Drink Deep - Chloe Neill [102]
“It’s about the RG.”
His eyebrows lifted in interest. “You do know how to get a boy’s attention.”
I looked away, then back at him again. “I think it’s time I take some steps to protect the House. The GP is putting my colleagues, my friends, in danger. It’s not right, and if there’s something I can do to help, I’ll do it. So, I’d like to join the Red Guard.”
Jonah was quiet for a moment. “That’s the only reason you should say yes. If you’d said yes for any other reason, I’d have said no.”
I looked back at him. “Really?”
“It’s a twenty-year commitment, the RG, and it’s a serious one. We don’t want people who join because they have vendettas. We don’t want people who join because they hate authority. We want protectors. Guardians. People who recognize injustice in the system and are moved to stop it.”
“Those are good reasons.”
“They are. And now I know your reasons are similar. I’ll need to make a phone call and to pass word up the chain, but for all intents and purposes, you’re in.” He smiled down at me, and this time there was something more serious in his eyes. Not flirty. Not friendly. Partnership.
“We will work together,” he said. “It’s a close relationship, and has to be a trusting one. Can you trust me?”
I looked at him for a moment, not wanting to give an answer without having given it earnest thought. I considered what I knew of him, and I considered the times he’d already had my back. At a rave in Streeterville, when we’d saved a young human. At Claudia’s, when he’d stepped in front of me to keep me out of harm’s way.
He might have had his reservations, but he’d gone all in when it counted.
“I trust you,” I said.
He nodded, and offered his hand. “Then I am deeply honored to welcome you, Merit, to the Red Guard.”
“That’s it?” Not that I’d imagined a sash and a parade, but it seemed worthy of at least a ceremony or a pinning or something.
“We’ll put together a more formal ceremony after I advise Noah. That’ll take a little time to arrange. In the meantime . . .” He wiggled his fingers, waiting for a handshake.
My promise already made, we shook on it.
In doing so, I pledged away my presumed loyalty to the GP. Frank might have intended to reduce my influence over the House. In fact, he’d only managed to bring me closer to my fellow Novitiates and make me fight harder for them.
“This looks cozy.”
We both looked behind us, where a tall, dark-haired vampire stood, arms crossed, barely hidden malice in his expression.
“Hello, Morgan,” I said, thinking Paul would probably appreciate his sense of dramatics.
Morgan Greer, Master of Navarre House, was unquestionably handsome—alluring in a dark, seductive way. His sense of humor balanced out his rakish good looks, but his immaturity negated both, in my opinion. By all accounts, he had everything a Master could wish for—health, looks, money, and power. But he had the attitude of a sulking, bitter teenager.
Tonight he wore a button-up shirt over snug jeans and boots. His dark, wavy hair hit his shoulders, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few weeks. His cheeks were supermodel gaunt, which added a sharp edge to his appeal.
I hadn’t spoken with him since the deaths of Ethan and Celina; I wasn’t sure how he felt about either, but I guessed the emotions would be mixed, at best. And tonight, he was in a position I hadn’t seen before—he had a date.
The girl beside him was tall and thin, with long, dark hair and an exotic face. She’d paired dark leggings and an oversized top (undoubtedly from some couture boutique) with five-inch heels and chandelier earrings. She looked like a model on a go-see, and I felt a small pang of jealousy before remembering that I couldn’t care less.
His gaze grazed me, then Jonah, landing on me again with obvious disgust. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
Jonah must have felt the quick flash of magic I threw into the air, because he put a warning hand on my arm. I gave his hand a quick pat of reassurance.
“We’re working,” I said, trying to maintain my composure and not get into a screaming match with an emotionally stunted