by Erin R Flynn
“I know. I know it hurts,” Reagan whispered as he kissed my hair. “We thought Vlad would get over it too, not sink deeper.”
“Someone get his body out of here,” Axel said quietly.
“No, call Goran,” I countered, wiping my eyes. “This has to be done right. I don’t know the procedure, but he’s Vlad’s boss. See if Apollo will take my call.”
“Yes, Alpha,” a few people replied as I let the twins comfort me.
I’d known Vlad the longest of all besides Tristan really, but we’d been the leaders for over a year and to have it all go to shit this way was too much. It was way too much.
Carter sat on the edge of the pool and handed me his phone. I went over to him, leaning my body over his lap as he stroked my hair. “I told him.”
I nodded, taking the phone. “Hey, Apollo.”
“How are you?” he asked gently. He’d had to get back right after he’d brought me home so we really hadn’t had a chance to do more than send a few texts or talk a bit.
“I really didn’t think it would come to this. He kept the darkness locked down pretty well, but apparently it was time to let it out.” I let out a shaky breath. “He was trying to rape me. He said he made me—which he didn’t—but he got to have me then. He knew where I was.”
“Carter told me. I thought Vlad would prevail over this,” he muttered. “He was spanked while you were gone, and instead of taking it as the speed bump we all have on finding the right path, he spiraled deeper. This APA idea of his was—”
“Apollo, that wasn’t his idea,” I corrected. “It was mine. Carter was there when I talked to Vlad about it. It was supposed to be shifters and bringing together the Alphas to stop what happened in Memphis and humans hurting us by locking us out. We went around them and buy directly from Virgil. That was the idea. I let Vlad in on it to get Tristan out of his coven because they were self-destructing and that was bad for Chicago.”
He was quiet a moment. “Truly? He presented the whole thing as his genius idea of an alliance of covens and to extend it past your borders.”
I felt my eyes tear up as Carter took the phone from me.
“It was her idea. She was piecing it together before we even became hers. I heard from Virgil that she’d mentioned it to him before we met her that there should be a directory at least or some list where Alphas can know where to buy from paranormal companies, promote them that way so pro-paranormal humans can buy from those companies like their human friends here.
“I was to work on the idea of adding vampires to the mix this first time and see how it went, but I ignored that while searching for her, assuming the idea was on hold while the person who started it was missing. Instead, Vlad did it all in secret as his idea for vampires. I only found out a week before she came home. He has dates and invited people. It was turned into him being head of this vampire alliance.”
I snorted, knowing Apollo would hear me. “He used my name to get it done. I wasn’t here, he changed my idea, and then only made it happen by using my name, as his rep with other coven leaders was shit, so he told them I was part of it and had started it after meeting with Bijan. He fucking packaged it as an homage to me while taking credit and changing it all. I’m shocked he didn’t bill it to me as well just to be a dick.”
Carter leaned over and kissed my hair. “She found out and started calling the coven leaders and making it clear they were to come with the Alphas in their area. She spoke with those Alphas and invited them as well. I helped, and so did some of the others. We gave them the real idea and didn’t even call Vlad out on it as pulling shit. I said we should, but she didn’t want to light the fuse of the battle we would fight for her as she’s still recovering.”
Remus came and sat next to Carter. “Vlad received word of a bunch of new reservations at coven hotels and all of them Alphas and for the convention, and he blew. He fucking blew and couldn’t even contain his shit, saying he was done with Sera fucking up his life and making everything about her. He went outside, and we saw him fly off, assuming he was coming here, and rushed here to stop him before he did something stupid.”
“So who drained Vlad to take over his coven?” Apollo asked, and it was a good few moments where no one answered. “Oh dear. Alright, I will inform the others he attacked you and is dead. Someone let Goran know when you decide who did the deed.”
“It’s a bit complicated,” I agreed. “I wanted to tell you right away, but yeah, we should discuss a few things as it’s, um, off the record. And on a completely unrelated issue, is there like a co-master scenario that has ever happened? Like Hagan and Reagan are both top Beta and really run the pack for me?”
