"As long as they don't open fire."
"And what about you? I see you still have your magick." The president glanced at Paige's neck.
Paige wasn't about to tell the woman that those collars didn't affect her magick. “I've released it.”
"I guess I will have to take your word for it."
"I suppose so. I won’t waste your time. I am just here to deliver our terms."
"Your terms?" The president stood, her tone laced with condescending scorn.
Paige didn’t know why the president was acting dumb. "Please don't. You put us in this situation. We are officially declaring our independence from the United States of America. We are seceding from the Union."
The president ran her tongue along her top teeth and snarled slightly before glancing at the cameras and straightening her face again. "You have to know that won't work."
"You have an opportunity here. You said you wanted peace. This gives you that. Instead of reservations, we’re taking a few states. States with resources. This way, we’re not draining the nation in order to ‘support our people.’" Contempt she couldn’t hide laced her words.
The president assessed Paige. "Do you have any idea how you would function? How vulnerable you will be without my protection? If you succeed in this—which you won't—other nations will attack.”
“You.” Paige wanted her to understand their full weight. “They’ll be attacking you.”
“I have armies.”
“I have magick.”
The president narrowed an eye.
"But it’s not just that, is it? Each state has resources you need in order to make trades and buy your peace. So, I also understand how far you'll be willing to go to keep us. How many hundreds of thousands of us you will be willing to kill in order to keep our resources and your power. How many millions? When will enough be enough?"
Understanding dawned in the president's eyes. “You’re quite serious.”
“We are.”
The president turned her gaze to the grass for a moment before raising it again. "What are your terms of peace?"
Paige outlined them as briefly as she could. "We remain free. We will not be treated as prisoners. We will not be incarcerated for being who we are. We will have our own legal systems. And we will protect everyone. Human and paranormal alike."
"But as your own nation."
Paige took a step toward her. "You're the one who took this too far. We could have had all of that. We still could. You could pull back. You could save face. You could tell the nation that you had no idea what we are, that you reacted poorly to bad information and that you now understand that we’re just people like everybody else. You could do that."
"That is not likely to happen."
Paige figured as much. "You are taking this to war. You think you have all the power. Maybe you do. You think you will smite us easily. You won’t. I faced off with demons. You’re only human.”
The president said nothing, her expression merely stating she was listening.
"But understand this. The world is watching, waiting. We want peace. But we will not be treated like trash. As soon as you threaten our rights, we will stand up and fight, and we will not be easily suppressed."
The president took the list of terms and glanced at them. "I will consider these."
"That's all I can ask." Paige motioned to Bonnie to open the door. "But ask yourself how much innocent blood is too much? What price are you willing to pay? You swore an oath to protect us, the people of the United States of America. All of us. Not just the ones you wanted to protect. Remember that."
Paige didn't wait for a response. She stepped through the door and listened to it zip closed behind her. She hoped she hadn't just made the situation worse.
31
As far as big battles went, this one sucked the most. Everyone waited on pins and needles while the government officials discussed things beyond their control that would affect almost all of them.
Hours turned into days. Days felt like weeks or months.
The president called for stiff action to be taken against secessionist states. She called her militaries back.
Not all of them answered.
More than a few ships refused to leave their western harbors, something Paige knew wasn’t supposed to be legal. She knew the men and women onboard might be court martialed and sent to the federal prison indefinitely. The federal government owned their souls until their contracts were up, and that meant answering the president’s call.
Paige wanted to dive into her work and just disappear. She wanted the “politics” conversations to stop. She wanted the hate to stop.
But the idea that “politics” didn’t affect her was over. She couldn’t even pretend anymore. The politics of life was too heavy for her to ignore, too big for her to hide from. She couldn’t simply ask people to stop talking about it so she could have a peaceful afternoon. She couldn’t simply “unfollow” people and make their opinions go away when they caused her stress.
Which they were. They were all causing her a great deal of stress.
But this stress was brought on by her.
She’d been unwilling to stand down.
She’d been the one to invade a prison and free the inmates.
She’d been the one who had instigated this.
That wasn’t to say that people were all sitting around and waiting. No. They prepared.
It gave her a little time to see how her twins were doing, though, and that was good.
The two raced through the castle halls, now rampaging around as the size of six-year-olds. One was a bear and the other was an elephant.
Cawli walked beside Paige in his small cat form, his large-for-his-frame paws silent. They are doing well.
“But are they slowing down?”
No. If anything, they are speeding up their growth cycle.
“But why?”
Cawli pounced to the side and caught something small and rodent-like.
Paige kept her attention focused on her kids. She didn’t need to watch her spirit animal eat a mouse.
When he was done, he continued to walk. I believe their bodies are growing in order to physically house the energy of their spirit animals.
“But eventually, they will stop. Both of these spirits have been in the real world before.”
Yes.
That brought up a question she’d meant to ask for a while. “Which one is the angel killer?”
