Her eyes widened as she clicked a button on the remote and the screen went blank. “Oh, yeah? Do you know why?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. He’s being all Johnny Tight Lips about it,” I replied sulkily.
Rita laughed and stood up. “Well, I’d better go and see what it is then. Promise to tell you all the deets when we’re done.” She winked and disappeared from the room. And I mean she actually disappeared. Show-off.
That was definitely going to take some getting used to.
In the kitchen, I find a box of Turkish Delight, the fancy kind that was dusted in powdered sugar. I sat up on the countertop and popped one into my mouth. The house felt way too empty now that everyone but Rebecca had gone. Ethan grudgingly accepted that Delilah would live in the old house across the street from Finn’s place, and I was glad for her because I knew she’d been dying to have some independence.
Ethan also released Marcel from the basement, but only to exile him from the city. He told him that if he ever stepped foot in Tribane again, he’d be killed on the spot. Marcel just seemed grateful to be let out of the basement, agreeing that he would be gone before the day was through. Ethan told him he had three hours. Marcel didn’t argue.
There was a knock at the front door, so I jumped down off the counter to answer it, glad for the distraction. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Ethan might be discussing with Rita. When I opened the door, I found all my friends camped out on the step waiting to be let in.
“Uh, what are you all doing here?” I asked, stepping aside so that they could get by me.
“Cristescu told us to come for a meeting. He said he has something important to discuss with us,” Finn explained.
“Well, well, well, isn’t this all very intriguing,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest. I noticed Alora standing next to Finn, his arm tight around her waist, and I gave her a warm smile. I sensed that whatever there was between those two, it was serious. Definitely not a casual fling.
The living room was a riot of curious chatter, and I went to grab some drinks for everyone while we waited. Lucas followed me to the kitchen to help.
“So,” I said, eyeing him shrewdly. “You and Amanda, huh?”
“Is that a statement or a question?” he asked, his lips curving in a smile.
“It’s a question and you know it.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Yes, Tegan. We are an item, but I’m taking it slow. I plan on making this work.”
I pointed an unopened beer bottle at him. “You’d better.”
His grin widened as I continued taking drinks out of the fridge. I grinned right back at him. I had no way of predicting whether he and my friend would live happily ever after, but at least I had the reassurance of knowing Amanda drank my potion, so if Lucas did end up biting her, he’d be in for a big surprise.
I patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, then. Help me bring these drinks inside.”
“Happy to oblige.”
About twenty minutes later, Ethan and Rita emerged from the study. Rita bounced on the balls of her feet like she couldn’t contain her excitement while Ethan was his usual, unreadable self. He stood by the fireplace, and Rita took the spot beside him.
“We have an announcement to make,” Ethan said. “I have come to realise that this city cannot go on any longer with a divided population. Having two opposing sides living in such close proximity to each other is a disaster just waiting to happen.”
“A ticking time bomb about to explode,” Rita elaborated. When she was met with silence, she added, “What? Is it too early for bomb jokes?”
“Hey, you killed Theodore for us. You can make all the inappropriate jokes you want,” Finn said with a soft chuckle.
“So,” Ethan continued, “I have come to the realisation that we need to be united, vampires, dhampirs, witches, warlocks, and all other supernatural species who dwell here. That is why I have sought out Rita. For now, I want to share my position as ruler with her. Over time, we will create a council with a representative from each supernatural grouping, with the aim of making decisions and living in harmony together.”
Oh. I stared at Ethan, open-mouthed, and to be honest, pleasantly surprised. I knew he was never a huge fan of ruling, but I didn’t expect him to want to divide the role like this. I never even considered the idea of combining forces, of creating a council. A sort of supernatural government, if you will, but it made perfect sense.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Finn said enthusiastically.