by Erin R Flynn
“Like this shit with your elders,” she said gently. “I heard from Cameron. That’s not going to go away, and you know it.”
“No, it won’t,” I agreed. “I just worry I’m crossing the line of being as bad as they are, but there’s more than most anyone knows about the veil and barriers between the planes and… We could be in some very, very serious shit soon, and apparently no one who can do anything gives a fuck besides me. What is too far?”
“What are you thinking?” she asked, giving me a calm look.
“There’s a lab we found out about that’s illegal but backed by a sect of the government. They were intentionally killing shifters.” I kept going even when Hunt flinched, not knowing all of this yet. “They lied and said it was experiments like Hollywood super soldier shit, but in reality it was to find every shifter breed’s weakness and ways to kill them so they could kill them all if ever needed.”
“Soraya, there is no punishment harsh enough for that shit,” she seethed, her lioness moving behind her eyes.
“Yeah, I know of one,” I whispered, my hand shaking as I reached for my water. “You’ve seen me drain chi from rogue casters or just in battle to amp up the power on my side, but there’s something worse. I saw my soul do it on another plane. He turned humans into bigger batteries and then used that energy to help protect the supes there, torturing those people basically.”
“Sounds good to me,” Hunt muttered, his hands fisting on the table. “It’s one thing if they were testing on people to try and cure cancer or help people, but to intentionally test to kill and fucking lie like they were doing something good is the ultimate kind of evil.”
“I didn’t think you had it in you, cub,” Tanesha chuckled.
“One of them was my baby sister,” he informed her.
“Shit, I’m sorry for your loss. That’s—yeah, I’d head into the deep end a few decades early after that.”
“Too bad I just didn’t figure out which was the right side and picked the wrong one,” he rasped, pushing to his feet and walking away before we could say anything.
If we could figure out what to say.
“Oh boy, you’ve got your hands full with that one,” Tanesha mumbled after a few minutes.
“You have no idea,” I sighed. “I was who he was hunting, and the whole thing was a setup they sort of pinned on me or they’d help him get revenge if he got them access to me, not knowing what they really wanted. But it was a caster who started it all and well, magic is magic to some.”
She shook her head. “Putting you in the same bucket as some slimy caster is like saying I’m close to a whale, as we’re both mammals and big. It’s just fucking ignorant.”
“Yeah, it is, but I hear people don’t think all that rationally where family is involved. So I hear at least.”
“Yeah, I hear that,” she chuckled darkly.
Hunt came back, sitting down like it was planned. “I spoke to the building manager and he said one of the suites Tanesha’s pride normally uses has the hawks you rescued in it. He can make other accommodations if they don’t mind a few additional, smaller apartments.”
“We’re not picky, cub,” she assured him. “He might last more than five days.”
“It’s complicated,” I reminded her, not wanting to get into it. “We’re inviting all the elders we speak with on this one, so if you want to talk to Tommy, there’s lots we could use help with before the event. It’s—I’m honestly worried about Helen, Keegan, and Jerome. I went hermit a few weeks after some bad shit, and now what we didn’t know was piling is about to bury us.”
“I’ll talk to them and get a list. We’ve got you, honey. You do your thing and we’ll make it work.”
“I’m sorry things didn’t pan out like you’d hoped, but I’m glad you’re here,” I admitted. “I know you thought you were coming with your hat in your hand asking for help, but that’s not it, Tanesha. We could use your pride’s help just as much as you need our protection.”
“Then it was meant to be,” she whispered, toasting me with her drink and looking a bit lighter. It had taken a lot for her to admit that she needed the help and couldn’t keep her pride safe alone, especially since she was centuries old.
But the world was too much for anyone alone or without the right people at their back.
We finished eating, and the building manager met up with us, promising he’d work everything out with getting them packed and settled and the apartments were already cleaned and waiting. I thanked him and even gave Hunt a grateful look. That was the kind of stuff I always messed up on and just left to be figured out without giving much help or guidance.
Next was a quick meeting with Walter and Hunt up in my apartment that I was squeezing in and wanted privacy for it. I picked up the video of Dorian’s battle where I’d stopped it for Hunt, but also I wanted Walter to see as it would ease my explanation.
“Victor showed us this with the setup you gave him,” Walter informed me. “He wondered why you’d never done it or if you couldn’t.”
“I knew I could,” I admitted, sitting on the arm of the sofa as I rubbed my neck. “They don’t have psychics and even casters as we do here. Or as many of them. He—I’ve had to get more involved with us being known, as my elders are useless and don’t count casters as magics like us and group them with humans but more like rats. So I learned a long time ago how to drain a rogue caster and lock it in a totem for emergencies.
“I’ve known how to take an animal of a feral shifter for a long time. I know how to use people like batteries. You know that.” I shot Hunt a look but saw his expression bland as he stared at his feet. “It’s not harmful like this is. It’s fat burning just like I’m using your calories to help me but they won’t even feel it. It’s not known here like it is there. It’s only the noble bloodlines that have elder seats that use it.”
