Recovering the Siren

by Erin R Flynn

  “I know.” I winked at him, and Remus moved into position as we offered extra clips to the very confused Secret Service guys.

  Until Remus came out unscathed.

  I walked over to the range as Carter did, taking the spot of one of the Secret Service agents. “The shooter yesterday used a rifle, and then it was the right move, but I’ve seen untrained ancients in close range and they rely solely on speed and being able to take the bullet. Head shots are still head shots, and even if you can heal from them, you go down first.”

  Carter took over as he moved towards me. “Coming at the shooter while others protect your person and using that speed to disarm them means you take the shot to the gut, but only one shot is taken. From the distance I was at, I could have come in all the way and disarmed the whole group and maybe taken two hits at most, but they all lost their weapons.”

  “You are teaching us in case we are ever swarmed or walk into a trap,” Bijan guessed. “This is good, thank you.” I nodded, glancing at the president and getting a bit squirmy. Bijan laughed and came over to me, cupping my cheek. “You are so young and kindhearted. I cannot even be mean and bully you.” He gave me a gentle kiss. “I thought of what I wanted specifically.”

  “Because if I snitched, you didn’t have to ask anyone for anything,” I caught on, sighing. “So many games. People should just tell me stuff.”

  “Yes, but you would not ask for something in return. Others would and will.” He gave me another kiss, and it got heated. “I apologize, Mr. President, but I would delay all the meetings ever to have a private moment with such a treasure.”

  I flushed so hot I gave in and fanned my face. Oh wow, because who said stuff like that. It amused Eva and Laila, which was always nice as well.

  Except no one started and got the ball rolling. I swallowed a sigh. Politics. I couldn’t even blame it on being men as there were female leaders there too.

  “So do you want to talk to Noah’s company to get some training for your guys?” I asked Bijan. “He’s coven leader now and has trained tons of coven security and has a whole resume. I’m sure you know that as Vlad boasted it. And we have a contact that gets us our vests.”

  “We have vests,” he muttered, giving me a curious look.

  “We have vests that fit us, not the standard issue vests that are made for humans,” I explained.

  “What’s the difference?” someone asked.

  I nodded to Axel, and he slid on his vest and looked at Carter. The vampire moved away from the others, and Axel went full speed, and Carter launched him into the air at least thirty feet. The tiger landed easily and like a cat, not making much noise.

  I glanced at the humans. “Can you move like that? We need gear that moves the way we can.”

  “And what would you like for this?” one of Bijan’s advisors or aides asked me suspiciously.

  I met his accusing gaze. “Not a damn thing. You’ll pay Noah just like anyone else. You’ll buy the vests, and that shifter and his company will get some more income. Awesome. Other than that, I don’t want a damn thing. We like you guys in power, and you’re handling baddies against all of us. Awesome. We’ll hook you up if that will help.”

  “Iran won’t want the US military in country to help train, nor does the US want that level of friendly, as you’re friends with Russia,” Eva muttered, glancing around.

  Bijan snickered, glancing at the president. “Is that what your people believe?”

  “We have no reason to think otherwise,” the president replied. “We haven’t been privy to your dealings with other countries, and you’ve excluded Robinson from being involved in that aspect.”

  “All communication stopped with Russia the moment we took over,” Bijan assured him. “And very drastically while also using back channels to make it clear they were not happy that monsters and animals like us took over and if we mess in their dealings, they will gladly exterminate us like the vermin we are. It has been especially interesting considering they back several crazy men in charge in the region.”

  And then we went back to no one talking. Seriously?

  “Okay, so you guys want a third prison,” I said to Haton and Martin. “And something is going on in Latin and South America that both councils sent people. The vampires also want a facility, and President Nuri wants it in Iran.” I smiled at Laila. “Anything the fae want? I figured you guys were good. I would think maybe some of your people could help with either council if they get refugees or the council can find their people there instead of adding to packs.”

  “Patience of a hummingbird,” Jason muttered, shaking his head.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I can’t be the only one with their phone ringing in their pocket. No, I don’t have patience because there’s too much else to do.”

  “I will speak with our president, but I believe there may be an option for a joint training something or another where it is done neither in Iran or the US but Greece, as I agree with my granddaughter and we want you in power and this is good progress for the region,” Eva told them. “But we also have a stellar military who can send trainers if you would like.”

  “We would, thank you, Madam Dorcus,” Bijan accepted. “We have had many paranormal refugees flooding in as you have, and most have immediately agreed to help us, as our ratio of paranormals to humans is not what you have in Greece or the US.”

  That was a bombshell I hadn’t known. Or maybe hadn’t thought about. Probably both.

  I glanced at Apollo and nodded towards Bijan as if to say get on with it.

  He sighed. “We are split on having a facility as the shifter council does. It would also possibly start trouble if we put ours in Iran while the shifters have theirs in the US. We also aren’t sure if this is part of the world stage we wish to take part in.”

  I looked at the president, with no clue how to answer that and very aware I shouldn’t and probably should have backed down, but I’d brought them all together. I wanted good to come from all the migraines and ulcers I would probably have.

