“Fairy made?”

Of course he’d know that, I thought ruefully, wishing I’d shown it to him first. “As it turns out,” I said, then pulled out my screen and showed him the still I’d saved yesterday. “Worn by a fairy at the reception. I found it near the patio after we talked yesterday.”

My father’s expression didn’t change as he tucked the handkerchief away, handed the pin to Yuen. But my mother’s went thoughtful. “You inspected the crime scene.”

“Sentinel,” my father warned, probably detecting the hint of approval in her voice.

“Yes,” I said, looking back at him. “I found it, and we found the fairy wearing it in the video.”

“And you didn’t report this because?”

“I didn’t know if it had anything to do with the murder. He could have been at the party as a guest, and it happened to fall off. We wanted to see if it meant anything first.” I glanced at Yuen. “Especially if the Ombudsman’s office already thinks Riley’s guilty.

“We decided we’d ask them about it,” I continued. “So we drove out there. And they were . . . less than accommodating.”

My mother snorted a laugh, then covered her mouth at my father’s glower. “Sorry. Inappropriate. That was just . . . such a Sullivan thing to say.”

The glower deepened. “Sentinel.”

“And so is that,” she said, and made an effort at a serious face.

“They attacked you,” my father said, looking at me again.

“Yeah. We didn’t see Claudia, but Ruadan was there.”

“What instigated the violence?” Yuen asked.

“They’re sociopaths?” Connor said dryly.

“They were fine at first,” I said. “Ruadan seemed interested that we were there. But we asked about Tomas, if they had any information about his death. It went downhill from there. I asked about the pin, and they attacked.”

“They attacked you?” Yuen asked.

“They made the first move. Lulu and I defended.”

“Lulu?” my mother asked.

“Wakizashi,” I said. “Catcher trained her.”

“Of course he did.” I could tell she wanted to ask more—probably about her skills, the dance of the battle, and how I’d handled myself. But she managed to hold her tongue.

“We fought,” I said. “And we were outnumbered. And then Connor showed up.”

“That’s awfully coincidental,” my mother said, glancing at him.

“Right place, right time,” Connor said.

My mother looked dubious, but didn’t object.

“You could have been killed.”

I looked at my father. “I’m fine. But Riley’s in a cage.”

“You were given express instructions not to interfere with this investigation.”

We all looked at Yuen. The anger or frustration he’d been holding in had apparently boiled over. I’d figured him for calm and collected, at least in comparison to Dearborn. But there was no calm in his eyes right now.

“We didn’t interfere with your investigation,” I said. “You weren’t investigating the fairies because you’ve already decided Riley’s guilty. We’ve found a new suspect.”

Yuen stepped forward. “That is beside the point. You violated Cadogan’s contract with the city. Penalties will be assessed, financially and legally.”

Damn it. There was no way to avoid this now, no time to prepare my father. “The deal doesn’t apply to me.”

“As a member of Cadogan House—”

“I’m not a member of Cadogan House,” I interrupted, and steeled myself, made myself look at my father. “I’m the daughter of its Master, but I’m not a Novitiate. I was never Initiated or Commended. I’m not a member of any particular House. That makes me a Rogue. And Rogues didn’t sign the deal.”

The room went absolutely silent. And my father’s expression went absolutely blank. And a little bit lost. My heart clenched uncomfortably.

Gabriel walked to Yuen, put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to get some coffee, and you’re going to go with me.” He all but pushed Yuen out of the room. Connor and Theo followed, Connor giving me a supportive nod over his shoulder.

They closed the door and left us in silence.

It was a full minute before my father spoke.

“You are as much a member of this House as anyone ever has been or will be,” he said. And I could plainly see the hurt in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you about this before I said anything, but there hasn’t been time. Cadogan House is my family,” I said, wanting to take a step toward him but not sure if that was the right thing to do. “It always has been. I didn’t grow up feeling excluded.” That would have been impossible in a House that had basically adopted me as its mascot.

“But you weren’t Commended,” he said. “Not officially. And you consider yourself a Rogue.”

“I don’t consider myself anything,” I said, not realizing it until the words were out. Maybe that’s why I’d felt such a strong kinship with Maison Dumas. Because I hadn’t had the same connection to Cadogan, at least not like my parents had. And maybe that’s one of the reasons Seri and Marion’s leaving had hurt so much. Because Dumas had been my House as much as any other. But when it had been time to run, they’d left me here.

“I’m not sure I agree with your argument,” my father said. “But there’s no precedent to measure our behavior against. You were the first child. The Canon had nothing to offer.” The Canon was the collection of vampire laws. “But if you’re right,” he continued, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that we didn’t think to make it official.”

His voice was colder now, controlled in a way that only a Master with experience could manage. He stood apart from us, and my mother looked between us with concern, trying not to take sides.

“I didn’t feel excluded,” I said again. It was the only thing I could think so say. “And in this particular situation, it’s handy.”

My father nodded. “Tell them we’re done here, will you? And ready to discuss the rest of it.”

I nodded, knowing I’d been dismissed. And left my parents alone, with a cold ball in my stomach.

* * *

• • •

“She’s right,” my father said when the others were back in the room. Theo came in with coffee, offered me a cup. But my appetite—even for caffeine—was gone. Connor watched me carefully, as if trying to gauge how the talk had gone. I didn’t meet his eyes; I wasn’t ready to dive into those feelings.

“She wasn’t Initiated into the House or Commended, and the Canon doesn’t provide for membership based solely on a genetic or familial relationship.”

“That’s a technicality,” Yuen said.

“No,” my father said, “it’s a contract. If you want to enforce the deal so carefully negotiated according to its terms, then you have to adhere to those terms.”

I thought I saw appreciation in Yuen’s eyes.

“This isn’t you, Yuen,” my father continued, his voice softer now. “I’m sure Dearborn is angry, but you know better.”

“Could I trouble you for a drink?” Yuen asked after a moment, and my father smiled.

“That bad, is it?”

“Dearborn’s pissed,” Theo said as my father went to the bar, poured two fingers of Scotch, neat, into a chubby glass, then offered it to Yuen. Yuen sipped, lifted his brows.

“Very nice.”

“Very old,” my father said. “And it does the job.”

Yuen nodded. “Dearborn is furious. He had convinced the mayor the peace talks were his idea, rather than yours,” he said, looking at my parents. “He cares less about their effectiveness in reducing violence than the political reward of hosting a well-received event in Chicago.”

“He’s a player,” Gabriel said. “Or imagines himself to be one.”

“Yes. Ruadan’s call was routed first to him, and his . . . displeasure was passed to the rest of us, with orders to fix the situation immediately.”

“With your magic wand?” Gabriel asked with a smirk.

“Something like that. I suspect he wants Riley locked away, literally and figuratively, so he can assure the mayor and the rest of the delegates that Tomas’s death was an unfortunate act by a lone wolf—pun intended—that won’t affect the talks going forward.”