No, I told the monster. Don’t even think about it. And sent a clear image of what would happen if it tried to take control while we were in Cadogan House. It would be identified and rooted out, and we’d see which of us survived.
That must have done the trick, because it settled down.
I walked down the hallway, thickly carpeted and painted in pretty pale colors, to my father’s office. He sat at his desk in his usual business attire while my mother, her long dark hair flowing down her back, stared through the windows that took up the opposite side of the room.
At the sound of my footsteps, or their sensing me, they both lifted their heads, met my gaze.
“Parental units,” I said with a smile, and was surrounded by embracing arms when I’d barely crossed the threshold.
“Okay,” I said after I’d judged they’d gotten their fill of reassurance, “now you’re being suffocating.”
I pulled back, and still my mother touched my hair, my father squeezed my hand, ensuring themselves that I was safe and whole.
“It’s good to see you,” my father said. “We’ve been worried.”
“You didn’t have to worry,” I said.
His stare was bland. “Let’s go sit,” he said and gestured toward the seating area across from his desk. Leather couches and chairs that surrounded a glass coffee table and had been the site of innumerable meetings with Sups and mildly rebellious daughters—me and Lulu both.
We took seats, and I jumped into business.
“Have you talked to Nicole again?”
“Unfortunately,” Dad said, “we haven’t been able to reach her.”
That set off alarm bells. “Why not? Where is she?”
“According to her admin, she’s in New York, meeting with the Masters in that city.”
“That seems convenient,” I said. Was she trying to avoid us, or had the Compliance Bureau been trying to avoid her?
“The visit has been planned for months,” my father said dryly. “The admin assures us our messages have been forwarded, and Nicole will be in touch regarding our ‘concerns’ as soon as her schedule allows.”
Nicole and my parents had been opponents when the AAM was founded, but they’d only had positive things to say about her leadership since then. I hadn’t met her, but that she was steady and reasonable was the sense I’d gotten from them. I didn’t think she’d have ignored the murder of an AAM vampire to focus on administrative issues.
“You didn’t tell the admin everything,” I surmised.
“No,” he said. “The admin either has no idea what’s going on here or is doing a very good job of hiding it.”
“Is Nicole being played by her staff?” I wondered.
“Even good leaders can have bad employees,” he said grimly. “We’ve sent Luc to New York to talk to her and speed a resolution.” Luc was the House’s former guard captain. He became House Second when Uncle Malik became a Master.
“What about more generally? Is there anything I can use? Some rule of the AAM I can twist around?”
“We’ve learned the Compliance Bureau was created for a one-year trial period,” my father said. “Unfortunately, that means there’s no Canon law that applies to it.”
“So no regulations I could say they’re breaking?”
“Not that we’re aware of yet.”
Frustration had me rising, stalking to the end of the room and looking through those dark windows to the grounds beyond, to the stands of trees and late-season flowers, the lights that dappled the grass. It comforted me, to see the space, to know it was bound by the rules of nature, not of vampires.
I exhaled, turned back. “Saving a human life is more important than a rule. And locking up vampires who don’t agree with them is just wrong.”
“We don’t disagree,” my father said. “But changing the rules is going to take time. It’s supposed to take time,” he added at my impatient look, “to ensure that rules are thoroughly considered, that the process isn’t manipulated to serve someone’s whim. Until we hear from Luc, it would be best to avoid the Bureau and let the OMB investigate.” He paused. “Would you consider joining a House as a temporary measure? Just until we can gather the necessary support?”
I just looked at him. “Dad.”
“What about staying here temporarily?” my mother asked.
“No,” I said, more forcefully now. “I’m not going to put you at risk like that. It’s not fair to you or anyone else in the House. And giving in to the Bureau’s demands is an admission I did something wrong. I won’t apologize to them for making Carlie. And I shouldn’t be punished for doing the right thing.”
Dad’s expression was pained, but he nodded. “We had to try,” he said with a lopsided smile. “It’s the best way to protect you.”
No, I thought, it wasn’t. Because whether Nicole Heart knew it or not, Clive had other ideas. Other plans. Other missions.
“What about seclusion?” I asked, already seeing the strain around their eyes.
“I would presume they mean incarceration,” Dad said. “But the AAM doesn’t have a facility for that, or not that they’ve told the Masters.”
“They might have contracted with a facility in Atlanta,” my mother said.
“So they’d just incarcerate me until I cave. Until I swear allegiance.”
“That’s the threat,” my mother said. “And you would be the first they’d handled that way. Or maybe they’re just bluffing because they think you’ll be frightened enough to join a House.”
I could see in her eyes that she wanted me to take that step because, she thought, it would ensure my safety. But I wasn’t so sure.
“There’s still Testing,” I said. “If I fail, they’ll say something’s wrong with me. That I was born broken. If I pass, they’ll say I’m too strong for my own good. And if there’s anything unusual, seclusion will be the least of my worries.”
Because they’d see who I was.
I glanced up and saw my mother watching me, gaze narrowed. And I knew she’d seen something. I didn’t know what—not the monster, which was bored by more talk—but something of my concern, of my fear.
Maintain, I ordered myself, and gave her the only smile I could manage. Small, and probably not convincing.
“Clive won’t stop,” I said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.