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Автор Хлоя Нейл

Annotation

The third novel in the Chicagoland Vampires series finds Merit, a relatively new vampire and the Sentinel of Cadogan House, detailed to assist a convention of shape-shifters planning to meet in the Windy City. Someone shoots up the tavern where Merit and Gabriel, a shape-shifting Alpha, are having preliminary talks, and the fight is on. Merit has to figure out which of several suspects is gunning for Gabriel, whether tensions between the various supernaturals are being deliberately fanned, if she wants to join a vampire internal policing organization, and how she ought to respond to the attraction she feels for Ethan, the 400-year-old head of Cadogan House. It's enough to keep a girl quite busy, and the pages turn fast enough to satisfy vampire and romance fans alike.

“Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock. ”

—Will Rogers

CHAPTER ONE JOIN THE CLUB Early June Chicago, Illinois It was the beginning of Route 66, the spot where “America’s Main Street” began to traverse the United States. Buckingham Fountain, the heart of Grant Park, was named for the brother of the woman who donated the fountain to the city of Chicago. By day, the fountain’s main jet shot one hundred fifty feet into the air, a tower of water between the expanse of Lake Michigan and the expanse of downtown Chicago.

But it was late now, and the jets had been turned off for the night. The park was officially closed, but that didn’t stop a handful of stragglers from walking around the fountain or perching on the steps that led down to Lake Shore Drive to take in the view of the dark and gleaming waters of Lake Michigan.

I checked my watch. It was eight minutes after midnight. I was here because someone had been leaving me anonymous notes. The first ones mentioned invitations.

The last one had invited me to the fountain at midnight, which meant the mysterious someone was eight minutes late.

I had no clue who had invited me or why, but I was curious enough to make the drive downtown from my home in Hyde Park. I was also cautious enough to show up with a weapon—a short pearl-handled dagger that was strapped beneath my suit jacket on my left side. The dagger had been a gift from Master vampire Ethan Sullivan to me, the Sentinel of his House of vampires.

I probably didn’t look the part of the stereotypical vampire, as the Cadogan House uniform—a slim-fit, well-tailored black pantsuit—wasn’t exactly the stuff of horror movies. My long, straight, dark hair was pulled into its usual high ponytail, dark bangs across my forehead. I’d donned a pair of black Mary Jane-style heels which, my preference for Pumas notwithstanding, looked pretty good with the suit. My beeper was clipped to my waist in case of House emergencies.

As House Sentinel, I usually carried a katana, thirty-odd inches of honed steel. But for this meeting, I’d left my katana at home, thinking the sight of a bloodred scabbard strapped to my side might inspire a bit too much attention from human eyes. I was, after all, in the park after hours. The members of the Chicago Police Department were going to be curious enough about that; a three-foot-long samurai sword wasn’t going to instill much confidence that I was here only for introductions and conversation.