by Erin R Flynn
I smiled, knowing her pack really did treat her like that from what the boys had told me of their trip. Hey, to each their own, but she was strong—and more than just her power—because she saw herself as she was, not the way most women tore themselves down, let others tear them down. I wanted that. I wanted that confidence back in my life and about more than work.
We hung up, and I realized the water was cold, having soaked enough and even enjoyed a few of the roses, but it was time for bed. I got out and toweled off as I let the water drain, and that was when the doorbell rang. Smiling as I realized who it was, I hung up the towel and went to the door naked.
“Wow,” Carter breathed as I leaned against the door, letting him see all he wanted.
Except I got a strong whiff of alcohol. “Did you show up at my door drunk and wanting sex?”
He chuckled as he moved closer but didn’t come inside. “I am far from inebriated or unable to perform as you deserve. I had a few but then heard your call ending as I came up the elevator and knew you were up. Then I realized you had company tonight after your date.”
I bit back a smirk. Carter was all about the fun but also being the best on my dance card of fun. I moved out of the doorway, leaving it open for him. “A few of your friends were in the elevator with pizzas, and I offered them something better.”
“Yes, you are better than any pizza even if I adore your Chicago pies,” he muttered, coming in and locking the door behind him.
I gestured around the kitchen as I went for a bottle of water, offering him one which he accepted. “They did me all over here.”
He took a slow sip, his eyes full of heat. “Then you have had enough rough surfaces tonight. I feel the tension in you still. Let me wear you out, Mistress. Let me do what they should have done better.”
“They did a great job,” I defended. “What would you do that’s so much better?”
“I ordered Nikos to guard Leda after hearing what happened, as I do not trust her overnight and your security has enough to watch. I will go relieve him in a bit.” He moved closer, letting his fingers dance along my thigh. “The punishment was bold, deserved but fierce, and will shut others up about how you’re too lenient. I will make sure it’s enforced.”
“Thank you, but that’s not what I asked you,” I purred as I rubbed my nipples against him. “What do you want to do with me that’s so much better than three of your friends did?”
“What is my mistress in the mood for? Tell me anything you wish and I will give it to you.”
“I need to get to bed, but I had a lot of kinky tonight. Can you give me sweet and tire me out?”
“Yes,” he growled as he grabbed me and picked me up without spilling my glass of water. We were in my bed moments later with him naked and me moaning as he touched me tenderly while still going right for what he knew would make me finish fastest. Thousands of years of practice and all the ancients were unbelievable lovers.
And for some insane reason, most of them wanted to play with me. I was a lucky, lucky woman.
4
“What do you mean, vampires have taken over Iran?” I stared at Monroe with wide eyes, wondering if this was some sort of goof, a bad vampire joke like April Fool’s Day.
“I mean just that,” he grumbled, scrubbing his hand over his hair. “I just got word. The news is about to break.”
“How did this happen?” I whispered, trying to figure out what this meant for global politics.
He shrugged. “We kept warning people we wouldn’t stand for this bullshit and free for all, humans deciding everything for paranormals in ‘their’ countries and all of that. Every country in the Middle East has an order to burn any paranormal. It’s accepted as the way to ‘deal’ with us. How many vampires do you know that seriously would just let that be?”
“None,” I admitted, thinking I was actually more shocked it had taken so long for something to be done when he put it like that. “So Iran was invaded by vampires?”
“No, they are all Iranian. They got tired of the bullshit and hunts for them and took out the supreme leader, the president, and all of whoever. It was a total coup that they’ve been setting up for a while.”
“Because if any group finally made a move and it failed, we’d all be screwed and taken advantage of more.”
“Exactly.”
“Shit,” I hissed, thinking of all the countries, Iran wasn’t the best one to fuck with. Then again… “Maybe this isn’t bad. I mean, we didn’t get along with Iran besides in lip service. This could be good for the US. Maybe all paranormals in that area. They have a safe haven now and shit, could this give us peace in the Middle East?”
“That might be a stretch,” he drawled.
“It’s hit the news,” Cooper called out from the conference room.
We hurried to join the others, the breaking news on CNN even shocking the reporter and in studio personality. After repeating what Monroe had told me, we finally got something new.
“We’re getting reports that they have agreed to speak to someone from the US,” the reporter at the White House said.
“Well, that’s good,” I muttered, giving Monroe a look that maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.
“We have unconfirmed reports that it’s FBI Division Chief Seraphine Thomas who spoke the other day in front of a Senate hearing as to forming an elite vampire tactical response team.”
“What. The. Fuck,” I whispered, my eyes going wide as my heart raced. “She’s fucking kidding, right?”
“Sources say it’s because she works not only with our government but the International Vampire Council and has ties to the large paranormal population in Greece that they might be asking for her to—”
“Chief, you’re going to want to take this call,” Shaw said from her desk, looking ready to faint. “It’s the head of the CIA.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I growled, having met that asshole years ago and hating him from the moment I had. He hadn’t been the big boss then, but he was a total douche.
I also couldn’t ignore the call.
