by Ibanez, Dawn
Brian frowned as he looked at the others in the group. “We could have put protocols in place. Normals have been exposed to our world, and that could have been prevented.”
A pair of dark eyes narrowed and another man moved to sit on the overstuffed sofa. “Like what?” he asked simply. When Brian tried to piece together an answer, Marcus shrugged. “Exactly.” He then looked at the couple hosting this meeting. “I think I know why everything was played so close to the vest. Do I like what happened? Of course not. But if it were my family, I don’t think I could bring myself to tell us either.”
The other woman in the group idly toyed with the fringe on her suede coat. “Despite what Brian is going on about. We have to figure out what we’re going to do in terms of damage control.” Rachel turned her attention to the people in the room. “Frankly, I was going to bring up the idea of coming out. In this day and age, it’s getting too risky for us.” She looked at Tina and gave her a small smile. “As far as I’m concerned, Pan was behind what happened. Ashton was a willing accomplice. Siobhan and Madison are in the clear.”
Tina nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Marcus leaned forward and rubbed his jaw. “I don’t find Madison guilty of anything either. Eric explained everything to me last night over the phone. Is it true that the Nephilim are returning?”
Tina hesitated. “Yes and no,” she said honestly. “I don’t know what they have planned. But they have left the girls in charge of things while they’re gone.” She paced across the room for a moment before stopping and turning to the group in front of her. “I’m not worried about that. As cold as it may seem, my girls can take care of themselves. I’m concerned with what we’re going to do now that the world knows that magic is more than just a card game.”
The silent man in the corner moved, drawing everyone’s attention. “Witch hunts will start. While you would all like to think that times have changed and the world can accept us, I need to point out that there are more people that will not.” He looked at Tina and James. “Most now are desensitized to violence and would think that simply burning someone alive wouldn’t be harsh enough. We are about to face a whole new breed of evil.”
“I know, Noah,” Tina said in a whisper. Her heart broke whenever she thought of the quiet mage. “But we have to try and do what’s best.”
“What do you suggest?” Mia asked.
James cleared his throat. “I’ve pulled some strings. Later today, Tina and I have another meeting with the heads of the CIA and FBI. We need to make this as peaceful as possible.” When Noah snorted, he frowned and looked at him. “You don’t think that will work?”
Noah gave him a sarcastic look. “In every piece of fiction, there’s a grain of truth,” he said as he straightened.
“Yes, and?” Brian prompted.
“I suggest you read X-Men comics. Mutants came out, were forced to register with the government. Some were even kidnapped to other countries and forced to wear collars. And that’s just what the government did.” Noah walked over to Tina and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I’ll stand by whatever you want,” he said honestly. “But just keep in mind; there are some things that would be better left hidden in shadow.”
“I know,” Tina said softly. She didn’t stop him when he shook James’s hand and left. She took a deep breath and looked at the remaining members of the Council. “Now we just have to figure out what to tell them, and what not to.”
Marcus leaned back. “Oracles and Sirens are off the table,” he said darkly. “I would also include Necromancers, but with Madison being at the center of all of this, I don’t see how that is a possibility.”
Tina crossed the room and paused when she spotted Dylan coming into the room. “Baby, you shouldn’t be here,” she said softly.
Dylan rolled her eyes as she hugged her mother. “Let’s not start, okay?” she said in the same tone. She then looked at the members of the Council. “Crispin’s been making calls almost all night. We agree; the best move we can make is to go to the government. Victor has also pulled some strings and I’m going to the meeting with you. As both Queen of the Vampires, and a representative of the Nephilim.”
“Are you sure that’s smart?” Brian asked. He ignored the way Dylan’s eyebrow arched and went on. “They could see you being there as a threat.”
“They could see any of you as a threat,” Dylan countered with a snort. “They could see my mother walking around with her wedding ring and see a threat. My dad could be holding a pen. You could have a key. What you have to realize is that while everyone on every side is scared, someone has to be the braver person and not use their gifts. That has to be us.” She then looked at Tina and smiled. “And since I’m Queen of the Vampires, I doubt they want creatures of the night knocking down their doors if something happens to me.”
James frowned at his daughter before touching her cheek. “Don’t get too cocky, Dylan,” he told her.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around one of his. “I’m not, Dad. I’m just stating facts.” When he shook his head at her, she kissed his cheek and moved away from him. “Now, back to what you were just talking about.” Her eyes were serious as she looked at the people in the room. “I agree with Marcus. Anything that has to do with influencing the human mind is out. I’ve already talked with Eric and he sent in his official letter of resignation to the DA’s office. Barry is going to call his captain and pull out as well. There are a number of safe houses around the city that various shifter clans will gladly open up to mages in danger. Both Dennis and Crispin are working to set up trust funds. If a family needs to escape the country, it can be done quickly and quietly.” Dylan looked at Brian and gave him her sweetest smile. “You may not have a plan in place, but we can throw things together really quick.”
Brian tried not to be bitter. He didn’t like being shown up, but in this case, Dylan did seem to have everything under control. “What are you going to do about your sister?” he asked curiously. When both Dylan and Tina frowned at him, he raised his hands in surrender. “We don’t know if the Normals will know who she is. What do you plan on doing if they order you to turn her over?”
