Recovering the Siren

by Erin R Flynn

  “You okay?” Dain asked me as I rejoined the group.

  I realized the humans were worried, as I was the one person who was supposed to absolutely not be a danger to the president. I sighed. “Sorry, it wasn’t just that but realizing I was gone for so long that I wasn’t here to stop stuff like that. I left them vulnerable and alone.”

  “Sera, you have to stop acting like you took a vacation,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “You were abducted. None of this is on you. We took care of everything as you would have wanted. No ball was dropped, I promise.”

  I blew out a harsh breath and nodded. I knew it wasn’t a vacation, but I’d messed everyone up, and they were in such pain from what had happened. It was hard not to take that on my shoulders. I gave him a quick hug, and then we got back on track… Except I didn’t know where the end destination was since the president had extended his stay. After a bit of debate, I decided to not make it a thing and he would tell me when he was ready.

  Right?

  “Alpha, I spoke with the accountants and it is in fact a tax write off,” Joan told me as she joined the group with a notepad to handle the role Ashley had before.

  “Congratulations,” Haton greeted her along with several others.

  “She’s pregnant, and we can hear the extra heartbeat on her,” I explained for the humans. “I let the cat out of the bag on accident last week.” I waited until others were done congratulating her before looking to Laila. “We want to expand the greenhouses to my other packs and allow more refugees if you can screen them. New York has most of the construction all done, and we can shift focus.”

  She nodded, her eyes sparkling with joy to hear more could be saved. “What is the tax write off?”

  “When I was in school there was a thing Pizza Hut did with giving the teachers awards they could give to the kids if they scored well on a test. It was a free personal pan pizza. I remember going with a foster family I was with for a bit. It was really cool. If they weren’t busy, they’d let us put our own toppings on and the servers would make it a big deal and it was sweet.”

  She smiled. “You want to do it with all the flowers we grow as fall will mean less weddings, but there is no reason to stop growing so many when they help clean the air and help the environment as long as we’re careful of the water usage.” She waited until I nodded. “You are such a softie. Yes, we can give children flowers for good grades and not any with thorns so no one complains.”

  “That’s smart. I didn’t think of that,” I admitted. “I just thought of it because someone kept making flowers appear for kids at the picnic and he’s a scholar and I thought he would like it.”

  She glanced at Dain and shook her head. “He is so different now than he was at court. Thank you for making one of mine so ridiculously happy, my friend.”

  I nodded and turned to the next booth, my hand brushing against Dain’s so we didn’t get all mushy but I could feel how happy and touched he was.

  We stopped at an organic fruit powder booth, and I saw Brian was already talking to Joan. There were a few looks from the people there, and I swallowed down my annoyance. “Don’t be dismissive of him. He’s my mating candidate and part of my pack.” I glanced over to Freddie. “Make sure the word gets spread. He’s to be treated with the same respect as if a Beta speaks to them.”

  “Do I get that?” Jason teased, smirking when I gave him a look that clearly said no way in hell.

  “No,” Eva answered for me, ignoring him otherwise and looking at the shifters at the booth. “The human may become a Dorcus. He is not even one of us, and we as her family would allow that.” She moved on, saying the conversation was over. “Cory, come try these. Did you not say you wanted better snacks for your computer work?”

  “Yes, Great-Grandma,” he said and joined her, tasting some broccoli chips that sounded gross, but I wasn’t a broccoli fan. He was from the way he nodded they were good.

  “I feel like she just announced to everyone I could be a prince one day,” Brian muttered as we moved along.

  I chuckled. “Yeah, basically. I’m Princess to the fae. You saw how people treated Bemus as Melicent’s first consort or whatever.” I smiled when he muttered something about refusing to wear a crown if the gig came with it.

  Yeah, I felt the same. There was only so much us normal people could handle.

  We arrived at Virgil’s booth, and I was going to seriously kiss him later when I saw how they’d gone all out. They were giving away sample bags along with lots else. It was clear they did it big to show they were worth being our allies and being the main provider for Vegas.

