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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cAn ill wind moves through Chicago,\u201d Lulu said, sniffing the air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an ill wind,\u201d I said. But I stared down at the malformed lump of sickly gray dough currently spreading across the sheet pan and admitted to myself I didn\u2019t have much room to argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt worked in Paris,\u201d I muttered, frowning as I mentally retraced my steps. Measure the ingredients. Add the sourdough starter. Knead, rise, shape, proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lulu Bell, the thoroughly anti-magic daughter of two sorcerers, and my best friend, moved into the kitchen area of the Near North loft she was letting me share, and looked down at the lump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut not in Chicago.\u201d She patted my shoulder. \u201cMaybe you could try something else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By \u201csomething else,\u201d she meant hobbies\u2014fun, stress-relieving activities meant to give me an outlet other than coffee, katanas, and, since I\u2019d returned to Chicago from my stint in France, supernatural politics. The latter was partly the fault of my temp job at the city\u2019s supernatural Ombudsman\u2019s office, the OMB, and partly because I was a vampire. We were dramatic sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And maybe because of that, the Great Hobby Search had not been a success. Baking bread was only my latest and not-greatest attempt. We had a half dozen succulents on the window ledge that had gone either mushy or crispy, a pyramid of tangled yarn, and an array of glass vials and jars, seller of which had promised me the best coffee experience of my life. Lulu now used them to store paintbrushes, and I continued to buy cups from Leo\u2019s, which slung the best coffee in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have an hour before everyone gets here. We can call someone and ask them to pick up bread. Maybe Connor can bring something from NAC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connor Keene was the crown prince of the North American Central Pack of shapeshifters, which had a lucrative restaurant business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only NAC goods Connor will bring is Alexei. And I\u2019m not begging at the Pack\u2019s table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lulu ignored my mentioning Alexei Breckenridge. She found Connor\u2019s Packmate irritating; he had a crush on her, which made for interesting watching. \u201cI\u2019ll bet it\u2019s not the first time you\u2019ve begged a member of the Pack,\u201d she said with a wily grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to being my occasional supplier of barbecue, Connor was also my boyfriend. Tall, built, with dark hair and blue eyes that usually carried a wolfish gleam. I\u2019d seen him as a human and as a wolf. Both were impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy do you need bread anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I walked to the trash can, dumped the bowl\u2019s contents inside. \u201cI\u2019m making sourdough crostini with burrata, arugula, and tomato jam. Or I was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She just looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I put the bowl in the sink. \u201cA potluck was your idea. \u2018Let\u2019s have people over,\u2019 you said. \u2018Just make your favorite food,\u2019 you said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lulu rolled her eyes. She opened the refrigerator, pointed to the shelves inside the door, where bottles of blood and caff\u00e8 mocha were chilling. (In separate containers. Because mocha-flavored blood was a crime against vampirity.) \u201cYour favorite food is not crostini or burrata or arugula or tomato jam. It\u2019s coffee and blood, in that order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like other things,\u201d I protested. \u201cAnd your favorite food is not deviled eggs, but that doesn\u2019t explain why there are three dozen percolating in the refrigerator.\u201d I wrinkled my nose in disgust. The person who\u2019d decided the best way to eat boiled eggs was to mix the innards with relish and mayo should be drawn and quartered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She plucked one from the tray before closing the door again. \u201cThey\u2019re just an experiment,\u201d she said, then looked at it with narrowed eyes, as if inspecting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t believe her. But I watched her for a full minute, and she didn\u2019t so much as twitch. Fortunately, I only had to wait a little for the truth. \u201cWhen the party starts, all will be revealed,\u201d I predicted, spreading my hands in a rainbow for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd speaking of deviled things,\u201d I murmured, as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Lulu\u2019s cat of sleek black fur and prickly attitude, sauntered toward us. She looked up at Lulu with tolerance, and at me with unconcealed disdain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHello, devil cat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you call her things like that, she\u2019ll pee in your shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAgain,\u201d Lulu acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d tried being nice to her. I bought her catnip, made salmon for her dinner, read from a book of poetry I\u2019d brought home from Paris, showed her the only legitimate version of Pride and Prejudice<\/em> that Lulu and I acknowledged. (Sure, fans loved Harry Styles as Darcy, but that was just for the novelty. Colin Firth was the One and Only, thank you very much.) But she would have none of it. I was