“You are always such fun,” he chuckled darkly. “It has never been done to my knowledge. I would say if such an arrangement would ever happen, I would think they would need to be on equal footing.”
“Meaning they should be tied to the same person instead of breaking off from their master to take over,” Carter explained. “Thank you, Councilman. We’ll let you know as things develop.”
“Have fun,” Apollo drawled before hanging up.
“For the record, I didn’t know Noah was making a move,” Carter told us. “I felt your fear and upset when I came home and ran right up here and got enough to know Vlad attacked you. I was fulfilling my promise that if he hurt you, I would end him and take his coven.”
“And neither of you were of his coven anymore, so that complicates things, as it wasn’t a normal takeover nor invasion, but you are both tied to Sera,” Remus muttered, sighing as he sat down on one of the day beds. “And here I was terrified a wolf would end him if he did something stupid and I would have to take over as his official second.”
“You need to eat and we can talk ideas,” Axel muttered as he set the food I’d forgotten about on the tables.
I nodded and let Carter pluck me out of the pool. He sat me down, and they fussed about me, setting me up with chicken salad sandwiches from Simone’s deli and a drink.
“Hey, no going into shock,” Dain said gently as he sat next to me. “I can feel you start to go numb.”
“I was so happy I was getting better and so much got done while I was gone, and I couldn’t just sit by and let the shifters get screwed because Vlad took over my idea. I keep bouncing between feeling bad I started the trouble and it led to this, to wanting to fucking kill him myself for not telling anyone he knew something about my abduction and all the pain people went through when I was gone.”
“Vlad knew?” Brian seethed as he arrived. Rage was thick in his eyes, and I’d only seen his temper a few times, but it was a scary thing. “Where is he?”
“Dead,” I sighed, nodding over to where his body still was. “He attacked me.” I felt the shock around me as Brian stormed over to Vlad and proceeded to kick him several times while swearing up a storm. “Yeah, I feel like doing the same.” I had a random thought of wondering if Bernard’s blood had messed up Vlad the way mine had Tristan, but it had been over a year and I didn’t think everything could be blamed on sirens and our drug-like blood.
“Feel better?” Axel asked Brian as he came back, sounding fairly amused to watch the always calm human lose his shit.
“Somewhat, but I’d have to explain why I shot a dead body,” Brian grumbled as he sat behind me on the day bed and hugged me to him, not caring I was still wet. “Did he hurt you?”
“Reagan and Hagan came in time,” I promised. “Dain has decided someone is always tethered to me from now on at least until I recover.”
“I left her after we did her pool exercises because Axel texted me,” Eugene muttered. “I didn’t know there was a threat to her that could fly. That was some shitty timing.”
“It’s fine. It was more important that we learned he knew and was worse than we thought,” I forgave. “The twins got to me in time.”
“Okay, so who takes over the coven?” Remus asked, looking a bit frazzled. “I mean, Noah is tied to you and that happened when he didn’t
have the power of a master vampire, but now he does so he could lead, but you can’t break that bond with him, right? Or he can’t break free of it to be a master on his own. Or he would have, right? Because you can actually tie master vampires to you as Goran is yours and was Vlad’s boss but Carter is his.”
“Remus, please, I need a few more minutes,” I whispered, giving him a pleading look. “I don’t want world domination, and I woves you, you know that. Please, please chill.”
“Wow, if you have Chicago’s coven under you, I have a feeling I’m quitting the council next,” Eugene muttered, squatting next to me. “I know you’re overwhelmed, but you need to know what happened with Axel.” He waited until I nodded. “Others on the council learned you’re infertile, and now they’re recalling him and want him away from you.
“They want to put him in an engagement with a powerful bloodline knowing you’ve declared him as yours. They don’t want to risk a powerful tiger not having babies. It would be one thing if they got one of theirs at your side and he could have Dorcus children with you and you being as sweet as you are, they assumed you would want tiger babies and have a surrogate of a weaker wolf so they were born tigers but he’s mated to you.”
