by Erin R Flynn
Galvin and the president choked on their food or drink, and both Axel, Monroe, and Dain looked about ready to burst out laughing. Yeah, I hid my face behind my burger after that as if it would make things any better.
“So assuming the point of this wasn’t to tell you had sex with the President of Iran, I’m missing lots,” Galvin muttered, sounding confused.
“So am I,” I admitted, looking at Monroe. “How is he separate from the council now? I didn’t get any of that. I thought it was like a gesture he wanted to be better friends with America, and okay, he thinks I’m pretty, and damn, he’s hot so wahoo.”
“Wahoo?” he sighed, shaking his head at me. He waved me off when I opened my mouth to say something, and I just stuck my tongue out at him instead. He shot a look at Galvin and the president.
“He promised it was for his ears, and Galvin can keep a secret, Chad,” I told him. “There’s more to this, but I’m having trouble with this part. Maybe I’m just tired, hungry, and mushy, but you get all of this.”
“Basically he removed himself from the vampire hierarchy like Monroe did by taking a government position,” Dain explained. “However, Bijan took over a nation, so he is elevated to the level of a councilman and can vote with the vampire council on matters.”
“There we go, that’s what I was missing,” I sighed, getting it better now. “They said like the Dorcuses, but technically they’re not the leader of Greece.” They all shot me a look that clearly everyone knew better. “I said technically. Bijan is. They said he basically committed all of Iran and everyone under him to protect me and mine, and that includes the FBI people as you’re my ally.”
“I see how you get so confused,” Galvin muttered, scrunching his eyebrows. “Okay, still, why does this involve us?”
“Because Bijan wasn’t the council’s guy,” I answered. “You know that Omid staged a coup and we went and took back over.” I waited until they nodded. “The original guy was chosen by the council. He was their buddy. Bijan was in that same party of thought, but he’s not their guy.”
“Oh shit,” Monroe whispered, giving me wide eyes. “Bijan just said he places everything at his disposal, including nuclear fucking weapons, to keep you safe even against the International Vampire Council.”
I dropped my burger, finally getting why it was such a big deal. I just blinked at him. I couldn’t even get my mouth to work as my heart thundered in my ears.
“Sera, Sera, please don’t go into shock,” Dain said as he gave me a gentle shake. He smiled when I focused on him. “It’s fine. It’s fine, my love. You know Bijan would protect you and liked you.”
“I don’t get it,” I whispered. “I seriously don’t get what you all see. I’m no one. I’m a freak whose parents ditched her and has the emotional range of a bobble head doll. Why do you all like me? Simone is hotter. She gets everything better. Beth is gorgeous and uncomplicated. I have no idea why any of you like me or put up with all my crap.”
“Because you cannot see yourself as you truly are,” he whispered. “And I always see the woman who almost died busting horrible cheetahs and the next day came without fear to the very terrifying fairy court because at your core you believe in everything you swore to uphold when you were granted your badge. You truly see everyone as equal and do not understand most racial slurs, as you never spend time with the sort of people who say them.”
“Like what?” I asked, worried I was offending someone.
Axel cleared his throat. “You made a comment in New York about a baby looking like a monkey.”
I nodded, thinking back to that. “Yeah, all babies look like little monkeys. They have those squishy faces, and they’re seriously cute, and they latch onto your fingers and—they’re just all wittle monkeys.”
“You said it to a black baby, Sera.” Axel nodded when Galvin and the president winced. “It’s a racist thing about African Americans resembling monkeys.”
I blinked at him. “I don’t get it. Is that like a slang thing?”
“For someone who knows so much about languages and cultures, you are a bit inept on certain areas like that,” Dain said gently. “It’s an older slur, and I know you’re not the only one of the younger generation who doesn’t get it, but most parents have taught their children what not to say. You didn’t have that. You’re naive in that.”
I snorted. “I say that regularly.” I actually looked at the president for a moment. “I don’t get it.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Black babies don’t look different than white babies.” I rolled my eyes. “I mean, obviously they look different, but all babies have those squishy faces.”
