by Erin R Flynn
Noah met up with me, pretending not to see my tears or how upset I was, which I appreciated, handing me something. “It covers you and whoever aids you in this national security crisis. The president seriously came through.”
“Well, that’s some good news,” I muttered as I read it over, wincing when I got to the end and knowing who needed to see it. I handed it back to Noah. “Please check with Dain that the verbiage covers us for real and there’s not some loophole we don’t see.”
“Okay.” He leaned in and kissed my hair. “He loves you so much, hurting you almost killed him.”
“I’m not a mind reader to know that. He wasn’t the only one who was out. He was just the only one who didn’t have the balls to say it,” I whispered and walked away.
“Tristan will be back. He’s got his own demons and issues with Vlad.”
That was actually fair, and I nodded I heard it so he didn’t think I was dismissive.
“A coven in Turkmenistan has agreed to let us land at their private airstrip and will provide us with the boats so we can get to Tehran,” Carter informed me a bit later as he held up a tablet with a map of that area so I could have the visual.
“And they want?” I asked, knowing there would be something when that was a big give.
“A promise for a conversation with Alena in the hope that if things ever get worse in the Middle East, they have a place to find safety.”
Which was how I got on the phone with Alena, Eva, and Zeno, first playing the call I’d recorded, then updating them on where we were and the tentative plan.
“You have left us out of the plan,” Alena growled.
“Mom, they’ve been a lot of steps ahead, and I would think it smart to assume they have eyes in or on Greece. You start making movements or gassing up the planes, this could go very wrong very fast.”
“She is not wrong,” Zeno muttered.
“Yes, yes, our daughter is very wise,” Alena sighed, probably pulling her hair as she did when frustrated. “What do you suggest then? Yes, I will have a conversation with this coven master. Invite him to Greece at his earliest convenience as a guest of our family for his aid.”
“Thank you. I also hope you can be clever and find a way to slip out of Greece, Grandmother.”
“Yes, I could manage that. Where would I meet you?”
“Eyes will be on me, but we’re working on where the planes can land and refuel before continuing to our destinations.” I opened the door to my office. “Goran, where are you guys landing? What are the options?”
“You are landing in Bucharest where they have ties to the main coven that took over, that faction, so word will reach that it’s just you and Orson,” he answered. “We’re working on the rest as we’re being asked why and what’s going on.”
“Which we don’t want to answer,” I sighed.
“Land in Vienna,” Eva instructed. “We have a close relationship with the pack there, and they control a landing strip. I can sneak out, figure a ride to Albania, and have a plane waiting there to take me to Vienna and meet up with your people.”
“Nina is saying there’s no way the spell can contain Eva Dorcus and hide her,” Davis called over. “And the first ten batches are ready. One of the coven is bringing them over and instructions on how to use it. The sirens need more power.”
“I will call Vlad and order his people to help,” Goran said, nodding he had it.
“You’re too powerful to contain, Grandma,” I teased, shaking my head when they laughed. “We could say you’re planning to come here and cover for me and change that up where you actually land there directly a bit after me for when they call in the troops or whatever.”
“Land the plane, yes, not jump out of it?” she checked, sounding worried.
“Your grandmother is not a fan of heights,” Alena explained, confirming my assumption.
“Yes, land the plane,” I promised. “Tehran is close to the water, so they won’t have all of it covered as their air space. It will have to be timed well with sat phones and you listening in on our talking to their tower, but I think it could work.”
“Understood. We will start spreading the rumor immediately that Eva is heading to Chicago, as she does not trust the council will handle what they should,” Alena said. “We will also send soldiers with her, as it makes the point we stand with you. You will be safe, yes?”
“I promise. It’s a good plan. I know it’s not a lot of time, but I don’t know we could come up with better if we had all the time in the world.”
“How will they not be cloaked from you, Seraphine?” Zeno worried.
“The spell doesn’t fully work with anyone who’s been intimate with them,” I explained, knowing why Nina had specifically warned me of that. “So I’ll feel when they arrive even if I can’t see them. She said I could still sense them, so they’ll be invisible to me, which is best so I don’t get distracted or give anything away.”
“Good, good, yes, Nina of course handled any worry we might have. Be safe, Daughter.”
“I will, I promise. Thank you for the help.”
“Call us with whatever else,” Alena ordered.
I hung up with them after I promised and sat heavily on my desk. My mind wandered to what Dain had said. He couldn’t lie, so it was true, but I wondered if he could love me as he thought he did if he couldn’t even be honest about that with me. When had I ever laughed at him or been so mean he couldn’t tell me he was drowning? Was I such a horrible person he couldn’t talk to me? What had I done wrong for him to not trust me?
