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.”That must have satisfied the librarian, because he disappeared between a row of books without another word.“He is a particular breed,” Ethan said, and we slipped into the hall again.The ballroom was similarly decked out, with rows of cots and dividers across the wood floor, the chandeliers above dimmed to cast a gentle glow across the room.A long table had been set up on one side of the room with more toiletries and baskets of bottled water, blood, and snacks.“Seriously, Helen did an amazing job getting everything arranged so quickly.You should give her a raise.”Ethan snorted.“Trust me, Sentinel, she doesn’t need one.We had to double her salary after your transition to vampire.”I slugged him gently in the arm, but I suspected he wasn’t teasing.My change from human to vampire hadn’t exactly been smooth—and Helen, unfortunately for her, had had the unenviable job of welcoming me into the dark.It hadn’t gone smoothly.Satisfied the Grey House vampires were being cared for, we retreated and continued our journey to the first floor.We reached the foyer just as Scott, Ava, and the children walked through the door.“Perfect timing,” Ethan said, striding forward to meet them.“Welcome to Cadogan House.I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”Ava nodded nervously, gathering her children around her.“Thank you for having us.”“Ditto,” Scott added.“We appreciate the gesture.I know it’s an inconvenience.”Ethan smiled.“Not at all.” He turned to Helen, who still sat at the greeting station, and gestured to the new arrivals.“Helen, this is Ava and her children, Abby and Miguel.They are Scott’s particular friends, and they will be staying with us.”If Helen found anything odd in his announcement, she didn’t show it.In her typically administrative fashion, she checked her clipboard.“We have the injured vampires in the guest suite, and it will be a bit noisy in the ballroom and library, given the number of vampires.If you’d like, the children can stay in Merit’s old room,” she said, glancing at me.I nodded my approval, but Ethan interjected.“That won’t do,” he said.“You can take the Master’s apartment.That way you’ll be able to stay together, with the children.You’ll need space of your own to breathe and plan, and you’ll feel better if you can keep them close?”Ava nodded with relief.Ethan looked at Helen.“You can arrange cots for the children?”“Of course,” she said.“But what about you?”“We’ll stay in Merit’s old room.”Since my dorm-sized room had only a twin bed, it would be a squeeze.But Luc and Lindsey managed well enough in her room.Besides, Ethan was right.It wasn’t much of a sacrifice to us, and it would give them all peace of mind.“Then I offer our thanks,” Scott said.“Margot, if you’ll take the desk,” Helen said, “I’ll show them the way.” When Margot nodded, Helen gestured toward the stairs with her clipboard and they moved forward.Ethan turned back to me.“I hope that’s all right with you.”“Of course,” I said.“They’ll want to be together.Especially after tonight.”“My thoughts exactly.” He looked at Margot.“We’ll be in the Ops Room.”Margot saluted with the pen in her hand.Chapter TenTHE SLUMBER PARTYIn the basement, the Ops Room buzzed with activity.Juliet, Kelley, Malik, and Luc were already inside, and the whiteboard was in position.“Grey House guards?” Ethan asked, exchanging a manly patting of backs with Malik, who’d undoubtedly been worried for Ethan’s safety.“They’re on-site and getting settled in,” Luc said.“We gave them a few minutes.”Ethan nodded, then glanced at Malik.“Any trouble here while we were gone?”“Not a hint.No rioters.No attempts to jump the fence.No crank phone calls.You four had all the fun.” He glanced at me with concern.“You were cut?”“Yeah, but I’m okay.Just a little sore.”Devilishness shined in Malik’s eyes.“What was the weapon again? Paring knife? Melon baller?” He squeezed his thumb and forefinger together.“One of those cinnamon-flavored toothpicks?”I gave Luc, the only one who’d have had time to tell Malik about the weapon of choice, a very flat look.“Really.”He winked.“I told him the rioter used a spatula.He got to the rest on his own.”“It was a chef’s knife,” I said, holding my hands about a foot apart.“And a very large one.”“That’s what she said,” Ethan murmured.Maybe my sarcasm was catching.“I did get a call from one Nicholas Breckenridge.He’s asked about the riots’ potential impact on the House getting a lengthy feature.”Ethan looked very satisfied.“That was Merit’s idea.Our effort to change public opinion.”“Nice thought,” Malik said, and I nodded.“Thanks.”“Give him whatever information he wants,” Ethan said.“I’ll apprise Scott.No interviews with individual vampires unless they specifically consent, but he’s welcome to ask within the halls of the House.”Malik nodded, then glanced back at the door.“Speaking of access to the House, look who’s darkening our door.”I glanced back, expecting to see the Grey House guards, but found a pleasant surprise.Jeff, Catcher, and my grandfather stood in the doorway, still bundled up in scarves and warm coats.Catcher must have picked up my grandfather and brought him back to Hyde Park.I smiled and walked toward them, accepting a very squeezy hug from Jeff.“We heard there was a party,” he said.“And we decided to crash it.”“Actually, we heard you were discussing the riots,” my grandfather said, giving Jeff an amused glance.“I’m not sure we’ll have a lot to offer, but we thought we’d chip in what we could.”“It was nice of you to come all this way,” I said.