“So you are—”
“One taught me long ago,” I interrupted. It was the truth, but they’d only taught me because they knew I was a Warloc and should have that information. “I have taught three non-noble bloodlines, and it’s how Helen, Jerome, and Keegan can help me with so much. It’s a thigh cream I’ve been selling for centuries. It never harms anyone, and I can prove it if you need.”
“Why are you defending yourself to this dog?” Walter demanded.
I shrugged. “I think I’m about to cross the line into being the monster he believed me to be when he came after me.”
“No, no, Soraya,” Hunt argued before Walter even could. “Look, I admit, I let my hate blind me, thinking you the top of the food chain that helped casters like that bastard. I was wrong. They showed me stuff to prove you were taking out competition and you were rigging elections and all kinds of shit. I thought you dirty and maybe a cult like you accused me of and you should be put in jail.”
“Magics don’t go to jail,” I reminded him.
“I didn’t know that. They said prison,” he whispered, rubbing his hands over his hair. “They chose to do this. Those scientists and people working for that lab know what they’re doing. Yes, this is horrible and gruesome, but you are not doing it to people who cheat on their taxes. What would you use this power for? To save the environment? To save shifters who could end up their next lab experiment? Do it. Fuck them and do it.”
“The lab isn’t like what we saw here,” I clarified for Walter, gesturing to my TV. “But it’s probably where this started at. It’s not just some cute little doctor’s office. It’s a small hospital type place.” I waited until he nodded. “Will you help me turn them?”
He gave me a worried look. “I would feel each of their deaths when the time came.”
“No, you wouldn’t because they wouldn’t feed,” I reminded him. “They’d be true fledglings for however long they lasted. You know you won’t feel the deaths if they don’t have that first feed.”
“Right, right,” he muttered, scrubbing his hand over his head. “I’ve only turned a few, and they’ve all wanted it
. I forgot that happens if they don’t feed.” He shook his head. “I have to ask Victor on this, Soraya. I’m sorry. My nest leader needs to know.” He winced at the anger he got from me, as I didn’t think that true. “He will ask—”
“No, no more deals or bullshit from Victor or Andrew or any of them,” I snapped, getting to my feet. “I’ve got a fucking angel asking me to help keep the barrier up between the planes and not let hell pour onto our planet. How about someone help me with that? Or now I’m taking care of dirty hawks and handling elders and their egos. I’ve got a battle with my elders, and you know how deep that goes.
“I am tired of it all on me and mine. How about someone else fucking step up without me having to make deals for it all? Why is it always on me?” I waved off whatever he was going to reply. “Forget it. He’s not the only ancient nest. The one in Paris might be a few thousand years younger, but they’re still a few thousand years old and would do it just because I asked them and Victor wouldn’t be involved. You know they would.”
“Yes, but Victor would do it just so you don’t get closer to them,” he reminded me, and I rolled my eyes.
Men.
Vampires.
Idiots.
“Fine, I’ll send you with Hunt to the nest,” I sighed, rubbing my neck that always seemed to be tired and sore lately. “He can teleport back to me.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell me how,” Hunt reminded me. “And um, Walter agreed not to kill me, but those other ancients will definitely skin me, and I need to make things right before anyone does that.”
He was almost amusing if I gave two shits about him anymore. “One, Walter is gagged on telling any of that. Two, Victor knows my wrath should he kill anyone even living with the coven. Three, teleporting is easy. Just touch Walter and whoever you’re bringing and think of me. Focus on details of me or my face and just think you want to come to me and my magic will bring you. Got it?”
He nodded, and I adjusted his collar to not pull magic from him before I sent them both to the nest. I popped over to PI for what came next, and it wasn’t something I wanted Hunt to be attached to since it was big and I’d never tied someone to me like that. It wasn’t the time to take those types of risks.
“Ready for me?” I checked with Helen, smiling when she nodded, feeling the tension around us. “I got this.”
“I know, but—”
“I know,” I cut in, not wanting her to worry. “Everyone got everything personal out of here?”
“Yes, but will you let us get out the desks and stuff? We can duplicate those. You don’t have to add it.”
“It’s fine, I ate enough for a dozen people at lunch,” I promised. I moved to the center of the building and knelt on the floor. I took a few deep breaths and sent my power out to read every inch of the included area. It took a bit and a good deal of focus, but then I was ready. A few more deep breaths and I gave Helen the signal I was ready.
“No one’s above us. We’re all clear,” Tommy called over.
I nodded and started pushing out energy in pulses, each one bigger than the last, sort of like ripples a stone made in water… If I was that stone. Maybe? It was my visual.
I realized the flaw in our plan about halfway through, biting my lip to keep in my scream of pain. I kept pushing and pushing, reaching deep as I grabbed more and more power from my jars and used it. When it was done, I started pulling my power back in, moaning when several old wounds appeared, one slicing through my clothes and across my back.
“Get the healer here,” someone shouted.
“Boss, boss, what happened?” someone worried, catching me when I collapsed.
I felt Keegan’s energy as he rubbed his cheek against my forehead. “New rule. We only do that for top floors.”