Cawli pounced ahead and ignored her.
She waited.
Finally, he came back and gave her a very huffy cat face. Ember.
Really. That was interesting and maybe that was the reason there was so little writing about the rajasi. But at least she was starting to feel a little better. Hiding from stress did that. It gave the brain the ability to reset a little.
She was reading a lot of nonfiction in order to help her get smarter. There was a lot she needed to learn: government, psychology, management, and finances. She had to learn how to create a country, and the more she learned, the more she realized this could be possible. It’d be hard, but it was possible.
Aunt Paige, Kammy’s voice called telepathically.
What was he doing there? Paige assumed that someone had brought him to Cyn’s house to get her. Not everyone liked coming to the library because, apparently, it didn’t like everyone, including Leslie. She’d come once.
Once.
That’d been enough.
Yeah, Kam.
Mom says, “Get her ass up here. But not like that, Kammy. You—”
Kammy was developing as a person and he’d taken to mimicking exactly what the other person said. It was uncanny, yet hilarious. Tell her I’m on my way up.
When am I going to be able to play again?
She heard his unspoken meaning. He wanted to play with the twins. Soon.
He sighed petulantly in her mind but left.
You’re being called away, Cawli said as he padded beside her.
Yes. She didn’t want to go. She enjoyed walking beside her spirit animal and being with her twins. However, it was time to reshape the world so her kids had a better place to live.
She went to the twins and forced them back into human form.
Rai’s long, dark-blonde hair trailed down her back in waves as she studied her mom through eyes so like Dexx’s, except hers coursed with sparking electricity.
“Be good.”
She shrugged and gave Paige a hug.
It wasn’t the hug of a kid who loved her mom, though. It was the hug of a kid hugging a stranger.
Okay. Well, after she fixed the world, she’d find a way to fix this.
Ember bounced up to her, tall and gangly and wearing a dress and a floppy hat. He grinned up at her with his dark chocolate eyes. “Be good.” He threw himself at her.
She chuckled and wrapped him in her arms. He didn’t need much to build a deeper emotional connection, unlike his sister, which was a surprise because when they’d been babies—just a day or two ago—it’d seemed to be a much different case.
Paige remained kneeling and stared at both her kids. “Things will be safe again, and we’ll bring you back up again, I swear.”
“And if you don’t?” Rai asked, her five-year-old tone on point for her tiny body.
Paige didn’t want to think about it because that would mean she’d failed. “We’ll move down here. Me, Leah, and Bobby.” Paige paused, wondering where in the hell Dexx was. “Dad.”
Rai blinked, her lips flat, as she nodded once.
Such a solemn kid.
“Don’t blow up,” Paige said as she stood.
She didn't wait any longer. She wasn't the type of person to stand around and say goodbye eighteen times before leaving. When she was done, she was done. Too many other things needed to be accomplished that day. She just didn't know exactly what those were.
Leslie waited for her in Cyn’s bedroom. "We have a growing situation."
Paige had been waiting for this. She wasn't sure what the battle would look like. Would it be the full force of the United States military up against the citizens of Troutdale? Would it be a bunch of prison guards making Troutdale into a reservation of sorts?
Leslie gave her as much information as she could on the way, but it seemed as though most people had no idea, including Leslie.
DoDO had absolutely no qualms about keeping everyone in the dark. The only person they seem to want to speak with was Paige.
So, they drove to the entrance ramp and met Mario.
The National Guard had been stationed at the highway. Several Humvees and a few other troop transport vehicles blocked the highway. Obvious soldiers in camouflage moved with purpose, but none of them carried their rifles.
Mario twisted a little, with a crooked grin. "This is a pretty intimidating sight, I bet."
Yeah. It really was, but Paige wasn’t backing down. She was certain that if he was on this side, he wouldn't be nearly so flippant. "What are we doing here?"
He rubbed his chin for a moment and then looked around again. "I am here to formally invite you to the White House. You’re being awarded the leader of the paranormal peoples."
The president was giving her a voice in the government. That was a move Merry and Yad had mentioned could happen, but Paige hadn’t believed it.
Mario crossed his arms. "The leaders of your nation would like to discuss options."
"We already have the mandates and terms the president has provided." Paige narrowed her eyes a smidge. What was Mario getting at? “And she has our terms.”
"And they need to be discussed. We cannot allow this to continue." He sounded like he’d memorized lines.
"We’re fine."
"There are parties who aren’t, people who are concerned your decision will not go our way." His lips twisted as he said that. "There are government officials who want to speak with you directly. This is not an invitation by the president."
Now, that was certainly a new development. "Give me their information and I'll make an appearance."
"We've already made the arrangements for your transportation."
She smiled at him. She wasn't about to allow him to take charge. "I'll make my own."
"I don't think you fully understand the situation."
Oh, but she really did. "I don't think you fully understand just how much I fully understand. Give me the names and I will make my own arrangements."
