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

idiot.”
    “Oh, I know.”
    “After all the shit you two have been through—all those months of fighting and driving the rest of us crazy—this is the thing he gets freaked-out about? Because he grabbed your arm?”
    “That’s it.”
    Lindsey fell back onto the carpet with much drama. “I knew he was stubborn, but this truly takes the cake.” She leaned up on her elbows. “He knows you’re immortal, right? And that you’ve broken ribs before? And been shot?”
    “He might know those things,” Margot said, “but consider it from his perspective—the man is Master of this House, or was anyway. His life is about control and order and combating chaos. And now he’s got someone else shacking up in his head who can affect his behavior—and cause him to hurt one of his vampires? That’s not a comfortable place for him.”
    “I get that,” I said. “But that’s exactly my point—Ethan didn’t suddenly turn into a jerk. He has a sorceress living in his head, creating his moods, and causing his emotions to go magically wonky. I’m not one to excuse people for their bad behavior, but in this case, it really isn’t his fault . And, more important, it’s me . He knows I can take care of myself. And instead of letting me help him, we have, as you put it, the giant wall of tension that is driving me crazy .”
    “You know what the problem is?” Lindsey asked. “You two are stuck in a prelationship.”
    “What’s a prelationship?” Margot and I simultaneously asked.
    “That stage when you clearly have the hots for each other, but you haven’t yet agreed that you’re actually in a relationship. It’s the pre-relationship stage. He has convinced himself he’s not really breaking up with you for an idiotic reason, because you’re in a prelationship, so this ‘halting’ business doesn’t seem as bad to him.”
    I sighed. “That makes sense. But what do I do about it? I want Mallory to disappear from his head, but that could take time. What if it takes years? Am I supposed to stand around and wait? I mean, he answered his apartment door half-naked.”
    “He wants you,” Lindsey said. “Physically and otherwise. Maybe you only need to remind him that you can handle yourself.”
    “How?”
    “Girl, you’re the Sentinel of this House, and you’ve been trained by Catcher and Luc and Ethan . He’s in the training room right now. Get down there and kick his ass .”
    I smiled slyly. Now, that was a plan that made sense.
    I was a woman with a plan, and it wasn’t a plan I was going to half ass. I was bringing every skill I had to bear on the problem—and taking off most of my clothes to do it. The official Cadogan House training ensemble was pretty tame—a top that looked like a black sports bra and yoga pants. It was an outfit geared for movement and comfort.
    By contrast, Catcher Bell’s training uniform was designed to allow me to watch my body move—and because of that, there was a lot less to it. Short black shorts and a bandeau-style bra.
    I wiggled into the ensemble, straightened my ponytail, and made my way to the basement training room. Ethan must have needed a break from meetings and politics; he wore a white martial arts ensemble and was coaching a handful of Novitiates through a kata , one of the building blocks of vampire combat.
    But when he saw me—and my ensemble—he stilled and his eyes went hot. Without a word to the Novitiates, he walked to me.
    “Yes?”
    “We weren’t finished with our discussion earlier.”
    “And you intend to go another round?”
    “I intend to bring you to your senses.”
    “Watch your tone, Sentinel.”
    I took a step forward, bringing me nose to nose with him. He’d taken a stake for me; I wasn’t afraid of him. One way or the other, I’d prove that tonight.
    “You’ve seen me in action,” I quietly said, “and you know I can protect myself. You know I wouldn’t let you hurt me. I am not human. I am an immortal, practically indestructible, highly trained Novitiate vampire and Sentinel of this House. But if you think you can do it, I dare you to try.”
    Shock filled his face. “Excuse me?”
    “Me and you, right now. You try your best to hurt me.” I gave him the cockiest expression I could muster. “I guarantee you can’t.”
    My words were softly but intently spoken, and they seemed to finally get through to him.
    He marched to the center of the room, interrupting a cadre of half a dozen vampires who were sparring on the