“We appreciate it.”Catcher looked over my ensemble [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.”That must have satisfied the librarian, because he disappeared between a row of books without another word.“He is a particular breed,” Ethan said, and we slipped into the hall again.The ballroom was similarly decked out, with rows of cots and dividers across the wood floor, the chandeliers above dimmed to cast a gentle glow across the room.A long table had been set up on one side of the room with more toiletries and baskets of bottled water, blood, and snacks.“Seriously, Helen did an amazing job getting everything arranged so quickly.You should give her a raise.”Ethan snorted.“Trust me, Sentinel, she doesn’t need one.We had to double her salary after your transition to vampire.”I slugged him gently in the arm, but I suspected he wasn’t teasing.My change from human to vampire hadn’t exactly been smooth—and Helen, unfortunately for her, had had the unenviable job of welcoming me into the dark.It hadn’t gone smoothly.Satisfied the Grey House vampires were being cared for, we retreated and continued our journey to the first floor.We reached the foyer just as Scott, Ava, and the children walked through the door.“Perfect timing,” Ethan said, striding forward to meet them.“Welcome to Cadogan House.I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”Ava nodded nervously, gathering her children around her.“Thank you for having us.”“Ditto,” Scott added.“We appreciate the gesture.I know it’s an inconvenience.”Ethan smiled.“Not at all.” He turned to Helen, who still sat at the greeting station, and gestured to the new arrivals.“Helen, this is Ava and her children, Abby and Miguel.They are Scott’s particular friends, and they will be staying with us.”If Helen found anything odd in his announcement, she didn’t show it.In her typically administrative fashion, she checked her clipboard.“We have the injured vampires in the guest suite, and it will be a bit noisy in the ballroom and library, given the number of vampires.If you’d like, the children can stay in Merit’s old room,” she said, glancing at me.I nodded my approval, but Ethan interjected.“That won’t do,” he said.“You can take the Master’s apartment.That way you’ll be able to stay together, with the children.You’ll need space of your own to breathe and plan, and you’ll feel better if you can keep them close?”Ava nodded with relief.Ethan looked at Helen.“You can arrange cots for the children?”“Of course,” she said.“But what about you?”“We’ll stay in Merit’s old room.”Since my dorm-sized room had only a twin bed, it would be a squeeze.But Luc and Lindsey managed well enough in her room.Besides, Ethan was right.It wasn’t much of a sacrifice to us, and it would give them all peace of mind.“Then I offer our thanks,” Scott said.“Margot, if you’ll take the desk,” Helen said, “I’ll show them the way.” When Margot nodded, Helen gestured toward the stairs with her clipboard and they moved forward.Ethan turned back to me.“I hope that’s all right with you.”“Of course,” I said.“They’ll want to be together.Especially after tonight.”“My thoughts exactly.” He looked at Margot.“We’ll be in the Ops Room.”Margot saluted with the pen in her hand.Chapter TenTHE SLUMBER PARTYIn the basement, the Ops Room buzzed with activity.Juliet, Kelley, Malik, and Luc were already inside, and the whiteboard was in position.“Grey House guards?” Ethan asked, exchanging a manly patting of backs with Malik, who’d undoubtedly been worried for Ethan’s safety.“They’re on-site and getting settled in,” Luc said.“We gave them a few minutes.”Ethan nodded, then glanced at Malik.“Any trouble here while we were gone?”“Not a hint.No rioters.No attempts to jump the fence.No crank phone calls.You four had all the fun.” He glanced at me with concern.“You were cut?”“Yeah, but I’m okay.Just a little sore.”Devilishness shined in Malik’s eyes.“What was the weapon again? Paring knife? Melon baller?” He squeezed his thumb and forefinger together.“One of those cinnamon-flavored toothpicks?”I gave Luc, the only one who’d have had time to tell Malik about the weapon of choice, a very flat look.“Really.”He winked.“I told him the rioter used a spatula.He got to the rest on his own.”“It was a chef’s knife,” I said, holding my hands about a foot apart.“And a very large one.”“That’s what she said,” Ethan murmured.Maybe my sarcasm was catching.“I did get a call from one Nicholas Breckenridge.He’s asked about the riots’ potential impact on the House getting a lengthy feature.”Ethan looked very satisfied.“That was Merit’s idea.Our effort to change public opinion.”“Nice thought,” Malik said, and I nodded.“Thanks.”“Give him whatever information he wants,” Ethan said.“I’ll apprise Scott.No interviews with individual vampires unless they specifically consent, but he’s welcome to ask within the halls of the House.”Malik nodded, then glanced back at the door.“Speaking of access to the House, look who’s darkening our door.”I glanced back, expecting to see the Grey House guards, but found a pleasant surprise.Jeff, Catcher, and my grandfather stood in the doorway, still bundled up in scarves and warm coats.Catcher must have picked up my grandfather and brought him back to Hyde Park.I smiled and walked toward them, accepting a very squeezy hug from Jeff.“We heard there was a party,” he said.“And we decided to crash it.”“Actually, we heard you were discussing the riots,” my grandfather said, giving Jeff an amused glance.“I’m not sure we’ll have a lot to offer, but we thought we’d chip in what we could.”“It was nice of you to come all this way,” I said.“We appreciate it.”Catcher looked over my ensemble [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]