“I always appreciated his thoughtfulness,” Ronan said. “He was a cautious and careful man. And above all, he loved the family that he found here and desired to protect it. The authorities were contacted?”
“Sheriff Paulson came out,” Cash said. “Took a look at the scene, agreed with us that an animal attack was probably to blame. We searched Loren’s house, didn’t find anything. Found nothing compelling in the woods indicating his death had anything to do with the Pack.”
That wasn’t even close to accurate. And while my first instinct was to wonder if Georgia had told Cash what we’d found, the fact that Cash’s gaze shifted to Connor—and contained a pretty obvious warning—answered that question. He knew the truth, but was holding it close. Maybe there were some in the room who believed him regardless. But I wondered.
“I’m not surprised to learn your people were not involved,” Ronan said. “Are there any leads outside the community?”
“Those avenues are being explored,” Cash said, and I’d have called bullshit if the moment had been right.
“If you learn anything, I’d appreciate an update,” Ronan said. “In case they pose a threat to my people, as well.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll also admit to some . . . curiosity . . . about your guests.”
Ronan turned to me, evaluated. His eyes were intense, curious. Not unfriendly, but the inspection had the calculating edge I’d come to recognize in vampires, who often gauged the value of the fellow fanged by their political usefulness. I’d seen plenty of similar looks when I’d met single vampires curious about the only born vampire—and the prize I’d make.
“Elisa of Cadogan House,” Ronan said, taking a step closer.
“Elisa,” I corrected. “I’m not a member of Cadogan House.”
He lifted his brows. “I wasn’t aware, and assumed wrongly. I apologize.”
“No apologies necessary. I respect Cadogan House greatly. But I’m not a Novitiate.”
“I see,” he said, but puzzlement remained in his eyes. He looked at Connor. “The son of Gabriel Keene.”
“In the flesh,” Connor said stiffly and with more heat than I’d have expected. Surely he didn’t think of Ronan as a threat to the Pack. That wasn’t Connor’s style, and it wasn’t consistent with his usual swagger.
“A pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard much about your father, your Pack. Both are very well respected.”
“Appreciate it,” Connor said shortly.
“I hate to be rude,” Cash said, “and we appreciate your thoughts, but we’re in the middle of planning Loren’s memorial, and there’s work to be done yet.”
Ronan looked dismayed, put a hand over his chest, bowed slightly. “I apologize for the interruption. Perhaps I might have a word with Elisa while you continue your discussions?”
“Fine by me,” Cash said with a thin smile he directed at Connor. Another challenge, I thought, this time to test if Connor was brave enough to send me off with a vampire.
Connor looked at me, and while there was undeniably concern in his eyes, they held trust, at least for me. Because I didn’t think there were many others he trusted at the moment.
“Elisa is her own person,” he said, “and doesn’t need my permission.”
I caught snickers from more than a few shifters in the room who apparently thought the notion of my autonomy was hilarious. While I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to go with Ronan, I was certainly not going to hesitate in front of them. And since the night had barely begun and I was already sick to death of troglodytes, I decided something quite the opposite was in order.
I turned to Connor, let my eyes silver, and heard the gasp in the crowd. But his eyes, wide and wild, stayed on mine. I put one hand against his chest, the other into his hair, pulling him down to me. And I kissed him, let magic spill and rise around us.
It wasn’t politic of me. But it was very vampiric.
His lips curving against mine, Connor put a hand at the small of my back, pressed me forward, and kissed me without regret, without trepidation. He let the others feel the power of it, the strength of it.
By the time I pulled back, there were whistles in the crowd, and Connor’s eyes were glittering with desire and amusement. A pretty good combination of emotions, I figured.
“Be careful,” I said, then turned to Ronan, extended a hand toward the door.
There was a smile on his face before I turned away, walked through the gauntlet of shifters, and felt pretty good about my place in the world.
* * *
* * *
I walked through the lodge to the back patio, steam from the hot tub fogging the air with humidity and the scent of chlorine. I was half-surprised to find it worked, given the resort’s repair needs, but someone had apparently determined it was a priority. Maybe not so surprising, given we were in Minnesota, where heat was an important commodity.
“That was quite a show,” Ronan said when he met me on the porch. The other two vampires stayed near the doors, just in case.
“It felt necessary,” I said.
“The Pack—and the clan—is patriarchal in many respects. And that you are a vampire discomfits them.”
“So I’ve heard. I understand you’re local.”
“We have a small coven northeast of here. Unaffiliated, like you.”
“And you’re friendly with the clan.”
“Friendly enough,” he said, strolling to the hot tub and gazing into the water. “The clan generally keeps to itself, has the traditional distaste of vampires. We also keep to ourselves, although we are honest about who we are.”
It was hard to miss the subtle disapproval in his voice or to disagree with it. “You think they should tell the community they’re shifters?”
“I think they should have the benefit of making that decision for themselves,” he said. “But I also believe the costs of honesty are not what they were when Cash and the others were in their prime.”
“How many are in your coven?”
“There are twelve at present. Ten of us are employed by or with humans. I’m a physician. Attended Cambridge when Queen Victoria ruled much of the modern world. And learned most of what I know after that,” he added with a grin.
“That must have been fascinating.”
“It had its moments. Most of them immediately before and after the Ripper.”
“I bet.”