  He’d also thrown gifts together for our big guests, the Secret Service accepting the one for the First Lady.

  “Is there any way we could see any quarter earnings and growth of your pack since Chief Thomas was there?” an aide to the president asked, and I got caught up to what was going on.

  Smart. They were trying to show that it was worth it to the community to let us help. Virgil gave me a look, and I nodded. It would help us for sure. I also shared a look with Haton to check she caught it too, glad when she did.

  “This is an amazing event, Granddaughter,” Eva praised as we moved to another aisle before lunch. “Truly, this is astounding. We couldn’t be prouder.”

  “Thanks, but a lot of work went into it that wasn’t me,” I told her. “Everyone’s been working like crazy to pull this together.”

  “I would like to speak to these coordinators. This is something we would have but on a larger level with other large area leaders and at one of our resorts.”

  “I’ll make sure they speak with you, Matriarch Dorcus,” Joan told her. “I have their names and numbers.”

  Noah found me a bit later and confirmed our second victim was tied to Vlad as well. We both sighed. Great, he was dead and still there was shit with him.

  “Except they don’t know he’s dead,” I muttered, glancing around. “Everyone here now knows, but the latest body was found this morning. So not local vamps for sure either. But they will find out soon.”

  “You got a plan?” he asked when I was quiet a few minutes.

  “Yeah, we announce a funeral is being thrown by Vlad’s fiancée,” I answered after a bit more thought. We shared a look, and after a moment Noah caught on and kept it to himself since we had so many around us.

  Alok moved up next to me and gave me a smile. “Alvin has been working on something and is at the point of your approval but doesn’t want to mention it because of who is around and you keep being surrounded by big wigs.”

  I turned and found Alvin, noting he had a worried look. I went right to him and kissed his hair. “As long as I’m not on the phone, in a closed door meeting, or at a crime scene, don’t wait for the crazy to clear because there’s always crazy, kid.”

  He cleared his throat, nodding as he pulled out a folder from the messenger bag on him. “Um, it’s a rough idea Cory and Corbin helped me with.” He waited until I nodded and took the folder. “I think Siren’s Kiss should offer a ‘Date Crate.’ There’s a herd that makes awesome crates from recycled wood instead of a picnic basket. A coven has a glass blowing studio and does wine glasses.

  “It could have two and a bottle of fairy nectar or blood maybe. But I found fancy crackers and cheeses. I was thinking of maybe salami but also a fairy material blanket but optional, as that might not be needed or wanted but maybe cloth napkins? Cory helped with the mock up and checked the companies. Corbin checked the owners don’t have criminal records and—”

  “That might be a bit much,” I muttered as I looked over the mock ups. “This is fantastic. I love it.” I reviewed it a bit more. “Would you want options? Like some come with chocolate truffles or fruit from the greenhouses? The orchards they’re adding or whatever?”

  He swallowed loudly at all the attention, nodding. “Yes, because I think they should be for housewarming and bonus gifts too since you feel guilty everyone’s always working so much. The crates are
nice and can be used for storage unlike baskets not everyone likes.”

  “Good. So what’s next?”

  “I have no idea,” he admitted, giving me an embarrassed look. “I didn’t know what to do next. Talk to Alpha Simone?”

  “Yes, as we both own the club. Then talk to the twins so they can speak with the booths and see if our pack wants to form an alliance.” I smiled when worry came off of him. “The idea is great. Even if we don’t like those groups, we can find others. I love the fairy material blanket option. It’s a great idea.”

  “It is,” Brian agreed, rubbing his hand over Alvin’s head. “I won’t even yell at Corbin for pulling names like that.”

  “Too far?” Alvin asked, wincing when we nodded. “Sorry. Okay, so how do I handle that then?”

  “You don’t,” I answered gently. “We do. I like the initiative, but you shouldn’t know those answers. If one had come back with a criminal history, you can’t know those things or be involved. Having Cory do a search on the company backgrounds that you can find on Google or Better Business Bureau is enough.”

