by Erin R Flynn
“He told me he would save me if I saved him. He would feed me and keep me safe if he could feed from me if he couldn’t find other blood. I agreed, and he adopted me like you did the bunnies, a little brother. When I became older, I was the first he turned. That’s why we’re still friends. We’re family.”
“Why did he let you get…”
“Stuck with you? Right, I’m fucking abused,” he chuckled. “He very carefully selected those of us he wanted to set free and knew you were our best chance at that. And we would help you who does good for all supes, and Goran who he will always love. He set us free because he knows well being trapped and how harsh life can be.”
“I’m sorry you’re a member of the club.”
“I’m sorry I remotely implied you should ditch your brother. I meant for his safety send him to Alena until things were straightened out and settled.”
“Thanks for explaining.” I leaned back and met his gaze. “Is that what pushed you? You realized we were in the same club when my dad came back, not just heard about it?”
“It deepened my feelings for you, impressed even more with you and how much you’ve overcome. That is not an easy thing to move past and build a life after.”
I nodded but then did a double take, remembering what he’d said when Tristan had walked out. “How did you think it would go with Tristan?”
“That he would beg you to try again with him,” he admitted. “I heard him speaking with Jesse last week that he still loved you and didn’t think he could ever move on. I realized I didn’t want him near you. The idea he could abandon you again made me want to tear him to pieces. And that made me realize my feelings were more for you than a friend I enjoy benefits with.”
“It hurts. I thought we were forever.”
He gave me a soft kiss. “You were never going to be forever with the man who tried to kill you. The bond made you look past that and maybe other faults, but that is not the forever love you deserve. You found your first forever love the moment you came home to Chicago with the FBI.”
“Glad you approve,” Brian chuckled from the doorway. “You okay, babe?”
“On overload. I think the top of my head is going to pop off and not from sex this time.”
“Well, if you want to have sex like that—” Carter started.
“Shut it. Where’s food?”
“I realized someone was wearing my shirt and I was lazy,” he told me, tugging the shirt I was wearing. “Instead of replacing your clothes, I ordered a shit ton of catering to be delivered. Sushi. I thought that would make you happy.”
“Unless I’m pregnant and can’t eat it.”
He winced. “I didn’t know that was a thing. Go pee on a stick, and then we can eat sushi and you can collect on the rest of what I promised.”
“Did I do the right thing?” I asked them both, not knowing how much Brian knew.
“I think you did, and you’re a goddess for offering to let him stay with the coven. You have no idea how bad the covens can be and the way they trap useful people. One would have intentionally latched onto him just to get at you, something I plan on reminding him of so he doesn’t do anything stupid. You saved him once, that’s once more than he’ll get again.”
“I don’t know what happened, but I know you’re too nice to everyone you care about, so I’m sure you did what you thought right,” Brian offered.
“Okay, pee on stick time.” I let out a heavy huff and headed for the kitchen, willing to leave my feelings on Tristan and more in that room.
For the moment. Phobie was teaching me that it was only for a moment and all of my years of repressing shit and shoving it in a corner to compartmentalize didn’t do anything but make it worse when it came back at me later. And it always would.
I went and grabbed the test from Hagan, feeling a bit better when I saw he’d gotten several and different brands. Oh good, I wasn’t the only one worrying or unsure of what to do. The doc said he’d test my blood in the morning, so after a few moments of thought in the bathroom, I decided to take three of the five, and the other two I could take when I woke up, as it said that was the best time for them.
That should cover all the bases, right? At least until the doc was sure I was out of the woods.
I peed on the sticks and recapped them, shaking my head as I threw on pajamas and joined the others. “I’m carrying around something I peed on that’s completely and totally socially acceptable. Yup, I’m a weirdo for not always understanding this shit.”
“You okay?” Brian worried.
“No, someone distract me. The box says it can take up to two weeks for being pregnant to register, so apparently I’m not having sex with anyone who can knock me up for at least that long.” I set down the tests on a paper plate and moved away so I wasn’t watching them like waiting for water to boil.
“Have you ever had sex like this?” Eugene asked me as he grabbed me around the waist and positioned my shins on his thighs.
“No, but you think this will help? I might be in trouble because of sex.”
“Right, good point. I was still thinking back to the workout room.” He winced and set me down. “Play with Topher? Where’s food?”
I didn’t want to hold Topher when agitated. Zeno showed up and gave me a worried look, so clearly he’d heard. He didn’t say a word, hugging me.
“They’re all negative, and it’s been just over three minutes since you flushed the toilet,” Hagan told me, studying the tests. “So the doc can test your blood in the morning, take another test in a few days, and then another, and then have him do a blood test when the two weeks is up. Maybe two and a half. We’re all good then.”
“Smart plan,” I agreed, stretching out my tired body. But then I smelled interested hormones from the two men that had given me the workout. “No sex.”
“I can’t get you pregnant,” Carter reminded me.
“Not tonight. I’m fried. We are eating, soaking, and relaxing.”
“Yeah, we are. I was just teasing you.” He looked at his phone. “Sushi’s here. I’ll go get it.”