“Just accept that it is a thing like taking off your shoes when you enter a house in Japan,” Dain offered.
I shrugged. I could do that. “So far off the topic of Bijan and his nukes. I mean, it explains why I don’t get a lot of this. If you tell me a culture is a certain way, I’ve learned it, I get it. It’s nuances that are lost on me sometimes, and Brian or even Jason always put them into ‘Sera’ for me.” I picked up my burger, wincing at the mess I made. “I’ll pay for that.”
“You can afford it,” Galvin snickered. “But I think it’s fine.”
I bobbed my head, accepting a new burger when Dain handed me one. “Wow, so I’m protected by Iran. That can’t be made common knowledge, but like wow.” I shook my head and took a huge bite. “So I’m out of the loop on global politics, and well, a lot more because a lot happens over four months, but between the FBI here, we like Bijan in power, right? I mean, as the US we like it?”
“Yes, undoubtedly,” the president confirmed. “While you were missing, he brought in a good deal of our enemies and groups we were worried about. He plays his cards close to the chest and hasn’t been forthcoming for the long term goals of Iran, but we like the progress made so far.”
“There seems to be some residual resentment or hesitation we don’t understand,” Galvin added.
I snorted. “The US overthrew Iran’s democracy in the 50’s and bragged it cost like sixty grand to get better oil. Britain had control of their oil and they wanted it back. Right, because we wouldn’t throw a fit if someone else controlled anything of ours. But we overthrew the government because they were going to be nice to us, and hey, the guys stabbing people in the back did the same to us. Shocking. I’d be pissed too.”
“Right, he was alive then,” Galvin groaned, missing that piece. “We know they’re ancient but it’s—”
“It’s not a concept humans regularly factor in when you didn’t know about us longer than you have,” Axel finished for him. “You’d be shocked how much is really told or known about a lot. Most history books get way too much wrong of our own everything, even when written by us.” He smiled when they gave him questioning looks. “I fought in the Revolutionary War. Many of our wars even.”
“You should retire from working for the council and write books like Brutus,” I joked.
“Wait, do you mean Brutus Magia?” one of the Secret Service asked me. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah, why?” I asked as I popped some more fries in my mouth.
“His books blew up while you were gone, like all New York Times best sellers,” Dain filled in.
“Oh, awesome for him.” I smiled, that was cool. He’d had such a rough time and was so good to the boys that I was glad the writing worked out for him.
“He’s like a ghost,” the guy pushed. “He won’t do book signings or public appearances. I’m a huge fan. So is the president.”
I blinked at the president, waiting until he nodded. “I’m a history buff, Thomas. They’re excellent books. I’m a few behind as I don’t get much reading time, but is he in Chicago?”
“He lives next door to me. He’s in my coven of ancients.” I looked at Galvin. “That’s the tutor I have for the rabbit shifters I adopted. That’s Brutus. He’s been a scholar for like ever and offered to help them.”
“That is not common knowledge,” Dain warned
the Secret Service guy. “Seriously, it’s a security threat, as some know he works with the rabbits. He dedicated one of his books to them. It’s all hush, hush.”
“He did? That’s sweet.” I sighed. “I could see him wanting to stay out of the spotlight. He used to work for the crazy vampire councilman who did a lot of crap to us when he visited. Thousands of years of that and I wouldn’t do book signings either.” I felt the hope coming from the guy and even the president. “I’ll ask, but I’m not ordering him to do it. He might not want to come around the council meeting us tomorrow.”
“I’ll call him,” Monroe said. “He’s a fan of the president’s. We’ll figure something out. You have enough on your plate.”
“Right, back to that,” I agreed, getting this was taking too long. “Bijan is leery of you guys, and he’s got reason to be. But he’s mentioned more than once that his main priority is security. He’s waiting for the world to react and make a move that’s not just grudging acceptance.” I glanced at Monroe. “And we have a facility meant for training paranormals. Ancients even with Noah’s stuff.”