The smug look fell off Mario's face.
Five minutes later, she had the names and an address. It was time to see if they could bring some maturity to the situation. Paige really didn't want to be the person who broke the United States.
But if the president continued to threaten her family, that was exactly what Paige was going to do.
32
Paige and Leslie drove onto Main Street, and people were already there to meet with them, with Willow in the lead.
Within moments, Paige had a Blackman witch, a reporter, and a dryad.
Leslie held her go bag. “Don’t worry about Bobby. I’ll take care of him and Leah. Just be amazing. You got this.”
“Willow, Leslie is my second-in-command. Help her the way you’ve been saving me.”
Willow gave Paige a half-smile and snorted. “Sure.”
Leslie and Willow turned to walk away. “How do I get a you?” Leslie asked as they headed toward her shop.
Leah bounded up on Paige, her backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going.”
A week ago, Paige would have said yes in a heartbeat, her failed-mother mentality pushing her to keep her kids—especially the one she’d lost—close to her at all times, no matter the danger. But with all the battles she’d been in lately—D.C., the elven city, Kansas, here—she’d learned that being a mom meant sometimes leaving them in safety.
If only she’d listened to Dexx, he might be there with her where she needed him. “No, you’re not. This could be a trap.”
“Then, you shouldn’t go.”
The girl wasn’t wrong. “I have to, but you’re staying.”
Leah glared, dropping her gaze to the ground.
“I need someone to protect Bobby.”
“You need a babysitter,” Leah grumbled.
“Sure. If you prefer to look at it that way, go ahead.”
Leah released a petulant sigh and glared up at her mother.
“I love you.” Paige cupped the back of Leah’s head and kissed her forehead. “Don’t break my town.”
Leah gave her a mocking expression and walked away.
Oof. Daggers.
When Paige stepped through the Blackman door, she was met with three surprised faces and about a dozen others who were so engrossed in their discussion, they didn't even react. It was a large room with an ornate table in the middle, surrounded by green, boxy office chairs. The men and women in the room wore nice business suits, with their hair done well and their makeup perfect.
She’d stepped into a room of politicians. "Congresswoman Jacobs?” Paige hoped she hadn’t gone to the wrong place.
Cameraman Mark stepped through and coughed.
Harrison followed and offered his hand for Bonnie, who closed the door behind her.
A few more of the people in the room turned to them.
But the heated argument dominating the space didn’t even pause.
One woman came up to her with a smile and offered her hand.
Paige took it. “I was told we needed to talk. Paige Whiskey.”
“Rachel,” the woman said. “I’m Congresswoman Jacob’s assistant. Please, come in. Do you need water? You can set your bags in the corner.” She stabbed Cameraman Mark with a steely gaze. “No reporters. No cameras. You don’t film in here.”
Mark raised his hands in surrender.
Paige wasn’t going to tell her that the reporter was Harrison, and he was already transmitting information. Or at least she assumed that was the reason he had a root connecting his hip to the potted pla
nt beside him.
One of the people who hadn't been surprised by her sudden appearance stood. She flicked a look to Paige but continued speaking to her group. “—doesn’t like it, then tell her she can piss up a tree. Got it?”
Paige might actually like this woman.
The four others didn’t look happy at all, but one by one, they nodded. Once she made sure each had acknowledged her, she gave Paige her full attention. "Congresswoman Jacobs. Nice to meet you finally. Thank you for coming. And in such a timely fashion." She walked to the end of the long conference table and offered her hand. “Didn’t like our escort?”
Paige stretched her witch senses to see if the congresswoman was any kind of paranormal. “Not really.” This woman appeared to be one hundred percent human.
Congresswoman Jacobs winced. “Hadn’t thought of that.” The slight tick in her right eye said she had.
Interesting. Could this woman be trusted or not? Paige took the other woman's hand and gave it a good shake. "I have no idea what to expect."
"Good, then." Congresswoman Jacobs didn't appear to want to mince words. "Neither do we, and we would love to get to the heart of this as quickly as possible." She led the way to her small group. "We find ourselves in a dire situation."
Paige had to agree with that. "The president is over-stepping her bounds."
"In short, yes. However, your actions are only helping her."
That wasn't exactly what Paige wanted to hear. "Tell me what the real situation is in as broad strokes as you can. And know this. I was a beat cop, a detective, and everything I know about how the government works came from an online class I took two days ago."
Congresswoman Jacobs outlined a few of the basics for her.
Number one, the president did have the authority to apprehend known terrorist cells. However, the proof she kept promising never appeared.
Number two, the president did not have the power to raise the U.S. Armed Forces against the paranormal citizens of the United States.
Number three, the president did not have the authority to blank out news sources or strip information access to any citizens of the United States. And according to the law, the paranormals were still citizens.
Whiskey Storm (Whiskey Witches Midnight Rising Book 1) Page 29