the third wheel. Maybe cats didn\u2019t like vampires. Or maybe she\u2019d seen what so many others hadn\u2019t. That I wasn\u2019t just a vampire, or just the only vampire born instead of made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the reason, she\u2019d decided we were enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I leaned down to look her in the eyes, smiled. \u201cI\u2019m going to dress you up like a cowgirl while you sleep. Then I\u2019m going to take pictures and send them to the Tribune<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If her dirty looks were stakes, I\u2019d have been deceased. But she hissed and ran away, conceding the ground. I called that a win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeeing in your shoes will only be the beginning,\u201d Lulu said and popped the deviled egg into her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boxed brownies substituted when bread failed. While they cooled on the stove, I pulled my wavy blond hair into a low braid and paired a flowy black sleeveless tank with dark, shimmery leggings and boots. I added dark mascara over green eyes and brilliant crimson lipstick to shine against my pale skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An hour later, the loft was full of chatter and humans and the bowls, pans, and bags of food brought by guests. Eleanor of Aquitaine lounged under the dining room table, hoping for scraps. Connor hadn\u2019t yet made an appearance, but the apparent winner of the deviled eggs sat on the ledge that fronted the wall of windows, each covered with plastic in a different color so they made a rainbow of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mateo, Lulu\u2019s newish beau, was a glassblower who worked on big, expensive art pieces. He was muscled in the lean way of a person who rarely stopped moving and had a tan complexion and a shorn head. His eyes were dark and deeply set beneath heavy brows, his lips generous, his jaw square. He chatted with some of his artsy friends\u2014they were all angular clothes and hair\u2014and Petra, another OMB friend. She was petite, with tan skin and dark hair and eyes, and was an aeromancer in her own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour glassblower seems cool,\u201d I said. She and Mateo had been seeing each other for a few weeks, since we\u2019d returned from a short trip to Minnesota. She\u2019d traveled in an RV with my OMB colleagues to help deal with a Pack crisis. I wasn\u2019t sure if it was the trip, the company, or the magic, but she\u2019d seemed sadder after returning, at least until she\u2019d connected with Mateo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah. He is. His friends are cool, too. Very . . . edgy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI haven\u2019t talked to them yet. But if you like them, I like them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And since they were all human, I could break them like a twig if they hurt her. So that was a nice benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conversation in the loft quieted, and I instinctively glanced up to find the source of the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The source was a shifter. My<\/em> shifter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d emerged from the long hallway that led to the loft door, his body tough and strong. He wore jeans and a heathered NAC Industries henley that hugged muscle, and he carried a bottle of wine. His dark hair waved around a chiseled face punctuated by brilliant blue eyes and a mouth that was usually arranged into a self-assured grin. He had the bearing of a prince, the body of a god, and the ego to match both, all of it matched by his integrity, wit, and concern for his Pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And his eyes were fixed on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His mouth curved, and more than one human around me made little sounds of appreciation and lust. The prince, allowing the commoners to take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople look at him like he\u2019s a properly made baguette,\u201d Lulu whispered. \u201cReady to be devoured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They did, and I couldn\u2019t blame them, given that my thoughts ran along the same lines. Minus the implicit insult to my bread-making skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd then he looks at you,\u201d she continued, \u201clike he\u2019s the big, bad wolf and you\u2019re the grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is a very disturbing analogy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She held up her hands. \u201cYou\u2019re right. It was, and I take it back. I tried something out, it wasn\u2019t the right direction. I made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connor\u2019s best friend, Alexei, stepped in behind him. Alexei was just as tall and built, with dark blond hair and hazel eyes that scanned the room with suspicion. Alexei was the quiet and loyal sort. Unless he was harassing Lulu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, good,\u201d Lulu said. \u201cAlexei\u2019s here.\u201d There was conviction in the sarcasm, but joined with a spark in her eyes that I was glad to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I liked Alexei, and not just because he was loyal to Connor and the Pack. He and Lulu bickered like children, and he was pretty creative with the teasing. Never, I thought, crossing the line into inappropriate\u2014not when she seemed to enjoy their sparring as much as he did. Still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou want me to tell him to knock it off?\u201d I knew she could take care of herself, and usually had no qualms about telling off bullies. But, again, still . