Biting Cold: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel (CHICAGOLAND VAMPIRES SERIES)

since she’d promised our slate was clean, I thought it was worth checking in with them.
    “Any sign of Seth Tate?” I asked. “Or someone who looks just like him?”
    Both fairies shook their heads. “We’re on alert,” they said. “She is aware of his existence.”
    “She,” I assumed, was Claudia. She’d once hinted that Tate was “old” magic. Maybe she knew more about him. That might be worth a visit. Or maybe a phone call, since her guards probably wouldn’t let me anywhere near her again.
    “Does she know what he is?” I asked.
    The fairies looked at each other. “He is old,” said the one on the right. “Older than the sky masters. That is all we need to know.”
    “Thanks,” I told them. “Feel free to call me if you see him around.”
    They scoffed, probably at the implication they’d need my help, which was okay by me. Better that they consider me incompetent than dangerous.
    I walked into the House and headed for Ethan’s office. Our last visit had been weird, and I was hoping the intervening time he’d had to prepare for Darius’s visit had calmed him down a bit.
    His office door was open, so I peeked inside. He was at his desk, and I knocked lightly on the door to get his attention. He glanced up at the sound.
    “I visited Mallory.”
    Ethan waved me in, and I took a seat at the desk in front of him like a good little Novitiate.
    “She’s staying at Little Red in Ukrainian Village.”
    “The bar?”
    I nodded. “There’s a bedroom above the kitchen, and she’s working for Gabriel.”
    He sat back and crossed his arms. “Doing what?”
    “Dishes, at the moment.”
    Ethan nodded thoughtfully. “Ah. Menial work, to remind her she’s merely flesh and bone.”
    “That seems to be the theory. Berna was there, and I’m assuming she’s playing den mother, although Gabriel didn’t give me a lot of details.”
    “Did Paige or Catcher have anything to say about it?”
    I shook my head. “They were going to visit Baumgartner, so they didn’t stay long. It also seems Catcher and Mallory are now on a break.”
    Ethan grimaced. “Not entirely surprising given the circumstances, but still a difficult situation.”
    “She wasn’t thrilled. I don’t think she was surprised, but she wasn’t thrilled.”
    “How’s her attitude generally?”
    “The guilt and remorse are kicking in, which is a good step. I assume she’ll go through stages like any addict.” I paused. “Can you feel her?”
    He nodded and looked away. “She’s on the other side of town, so the volume is lower, but the itch is still there. The vague sensation someone is hitchhiking in my brain.”
    That was a perfect segue to broach the topic of our relationship. But before I could do so, Malik walked in. His skin was the color of rich caramel, and he wore an ensemble that mirrored Ethan’s. But there was worry in his pale green eyes.
    “Liege,” I said deferentially.
    “She’s more obsequious to you than she ever has been to me,” Ethan observed with a tilted eyebrow.
    “Better leadership skills,” Malik said with a smile, but it faded fast enough. “You got Mallory settled?”
    “I did. She’s with the shifters.”
    Malik nodded. “It’s a good thing she’s in hand. I just got a call from your grandfather. He’s been listening to the police scanners.”
    A handy way to get information when the mayor’s office closed your office and cut off your funding.
    “What’s happened?” Ethan asked.
    “You remember Paulie, Seth Tate’s former protégé? He’s dead.”
    Paulie Cermak, a cigar stub of a man with an accent bigger than he was, had run Seth Tate’s drug operation. They distributed V, a drug that enhanced the sensation of being a vampire and made users über-aggressive.
    “Is that so surprising?” Ethan asked. “Mr. Cermak ran with a tough crowd.”
    Malik pulled out his cell phone and thumbed across the screen, then showed it to me. The image was in black and white, but its subject was clear enough: Paulie on his back on the ground, lying in a puddle of blood. It looked like his throat had been cut.
    I grimaced. “I’m not saying I liked the guy, but I wouldn’t wish that on him.”
    “No,” Malik agreed. “It’s not a pretty way to go.”
    “Time of death?” Ethan asked.
    “About eight hours ago.”
    “Plenty of time for the Tates to make it back from Nebraska and do it.”
    “But why would they?” Ethan asked. “Paulie was old news. Why would he, or it, or