There was something about his tone Dylan didn’t trust. When she tried to scan his mind, her frown deepened when she came back with nothing. “I have no intention on telling anyone about the ins and outs of what happened with the Gates.” She frowned when Brian folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “What?”
“You’re giving me nothing. And if your answers aren’t satisfying to me, how do you think the heads of the government are going to feel? You’re playing things too close to the chest and that could get us all ostracized and killed.”
Dylan mentally counted to ten. The past day was stressful enough. She wouldn’t let Brian get to her. Dylan opened her eyes and looked at him with a cold expression. “I have every right to,” she said darkly. “Pan was a trusted friend. He watched all of us grow up, and look at what he did. Ashton was his right hand, and yet they were both men that you wanted to join in on Council meetings.”
“So now you’re using your stature as the Vampire Queen to get involved in Council business,” Brian commented.
Dylan looked him with a bland expression. “Stop being an ignorant ass,” she snapped. “Right now there’s no such thing as Council business or Vampire business. The only thing anyone will be worried about is Non-human business. So, instead of sitting here and wondering how what I have to say will have a negative effect on you, maybe you should think about how you need to come off as gentle as a kitten.”
Brian blinked at her. The last time he and Dylan spoke, she had been a teenager barely in control of her powers. Now she stood in front of him stronger and more capable than any of them. “Fine,” he said softly. He brushed his short brown hair away from his face as he looked at the others around him. Marcus sat watching the small show, while Rachel and Mia were quietly whispered to themselves. “You do things as you see fit.” His ey
es then turned from Dylan to her parents. “But know that one wrong move, it will be the end of us all.”
* * * * *
After everything that happened the day before, Siobhan needed time to herself. Dylan had been more than welcoming when she and her husband opened their home to her and Athol. But she needed some time to think about what she had done.
Just as she wrapped her jacket around her body, a knock sounded on her door. She couldn’t help but answer it. Hopefully, whoever it was would see her coat and leave her be.
Dori stood at the door wearing a coat of her own. When she laid eyes on the blonde, she launched herself at her.
Siobhan closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the little girl. It took a moment to realize Dori was shaking. “It’s alright, Sweet. I’m not hurt,” she said softly.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Dori cried. She buried her face in the crook of Siobhan’s neck and sobbed openly.
The Fae Princess closed her eyes as she held the little girl. She was sure Dori was finally releasing all of the grief and fear that swallowed her whole when her mother was killed. She gently pulled back and looked at Dori’s face. Siobhan smiled and wiped Dori’s cheeks. “My beautiful Sweet, we cannot have you walking around with red eyes and a puffy nose,” she said before calling forth her magic.
Dori blinked as she felt magic sprinkle over her face. After a moment she giggled. “That tickles,” she said in a whisper.
Siobhan winked at her. “It’s a Royal house trick. We joke around and call it Fairy Dust. Come and look.”
Wide eyes continued to blink as she was lead over to a mirror. Once Dori looked into the mirror she gasped. She looked like a model. “It’s make up?” she asked quietly. When she looked at Siobhan, the older woman laughed.
“No,” Siobhan hugged her and looked at their reflection in the mirror. “It will enhance your features for a little while. It hides the fact that you were crying. And you can go about your day looking like the princess you deserve to be.” Siobhan’s smile started to fade when Dori hung her head. “What’s wrong, Dori?”
A sad smile crossed her face. “My mom always said that I should never want to be a princess.”
Siobhan frowned before she kissed Dori on her forehead. “You can be a princess if you want to. I’ll claim you as my daughter.”
“The hell you will,” Jimmy said from the door.
Dori was about to go to her father when she saw the dark look on his face. “Daddy?” she questioned.
Jimmy slowly inhaled. “Dori, I know you said she took care of you after everything that happened with your mom. But you have to understand; I don’t want you hanging around Miss. Siobhan. She probably has more than enough on her plate.” The heartbroken look on her eyes made him pause.
Siobhan looked at Jimmy for a long moment. She then turned to Dori. “Sweet Princess Dori,” she said before brushing her fingers through the girl’s hair. “Your father may be right. With everything that happened, you may not want to stay around me so much. It could hurt his feelings.” When Dori bit her lip, Siobhan smiled and leaned forward. “I did beat him up. He thinks I’m a threat.”
“But you’re not,” Dori whined.
“At least until someone takes my ice cream,” she joked. When Dori smiled, Siobhan lifted her hand and kissed it. “If you need me, I’ll be around.” Siobhan snapped her fingers and a business card appeared in her hand. As she handed it to Dori, she turned her eyes to Jimmy. “I will never have too much on my plate when it comes to you.”
Dori nodded before hugging Siobhan again. “I think he’s mad that you beat him up,” she said softly.
“I heard that,” Jimmy said folding his arms over his chest. When Dori and Siobhan pulled away from each other, he stepped to the side of the door. “Make sure you have your gloves and scarf before we go.”
Dori looked at Siobhan once more before leaving the room and going off into the hall. The Fae Royal frowned before turning on him. “I really would like to have a relationship with her,” she said quietly. “Dori’s precious.”