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease,\u201d she said and waved me off. \u201cI can handle one puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s not a wolf,\u201d I said. \u201cHe\u2019s a very big cat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She just stared at me. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Breckenridges aren\u2019t wolves. They\u2019re panthers.\u201d I cocked my head at her. \u201cI thought you knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did not.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDoes it matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood evening,\u201d Connor said when they reached us, kissing me softly. Just a brush of his lips against mine. A hint and a promise. \u201cSorry we\u2019re late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right on time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Literally and figuratively, I thought, still marveling that this boy I\u2019d thought was conceited and obnoxious had grown into . . . well, still conceited. But much less obnoxious. As if he understood the line of my thoughts, he smiled widely. \u201cWe were both right on time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe a little obnoxious. But in the best possible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLulu,\u201d Connor said with a smile. \u201cThanks for having us over.\u201d He offered up the wine. \u201cHostess gift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you,\u201d she said, taking it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA friend of mine has a vineyard near the Wisconsin border. It\u2019s supposed to be pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow does it pair with deviled eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He blinked. \u201cI have no idea and don\u2019t want one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lulu turned her gaze to Alexei. \u201cI see you brought the tabby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019d made that switch quickly enough. Alexei just looked at her, and the challenge in his eyes was clear. I\u2019ll take you on. In every possible way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pink rose on her cheeks. \u201cGo climb a tree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo suck on a paintbrush.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWeak,\u201d Lulu said, then strode off toward Mateo. He smiled as she approached, waved her closer, then added her to the conversation with Petra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuck on a paintbrush?\u201d I asked, looking back at Alexei with obvious pity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been able to come up with many artist-specific insults.\u201d And he was considerate enough not to use her magic\u2014or decision not to practice it\u2014against her. \u201cWho\u2019s the human?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDate,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexei snorted dubiously and wandered off toward the food. With, I belatedly realized, a bottle of vodka in hand. His hostess gift, I assumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWas that disdain for Mateo, or the idea of her dating him?\u201d I wondered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it was for the concept of her dating at all. He knows she\u2019s not interested, but I think that\u2019s actually made it worse. The thrill of the chase, and all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gave him a speculative look. \u201cMaybe I should have made you chase me harder. Or further.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His smile went feral, and I could actually hear girls sighing on the other side of the room. \u201cTry it,\u201d he said, a dare in his brilliantly blue eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou think you could catch me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This time, the kiss was possessive and consuming, and as arrogant as the dare had been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cElisa Sullivan,\u201d he said, smiling against my lips. \u201cI\u2019ll always catch you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A throat was cleared. We turned our gazes, found Theo smiling at us, raising a crusty loaf of bread in a paper envelope in greeting. \u201cI\u2019m interrupting,\u201d he said with amused and unapologetic eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theo was a former cop who\u2019d become my partner at the OMB. He had dark brown skin and dark hair in short whirls, and hazel eyes above a generous mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a party,\u201d Connor said. \u201cInterruption is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I narrowed my gaze at him. \u201cWhy did you bring bread?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theo blinked. \u201cBecause I like bread? And it\u2019s a party? And Lulu said to bring something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut did she specifically say to bring bread?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theo looked at Connor for help, but Connor just shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got nothing, man.\u201d He put an arm around my waist, kissed my temple. \u201cWhy are you interrogating your partner over bread?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I grunted. \u201cIt\u2019s a long story.\u201d A long, smelly story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it related to deviled eggs?\u201d Connor asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve stepped into some kind of alternate universe,\u201d Theo said. \u201cAre \u2018bread\u2019 and \u2018deviled eggs\u2019 code words for state enemies or secret missions or anything else that would actually make sense?