“Thanks.” I sighed and sat down, taking Zeno’s hand when he offered it and took the chair next to me.
“I know you’re upset and worried, but this is a miracle. Even if you never have a child besides Topher, it is, and thank the gods for healing your body. I know you spoke to your mother and grandmother about how it hurt, others telling you that you were less of a woman for being infertile. All you went through had something good come from it, and so will all your other trials.”
“Other good came from it,” I admitted. I wouldn’t ever want to be kidnapped again, but I could see that. “It helped me see what was important instead of drowning. Seeing how many missed me, love me, healed a lot of the hurt I didn’t even understand I had. I think if Clayton had showed up before I saw I was loved and worth loving, it would have completely shattered me.”
“You are wise beyond your years.” He kissed my hand. “And I think you know what you need to do next.”
It took me a moment to figure out what he meant. I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll tell the council after the doc confirms it. I was impressed they took warning women seriously or having them check, even conferring with that specialist who was doing the study. I want to make sure they handle it right because Dr. Sloan was shocked I survived, so let’s not have women go that far to regain fertility.”
“Agreed, but it’s information they should know. If people go to extremes, they would have without whatever information you shared.”
Yeah, they would have. “Maybe that specialist will fly out and it can help others.” I shrugged. That was about all I had in terms of being positive. I felt pulled too thin.
“You need some laughs,” Brian said as Carter came back with food. We loaded up plates and went into the living room with the TV I normally watched, not the huge theater room. It also had my DVR, and he knew I taped very few shows but was behind on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
&nb
sp; Because it was one of his favorites too. Unfortunately, the topic was LGBTQ rights and how they varied from state to state… Scaring the shit out of the supes in the room because it became ridiculously apparent who won the next election could drastically affect our lives and rights, and there were some serious assholes who had a chance.
“Well, at least that baker in Colorado got his for denying to make a wedding cake for a gay couple,” Carter said, clearing his throat and looking a bit worried about the state of the country he was now living in.
“I’m not,” I admitted, shrugging when all of them gave me shocked looks. “Look, the guy’s a dick. I agree with equality and have no problem with people being gay. I cheered when they were allowed to marry, thinking it was about fucking time.”
“So why do you not support it?” Zeno asked.
“Because the equality laws are meant to protect people, and this didn’t.” I waved off their responses. “They weren’t applying for a job. If he turned them down for a position for being gay, that’s against the law. Loans, credit, emergency services, and more are all protected by equality laws and should cover the LGBTQ community. This is a step past that. Hate the guy. Boycott his bakery. I would.
“But forcing him to provide an extra service is interjecting where the government shouldn’t be.” I shook my head. “We turned down doing a wedding shower brunch because the girl was fourteen. That’s not legal in Illinois, but it is where they were getting married. I’m not being forced to hold that party and thus, accept that shit, because it’s legal there.
“What about a Nazi anniversary party? Do we have to do that? Fine, Nazis can boycott us, and let people have the freedom to fight back. The people from that family posted shit all over about us that we wouldn’t serve them. We reminded them that we don’t allow anyone under eighteen to dine at the restaurant either, but we’ve allowed kids for showers on Sundays.”
Axel nodded. “The hardest thing about serving your country and fighting for freedom is fighting for the freedoms you find the hardest to swallow like assholes saying bullshit and hate against us.”
“Exactly. The guy didn’t deny them into his bakery. That’s allowed in Texas and bullshit, but a wedding is extra, an extra service. Now, if he didn’t allow them to buy a premade cake because he thought they might use it at their reception, that’s bullshit. You can refuse service, ask people to leave—as we do all the time at the club—but there are lines.”
“That’s a hard line,” Zeno muttered. “Your point is valid, but I prefer very clear lines when handing out punishment.”
“It’s clear to me though it might take me a minute to think it through,” I explained. “To me, we hate Nazis. It’s easy to say that. Siren’s Kiss does not believe in Nazis, and we think they’re bad. The shit they spew is protected, and that’s the law. Refusing to hold a party to celebrate Nazism is allowed. Walking around and asking people if they’re Nazis and tossing them out if they are is not allowed.”
“You realize you sort of just compared a gay wedding to being Nazis,” Carter muttered, frowning.
“No, she’s saying if you only look at the side of the coin where we’re rooting for the gay couple to have a nice wedding because we have gay friends and support them, then you’re not looking at the issue from all sides,” Hagan defended.
“You’re right, but it is a tough line,” Carter sighed. “I would want to pound the baker.”
“Well, yeah, of course,” I chuckled. “And maybe I would have last year, but being put in the position as a business owner to draw the line, I understand it better.”
“Seriously, fourteen?” Eugene checked, making a gagging noise when I nodded. “I really didn’t think it could be that young.”
“Some states have no age set, but generally it’s fourteen then and some with parental consent,” I told him, knowing it from work. “Even Illinois is sixteen then. I get pissed when it’s sixteen for girls but eighteen for boys. Like really? Or you know, we could be the United States of America and have one rule for that across the board.”