“Is that what you want?” I asked Axel carefully.
He snarled as power flashed in his eyes and his hands shifted. “I am not some fucking pawn for the council. I have dedicated my life to protecting shifters and doing what is right, but I have always been clear that I won’t be the stud horse to pop out babies to become pawns like I was. The fact they’re deciding my engagement like they own me—I told them I was out or I was going to claw people up. Haton’s not happy all around too.”
“Because she doesn’t like this sort of shit, but there’s only so many headaches she can fight, and she does want tigers to flourish and the population to grow as a cat,” Eugene explained for the rest of us before glancing at Axel. “And she wanted you as her mate. Part of this is punishment for turning down her advances, but if you were to hook up with a Dorcus, even an infected one, that was worth it.”
“Except I’m infertile and useless as a woman, right?” I whispered, staring at my sandwich as a tear fell. I hurried to wipe my eyes, but I knew they saw. “Yeah, well, that saved me from having a warlock’s child that…” I shook my head. Not everyone knew about absorbing whatever, and we were still working on getting his stuff from the German government, as it should all be mine since I’d killed him.
Or Nina’s actually as his wife he’d walked away from and technically never divorced, so we were letting her have it all. I didn’t want any of it.
I never wanted any of this.
I got myself together and glanced at Axel. “I told you I want you as a trainer for the FBI. You’re welcome to be named as pack too. I don’t care if you’re a cat. You’re a cat who protected and fought for our pack, and my pack adores you, and so do the bunnies in my pack. So you take care of you and let me know what you need.” I glanced at Noah. “We might be losing a trainer now, so we’ll really need you.”
He winced. Yeah, no way he could be Master of Chicago and still a trainer. Vlad had been a full time coven leader, and there were a lot of vampires who needed that. And the number was growing now that the council had approved larger coven sizes to get vampires out of bad areas.
“I fucking hate politics,” I whispered as I rubbed my forehead and took a bite of my sandwich. “No one is going to like a vampire tied to me taking a coven over. That’s the shit vampires have done on the other side of whomever tied to them being Alpha and basically in charge and one king or queen of a territory. That is exactly what I wanted Vlad to stop. Now I’m godmother of Chicago, and people are calling me the queen of the Midwest and East Coast.”
I rolled off the day bed before I lost my temper, and it took everything I had not to go over to Vlad and start kicking him too. I ended up in the bathroom puking my guts out as my wolf reacted to my being attacked again and the stress on me. Unfortunately, I kept getting sick, and a bit into it I smelled panther and felt a shot in my butt.
“Breathe, Sera,” the doc whispered, someone having called him. “Your body is still too beat up to take this sort of stress. Please breathe, and everything will be okay. This is not only on you.”
“It is,” I rasped, reaching up and flushing the toilet again. “I don’t want it to be anymore. Everything gets more complicated every time I turn around.”
“Call the other leaders and discuss this,” Dain said from behind me. “This is not all on you, my love. Let others help you.”
After a moment I nodded. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.
Fuck all the ducks. Fuck Vlad. I hoped he was somewhere roasting for not telling anyone where to find me and where to look and dropping this whole mess on my lap.
8
All of my worries were completely for no reason. Gerald, the bear Alpha, burst out laughing when we told all the other leaders after they came over. I was sitting in the party room sipping some Sprite, as my stomach was still having a problem, but I was showered and in the cotton shorts and halter tank Brian had picked out for me. He was changed too and seemed to have the same reaction I did.
We blinked at each other.
It was the herd leader, Matthew, who explained. “Sera, you’re like the last person we worry about becoming supreme ruler of an area or whatever shit Vlad pulled. I would put twenty bucks on you tossing your cookies that you realized this would be something else under you.”
“After a bit of shock and upset Vlad knew where to start looking for me,” I admitted, rubbing my stomach. “Well, I’m glad you guys know I don’t want to be queen or whatever.”