  “I want to see both facilities with my own eyes before I push to approve a third one, as this was all put into place before I was elected,” the president said, glancing between Haton and Martin.

  They then shared a look, both nodding. Haton answered for them though. “You would have to agree to be in blacked out vehicles or planes. We’re not against you seeing it, but you would have to work with our security. People cannot know where we are, and I mean this with no disrespect, Mr. President, but you would not be a tough nut to crack on this.”

  “There is a reason the humans who are sentenced there have no memory of the facility. The magic there makes it so and it is needed,” Martin added.

  The president held up his hand to hold off objections. “Fine, but I want Thomas and a detail she clears, and we can figure out the logistics of sneaking me in from this way or another.”

  “Yes, sir,” I agreed as my heart started beating in my ears.

  “No,” Dain argued, moving in front of me. “No, you are about to have a panic attack at the idea of getting on a plane. No, Sera.”

  I shook my head, which was stupid. “It’s fine. Nina can knock me out and toss me on the plane. I sleep during the flights anyways.” I held up my hand to stop him. “Dain, enough. It’s fine. This is more important than my own shit, and my president just asked me of it. I’ll handle it.”

  “Fine as long as Axel and Eugene go with, as I don’t trust the council with you,” he argued.

  I nodded. That was fair, and I even agreed with him. It was sort of like going into the belly of the beast.

  “I would like to join this tour,” Apollo, Bijan, and Laila said at the same time, which immediately eased the tension as the more big players the less likely someone would misbehave.

  They started talking options and plans, and I moved out of the mix and reached for my phone, worried why it had been blowing up so much. It turned out to be Shaw and there was a new murder she was keeping me u
pdated on. I frowned when I saw the picture she’d sent of the newest victim. That wasn’t standard, and she added a note that the vampire looked familiar but she couldn’t place her.

  I couldn’t either.

  I made my way over to Noah who was taking note of the conversation around us. I held my phone out to him. “New vampire murder. Why does she look familiar to me?”

  He swore under his breath after he looked, handing my phone back. “She was Vlad’s date to his big New Year’s party. It was all over the everywhere. I was going to tell you that I realized when I was diving into the coven’s stuff that the business accountant is dead. Your first victim I believe.” He shot me a worried look. “That Vlad use to also entertain and feed from.”

  I wanted to groan. The general public still didn’t know Vlad was dead. “Please tell me this isn’t some revenge killing against Vlad and he’s still fucking up our lives from the grave.”

  “I don’t know who the second one was,” he told me. “I’ll get into it.”

  I nodded and thanked him as I went for another breakfast burrito or three. The meeting ended, and the president changed his schedule to attend the convention again, which let me know something was still in play.

  “Seraphine, would you join me?” Bijan asked as he fell into step with me.

  I bit back a groan, smiling politely and nodding when I felt the amusement around me. We got in the limo with the Iranian flags that was part of the caravan of importance. I waited until we pulled away before turning to him. I ducked his kiss. “Bijan, please don’t take offense with this, but it kinda seems like you had the talks and I’m the prize you got for playing with the US. Please, I can’t have sex in the caravan with my president.”

  “I would never treat you so cheaply,” he assured me, leaning in, and this time I let him kiss me. “That was all I wanted and the pleasure of your company. Yes, I would love any chance to have you, but it would also look bad on me and mine if I kept throwing myself at a woman of the American government. Everyone was looking ready to ask you to join them, so I went first as I could and you need a quiet moment.”

  “Thank you.”

  I should have known it wasn’t going to be that simple though. Fuck a duck.

  19

  “What does your government want from us besides where our nuclear weapons are?” he asked me as his fingers danced along my neck. “Is there something they want us to give?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, my heart racing as he teased his bite. “Be nice. I could wind you up too.”

  “Please do,” he chuckled. “Sorry, I could not help myself. I am very excited for our next stop though I will say I thought the humans would be gone by then.”

  I searched his eyes. “What are you up to?”

  “Lots. Always lots as I believe you say and are,” he teased me. He kissed me, and I leaned in and licked my bite, smirking when his fangs came out. “Tonight I will taste you and lick up your juices like the finest of wine. I will make all of your suitors jealous as they hear your screams of passion as I plunge deep inside your perfect body.”

  I licked his fangs, smiling when he moaned and the hormones coming off of him were smelling up the limo. “You did such a good job already I was thinking of letting you mount me and take me however you want.”

  “Please, please let me,” he begged, nuzzling his face against my neck. “I thought only to talk business and ask why you were upset earlier, but now all I can think of is you and having more of you. We have time for this drive even with the police escorts, and I want you desperately.”

  It was hard not to cave. Shit, it was that danger and excitement my wolf and siren both liked, and I so wanted to cave. Instead, I fed from him to take the edge off and give him a dry orgasm.

  “I mentioned getting an FBI office in Iran, but I really don’t have a clue what we would want. I’m not up on global politics and more so than normal. What does Jason say?”

  He didn’t answer for a moment. “I find myself surprised that you loved such a manipulative man.”