“Thomas,” I muttered as greeting.
“What do you know? How do you know these vampires?”
“I don’t,” I sighed, loving he was obviously still an asshole but with more power now. “I just heard my name on CNN and found out seconds beforehand.” I told him what they said and shrugged, even if he couldn’t see it.
“That’s the spin someone put out once we learned the media found out,” he drawled. “They asked for you immediately and will only talk to you. They’ve instructed you’re to go there alone—”
“No fucking way,” I said with a snort.
“They have human hostages, Thomas. They’re threatening to use every human in Iran as fucking blood cattle.”
“Oh, that just makes it sound more appealing to go in alone,” I seethed. “I know you like using your people as disposable tissues but—”
“You’re being ordered to go in and—”
“You’re not my boss, and I sure as hell am not going in alone when they’re hostile. Are you nuts?”
“We need to make—”
“Have fun. I don’t need to do anything.” I got so pissed he’d be so flippant I hung up the phone, Monroe wincing. I immediately called Apollo, hoping he’d at least take my call.
“If you are going to yell at me, I am rather busy.”
“No, but I’ve already been ordered to go there by a high ranking official because they want to talk, and hey, I thought we didn’t negotiate with terrorists, but they’re now leaders of Iran, so what’s whatever they want with me, right?”
“We just found out moments before the news broke that they demanded you.”
“What do you know for sure?”
“We knew the plan to take over. We supported it after the current government burned ten vampires on some religious holiday and said there wasn’t a damn thing we could do. It was supposed to be jail, not death, for the leaders. None of this human cattle i
nsanity. We’ve been trying to communicate with them, but they’ve said nothing. You cannot go into this, Seraphine, and certainly not alone.”
“No kidding, but it could get messy fast,” I muttered. “And bad for all of us.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I paced the short distance the phone cord would allow me. “Why me? I almost get it if they wanted me for the reasons the media said, but if they’re hostile and crazy—”
“You’re powerful but the easiest Dorcus to control in their minds. You have a lot to offer, as they have to know what you are. A vampire run country would have a lot of want for a—”
“Got it,” I cut in, not wanting to say that over the phone. They wanted a powerful siren to use as they wanted. “What was the actual demand? I come there alone and what?”
“They will allow all the humans to leave their borders and find new homes over the next month, but you are to be there in less than twenty-four hours or no deal.”
“Boss, the president’s on the phone,” Harris informed me, looking a bit too pale.
“Tell him I’ll call him back,” I replied, everyone giving me crazy looks, but I needed answers. “When did the deadline start?”
“An hour ago demands were sent,” he answered.
“Nice of them to fucking jump on telling me,” I growled. “Okay, I cannot just fly in there. That would be stupid, as they’ll control the airport.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let me know anything else you find out please.”
“You will go?” he asked, his tone surprised.
“Yes, because we cannot risk a blood bath or even news of what really is going on getting out or it could be open season on all of us.”
“Be careful.”
I thanked him and hung up, immediately calling Haton and filling her in. “I’m figuring out a plan, but I want some assurance from the council that notice will be given my pack is off limits. If I’m jumping into something so publicly for all of us, all of us has to cover my ass this time.”
“Agreed. You need someone to officially fill in, but I will have our people get with every Alpha and explain the situation.”
“Get Virgil on the phone and ask him to sub for me,” I said to Harris before focusing back on Haton. “Thank you. Do you guys have any other intel on this? Anything you can give me?”
“All we know is the original leader of this coup was taken out the second it was done. This was not the plan, but while everyone was so focused on taking on a whole country and doing it peacefully, one rogue faction used that to—”
“Usurp the usurper,” I growled. “Fuck, awesome.” I remembered something and crossed my fingers as I realized who to call next. “Please let me know anything else you can find out.”
“Of course.”
Nina answered my call with a bang. “Tell me the news is wrong and they are not asking for you. This government will make you go, won’t they?”
“Probably, but I’m not going to let a bunch of humans die either.”
“Those humans were burning us alive,” she reminded me.
“Their leaders were. There are a lot of people in Iran just as oppressed, Nina.”
“If you say so,” she sighed, not sounding like she bought it.
“You said one of the last times I was in trouble to start letting you know first when I was because you had more tricks up your sleeve than I could ever guess. Well, I could use some help, and I’m wondering if you have some trick where you could sneak in a whole lot of people with me?”
“I can,” she confirmed after a few moments. “Yes, I know a spell. It won’t work if it’s anyone they’ve been intimate with before, I found that out the hard way, but otherwise it cloaks presence, smell, heartbeat—everything any of us use to detect people.”
“Perfect. How much can you make, how fast, and what do I owe you?”
“I have to look. Give me a bit and I’ll call you back.”
“Okay, I’m going to try and get us as much time as I can.” We hung up, and I looked at Harris. “Did you get the number to the president?”
“No, he said he’d hold,” he admitted, and I winced. Oh, that was bad.
I glanced at the line blinking from being on hold and hurried to pick up. “Mr. President, I apologize for the delay.”