“Oh fuck me,” Helen whispered in horror. “Your power had to hold up all the floors above us.” She and Jerome cursed up a storm when I gave a slight nod. “I didn’t think of—”
“Because we’ve always added floors above or right below the roof,” I panted. “We didn’t want to screw everyone up this time, so we put them towards the bottom, copying the bail bonds floor as it would work. Now we know.”
“Why didn’t I feel anything?” a deep voice growled, and I realized it was Hunt and he must be back.
“I didn’t know how this big of a task would work with you tied to me and helping me fuel up. My magic reacts with wounds and painful memories. I didn’t want you to deal with that because I added a floor to a high rise.”
“Is that what you just did?” another deep voice demanded.
“Talky talk after healing,” I muttered. I gasped when I felt it start, apologizing for interrupting their day.
“We were bored, boss,” one of them promised.
“You poor dears,” I chuckled. I moaned in relief as they closed up the worst of everything.
“You’re not licking her wounds,” someone snapped.
“Walter can,” I replied. “I trust him. I forgot he’d be back if Hunt was.”
“It’s not Walter demanding it,” Tommy told me, the healing helping the pain and making me able to focus.
I blinked my eyes open to find Victor, Andrew, and several of their nest standing with them. “Um, could the ancient vampires please take several big steps back while I’m bleeding? Yeah, like maybe across the street?”
“We’ve been around you bleeding before,” Andrew drawled. “We can control ourselves just fine. We also could help.”
“Walter can help,” I whispered, still terrified of the look in their eyes as they smelled fresh, strong enchanter blood. Yeah, they could control it but… Why risk it? “I think you remember why I have this fear.”
He turned his cheek like he’d been slapped. “Fair enough. Walter, help her and we’ll be over here.”
“He lost control with you once?” Tommy asked after they backed off.
“No, his best friend,” I muttered, my tone making it clear he should let it go. He did, and Walter took a few licks of my back and a gash on my arm, his saliva healing it fast as he was ancient.
He got a good amount of blood for his trouble though.
“Okay, let me help again,” Hunt demanded, moving in front of me.
I nodded, touching his collar hidden below his shirt and reactivating that part of the magic. We both gasped, and he looked at me with wide eyes.
“That’s what you go through?” he whispered, his eyes full of pain.
“That’s just the echoes, the ripples after,” I assured him as I pushed to my feet, feeling much better with his fuel tied right to me. “It wasn’t like that last time. I was better rested and it was one floor to push up. I didn’t think of the physics along with the metaphysics, just the latter.” I shrugged. Shit happened all the time. I glanced over at Helen. “We good? Your team got things from here?”
“Yes, and we’re making Kate manager of the floor, and she’s got help setting this all up before the crazy starts in the morning. I wish we could push this back.”
“I don’t think the angel will vote for that,” I chuckled darkly.
“What fucking angel?” Victor demanded. “You’ve met an angel? What—why won’t you let Walter tell me any of this?”
“Did you come here to help or stress me out by grilling me and starting a fight?” I asked quietly, not even able to look at him. “I’d prefer to ask the other nest but Walter said—”
“Yes, we will help,” Andrew cut in. “We’re here to help as we live on this planet too, so however we can help, as there’s not much aid we can give you otherwise.”
Wow, since when was he the calm and reasonable one? Then again, I’d given him back the use of his dick… Mostly.
I glanced at Tommy. “How do you want to do this? Take them all at once, pick up any we missed later, and hold onto all the data we collect until after the tribunal? Burn it to the ground in some fabulous way that those who knew of it will understand why it was taken out?”
“I say erase it af
ter we get it all out,” he muttered.
I bounced my head around. “Yeah, I’ve got enough negative chi stored I could do that. Spray bottles work best. What are we doing with the people? I hold them and you guys stab them with darts and take them wherever?”
“Give us the darts and we can do it faster than they can,” Walter offered, and again I nodded. “And you should not have these Americans at your property, as some might think to look there. There should never be any traces back to you.”
I snorted. “There wouldn’t be, darling. Our cells are on another plane I build a door to.”
“Still, if they’re offering…” Tommy muttered, looking at the vampires. I winced internally, wondering what they would ask for to hold them.
“Can you make one of these rooms at our nest that we will pull them out when we’re ready?” Victor asked. “We can only do one a day, so it depends on how many there are at the facility.”
“That seems to be the unknown but no more than a hundred I would think,” I answered. “And yes, I can hide one in the basement that no one could open but you or I so you can toss in some stale bread or whatever so they don’t die before we get them.”
“Done. Glad we could help in this.”
I swallowed down my shock that he wasn’t going to ask for anything. Then again, it was obvious I couldn’t even look at him, so it would be a very stupid time to ask for anything in return.
We popped back to the apartment lobby so Tommy could get the gear and people we needed. Tanesha and her pride were just arriving, going on high alert when she took in who was with us.
“They’re friendlies,” I assured her. “They’re helping with that issue I told you about.”
“Good. Who am I talking with about buying the land?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it, rubbing my neck. Large hands moved mine away and gently massaged the knots out for me. I bit back a moan and just enjoyed it.
“So you’re having sex with the mangy pup,” Victor drawled. “I didn’t expect that even with your game of chicken.”