He was quiet a moment. “You think he’s only brought in criminals who have dropped in his lap and would like to go look for more but they don’t have enough in place.”
I nodded. “Igor thought age was enough. I would bet a lot of these guys did too.” I felt the amusement of the guy I’d talked with earlier. “You’re still going to get your ass kicked tomorrow. My guys aren’t only ancient fast. They’re trained. Both parts are needed to be the best. You know bigger isn’t always better in a fight, and sometimes the flexibility of a woman can take a guy down in a sparring match.”
He nodded, getting what I was saying.
“To what end?” the president asked.
I shrugged. “An FBI office in Iran? I’m sure there’s a lot of good that can be done with fully trained ancient vampires who can clear out an area like you wouldn’t believe. Hell, Eva would have fun with them.”
“You forget they can’t feel your grandmother’s terrifying power like we can,” Monroe muttered when the humans seemed confused. “I want it clear that she’s not a threat to the US and it would be stupid to ever mark her as one.” He waited until they said they got it. “She’s the scariest fucker I’ve ever met. I mean, her power is terrifying. You can’t feel it. It’s like a sixth sense to us.”
“What sense do you call it?” that guy who’d razzed me earlier asked.
“Self-preservation,” I answered, having said it before to other humans who didn’t get it. “It’s like I can feel if I need to run from someone around, not wait to see what they’re bench pressing or if they’re armed. Some can hide it. A lot of powerful people can hide it.”
“You can,” the president guessed.
“Yes, it’s how I snuck into New York, but there is no containing Eva Dorcus. If aliens ever come, I am taking everyone I love and going and hiding behind my grammy because she is like poetry in motion. She’s faster, stronger, and just about anything else. She’s over a thousand years old, and with her bloodline, it just compounds.”
“And she’s the sexiest, sweetest woman you’ll ever meet,” Monroe added, shrugging when I shot him a look. “After what the Martins told me, I would give anything to be with her.”
“Eewww, grandma even if not by birth,” I growled, waving away the mental image. “She is sweet though. Several of my pack were scared to feel that power, but she has that soft touch where like baby chicks would instinctively go to her even if she’s a wolf. It’s great.”
“The point is—” Axel started to say, flinching when I growled at what I smelled off of him. “I’m sorry, she’s Eva friggin’ Dorcus. I prefer you, but I won’t even try to deny that, yes, I’m attracted and desire her. You sort of can’t not want her, Sera. She’s legendary among shifters, and so is Alena. I didn’t know you were a Dorcus when we met. Not everyone knew then, and I figured you were just infected by someone from Greece.”
“Fine, I prefer you be honest,” I admitted. “So I know that’s what Bijan wants. They weren’t the police or whatever, and they need help to keep order and in power, which we want. I think it’s a good idea.”
“Because you know he’s telling the truth, we don’t,” the president interjected. “Can you say with a hundred percent certainty he’s on our side?”
“No, and I would never be so stupid to ever say that off the images I can get from people, as there’s always interpretation. I don’t know he’s on the US’s side. I know he’s on the side of what we are. He’s on the side of democracy, equality, bad people not running around free, and whatnot. But if we’re picking teams for dodgeball or a water balloon fight, I think they would instinctively not want to be on our team, as we tend to not protect our team.”
Sad but true, and no one could even argue it.
“He also wants to set up a shifter council type prison in Iran for global threats, have it be the vampire council one they’ve been thinking about,” I said, dropping the bigger bomb.
“Bijan told you this?” Galvin asked after a moment.
“No,” I muttered, feeling like a snitch for some reason, probably because it wasn’t my jurisdiction and well, I’d just had sex with Bijan so yeah, it seemed like a betrayal. “I’m breaking my rule on telling what I see because I know he wants to do good. That’s what I saw. The shifter council doesn’t hurt people to get answers. We know torture doesn’t work. You stub my toe and I’ll tell you whatever you want to hear.
