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The vampire in front was a tall man with tan skin, a lumberjack’s build, glasses, and dark blond hair in a topknot. “Hi,” he said, and looked at me. “I’m Micah. Washington House’s Second.”
His voice was deep, quiet.
I knew him only by name; I’d met the vampire who’d stood Second before him, but he’d vacated the position before I’d come home from France.
“Washington House,” I repeated lamely, as it took a moment for my brain to compute what that meant. And then my heart sank all over again. “He was in the House? Uncle Malik?”
He nodded. “For dinner with you and your parents and the Bells.”
“Oh, my god,” I said, tears welling again. “I’m so sorry.”
“No need for that,” he said quietly. “You didn’t do—whatever this was.”
“It was a demon,” I said, and told him what we’d seen. “We’re figuring out the rest, but”—I cleared my throat and felt awkward and a little sad saying this—“I can sense them out there. Somewhere else but alive. So we’ll figure out how to get them back.”
Micah looked at me for a very long time, then swallowed hard. “Thank you for that.”
Nodding was all I could manage without more tears.
“I’m going to take a look. I just—I feel like I need to.”
I nodded, and the group split to allow him through. I looked back at the vampires who’d accompanied him. There was devastation in their faces as they watched their Second move to the spot where their Master had disappeared.
The bond between Master and Novitiate was an important one. Not one I understood well, because I didn’t have a formal House or a Master. But Uncle Malik had turned most of the vampires in his House, and he’d handpicked the others to join him.
Micah stood in front of the void for a while. By the time he came back, his expression was grim. There was sorrow in his eyes, and I heard more than a couple of sniffs from his other vampires.
“We’re going to get him back,” I said, and wondered how many more people would have to hear that tonight. Would have to deal with the consequences of what Rose had done.
“Are you?” It was an honest question, earnestly asked.
“Yes. We’re working out how to track her, how to seal her, and how to ensure she can never hurt this city again.”
He watched me for a moment, nodded. “I believe you will.” He cleared his throat. “He’d wanted us to meet,” he added.
I blinked. “Uncle Malik?”
Micah nodded. “I think he wanted us to... connect.”
It took a moment to realize what he meant. “Wait—what? He did?”
“That was before the shifter.” He lifted his hands, smiled earnestly. “And I’m not trying to hit on you. You two are obviously a good team, and I don’t poach. I just thought you’d want to know that he cared that much.”
“I appreciate it,” I said with an answering smile, surprised and pleased that Uncle Malik had given it thought. “Damn it,” I murmured, as tears spilled again. I looked up, focused on the waxing moon, which hung bright and white in the sky.
“Hard night all around,” Micah said. “I may need some extra Babu time tonight.”
“Babu?”
“New House mascot,” he said, then pulled out his screen, showed me a picture of what I was confident was the ugliest dog I’d ever seen. It was a bulldog of some sort, wrinkly of face and drooly of mouth, with a rather remarkable underbite.
“Babu is...” I struggled for a compliment.
“A face only a mother—or two dozen vampires—could love,” he finished, saving me. “He comforts all of us.”
“Then I’m glad you have him,” I said.
He put his screen away again. “The vampires who weren’t in Cadogan when it disappeared?”
