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

had become. “I don’t have time to recuperate. Dominic is still out there, and God only knows who he’s going after next. I need to figure out how to stop him.”
    Ethan pointed to the bed. “Get back over there.”
    “I will not.”
    He arched an imperious eyebrow. “It wasn’t a request, Sentinel.”
    “Great, since I wasn’t asking for permission.”
    “You could have been killed.”
    “Unfortunately, that’s true every day of the week. Danger is part of my job, Ethan. The one you assigned me to.”
    His lip curled. “I’m trying to remember my reasons for appointing you Sentinel. Was I attempting to teach you a lesson?”
    “And who has learned the lesson now, Professor?”
    He growled, so I didn’t push him further.
    “We can’t argue every time I have to go to work. That’s not going to be productive for the House. Besides, you would have been proud of me out there last night, notwithstanding the fact that I nearly became ash. I managed to move a fallen angel off his target and sweet-talk a cop into giving me back my sword.”
    “That is impressive.”
    “It is. And we both know I’m going anyway.”
    He fumed silently for a moment. “You are as stubborn as they come.”
    “We are well matched, Mr. Sullivan.”
    Ethan humphed but relented. He turned to the side and held out a regal hand. “Go have a shower and report to the Ops Room.”
    “As you please, Liege,” I said, then closed the bathroom door.
    Why did all of our interactions have to end with a closing door?

C HAPTER F IFTEEN

    PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
    I found my leathers in my closet when I emerged from the shower, including the jacket Catcher had picked up during my rescue. The leather was clean and shiny, in perfect condition after a hard night’s work.
    I got dressed and checked my phone and found a message waiting from Jonah. Not surprisingly, he was checking in, making sure I’d gotten the rest and blood I needed to recuperate. I messaged him back to let him know that I was still alive, even if I could have used a few more hours’ sleep.
    I also thanked Morgan with a message. I didn’t get a reply.
    My grandfather was a little more loquacious. “Baby girl! You’re okay? Catcher and Jeff said they got you home safe.”
    The relief in his voice brought tears to my eyes. “They did great. Jeff was a hero—and he carried me out just like one.”
    He chuckled. “I’d tell him you said that, but you calling him your hero may cause more trouble than it’s worth. I’ll call your father and let him know you’re okay, although I’m sure he’d like to hear it from you.”
    I doubted he cared much either way, but I wasn’t going to argue with my grandfather about it. “Thank you, Grandpa. And speaking of trouble, I understand Mayor Kowalcyzk’s city got a lot more diverse than she’d imagined.”
    “Let’s just say her knowledge is now a little closer to reality. In all seriousness, that woman was in some pretty heavy denial. I may not have many pleasant things to say about Seth Tate right now, but the man appointed me to office and usually gave a fair shake to sups.”
    “Seth Tate is still the unanswered question,” I said. “It’s Dominic—the fallen angel with the bat wings—who’s causing all the trouble.”
    He whistled. “I wouldn’t have imagined this world was possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
    “I understand the feeling.”
    “At any rate, I believe everyone realized their secrets had very limited life spans. Better to come out on your own terms than be forced out by registration laws and black helicopters.”
    “That makes sense to me. It was a brave thing to do—especially now, when the hatred’s a lot louder than the love. I’m proud of them for taking that step.”
    “I don’t know that everyone’s thrilled about it,” he said, “and there were certainly some dissenters, but it was time to do the right thing. Vampires have hoisted up the weight for long enough; it was time for others to do their fair share. I think they realized that.”
    We’d certainly tried to do our fair share, but it was our failures that stood out in my mind, not our victories. Chicago had nearly burned because I hadn’t seen that Mallory was behind the chaos. Ethan had taken a stake because he’d come looking for me, and I’d nearly died for a punishment I’d basically volunteered to take.
    Maybe Ethan was right. Maybe I would have been better off in the library.
    But there was no