Brian snickered, trying not to laugh. “Yeah, well, we’re obviously for the federal government and regulations across states since we’re FBI. I still laugh when people have this insane notion FBI are just nonpolitical. Being a Democrat is at its heart about federal versus Republicans who push states’ rights. So, yeah, we sort of make a political statement the moment we fill out the application.”
“Well, that wasn’t in the fine print,” I teased him. “Yeah, I’ve reminded some people about that when they bitch at me for being so politically charged and an activist on issues. Oh, you mean federal laws protecting supes?”
“Where would you land on a bakery denying a wedding cake for vampires?” Axel asked me, looking like he was thinking about it too. “Vampires are who they are just like gay people.”
I considered that as I ate a few pieces of sushi. “Look, I don’t believe that the Bible says being gay is wrong. I’ve studied it and the vernacular, how often translations were done wrong, and I’ve fought for that. I think people are born gay or not. If someone’s religious believes clash and they don’t want to agree to an extra service, that’s on them, and I hope his bakery closes.
“Now, there are religions that equate blood drinking with worshipping Satan. You don’t have to agree to becoming a vampire though. Noah didn’t.” I frowned, thinking I’d talked myself into a bit of a corner and maybe the line was blurrier than the cases I mentioned seemed. “I don’t know. It depends on the objection. I could see if blood was served at the wedding.”
“Basically your answer is to let them object and deal with the fallout, not have a judge order they have to do it?” Axel checked, nodding when I did. “Yeah, I think I’m there too. It’s like how I feel on pro-choice. I should have no say in that. If I’m telling people they have to have their babies, I would like to tell people they can’t have children too, as there are a lot of assholes who should never have kids.”
“Wow, pointed,” Eugene chuckled nervously.
“No, it wasn’t, just a sensitive topic,” I said quickly when Axel winced. “I guess I’m saying I would rather someone deny me a wedding cake for being a shifter and a demon or whatever than ever be forced to hold a wedding shower for a fourteen-year-old at the club. That’s where my head is.”
“I’m so glad we kept things light,” Brian drawled.
“Yeah, well, you’re still human,” I chuckled darkly. “There are several presidential candidates that have made it clear that if they win, all of our rights are out the window, no more letting any of us in, and we might end up at the zoo. Talking about an asshole baker is much lighter in comparison.”
I wasn’t the only one who had trouble swallowing their next bite.
22
Tuesday and Wednesday went much better than Monday. Alan Collins finally cracked and got on board when Mrs. Evans filed a petition to ban him from all college sports. I wasn’t in on all the details, but she got a response they were considering it, and suddenly he was willing to do whatever we wanted if we didn’t take away his future.
Well, he would have done it to himself, as actions have consequences, so I didn’t like how he phrased it like he was a victim, but it was a start.
The media was firmly on our side, and that put enough pressure on UIC to change their rules protecting minorities to include supes. The dean and two people from his office were fired. Three teachers went to the Shifter Council. It was amazing progress that had our side cheering, lots of humans saying it was about time… And stunned at those who would treat us like animals and less than human.
Stunned. Them. I saw more than one interview where people replied that they were stunned or had no idea what to respond with. Yeah, you go do some soul searching and realize you can’t treat people that way, you assholes.
Jennings realized we’d forgotten a scene to shoot for the video and we didn’t have time for permits, so we took Wednesday lunch to meet at pack lands. Travis cou
ldn’t make it this time, but we promised to give him some good behind-the-scenes footage for the videos he was making.
“Seriously, I have no pride left,” Eugene grumbled as he was filled in on what we were doing. “My ancestors would tear out my throat if they saw this.”
“Well, they clearly couldn’t have rolled with the times, and sometimes pushing back doesn’t mean a physical fight.”
“I know. I agree with you, which is why I’m doing it. I’m just going to bitch about it too.”
Fair enough.
We got into place and started, the guys coming one by one in human form, squatting down, sniffing my ass, and then shifting. We were all wearing crap clothes for that, but we were clapping back at those who said we acted like that in real life or that’s all shifters were capable of.
When they were done, I shifted too, shredding the sports bra and shorts I wore. I joined them, and other shifters in animal form came into the shot. This time we weren’t doing music, as some of these would turn into boomerang clips where it played forward and then reversed for that cool effect.
“Roll over,” Jennings called out. We all dropped and did it, some of the birds doing it in the air and hoping the cameras caught it. “Roll the other way.”
I jumped up and hopped on all of the others, playing with them, and then our help set us up to balance stuff on our heads or noses. Once we had that, Jennings called out for us to dance, and it was hysterical to see us all jumping on our back legs, as some were huge. I mean, Axel was a massive tiger.
Yes, we were being complete shits, but it was pretty funny from our end too. We did it a few more times before lining up to play dead, going one by one to make a wave when Jennings gave the command. A few more times of that and we were ready for the finale.
The squeaker balls.
Brian and I had jokingly had some play days with them, but my wolf really liked them for the attention and chase… Since I wouldn’t chomp on animals like other shifters.