“We’re all tied together,” Simone said gently. “We’re partners. You’ve partnered with the fairy queen. This is the way it should be. We all follow the laws you make protect us now too. We have no need for some Chicago council or way to make it all fair. So Noah has a seat at our brunches when we discuss how things have been going instead of Vlad acting like they are beneath him.”
“I think it’s a valid worry about how others will perceive this,” Carter told them. “There are still too many covens that believe the shifter group is theirs if they can bond with that type of animal. Sera fought against that, and now it’s happened in reverse. And honestly, we both killed Vlad, so there’s never been a co-master situation of a coven.”
“You don’t want the job though,” Simone said, giving Carter a look like they all knew that.
“Noah didn’t either,” he countered.
“No, but I wasn’t a master vampire then,” Noah clarified. “I couldn’t hold the coven, and people knew that. People now know that Sera’s backing me, and she has you guys as well. I think I take the coven but name Remus as my second, like Sera has Reagan and Hagan handle most of that stuff. I’d have to quit the FBI to do what Vlad did and take it over, but I think there would be too much unrest in a coven that already had unrest otherwise.”
“Carter?” I asked when he was quiet.
“Fine, but I want the role of your head security like Noah was if he now is Master of Chicago,” he agreed after a moment. “He won’t still live at your mansion with the twins and rabbits. I think that’s fine because the other ancients are always there besides Goran when he travels. The art thieves are talking retirement. They adore the boys, and they’ve hit a wall helping the regular FBI and don’t want to work for Interpol.”
“They could still be incredibly useful consultants, but they were getting a bit abused as their ‘penance’ for what they stole under orders,” Brian agreed. “You’ve got Jonathan in charge of all pack owned security, and he’s rocking that. Fine, Noah is now back handling that for the coven, but as leader so Remus has the security title and he owns the business outright instead of Vlad sticking his nose there.
“You’ve got Milo and his guys expanding it as a subsidiary and people interested in that because they’d be part of Chicago groups but not here and all involved. They
can travel on protection gigs and whatever. Carter and the ancients are still vampire elite SWAT or whatever, and now that you’re back, people will stop trying to go around to get them.”
“Wait, you’re going to need to explain that to me,” I admitted, not having heard this.
Carter sighed. “People were requesting our aid, and it went a bit far without you knowing the landscape and saying what they should handle on their own. We were called in several times because they’d rather us get shot or to haze us to rescue kittens from trees, as they were pissed someone was more elite than them.”
“Fucking babies,” I growled, knowing he didn’t mean literally they were called to save kittens but not wanting to say specifics in front of non-FBI people. “Going forward it will have to be requested through the local non-human team and then kicked to us after they review it because they’ll know the local players and who would pull that shit and not waste our budget. Plus, the cost of sending you wherever will start going on their budget.”
“You smart, smart woman,” he praised, smiling at me. “Yes, so that will help everyone want a local non-human team and as fast as possible.”
I batted my eyelashes at him. “Really? I didn’t realize that.”
“I think Carter should be named as security head for all of the groups,” Noe said after a moment, waving off the objections. “Hear me out. He’s in Goran’s coven who is Sera’s. So he’s still under a shifter. But he’s fucking ancient. That’s a scary fucking threat.” He growled when the others seemed to hesitate. “Tell me how many times any of you have heard whispers and hints of others coming in and taking over to get close to Sera or while she was gone.”
I blinked at Simone when her heart started racing. Gerald cleared his throat as well.
“Fuck, guys. You gotta tell me this stuff.”
“You’re not the boss of Chicago, Sera,” Gerald said gently. “Would you tell us if there was…” He winced when I was nodding, gesturing to Noah and I as the example of yes, I would come to them. “Right, that’s fair. Some of it you knew like that bear making a play at the opening. I’ve gotten a few sloths who asked to move here, and I’m not stupid and knew it was to make a play.”