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I grinned. “I don’t know about my schedule, but I wouldn’t mind taking a little of your money.”
He winked. “Then it’s done. And it’ll irritate Connor, so that’s a bonus.”
I patted his arm. “Find your joy, Riley. Find your joy.”
• • •
“It was a beautiful party,” Seri said, strappy sandals dangling from a finger, a champagne flute in her other hand, as we rode the elevator back to the top of the Portman Grand.
I’d seen Marion up to her room an hour ago, after asking Theo to keep an eye on Seri, and was glad for the break. There’d been a lot of supernaturals crammed into the ballroom, a lot of magic swimming around, and the effect was dizzying. It was like a crowded party with too much perfume—except the perfumes were all deadly. And then there was Ruadan, who hadn’t confronted me again, but whom I’d stayed uncomfortably aware of.
But considering the excellent champagne, meeting a new friend in Theo, and catching up with my family, all in all it had been a pretty good party.
“Chicago cleans up well,” I agreed. “And nobody punched anyone.”
Seri snorted, then covered her mouth delicately. “I believe I may be a little too relaxed.”
“Jet lag and champagne,” I said as the elevator came to a smooth stop, “are a powerful combination.”
“Oui,”she said, and we stepped onto her floor. She hummed “La Vie en Rose” as we walked toward her door, then made a grand bow.
“Breakfast,” she said, unlocking the door with her thumbprint. “Marion would like to speak to us at dusk, before the session begins.”
Tomorrow was only a partial night of talks—a three-hour session to allow for opening statements and the beginning of discussions. Long enough to get people talking, but not so long that the frustrations they’d brought with them would boil over. They’d get to business in the second session, working with the host vampires and others from around the world to come up with a plan forward. Hopefully.
My parents were hosting an event at Cadogan House after the first session, another party intended to keep the atmosphere social and productive. And there’d almost certainly be great food and more champagne. I was going to have to pace myself.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll be here at dusk.”
“Bonne nuit,”she said, and closed the door again.
I walked back to my room, sending Lulu another message as I traversed the wide hallway:DAY1COMPLETE.TIMETOTALKTOMORROW?
Her answer was nearly instantaneous:GIRLYES.COMETOLITTLE RED!!!
I promised I would, then fell into bed without another thought.
FIVE
When the sun set again, I dressed in a black suit, added heeled boots and my katana, and headed down to Marion’s room for breakfast.
Her suite was practically a palace. The living room was enormous and faced the river, with boxy leather couches that didn’t interrupt the view. One wall was a window over Chicago, the city’s lights piercing through the darkness like pinpricks. It looked magical. But darkness covered a lot of flaws.That is,I thought,one of the reasons why vampires tend to be overly focused on politics and strategy.It was easy to ignore the problems of the communities humans had built when we literally didn’t see them.
I was vetted by the guards who flanked the door, which Seri opened when they allowed me to knock.
“Good evening,” she said, looking perfect in a sheath dress with an angular neck and heeled boots. “Thanks for sending me the video. I haven’t yet watched it, but look forward to it.”
She gestured to the dining room table that stretched across another bank of windows in the adjoining room. The table was decked with platters of pastries and pitchers of blood, and the scent of bacon filled the air.
“Marion has assembled a feast for us,” she said.
“Looks like it.”
“Good evening, Elisa.” Marion moved closer from the bank of windows, and offered a hand. Her skin was dark, her hair croppedinto short curls, her eyes piercingly intelligent. Tonight she wore a simply cut black suit with block heels, and pearls dotted her ears.
Magic followed as she moved, putting a cinnamon-sharp bite into the air. It tangled with the magic of apprehensive vampires, gave it a bright but comforting edge.
“Good evening, Marion.”
