this surely counted amongst those duties—but that he trusted me enough to ask the question.

“Of course,” I said, sliding my gaze to Gabriel and nodding to let him know the deal was done.

He blew out a slow breath, then leaned forward and put his snack plate on the tray-topped ottoman that sat between him and Ethan. “One more thing,” he said.

“In terms of the rules of engagement, I need to request that you not take action unless you’re acted upon. I think the benefits of your being there outweigh the risks, but you make an unsolicited move on a shifter in front of four Packs, and we won’t be hypothesizing about a war. We’ll be in the goddamned middle of one.”

“Point taken,” Ethan said after a moment.

With that, Gabriel stood up, then glanced between Ethan and me. “I know this isn’t the kind of thing you normally sign up for. I appreciate your help, even if you are playing the token vampires.” He glanced at Luc. “I assume you’ll want advance materials?”

Luc nodded, blond curls bobbing around his face. “That’d be appreciated.”

“Done. Once we’re sure this thing’s a go, I’ll send directions to the location, some interior maps in case you want to think about protocols, exits, whatever.