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are not,\u201d Connor said. \u201cI think we\u2019re literally talking about bread and deviled eggs. And it looks like those aren\u2019t the only two options, so I\u2019m going to take the bread\u201d\u2014he plucked it from Theo\u2019s hand\u2014\u201cand put it with the rest of the food, and grab myself something to eat, and you can discuss important Ombudsman things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d taken the night off yesterday to help Lulu clean and prep the loft, so it was possible I\u2019d missed drama. \u201cDo you have any important Ombudsman things to discuss?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He frowned, considered. \u201cRiver nymphs fighting over the Chicago River boardwalk again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOld news,\u201d I said. \u201cPass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He smirked. \u201cBank robbery by two of Claudia\u2019s fairies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claudia was the queen of Chicago\u2019s band of rather mercenary fairies, including those who\u2019d tried to magically shift Chicago into a facsimile of their green homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGetting warmer,\u201d I said. \u201cHow much did they take?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey tried for about two hundred pounds of gold bullion because, you know, they like the shiny. But with the weight, they didn\u2019t make it very far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cArrogant of them,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat did Claudia have to say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said it was a \u2018noble effort.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I snorted. That sounded just like her. Like the other fairies, a great love of gems and jewelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBread has been delivered,\u201d Connor said, returning with three glasses of wine. \u201cMeatballs have been devoured, and wine has been uncorked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s handy,\u201d Theo said, taking a sip. \u201cI\u2019m not much of a wine drinker, but this isn\u2019t bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe is,\u201d I agreed, and sipped. It wasn\u2019t bad. Dry, but bright. A good drink on a late summer day, as we all waited for fall to cool off the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA toast,\u201d Theo said, raising his glass. \u201cTo friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re such a dillhole,\u201d Lulu said to Alexei nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd to whatever that is,\u201d I said, and drank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n # # #<\/p>\n\n\n\n We talked and ate until midnight, then\u2014because of a promise I\u2019d made to our grouchy downstairs neighbor\u2014did all that, but quieter. She lived two floors down and couldn\u2019t possibly have heard anything we did in the loft. But that had never stopped her from complaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the calendar turned, the noise dropped, and so did the humans. They left first, with take-out containers of deviled eggs Lulu had managed to shove into their arms on the way out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I heard the knock on the door, I sighed in resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI swear, Mrs. Prohaska,\u201d I called out, as I strode toward the door. \u201cWe\u2019re done. Everyone\u2019s gone.\u201d Well, most of them. The core group was still here\u2014me and Lulu, Connor and Alexei, Theo and Petra. Mostly supernaturals. All friends and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened the door, fully expecting to see the tiny woman and her dark, beady eyes. But it wasn\u2019t Mrs. Prohaska in the doorway. There were three of them. Taller, stronger, and undoubtedly older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vampires, all in black. Two men and one woman, all of them pale skinned. None that I recognized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood a little straighter, wished I was wearing my sword. And adjusted my body to block the doorway, just in case they made a move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes?\u201d I asked, the word and my expression as mild as I could manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cElisa Sullivan,\u201d said the one in the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I just looked at him, waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re from the Assembly of American Masters. It\u2019s time for you to answer for your crime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n Read the first chapter of SHADOWED STEEL<\/a>, or preorder now!<\/strong><\/p>\n Amazon<\/a> | Barnes & Noble<\/a> | Indiebound<\/a> | Kobo<\/a> | Books-A-Million<\/a> | Bookshop.Org<\/a> | Target<\/a> | Walmart<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Note: \u00a0I am an Amazon affiliate and may earn a commission if you\u00a0buy goods\u00a0at\u00a0Amazon through\u00a0one of my links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n \u201cAn ill wind moves through Chicago,\u201d Lulu said, sniffing the air. \u201cIt\u2019s not an ill wind,\u201d I said. But I stared down at the malformed lump of sickly gray dough currently spreading across the sheet pan and admitted to myself I didn\u2019t have much room to argue. \u201cIt worked in Paris,\u201d I muttered, frowning as[…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8516,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8685","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8685"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8716,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8685\/revisions\/8716"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.chloeneill.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/flourish3.jpg\")
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