  “Got it, okay, good, thanks. I’ll go find Alpha Simone,” he muttered, taking the folder back.

  “She’s coordinating lunch,” I told him, giving him a wink. I waited until he was well out of earshot to let out a chuckle and lean into Brian. “He’s hanging around us too much. Really? He had Corbin pull their jackets?”

  Brain moved his arm around me and kissed my hair. “Everyone likes how seriously you take only getting involved with good people. It’s a good learning experience for him and the others to see where the lines are. We’re FBI and he’s not. You have your Betas cleared with the FBI and yours who are trainers. It’s a bit confusing at times, but now he’ll know. I’m more worried about Cory. That kid is going to get into hacking soon with how he was getting into security stuff when you were gone.”

  “He is that smart,” I agreed. “I think I’m going to talk to Curtis about options.” I shrugged when he gave me a look. “There’s no reason he can’t work as a techie for us. Techies stay inside, and given he hadn’t really touched a computer just over a year ago and is now to the level we’re worried about him hacking something, I think he’ll be an asset and more importantly like it.”

  “Your kid was using FBI resources to check out people for your business, Thomas?” Galvin asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

  I gave him the look right back. “Yes, well, I also use my business for the FBI all the time, and he’s never had a non-FBI Alpha or a real family, so most kids get to catch on earlier than being able to set up a proposal like this. He wasn’t afforded that luxury because the system failed him, sir.”

  His lips twitched. “Is that why you’re not apologizing like most do?”

  “Yes, because it wasn’t my miseducating him as his sister but his watching my life be work always. It’s been corrected and he apologized, as he’s an adult.” He opened his mouth, but I had more. “I’m very sure I’ve seen people pull information on teachers or coaches that are around their kids, and this is no different. He was protecting our family but now knows that’s not his place.”

  He didn’t reply at first, and Laila cleared her throat, all of us looking at her. “The rage coming off of you is a lot, my friend.”

  “It always is when I think of or the topic is DCFS or foster care,” I admitted, adjusting my neck. “It’s also that Alvin went through more than the others. I’m proud he’s come so far to stick his neck out like this.”

  “Plus, you are quite the mama wolf when it comes to your cubs,” Eva praised. “And you’re worried you just got Brian and Corbin in trouble, so you’re standing your ground instead of apologizing like you might normally.”

  “If you get that much out of my emotions, you should be the official Sera interpreter because I have no idea what I’m feeling right now,” I admitted. “I think it’s more that his family stepped over the line into my career and now it might be a thing when it was my family into FBI territory.”

  Understanding filled Galvin’s eyes as he nodded. “I was teasing you, Thomas. You’re like the last person to abuse your power, and I’m trying to imagine my teenage son calling the office and having someone check out a name like that. It’s a bit unorthodox and amusing.”

  “I can live with amusing, and we are an unorthodox sort of group, sir.” I eased down but felt the tension still. “I’m hungry. It’s ribs for lunch, right?” I did make sure Galvin was near me when I said what else I needed to for Alok. “Make sure it gets back to Alvin that there were no problems and he didn’t get anyone in trouble.”

  “Of course,” Alok agreed, knowing what I was up to.

  Galvin waited until we were in the elevators heading to the rooftop garden again. “I didn’t think of that. I just wanted to tease you a bit.”

  “I know, and normally I would have just apologized, but you did it in front of too many groups who worry that the government holds my leash and I would never push back. There are a lot of levels to it, and paranormals like to talk just as FBI does. The difference is we don’t talk to humans. Plus, your son is your son, Alvin isn’t my kid. It’s unheard of to just allow rabbits in a wolf pack, and I don’t want it getting around they’re a hindrance.”

  “You really do understand politics more than you think,” he praised.

