by Lauren Dane
Molly nodded, making notes with her good hand. “When is the next hearing on 877?” House Bill 877 was a far-reaching anti-Other bill that would, among other things, chip all nonhumans with GPS trackers, put them in relocation camps and divest them of property and their jobs. There was a Senate companion bill that wasn’t quite as bad, but still gouged a hole in their civil liberties and essentially made them noncitizens without any basic rights.
“Thursday. I’ll have Evan get with Mia’s people on getting you all flown out.” Mia was the pilot, a shifter, who’d been helping out. “I tried to convince Sato to fly with us, but he’s insisting on commercial air travel so I’ll accompany him back to DC Wednesday evening.”
“As will I.”
Faine hadn’t insisted. He’d simply not taken any other idea seriously. He would be at her side. It was his job and that was that. It had been . . . reassuring. Just knowing she had someone at her back had made the situation slightly less unbearable.
“I don’t like it. You’re not safe.” Gage brushed a thumb through his beard.
“No. I’m not. But that’s the point of a guard, Gage. You know it. He’s even less safe. I was able to convince him to go first class at least. We’ll take up the whole section, which I like.”
“You can’t take a weapon through security.”
“As I’m a senator’s guard, I can. But it’s not worth all the hassle, and you know there will be hassle because I’m a witch. But I’ve got Faine. He’s a weapon. And my magick.” The funny thing about magick was that it was a hell of a lot stronger when a witch flew. Something about the atmosphere being thinner. She didn’t know all the whys of it, just that while she was on that plane she didn’t need a handgun. She’d be stronger than anyone else on board.
“I’ll speak with him about flying on one of our planes from now on when I see him.” Molly looked at her notes a moment.
“He’s not going to agree. It will look bad, like he’s in our pay or something. He’s got enough to deal with.”
“You seem to know him pretty well.” Gage lifted a brow.
“He likes her.” Faine lifted his own in Gage’s direction and the two shared a look.
“He’s a man with principles. It’s logical. Also, it’s sort of my job to know people.”
Molly snorted. “It seems that many men are not entirely reasonable when it comes to Toshio Sato.”
“Why? Because he’s hot, intelligent and powerful?” Helena laughed and Molly joined in.
“Come on. Our tea has been consumed. Helena, you need to rest. I know Molly does too. Let’s get to bed. Tomorrow is a long day.” Gage clearly wanted to be done with the subject.
And bed sounded really good, so she allowed it.
They all headed back to where the rooms were, Gage and Molly disappearing into theirs. Faine continued to walk her to her door. He knew she didn’t need it, heaven knew she was utterly capable of protecting herself.
And yet.
He liked being around her. Liked watching over her, even if to just remove a tiny bit of the weight she always seemed to carry for everyone else.
She opened her door and he leaned against the jamb. Startled, she looked up at him, smiling nervously. “Thanks for your help today. I got a lot of work done because you did all the driving.”
“It’s my job. But it was also my pleasure. Do you plan to work out tomorrow morning?”
She nodded. “I’ll get up at six or so. There’s a workout space here. I’ll run a few miles on the treadmill and then hit the shooting range.” She lifted one shoulder.
“If you don’t mind, come get me. I need to work out as well.”
“Sure. And we can leave from there. If you like, I mean. Since you’re on my personal detail. It’ll be good to have you with me. Just the sight of you will keep the violence-on-a-whim people back.” Her smile was genuine and maybe even a touch flirtatious.
He’d shifted closer and she hadn’t moved back. The tension between them heated, simmering as the scent of her blush reached his senses. She licked her lips and the scent of loam and fur rose.
Her eyes widened and she faltered a moment, and Faine knew his control had slipped. But she’d talked weapons, praised his size and then licked those damnable lips. A Lycian could only take so much.
“My beast.” He pondered whether he should continue. If he should explain to her how much the warrior she was called to him. She was so very strong, and yet, frayed at the edges. Fragile at times. Which was even more irresistible.
“Oh.” She blinked several times. “Should I be worried?”
He bent, brushing his lips over hers, savoring the heat of her before he stood again, taking a step back. “Not for your safety. Good night, Helena. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He left her there, but not before he caught sight of the way she pressed her fingertips to her lips.
• • •
SHE woke up without an alarm, at six. Pretty much the same way she had most every morning of her adult life. She lay in bed awhile and thought about her day. It was her way of meditating, of getting herself organized for the hours—and the challenges—she faced.
The meetings would be stressful because the state capital was so crowded. Mainly it was state business handled there. Sato had a senatorial office near the capitol building where he met with his constituents and held meetings. But due to the insanity of the security concerns, his people worked with the state folks and they’d let them use their conference spaces, even for federal issues. Of course the hearings they were going to dealt with State of California business, so Sato would only be there if they needed him to speak on federal issues.
It was mind-blowing, all the different local, county, state and federal issues they drowned in. So many different egos to soothe, everyone had their own turf, their own rules to adhere to, their own processes. At least all Helena needed to do was be sure no one got hurt. All the politics were Molly’s problem.
