Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill [60]
“On it,” he said, and the line went dead.
I hung up the phone and stared at the receiver for a minute, not quite ready to make the next connection in tonight’s callathon.
Ethan might not have bought my argument, but I still suspected Celina had some part in this: at a minimum, hiring vamps—or perhaps a short guy—to do her dirty work. It was too much of a coincidence that “Marie” was running around inciting vamps to treat humans like disposable convenience food.
I made myself a promise—whatever it took, she was mine. She’d caused me trouble, she’d caused Ethan trouble, and she was lining up trouble for the House and the city. Even if I had to hide it from Ethan and the GP, I was going to bring her down.
Of course, I still needed evidence. I could admit the use of an old alias wasn’t exactly strong support for my theory. And if I wanted to confirm whether she’d been involved, who had the best access to Celina?
Morgan Greer. Newish Master of Navarre House, former (brief) boyfriend, and former Celina booster. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the call. But he’d been Celina’s Second, and that made him my best source for info about her current whereabouts. I couldn’t trust he’d voluntarily call up Scott and Ethan and offer them information.
I punched in Morgan’s number—which was still in my phone just waiting for a drunk dial—and hung on for the ring.
“Greer,” he threw out. There was something pretentious about his answering with his last name. He’d gained it back when he became Master of Navarre House; apparently he wanted to remind callers about that change in position.
“Hey, Morgan. It’s Merit.”
“Oh. Hi.” Suspicion snuck back into his tone.
“I’m sorry to call you, but I need a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Yeah, and I need you to promise not to freak out.”
“No one ever says that unless the odds of freaking out are pretty high.”
“True.” I paused for courage, then spit it out. “I need to talk to you about Celina.” I gave him the details, from the would-be rave to the woman named Marie outside Temple Bar.
There was a long pause. “And what, exactly, do you think she’s doing?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe soliciting humans for some kind of vamp anger-management sessions?”
He made a disdainful sound. “Merit, even if I conceded the point, which I don’t, the GP isn’t going to put her behind bars.”
“Maybe not. But if we have enough information about what she’s really doing here, we tip the odds. And if nothing else, we gain a better understanding of what she’s up to and how we can keep her from destroying the city.”
“So, let me get this straight—you want me to help you investigate my Master, the woman who made me a vampire, whom I gave two oaths to serve, against the wishes of the GP, and you don’t have any evidence of whatever it is you think she might be involved in?”
“‘Investigate’ is a really strong word. I prefer ‘keep apprised of.’”
He went quiet.
“Look,” I said, “I know it’s a lot to ask, especially from you, especially from me. But she’s tried to kill me twice, she’s tried to kill Ethan, and God only knows if she’s really staying out of Navarre business.”
That last one was a stretch, but given the quick hitch in his breath, I figured I was on to something.
“She’s got friends,” I reminded him. “At least a couple from Cadogan, and that’s not even her House. Have you lost any members lately?”
I had to give it to him. His tone changed, from adolescent angst to vampire in charge.
“No,” he said. “But they loved her. And I haven’t made any vamps yet. Won’t until the spring, so their allegiances are to her. Would it surprise me if they’d been in touch? And that they hadn’t told me about it? Eh. I wouldn’t put great odds on it, but stranger things have happened.”
“If she is mixed up in this—getting humans to vamp parties—why would she do it? What would her motivation be?”
“Well, she did have the crown whipped out from under her, so to speak. If she can’t play the vamp heroine, maybe she’s ready for a stint as the antagonist.”
“The humans don’t like her anymore, so she