  “I understand people from reading signals and being undercover as much as I’m able to sometimes. People like to talk. A lot were sent to get info and didn’t trust sending the bosses if this was a trap. So yeah, I know the game now. You change it on me or throw in more, and I’m just at a loss. I might get things, but I have a lower tolerance to some of it than most.”

  “No, you really don’t,” Brian argued. “You just glaze over the more superficial stuff and focus on the core or root of things. You immediately went to the perception of the rabbits or Alvin taking the risk and wanting to make sure he’d do it again instead of most who would think of the misstep of what he did.”

  I nodded, getting what he was saying. “Because the boys are good at their cores. I know that Alvin thought to take something off my plate, not use my badge in a way he shouldn’t. If I thought that was even a chance of being a possibility, I would have addressed that.”

  “See, and that’s what most parents would do,” Galvin explained. “They’d remind them that your badge isn’t his badge.”

  “Why would I tear him down like that as if he wasn’t good enough to have a badge or be part of the group?” I muttered, getting into the part where my head started to hurt. “The lines are blurry, and that’s hard on the boys. Three are adults and yet, they’re not. They’re my kids and yet, they’re not. They’re pack, but they aren’t wolves.”

  I think that left us all in a bit of circular logic, and I was once again glaringly aware of how much I should never be a parent. I just wouldn’t be good at raising a child. I swallowed loudly as I wanted to thank fate for making me infertile so that warlock couldn’t have gotten me pregnant, but that seemed horrible. Then again, I wasn’t normal. I refused to even learn his name.

  I didn’t want to put a name to the monster and just move past it all. Maybe that was bad, but it was what I needed.

  Lunch was awesome, the spread waiting for us just fantastic, and everyone kept the relaxed attitude while we chowed down on ribs. The best was when Jared asked everyone to save their ribs so he could make broth with them. It was the most endearing thing that he just said that with the president and another world leader like we were eating at home.

  “Do I get to try this soup you’ll make?” the president teased him.

  He nodded. “Yes, Mr. President. If you ever get sick, let me know. I’ll make lots.”

  Brian explained. “He makes a great chicken tortilla soup that he made for my mom when she got sick, and she said it was the best cure for a cold.”

  “It’s really good,” I added. “Like ridiculously good. He made a bunch and froze it so we just took out the bag and defro
sted it anytime we wanted some. I ate gallons of it. He kept making more and more for the pack.”

  Jared shrugged as his cheeks heated. “It’s easy to make, and it was a rough winter.”

  “Well, maybe this winter break you won’t head to Greece but the desert. I think it would be a great learning experience for you guys.” I met Bijan’s shocked gaze. “You would keep my brothers safe, right? I believe you know what I would do if someone hurt them.”

  He gave a slow nod. “Yes, you’d burn everything and everyone involved to the ground.”

  “Damn right I would.” I felt steam about coming out of my ears even thinking about Germany and what else might have happened there. Apparently I hadn’t been scary enough to worry people about the retaliation if they fucked with me or mine.

  That would need to change and fast.

  20

  “I have to get ready, and so do you,” I told Brian hours later after we finished having sex in my bathroom and he looked ready to go again. He nodded but didn’t move away, and I hugged him. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard when there’s paranormal only stuff, but please, please, I need you not around this stuff when I feel so weak. Do this for me.”

  “Of course,” he murmured, hugging me back. “I just feel all over the place. I want this progress as much as you do, but why does it have to be you at the center? Why is everyone asking more of you? Haven’t you done enough?”

  I heard the anger and annoyance in his voice I felt as well. We were the youngest of the big names that came together, and they kept glancing at me or us to bridge whatever. It was sort of annoying that the “adults” couldn’t handle more on their own.

  “I started this,” I reminded him gently. “And look how it went off the rails when someone else took over? I mean, Vlad was a dick, but we know others are as well.”

  “I know. I’m glad you have such a loud voice in this instead of people talking over you. I just don’t like you being at the center of it and more risks. Sera, you slept with the president of Iran. That’s another reason for someone to come after you.”