She pushed out of bed. A hard workout would help cut through some of the stress burning through her muscles. She’d run and lift weights and shoot at things and then she’d shower. By the time they needed to head over to Sato’s office to pick him up, she’d be in a better mental space for all the things she’d need to do that day.
She got dressed quickly, dealing with her hair, securing it in a ponytail after she’d washed her face and brushed her teeth. Her sneakers were on and she headed across the hall to knock on Faine’s door.
Faine.
He’d kissed her. Had gotten up in her face and kissed her. Her mouth still felt the touch, the brush of his lips against hers. The dirty truth was that she’d been hot for Faine Leviathan from the first moment she’d seen him. He was everything she’d never known she found alluring in a man.
She’d been standing with Lark talking about the hows and whys of a speaking event with Molly and he’d come around a corner with Simon. The two were clearly brothers, both dressed quite nattily in suits. But Faine was eleven thousand kinds of delicious. He moved in a long lope, and yet there was a predator’s grace in him. People got out of his way, probably without even realizing it. He’d smiled as Simon had spoken, and then his gaze, which had been taking in the surroundings, had landed on Helena’s and it shocked her to her toes.
It had only deepened the longer she knew him.
Cocky. Self-assured. He knew what he wanted and he simply considered it his due when he got it. He was a badass with his fists. She’d never seen him shift, but she had the feeling he was a big ol’ beast then too. He was gorgeous and his voice was a low, gravelly rumble she felt in her gut every time he spoke.
He watched her, she’d noticed, like a predator watches prey. Not the same way the human separatists watched her. It wasn’t that he thought less of her in any way. But like she fascinated him and he was taking down everything she did for when he decided to run her to ground.
She bet he was the type to bite a girl’s neck to hold her in place when he got her into bed
.
A flash of heat raced over her skin at the idea.
So of course, that’s when he opened his door. “Well, good morning to you, Helena.” One of his brows went up like he knew she’d just been imagining him naked and sexing her up until she passed out.
She blew out a breath. “Morning. Ready to run?”
“Yes, I am.”
Chapter 6
“THESE things are not allowed in the hearing room.” A burly human male—obviously a private guard of some type—blocked her way.
They’d spent the day before in one meeting after the next all over the capitol complex. That day they ventured into a town-hall-type space near Sato’s Federal Building office.
So this joker, with his prison white-power ink and his permanent scowl that said more about his lack of intelligence than his toughness, had no business at all stopping her entry to any public space.
Tosh was right behind her, Sperry on his other side. Fanned out in the hallway was the rest of the group with their various guards. It was monumentally stupid for this guy to think he had any chance at all of stopping them.
Helena ignored him, moving to go around him. And he made the mistake of touching her. “I said—”
She grabbed his wrist, twisting and bending it, levering his arm, forcing him to his knees. She leaned down, getting close enough to say in a low tone, laced with magick, “I don’t give a fuck what you said other than, Please let me get the door for you, ma’am.”
He began to grab for a weapon and she bent his wrist harder. Just a bit more and she’d break something.
“I wouldn’t recommend that.”
“Get off me, bitch.”
Helena kept his wrist, though other security had begun to gather around. Harsh, whispered orders were being given all around her but she put all her focus on this asshole at her feet.
One thing she noticed more than anything else was the presence of a handgun at his back. She’d had to go through a full-body pat-down and a metal detector. So how was it this asshole had a gun?
“Why does this man have a weapon?” Straightening, still keeping her tight hold on him, she managed to ask this calmly, feeling anything but.
“You need to let him go. Now.” A police officer approached.
She remained exactly where she was, keeping her body between the approaching cop and Senator Sato. “My name is Helena Jaansen and I am part of Senator Sato’s security detail. This man accosted me as I attempted to enter the hearing room. I’m going to need one of you to come and take his weapon before I let him go. For the safety of myself and the people I’m guarding.”
“You don’t give the orders here, witch.” The cop’s lip curled and she narrowed her gaze at him for a moment.
Helena centered herself, connecting with her magick, spooling more up from the earth beneath her feet. “This isn’t going to end well, Officer. Now. You can do your job, or I will break this man’s wrist, and even if you shoot me, my people will take out every last one of you in this hallway. And for what? I’m not letting this man go. He’s got a weapon and I’m protecting a United States senator. Once you have taken his weapon, I will happily let him go.”
She caught Gage’s attention and he had the same readiness about him.
It was Tosh who spoke next. Pulling all his authority around himself, but keeping himself behind her, which was very smart.
“Officer, you’re going to need to help Ms. Jaansen immediately. Remove the weapon from the gentleman on the ground, pat him down and then you may take him into custody.”
The cop sighed, but moved to obey, removing the gun. Helena let go of the wrist of the guy on the ground and he tried to lunge at her. But she was prepared and far more than a prison thug in the pay of asshole bigots.