Jimmy nodded. “I know she is.” His eyes then hardened. “But I don’t want her to suffer anymore.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” Jimmy pressed his lips together and looked at the beautiful blonde. “You and Madison put her through hell, and now all she wants to do is cling to you. As her father, I can’t allow that. Not after seeing what you’ve done.”
Siobhan’s eyes hardened. “Are you going to rip her away from Madison too?”
Jimmy growled low in his throat. “Madison wasn’t herself.”
“And just so you know, I wasn’t myself either,” she hissed. She slowly approached the Mage. “You and I have our differences, but you have no clue what it was like, knowing that what you’re doing is wrong, and not being able to control yourself. Every death I caused is on my head, and I will find ways to atone for it.”
“His name was Nate,” Jimmy growled. “And you killed him for no reason other than he was in your way.”
Siobhan lowered her head. She remembered the old man she killed when she and Jimmy fought. When she raised determined eyes to cinnamon brown orbs, her mind was set. “And that is something that I have to deal with.”
“Stay away from my daughter,” he said before turning to leave.
“I meant what I said,” Siobhan called after him. When he turned to look at her, she arched an eyebrow in a blatant challenge. “If Dori needs me, I won’t turn my back on her.”
Jimmy glared at her once more. “She won’t need you,” he said before leaving Siobhan.
* * * * *
Troy frowned as he walked into the room he and Madison shared. The sight of her bags at the foot of the bed made him lower his head. “You don’t even want to try?” he asked in a whisper.
Madison carried her clothes from the walk-in closet and laid them on the bed. “Right now I can’t,” she said with a shake of her head. She could feel his hurt gaze and tried not to look at him. “I was hoping that you would understand,” she added.
“Oh, sure. It’s fine that you want to tuck tail and run. It makes perfect sense.” He walked over to where she stood and trapped her in his arms. When she started to struggle, he brushed his lips against her neck. “Talk to me, Madi,” he pleaded.
She leaned back and allowed him to hold her. “Everyone is going to want me to act like I’m okay. Like I should just forget everything that happened, and I can’t.” She shook her head and inhaled his scent. “I killed all of those people.”
“You weren’t yourself,” Troy said quickly. He frowned and turned her around in his arms when she started to shake her head. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Madison looked into his eyes. “Death said that I was ruled by all of the anger and hate that I’ve been hiding from everyone. Even you.” She gave him a sad smile as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. “So while everyone is saying it wasn’t me, I know it was.” Madison moved away from him and went back to packing her bag.
“So you’re just going to leave me and the kids? Just like that?”
Tears started to fill her eyes when he mentioned their children. It felt like she was reliving her childhood in reverse. “Can you stand there and say, in good conscience, that it’s fine for me to hold them? With as much blood as I have on my hands?”
Troy forced her to look at him. He paused when he saw how hard this was for her. “You’re their mother,” he said with tears choking his own voice. “You’re my wife and Mate. I don’t care, and neither do they.”
“Aiden hates me.”
“Aiden needs time. He’ll remember how much you love him.” Troy gently shook her. “But only if you stay.”
A sob escaped her. “I can’t.” She reached up and pulled him close for a kiss. Her body trembled as his arms tightened around her. She poured all of her love and passion into her kiss. Tears slipped past her closed eyelids as she felt his hands tighten on her clothes. Madison br
oke their kiss and pressed her lips to his throat. “I love you, I love the kids, but I can’t work through everything I need to while I’m with you.”
His arms continued to tighten around her. “So I’m just supposed to let you disappear? I can’t. It killed me when I didn’t know where you were.”
Madison touched his face as she backed away from him. “I will keep you and Father informed,” she offered. “I’ll let you know where I am, when I move, all of it. Just please, let me do this.”
Troy looked at his Mate. He remembered the day he met her. She walked into his bar and tried to drink herself into a stupor. Instead he took her to his apartment and changed each other’s lives. Now she stood in front of him as an injured woman that wanted time to lick her wounds.
He swallowed around the lump in his throat as he tangled his hands in her hair. Letting her go was going to be the hardest thing he would ever do. But looking into her eyes, he knew she was right. She wouldn’t be able to heal or come to grips with what she had done. He and the kids would find a way to make it. As long as he knew she was safe and coming back to him. “Take Alex with you,” he said lowly.
She looked into his eyes as a laugh escaped her. “Alex?” she questioned. “You do realize I dislocated his arm, right?” When Troy didn’t smile at her, her shoulders fell. “He probably hates me too.”
“But you getting away will give you both time to heal.” Troy wrapped his arms around her waist and inhaled her scent, trying to memorize it. “Maybe some private time will give him a chance to get over what happened with Cord too.”
Madison sighed before she looked at Troy again. She should have known he would try something like this. “Only if he wants to go with me,” she said lowly. When Troy smiled at her, for the first time since she went into labor she felt like she had a reason to smile. “I love you,” she said softly.
“I love you too,” he replied before kissing her passionately. He didn’t release her until he realized he was bending her over the bed. A sigh escaped him as he let her go. “Just, make sure you come back to me.”