Midnight Marked (Chicagoland Vampires, #12)(110)

Sentinel? Are you all right? You look a bit wan.

I looked back at him, drank in the golden hair and gemlike eyes. He was my recent past, and my eternal future. I’ve never been better. Unless you also happened to grab me one of those Cubs flashlights?

He rolled his eyes.

Mallory flat-out ran toward us and wrapped her arms around me. “You’re getting married! You’re getting married!” She squeezed me tight, her voice a squeak of excitement. She pulled back, her arms on mine. “And not just married. You’re getting married to Darth Sullivan!”

“I am,” I said, most of the air squeezed from my lungs by her exuberance, but I managed to hug her back nonetheless.

“I knew from the moment you two met, you’d either kill each other or get married. I guess you chose the latter.”

I glanced at Ethan, who was chatting with Catcher, golden hair framing his face like a beautiful, young god. And, more important, who’d understood me when I faced the kind of decision that changes you. “I’m not sure I had a choice,” I said.

“All right,” Catcher said, after a moment, gently turning her away. “Let’s let the rest of them get in here.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Congratulations, Merit.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile as my grandfather moved toward me, wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m so happy for you, baby girl.”

“Thank you, Grandpa. I’m happy for me, too.”

My grandfather offered Ethan a handshake. “I’m not just losing a granddaughter,” he said. “I’m gaining a grandvampire.”

“That’s a very positive outlook,” Ethan said. “And it’s appreciated.”

“I’m very happy for both of you,” he said with a smile, then held out a hand.

Jeff walked over, enveloped me in an enormous hug. “Congrats, Merit.”

I squeezed back. “Thank you, Jeff.” When he pulled back, I grinned at him. “When do I get to start harassing you about proposing to Fallon?”

He just smiled. “A man has his secrets, Merit. Oh, hey, look who’s here!”

We looked back, found Gabriel and his wife, Tanya, walking onto the field. She was delicately pretty compared to his rugged maleness, with brown hair and blue eyes, her cheeks flushed pink, her lips generous and smiling.

Gabe’s son, Connor, was in his arms, chewing on a plastic giraffe I’d seen before. He was a beautiful little boy, nearly a year old now, with his mother’s dark hair and blue eyes. He was the prince of the North American Central Pack, and even as a child, he seemed to glow with potential.

“Very interesting,” I said as Gabriel scanned the crowd, walked toward us. Ethan stepped beside me, which I didn’t think was a coincidence.

“I understand congratulations are in order,” he said, offering Ethan a hand. The other vampires in the hall had gone quiet as they watched the interaction, just in case there was still bad blood. Ethan took it, and they shook heartily.

Gabe turned to me, pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Congratulations, Kitten. Berna sends her warmest regards.”

“You sure about that?” I asked.

Tanya offered a tall, cylindrical paper bag that smelled like yeast and sugar. “Korovai,” she said. “It’s a traditional Ukrainian wedding bread. She’s happy you’re engaged, but she’s irritated about something to do with ballet.”

“Berna enjoys her opinions,” Gabriel said with a grin. “It’s like a hobby for her.”

“Well, it smells amazing,” Ethan said, accepting the bread. “Please thank her for us. And please, help yourself to some champagne.”

“Can’t say no to that,” Gabriel said with a grin, and escorted Tanya toward the snack table.

And as I glanced around, I realized my grandfather had stepped away, had his ear to his phone. Ethan, catching the direction of my gaze, looked, too. And soon enough, everyone was watching him, expressions tense.

When my grandfather put the phone away, he glanced at us. “At the risk of ruining the party—” he began, but Ethan shook his head.

“Please, go ahead. Say what needs to be said.”

“A judge offered bail to Sorcha and Adrien Reed.”

There were curses and disgusted looks throughout the group. Fistfuls of angry magic replaced the confetti that had sparkled through the air.

“You are freaking kidding me,” Mallory said.

“Unfortunately not,” my grandfather said. “Nick has pointed out the particular judge was mentioned in Reed’s papers. He was a supporter. But that lack of ethics isn’t the biggest news. The Reeds were driven home a few hours ago with monitoring devices. They were tampered with, which sent an alert to the CPD.”

We shifted nervously, waiting for the rest of it.

“Adrien Reed is dead. Killed, it appears, by his own hand. Sorcha Reed is gone. Their accounts have been cleaned out.”

Ethan closed his eyes ruefully.

“She killed him,” I said, and all eyes turned to me. “Her plan—her long-term plan to get free—to become queen, failed. Killing him, taking the money, running. She’d have considered that a consolation prize.” It didn’t fit with the Sorcha I’d seen on Reed’s arm, but it fit with the one I’d seen at Towerline.