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

simultaneously.
    “Well, at any rate, the blood rations tested whether your vampires could sustain a shortage. It’s not impossible to imagine that they may face something similar in the future, particularly if your politicians’ opinions of vampires remain the same. They need to be prepared, and we needed to know how much assistance we’ll be asked to provide.”
    I was probably the last person who wanted to agree with Darius. The problem was, I couldn’t fault his logic. Things were bad in Chicago, and it wasn’t impossible to believe they’d get worse before all was said and done. Were we spoiled vampires not afraid enough of what might happen? Had we become too soft?
    I may have wondered, but Ethan definitely wasn’t convinced.
    “It can be dressed in pretty language,” Ethan said, “but neither Chicago nor the Houses are to blame for Cabot’s actions. He rationed blood in a time of crisis. He put an already stressed guard crew through brutal testing. I understand the need for testing—and make use of it when necessary. But I do not sanction exacerbating the crises already faced by this House’s vampires. You test when the waters are smooth; you support when the waters are rough. The GP is adding to our problems, not helping fix them.”
    “The GP is aware of your position.”
    “And what do they propose to do about it?” Malik asked.
    There was silence for a moment, and even when Darius answered, he didn’t really answer. “The shofet had voted to remove Cadogan House’s accreditation.”
    There was silence except for the sudden rush of blood in my ears.
    “The GP cannot disband this House,” Ethan quietly said.
    “The GP can and will do what it deems appropriate. Tonight I need to speak with Morgan and Scott. I’ll interview you two and Kelley tomorrow.”
    “For what purpose?” Malik asked.
    Adding insult to injury was my best guess.
    “Because I am head of the GP, and I’d like to see the data for myself.” The sound of his voice changed, and I guessed he’d stood up. “Ultimately, the GP will make the decision that is best for all its vampires. The call is not yours to make. Is that understood, gentlemen?”
    “Sire,” they both said.
    And that was apparently the end of that.
    I heard the office door open and shut. I snapped my guards back into place and jumped to my feet, then peeked into the hallway. Darius—tall, rangy, and impeccably dressed in dress pants and a pin-striped shirt—walked down the hallway with Malik toward Malik’s office.
    When they were out of sight, I walked to Ethan’s office. This was going to require serious damage control. Although I wasn’t entirely sure I was up to the task, someone had to do something. It might as well be me.
    I wished myself good luck and opened the door.
    Ethan was behind his desk. The room vibrated with furious energy.
    “Will they actually kick us out?” I asked, earning me a flash of green eyes.
    “You spied on us?”
    “I strategically gathered evidence.”
    “They’ve effectively done so,” Ethan said. “We’ve been impeached. Now we see if they can make it stick.” He rose from his desk, then walked across the room to the bar tucked into the built-in bookshelf. He opened a cabinet, pulled out a bottle, and twisted off the top, then poured two fingers into a short glass.
    He took a sip, then glanced back at me. “Beverage?”
    I walked toward the bar. “What are you drinking?”
    “Forty-year-old Scotch.”
    I whistled. That couldn’t have been cheap, and it probably didn’t bode well for the House that he’d cracked it.
    Ethan didn’t show fear often. That he was worried now about what the GP might do made my stomach flutter with nerves. He was supposed to be the House’s rock; the rock wasn’t supposed to be nervous.
    “No, thanks,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the cabinets. “What now?”
    “Contingency planning,” he said darkly. “We have some backup plans in place, and if the House isn’t long for GP membership, they’ll need executing soon. Malik and I are going to finalize them.”
    “The GP hasn’t done us any favors lately. Is it such a bad thing if we’re gone?”
    He didn’t answer, and he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
    I guessed it was worse than I’d thought. “Tell me.”
    He took another sip. “The GP’s general philosophy is that if we are not aligned with them, we are against them.”
    “That doesn’t make any sense. There are Rogue vampires in