  “I was sixteen when we met, and he was one of the cool guys on campus, and we were in NROTC together. It’s complicated.” I let out a slow breath. “Jas has a lot of darkness in him, but at his core he wants to do good. It’s the limits he’ll go to for his mission that is where he goes so wrong. The rest is too personal to get into, but we both had horrible families that did a lot of damage to us. There’s a bond there.”

  He nodded. “I understand. My wife and children were taken from me when I was still human, and that is something only another person who has been through it can understand.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, not having known that.

  He smiled. “It has been so many, many centuries since, but I can think of them fondly now without the overwhelming pain. My point is that I understand what you say.” He moved in closer. “Feed again. Make me want you even more, Seraphine.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t a hard one to give in to. My siren wanted his energy, and I was going to give her what she wanted, my wolf too, so we got better. I fed as we made out and his hands ran over my body and drove me crazy.

  They gave us the warning when we got close, and I pulled away but not before I licked his fangs again, knowing there was the promise in my gaze of doing much more later. “I do have a rooftop pool if you want to go for a naked swim later.”

  He closed his eyes and took in a slow breath for control as his fangs retracted. “You are as addictive as any drug available to humans, and I now understand how they can become addicts.”

  I bit back a smile. “So that was a yes, right? You want to swim naked and fuck me up there?”

  “Yes,” he hissed, the fangs coming back out.

  Okay, my bad, but it was… He was the president of another country, and he was desperate for me. Come on, who wouldn’t enjoy that at least a bit?

  We arrived, and Bijan’s people got out first, making a few slight mistakes. They had spent too much time blending, not wanting to make a scene or start trouble. That couldn’t be how they acted now, as they should move people out of the way or demand to clear an area that the president would walk through.

  “Tell me later,” Bijan said, noting what I was watching. I nodded, and he led us to the main entrance, and luckily there wasn’t a repeat of the day before.

  I rolled my eyes when I got several looks. “I didn’t have sex with the president of Iran in his limo. Seriously, I have some lines I’ve not crossed. He didn’t want me to have an awkward ride with any other party, so he invited me to chill for a bit.”

  I smiled the moment I saw the boys who were standing with several members of the pack and coven. They were all holding boxes though, and Jacqueline was also there, so I was confused.

  “Mistress, President Nuri wished to thank you for your kindness during his visit and hired your talented wolf to make an array of treats for you today and in the weeks to come so you always have something enjoyable from him,” one of Bijan’s aides told me.

  “Wow, that’s, thank you,” I whispered, going over to Jacqueline and seeing in her eyes it was a big deal and big job for her. Not that she was hurting for them, but yeah, she was happy and hired helpers from the pack when she needed to, and Jared a lot as well. The boxes they had were like a buffet of cookies, all sorts and flavors, and a ton of meringues.

  Yummy.

  I dipped my head to Bijan in thanks, making sure my back was to the humans as I let him see that I would really, really thank him later because that was awesome of him. I also thanked Jacqueline and the boys, at a bit of a loss on how to go about making introductions. I went with my gut and my pecking order since the humans were around.

  “Mr. President, I’d like you to meet the rabbit shifters I adopted and are now my younger brothers,” I said, bringing them over to him and his detail.

  “Because she’s too young to have kids our age,” Tommy clarified as if no one would understand that. He looked nervous with all the big hitters, so
I understood.

  The president was great, but one of the shifter council guards had a reaction to them. He spun around, apologizing much to the confusion of the humans.

  “I’ve never been around rabbit shifters before,” he explained, but that still wasn’t enough.

  “They’re prey to us,” I clarified. “We’re not rabid animals, but our other sides are animal. It’s a weird mix of smells and they’re afraid right now, so that brings out the predator in someone not used to it.” I glanced at Alvin and Leo. “Any problems?”

  Leo shrugged. “A few, but everyone’s reacted like him and apologized. No one’s been remotely aggressive.” He cleared his throat nervously. “A few asked if we were free later to drink from the tap.”

  “Who?” I asked, seething mad.

  “Her for one,” Alvin answered, nodding to a vampire who had come with one of the coven masters.

  I moved without even realizing it, grabbing her around the throat and slamming her into the wall. “Did you know they were children of the Alpha?” She didn’t answer, and I did it again. “Did you know?”

  “No, not your children, just in your pack, and I didn’t wish to harm them,” she answered, gasping for air. “They are of age. There is nothing wrong with asking to have sex and a drink.”

  “Find a better way to ask,” I snarled. “And maybe learn who people are when visiting at an important event instead of being so flippant.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” She thanked me when I dropped her.

  I sent a pulse of power out, glad when it was a real one again. “Anyone else think that anyone of my pack is here for food? We warned the contacts that the rabbits were children of the Alpha. You should have warned your parties. Do it now, and someone ask for my forgiveness before I find you or you might not ever leave Chicago alive again.”

  I chilled a bit when everyone seemed to get it. Even more when the vampire went to Leo and Alvin and apologized, saying bluntly that she liked cute, kind, younger men to bed. Alvin looked used to it, but Leo turned several shades of red.