“Of course, Chief Thomas. I’ve been informed though that you’re not willing to help us with this disturbing matter.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, sir, I said I wasn’t just going to go in alone to Iran and hand myself over. I get the director of the CIA thinks all women agents are only useful as whores or women otherwise are put on this planet to pop out babies and he hates paranormals, but he can take a long walk off a short pier. I’m not handing myself over like an idiot. There is a smarter way to handle this.”
“What do you suggest then, Chief Thomas?”
I shot Monroe a worried look. “Sir, I don’t think you’ll want all the details, and honestly, you’ve already had a leak at your camp, as I found out from CNN before anyone called me, so I’m disinclined to explain the plan. I do need the contact number they gave or the one they called you on, and if your people want to listen in on the call, I’m fine with that.”
“We don’t answer to you, Chief Thomas,” the director of the CIA informed me, and I winced because I hadn’t known he was on the call as well.
“No, but you really can’t order me to do this, so do you want me to loop you in on the situation you can’t handle or go around you? Your choice, so I’d choose fast.” I shrugged when Monroe gave me a look like I had balls the size of Mars, but I had more. “And, sir, I want some sort of written order that while you had no knowledge of what I’m planning, I’m covered.
“I mean like covered. If I handle this to help those people and what’s in the best interest of the United States, I’m not risking coming back and getting locked up by the NSA on some bull reason because they want me. They already admitted to wanting to abduct me to one of their facilities for research while I was working cases in Memphis. So yes, I actually demand I get some sort of coverage.”
“I can promise you that, Chief Thomas, as I was the one who reprimanded the head of the NSA when I heard his agent tried something like that. We don’t use US citizens as lab rats for whatever perceived use they might have.”
Not exactly a shining endorsement that all paranormals were safe from that fate, but it was as good as I was going to get. “Thank you, sir. I knew there was a reason I voted for you.”
There was a bit of delay as they found someone to translate Farsi for them just in case, and I used the time to switch the call to my office and speak with Nina, finding out the potion we’d need would take a bit to brew. We had the other sirens to help collect power and transfer it to her to make as much as we needed, and she called the fairies to help with ingredients. So we could make it work, probably.
Mostly likely if I got us a bit more time.
That was reassuring, and I took the call with the president off mute and was about to tell them I was on as well when I got another surprise, blinking at Brian as he blew past everyone in my office. “Bri, what are you doing here?”
“You cannot go,” he said firmly as he grabbed my arms. “You cannot go to fucking Iran, Sera, and walk into this bullshit. We’ll figure out another way, okay? We can figure out another way.”
“We’re working on it,” I promised.
He gave me a shake. “No, you mean you’ll go. Sera, we need you too. Let Iran deal with Iran. I don’t care if vampires, fairies, or whoever else run that country, but you cannot go hand yourself over to them!”
“When have I ever been that stupid?” I challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I thought you were fucking nuts a lot to go undercover as you did,” he reminded me, kissing me before I could give some sort of response. “I’m sorry. I know we’re not back there yet, but this is freaking me out. He can’t have you. We’re having our first date tonight. He cannot have you.”
“I’m going to need to reschedule.”
“No.”
“Oh my god, you’re being so friggin’ adorable, you pain in my ass,” I chuckled, leaning my forehead on his chest. “You have never acted like this before. What is with you?”
“Iran wants you,” he growled, hugging me tightly. “And you agreed to try again, start over. I have fucked up with you in almost every way possible, and yet for some insane reason you still love me.” He let out a huff. “Fine, I’m going with you then.”
“No, humans do not go into this sort of shit,” I argued, pushing away. I shook my head when he looked like he would argue. “I will call Grammy Havers.”
“It’s gotta be Chief Brian Havers she’s talking to,” someone muttered… From the phone.
“Oh shit, I took the call off mute,” I whispered in horror. “Oh crap.”
“Good, then whoever can hear you’re not going,” he grumbled as I about dove to the phone.
“Chief Havers, this is the President of the United States,” he informed Brian, and I watched as Brian’s face went pale. “I understand your concern and worries, as I would be too if my wife was asked to jump into something so dangerous, but I never asked her to go, only have her help in the situation.”
“The director of the CIA ordered me to go and alone.”
Rage filled Brian’s eyes. “God, that asshole really just thinks people are expendable and toys to move around on his chessboard, doesn’t he? I’m surprised he didn’t order you to go screw whoever’s in charge there, as that seems to be his answer always as to what female agents should do.”
“I hung up before he probably would have, but he’s on this call, and we’re going to connect to whoever is asking for me,” I filled him in.
Worry filled his eyes and not about what he said. “No, Sera, don’t let him on this call. No way. He will use everything you say or even hint at as ammo for the CIA and what he’ll try and pull next.”
“Chief Havers, I don’t think—” he started to defend, but Brian actually growled.
“I was her boss and the one you called to try and order me to send my agent into Germany and screw the information you wanted out of an asset. Remember that? Because I do. You’ve been giving me crap and making problems for me since, so don’t give me some bull that you won’t use any and everything to your advantage.”