Feet solidly planted, her balance braced for trouble, she cocked her fist and gave him a solid right to his mouth, sending him sprawling as she neatly stepped back.
“I’ll give you another if you move even a tiny bit.” She didn’t take her attention from the guy on the ground but she addressed the cop as more streamed into the hallway. “If I were your boss, you’d be sitting out the next few weeks on administrative leave as you went through the process of getting fired. You’re sloppy. Sloppy gets people killed.”
“I don’t need any advice from you.”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes as the cop got the other guy in cuffs and hauled him to his feet. “Of the two of us, only one is good at their job. And it’s not you. I hope you think your stupidity can protect you, because your piss-poor training sure won’t.”
She glanced back at her people and then headed into the room where it was already standing-room only.
• • •
THE following day, Tosh smiled at the sight of Helena coming back into the room. “Thank you for all your help this trip. I hope DC will be calmer.”
Delilah laughed. “I doubt that. But, Helena, I believe you scared a few years’ life from that one cop in the hallway earlier. Nicely done.”
The sound of that laugh did things to him. He’d been working closely with Delilah Sperry for months now. Even before he knew she was a werewolf he’d been attracted to her. She was long and lean with keen eyes that missed absolutely nothing. Her hair was a tawny gold and she often had it back from a face that managed to be delicate and bold all at once.
They’d danced around each other for a few months now. Tosh had been so busy at what felt like every single moment of his waking day, he’d told himself it wasn’t the time.
But the heightened danger had only sharpened his hunger for the delightfully sexy, canny and powerful Senator Delilah Sperry.
“He should have been scared. If he’d have been one of my people I’d have busted him back to cleaning toilets. We did meet with his boss later while you two were in another meeting with Molly. He apologized for the past two days’ worth of unpleasantness from his officers.” Helena took the glass of water his assistant handed her. “They’re short-staffed like everyone else. But he was a good man and I accepted his apology. They’ve got their own problems in the ranks, I suppose.”
Helena was distracted. And exhausted. Tosh saw it around her edges and hoped the way Faine stared at her meant the wolf—whatever he was—would see to it she got some rest.
“I appreciate you handling that. Ben was just singing your praises earlier today.” Delilah spoke of Ben Stoner of the Great Lakes Pack and her own Alpha, as she hailed from Chicago. “We appreciate all the effort the witches are putting into this. You’re smart and strong and we’re proud to be protected by you all.”
Helena tipped her chin slightly and Toshio knew it was a sign of thanks and respect. “That’s a nice thing to hear. His and Tegan’s Enforcer team is something I admire a great deal. We should get moving to the airport now. I’ve received several reports that Others can get hassled quite a bit going through security so we should build in the extra time. I’m spoiled in that I’ve been flying privately of late, so I’ve been able to avoid most of that nonsense.”
Delilah’s mouth hardened. “The last time I flew I was chosen for an enhanced pat-down. They held me up for an entire hour. Everything was fine until they ran my ticket through. I’ve asked about whether or not there’s some sort of TSA tracking system for Others, but I can’t get any answers. Which only says there is one.”
Helena nodded. “Oh yes, you know there’s a list.”
That turned Tosh’s stomach. Lists of Others got very close to what had happened over and over throughout history. Keeping track of people because they were different—and not in a way that protects society like lists of sex offenders or violent felons—wasn’t the America he believed in.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed.
Helena shrugged. “You’re trying to stop it. That’s what counts. In the meantime, we can’t make a huge deal of it or we get picked on even worse. They’ve got so much power these days that even raising this treatment as an issue while it’s occurring is cause for them
to not let someone fly. So for now, we plan ahead and document everything.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like it.” Delilah stood, brushing the front of her skirt down. “But she’s right. Let’s get moving. I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight and we all need the rest before we deal with Marlon tomorrow.”
Tosh nearly snarled at his fellow senator’s name. Marlon Hayes had become a legislative mouthpiece for the PURITY movement and it turned his stomach every time he had to deal with the man. There’d be a hearing first thing in the morning on the companion bill to House Bill 877, the Domestic Security Act. A fine-sounding name for a bill that would strip Others of their civil and human rights along with their property and citizenship.
At least they got to move through security in a shorter line, but Helena was pulled aside for an enhanced check, which took an extra half hour. She was far more patient than he was, and it wasn’t until he started making calls and taking down names that things moved more quickly. They still checked her, but the overt slowing down of the process stopped and they got on with it.
The unfairness of it deeply bothered him. No one should be treated this way and yet it was happening. It happened every day to many people. And it wasn’t right.
He was relieved when they finally boarded and got settled in. The flight attendants were friendly and helpful and he was seated next to Delilah. It did wonders for his mood.
The entire flight Tosh considered ways to ask Delilah over for a drink when they arrived back in DC. But things kept coming up. He got interrupted by his aide many times over. The times he spoke to Delilah they were in a group and it wasn’t the right place to ask.