He looked at me. I shrugged. “I just work here.”
“Species-ism among supernaturals really is the last bastion of acceptable prejudice in this country,” Mal said, then seemed to realize I was dressed in leather and holding my sword. “You look ready to chase down some shifters.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. You’re not in Schaumburg tonight?”
She shook her head. “I have practicum again tonight, which means I’m supposed to be at home making potions and whatnot.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Good luck with your shifters. And that’s why I’m here.” She stuck her fingers into the snug pocket at her hip and fished around. “Hold out your hand.”
I arched a skeptical eyebrow, but did as I was directed. Mallory fished something out, then deposited it into my palm.
It was an antique bracelet—a gold link chain, dark from wear, that bore a circular locket. I held it up. The image of a bird was engraved in the top.
“It’s an apotrope,” she proudly said.
“It’s a what?”
“Apotrope. It’s a charm for luck, to ward off bad juju.” She leaned forward and pointed at the inscription. “That’s a raven. It’s a symbol of protection. I found the bracelet in a shop in the Scandinavian District.”
I frowned at her, puzzled. “Chicago has a Scandinavian District?”
“Nope,” Catcher said. “But the store was next-door to a restaurant that sold pickled herring. She decided that was the Scandinavian District.”
“First you’re moving furniture; then you’re moving neighborhoods.”
“I’m an up-and-comer,” she said. “Anywho, I worked a little Second Key action of my own, and there you go.”
“Well, that was very thoughtful, even without the gratuitous urban planning. Thanks, Mal.”
She shrugged. “I wanted to give you a tincture of wolfsbane, but party pooper over here said no.”
“Wolfsbane?” I asked, looking between them.
“It’s poisonous to shifters,” Catcher said, mid-eye roll.
I nodded in understanding. “Yeah, might be bad form to wear wolf poison to a shifter convocation.”
“I only would have put a little in there,” Mallory said. “Not enough to give anyone a stomachache, much less actually kill somebody. And no one has to know about it.”
“Still better to stick with the raven. Thank you for bringing it.” I held out my right wrist so that she could clasp on the bracelet, but I glanced up when Catcher made a low whistle of warning.
“Company,” he said, and since his gaze was on the door, I guessed who that might be.
“Ooh, she’s pretty,” Mal whispered, looking up once she’d secured the bracelet. “Who is she?”
“That would be Lacey Sheridan.”
Mallory blinked at me. “Lacey Sheridan? The vampire Ethan—” I interrupted her with a nod.
“Were you going to let me know that his former girlfriend was in town?”
“I figured you’d already had a good dose of Merit humiliation for the week.”
She patted my arm. “Don’t be silly. Vampire humiliation is like a fine wine. It should be shared between friends.”
I stuck out my tongue, but Catcher shook his hand. “Here they come,” he warned. “Put on your happy face.”
I plastered on a fake smile and turned to greet them. His katana in one hand, he used the other to gesture toward Lacey.
“Mallory Carmichael and Catcher Bell,” he said. “Catcher, I believe you and Lacey met when she was in the House.”
“Yep.” That was all Catcher said. He didn’t bother extending a hand.
“It’s nice to see you again, Catcher.”
He barely acknowledged the greeting, and my heart warmed. Catcher was gruff, sure, but that usually didn’t involve outright snubbing people, at least in my experience. I may have given him and Mallory a lot of crap about their naked shenanigans, but he knew which team he was on.
“Mallory is Merit’s former roommate,” Ethan told Lacey, “and a newly identified sorceress. She’s currently training with an Order representative in Schaumburg.”
Lacey cocked her head. “I thought the Order didn’t have representatives in the Chicago area.”
Mallory put a hand on Catcher’s arm before he could growl at Lacey, but you could see the urge to step forward in his expression. Catcher had been kicked out of the Order under circumstances that weren’t altogether clear to me, but the lack of an Order office in Chicago had something to do with it.
“That’s a long story,” Mallory said, “and it’s nice to meet you.” She glanced at Ethan. “Are you going to take care of my girl tonight?”
“I always take care of my vampires.”
Mallory smiled sweetly. “All evidence to the contrary.”
Catcher put a hand on Mallory’s shoulder and looked gravely at Ethan. “We actually came by here for a reason other than skewering you, and it’s not good news. A body was found in a warehouse about eight blocks from the bar. It was Tony.”
Ethan blew out a slow breath. “I’m bothered by that on a number of levels, not the least of which is the fact that he was our prime suspect.”
“He still could have been behind the hit,” I pointed out. “But someone else might not have been happy about that—or wanted to keep him quiet.”
Catcher nodded. “At the very least, there’s more than one person involved in whatever shifter mess is going on.”
“Does Gabriel know?” Ethan asked.
Catcher nodded. “Jeff made the call a little earlier.”
“This is not the kind of information I like having two hours before the convocation.”
“No,” Catcher agreed, “it’s not. And it’s probably not the last of your problems tonight.”