[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Given Frank’s House ban on all things delicious, I was going to need them.My pockets full, I closed the drawer again and walked back to the front door.Catcher was still on the couch, frowning at what looked to be another Lifetime movie.“What’s the appeal?” I wondered aloud, watching a montage of a woman getting a makeover with girlfriends, probably after some ridiculously bad breakup.“Normalcy,” he said.“The stories are melodramatic, sure, but the problems are profane.They’re about love and illness and money and nasty neighbors and creepy ex-boyfriends.”“They aren’t about magic and irritating vampires and awful politicians?”“Precisely.”I nodded in understanding.“I pulled some stuff from the chocolate drawer.But I don’t think you’ll miss it.Hey, have you noticed anything weird about Mallory? She seems, I don’t know, really focused.And not really in a good way.”“She’s fine,” was all he said.I waited for more, but got nothing but thick tension and a little peppery magic.He may have verbally disagreed with me, but there was nothing in his body language that said he was okay with her behavior.“You sure about that? Have you talked to Mallory about Simon? About what he’s having her do? I get the sense she’s doing things she’s not comfortable with.”“This isn’t exactly your area of expertise.”There was a sharpness in his voice I hadn’t expected to hear.Catcher may have been gruff, but he was also usually patient about supernatural issues.“True,” I allowed.“But I do know Mallory.And I know when she’s avoiding something.”“You think I don’t know her?”“Of course you know her.I just know her in a different way than you do.”Ever so slowly, he slid me a skewering glance.“What goes on in this house between us isn’t exactly your business, is it?”I blinked from the sting, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.After all, he’d just lost his job and his girlfriend was a giant stressball.“Okay,” I said, hand on the doorknob.“Fine.You guys have a good night.”“Merit.”I looked back.“Before you go.” He began, then wet his lips and looked away.It wasn’t often that I’d seen him uncomfortable about voicing an opinion, and that made me nervous.“I’ve heard you’ve been spending time with Jonah lately.I have to admit: I’m not thrilled about it.”How did word travel so fast? This was like being in high school all over again.“We’re working together,” I said.“He’s my backup.”“Is that all?”I gave back the same doubtful expression he’d offered me.“Is that all?”“I know it wasn’t always obvious, but Ethan and I were close.”“I could say the same thing.”“And are you respecting his memory?”The question was as brutal as a slap, and as surprising as it was harsh.“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I am.And regardless, I have a right to live my life even if he’s not here.”My heart pounded with adrenaline and irritation and.hurt.This was Catcher, my best friend’s boyfriend.He was basically a brother-in-law, and he was accusing me of disrespecting Ethan’s memory?“That was a really shitty thing to say,” I added, as the irritation grew.Silence.“He was a pain in the ass,” Catcher said.“But I’d gotten used to him, you know?”The hurt softened a bit.“I know.”It was another minute before he spoke again.“Have I ever told you how Sullivan and I met?”I shook my head.“The Order was convinced there shouldn’t be sorcerers in Chicago.But I knew—we all knew—that supernatural issues were going to come to a head here before anywhere else.I’d always thought the Order just didn’t want to get their hands dirty.Now I think they were afraid.At any rate, I’d had a prophecy, and I’d told them about it.I told them we needed sorcerers here.That it was imperative that we have sorcerers here.”“They didn’t believe you?”“Or were in denial.And when I came to Chicago anyway, they saw that as a breach of the chain of command and they kicked me out.They left me without a sponsor, and they accused me of being arrogant, of trying to usurp the authority of the union.As an act of courtesy, I called the Houses and let them know I was coming.I didn’t want my arrival to ruffle any feathers.Scott wouldn’t talk to me; he didn’t want to get involved in Order issues.Celina offered me a meeting, but that was largely an exercise in self-absorption.”“Not entirely surprising.”He made a sound of agreement.“I called Ethan, gave him a heads-up.He invited me over.We talked about Chicago, the Order, the Houses.We talked for hours.And at the end of that conversation, he offered to let me stay in Cadogan House until I got situated in Chicago.”Catcher was silent for a moment, maybe letting that sink in.Except that it didn’t really surprise me.Ethan was strategic, and he was also loyal.He’d have rewarded Catcher for following the etiquette, and he’d have had the grace to offer him the House afterward.“That was years ago,” he finally said.“Years before you became a vampire, years before you met Mallory.Years before you moved back to Chicago.Years before the city turned against its own.”“Years before we lost Ethan.But we did lose him.”“I know,” Catcher said.“I know he’s gone, and I know your relationship was rocky right up to the end.But deep down, he was good people.”“I know he was.”Catcher nodded, and silence reigned for a moment.But before I could speak, my cell phone rang.I pulled it from my pocket and checked the screen.It was Jonah.“Hello?”“Have you looked outside recently?”“Not in a couple of hours.Why?”“Go and look.”“Is this a joke?” I asked him.“I’m kind of in the middle of something.”“It’s aspen serious.Go look outside.Check the sky and the moon.”“I’ll call you back,” I told him.I tucked the phone away and glanced back at Catcher.“Excuse me for a moment,” I said, opening the door and peering outside.I froze.“Oh, my God,” I muttered, and heard Catcher rustling behind me.The sky was ruby red.Not sunrise or sunset pink, but red.A dark, rich red of cherry cola or well-worn mahogany.A glowing bloodred moon hung low in the sky, and brilliant white forks of lightning crossed it with alarming frequency.Mallory had made a prophecy about a red moon once, something about the fall of “White City kings.” Once upon a time, parts of Chicago had been called the “White City.” Was this the moon she meant? If so, who were the “kings” that were supposed to fall?My stomach churned in warning.I’d dreamed about a moon, but that had to be coincidence.Because if it wasn’t, and the rest of the dream hadn’t been coincidence either.I shook my head
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Tematy
IndexCidney Swanson [Saving Mars Saving Mars (epub)
Christine Wood [Life Plan 01] A Life Plan Without You (epub)
Cheryl McIntyre [Infinitely Infinitely (epub)
Clair Delaney [Coral 01] Coral (epub)
Christine Cody [Bloodlands 01 Bloodlands (epub)
Christina Ross [Unleash Me, A Unleash Me, Vol 3 (epub)
Christine Flynn [The Hunt for Once Upon a Christmas Eve (epub
Christian Fletcher [The Left Left on the Brink (epub)
Christopher G Nuttall [Royal The Royal Sorceress (epub)
Christie, Agatha Noc W Bibliotece