“What he wants is to stabilize the region, have a place that all these types of baddies are kept instead of some here, some in the UK and some wherever else that doesn’t all communicate and share intel. He wants that part to stop, as that’s what makes us fail a lot. So he wants one centralized facility that won’t have whims of change now that they’re in power and it all fails. Maybe get someone like me as an interrogator.”
Galvin gave me a knowing look but glanced at the president as if not sure how much he was caught up on.
“So you can do something to make people talk,” the president muttered.
Dain replied before I could. “No, she gets this and that, and with what we smell and like me as a fairy can sense, at times we’re better than vampires. And there is one more person in your camp that you need to fire or do more with, as they’re diligently listening for information to share with certain senators who are not our friend.”
“Fuck,” I whispered in horror.
“I brought a white noise machine with and they have gotten nothing,” Dain assured me, pointing to the one that was now plugged in the corner of the room.
“You are so awesome,” I praised, wishing I’d thought of that.
He flinched, clearing his throat. “I’m glad you think so.” He reached over and rubbed my knee but then went back to being professional, which was so incredibly endearing and like Dain that I felt butterflies in my stomach.
Which I hadn’t felt with him since New Year’s.
“Would you have the time to interview the rest of my people before we take the tour tomorrow and risk anything else getting out?” the president asked us.
“I’m too weak to be much good,” I grumbled.
“And you need to rest,” Dain added. “I will handle this. Monroe, Axel, and I can get enough to say who is trustworthy. Go home and rest so all your hard work can shine tomorrow with the tour.” He smiled when I blushed when he used that fairy word to call me his wife.
“I’ll walk you out. Your detail is downstairs?” Galvin asked, smiling when I nodded. “I’m armed. I can take you down the elevator since the president has his own elevator.”
“Thanks.” I said goodnight to everyone and grabbed my heels, not bothering to put them back on as it was a tossup whether they would make me fall or the train if I was shorter.
“Good work today, Thomas,” he said as he pushed the button for the elevator. “Really, your assessments and full scope of what we didn’t know was invaluable.”
“Thank you, sir.” I got on first when he gestured for me to go ahead. I leaned over to hit the button for the ground floor, but he did too and our hands bumped. No big deal.
Except for what I saw in his head.
His eyes flashed shock at whatever my reaction was, and he cleared his throat, pushing the button, waiting until the doors closed to address it. “I apologize for that.”
“It’s fine,” I whispered, feeling extraordinarily awkward. He was my boss several levels up, and apparently his wife had been right to worry about me. Well, from his side. “Just so we’re clear, I don’t have a reputation with my bosses. I mean, Brian was—he’s Brian and—”
“No, of course, and I would never either,” he assured me. “You are a beautiful woman, and you look stunning tonight. I was struck dumb by how you look again, as I was the last time I saw you dressed up. But I would never with a subordinate, and I absolutely respect your relationship with Havers. I respect you both.”
I was never so happy when the elevator doors opened. “Goodnight, sir. See you in the morning.”
“Thanks, be safe, Thomas.”
Carter glanced over my shoulder, nodding to Galvin before they flanked me and someone pulled the SUV up, so Dain or Axel must have texted I was coming. He waited until we were inside and pulling away from the hotel. “What was that?”
“I saw something awkward,” I admitted, knowing he was worried from a security standpoint.
“Like Galvin wants you?” he chuckled. “Yeah, we all knew that. It’s clear when he looks at you he wishes he was twenty years younger.”
“I didn’t know, and I really didn’t want the images I now have,” I grumbled, rubbing my forehead. “Don’t tell Brian.”
“He knows.” He snorted when I gave him a shocked look. “You might be oblivious as to who is into you unless the room is bathed in hormones, but Brian Havers is keenly aware of the amount of men who want you and which ones that get anywhere near you.”
“That’s flattering, right?” I checked after a moment.
“I’d swoon if it was me,” Emilio admitted from the backseat. “I don’t buy this whole ‘it’s not a stalker if they’re hot’ or ‘it’s less creepy if they have money’ like books and movies do, but noting and appreciating that the woman he loves is desired and he’s a lucky man would totally make me swoon.”