“Sera, Sera, what happened?” Brian asked, suddenly in front of me.
I flinched as I realized it wasn’t sudden, my office full of people… As I cried. I quickly mopped up my face. “Sorry, didn’t realize you came—I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. It’s understandable to be upset. I’d be shitting a fucking brick if the new vampire leader of Iran demanded me and—”
“I wasn’t thinking about that,” I admitted, not wanting to get into it, but I really didn’t want them to think I was having doubts or I couldn’t handle going.
“Why are you feeling such shame again?” Dain whispered. “There is no reason for you to feel shame, Sera!”
I shook my head. “I think any woman would feel shame for whatever she did that the man who said he loves her couldn’t tell her he was drowning. I’ve said that. I said it that day, but you couldn’t tell me.” I looked at him and wiped my eyes again. “What did I do that made you not have faith in me? Have I been so bad that you couldn’t trust me with that?”
“I would trust you with that and everything, Sera,” he promised, looking like I’d kicked him in the nuts. “I couldn’t add any more pain to you. You would feel pain if I told you that, and I couldn’t hurt you. I carried it alone.”
I shook my head as I pulled myself together. “If you can’t see how that would hurt me more, I don’t know what else to say. I was talking to you about us. What happened to us, and you walked out and hurt me the worst because you were so busy protecting me in your mind, you ignored we were an us.”
“Give us the room, please,” Dain said to everyone else, waiting until the others left and closed the door behind them. It wasn’t like they couldn’t hear us, but it gave the illusion at least of privacy. He came closer and reached for me but froze when I flinched. “I understand how it seems to you, I can even see it as you did now. I can see that now. Then I couldn’t see any of it. I was drowning. I didn’t see clearly and make the decision.”
I swallowed down my hurt and nodded, understanding what he was saying. I’d been there too, drowning and unable to see anything but the water I couldn’t reach the surface of. “I know what that feels like. But you were the one who pulled me onto land when I was drowning, Dain. It’s a bit hard to believe you love me as you say when I’m the one you walked away from when drowning instead.”
“Please wait,” he begged when I pushed off my desk and went to leave. He moved c
loser and didn’t put his hands on me, instead leaning his forehead to my shoulder. “I let you go for the moment so you didn’t drown with me, my love. You were drowning too, and I wanted nothing more than to make sure you didn’t drown with me. That was what I thought I was doing. I’m so, so sorry I hurt you or gave any other message than that.”
“I can understand that,” I accepted. “But it was longer than a moment, Dain. It’s been weeks. There’s no way people haven’t told you I’ve asked about you or miss you. I still don’t know what you want. Do you think you have to take care of me because I’m your wife? That’s what I thought with the food, that I was an obligation.”
“No, Sera,” he whispered, moving closer so I sat back on the desk, setting his hands on the wood to keep me there. “I want you. All I’ve ever wanted is you. I abused my wife, spell or not, I did that. I was making amends and waiting for the day you could maybe forgive me.”
I punched his chest. “Don’t leave everything on me. I went to you, and you walked out. In the videos you were apologizing, not asking for what you wanted. I said what I needed, and the others told me as well. You just walked out. That’s not the ball being in my court!”
“I want you, Sera,” he murmured, brushing his lips against my neck. “I’m sorry I hurt you again and again. I never thought I would fail you, but that seems to be all I’ve done since that night. Tell me what to do then? What can I do?”
“I don’t know. You have to give me more than that.”
He nodded, nuzzling my neck as he did. “Can we start over too? Start from the beginning and I have permission to woo you? I want to woo you, show you how much you mean to me, but I didn’t want to push you.”
“Telling me you want that doesn’t push me, idiot,” I breathed, the knot in my stomach easing now that I knew.
“You are so relieved I said that. Sera, what did you think I meant when I say I love you?”
“People can love each other and not work out, not be meant to be together.”
“Then it’s not true love, and we have that. We are forever, I know it. Can I woo you? Show you?” I nodded, and he hugged me to him, almost every inch of us touching he held me so tightly. “I’m sorry, Sera.”
“Don’t ever walk away from me like that. Fight for me. I was fighting for us by being honest in what I needed instead of just walking away.”
“I won’t ever leave you, not ever,” he breathed, holding me as I cried. “I am so sorry, my wife. I forget you are so young, so not used to fairies and our ways. It never crossed my mind you thought I would be done with you.”
“You’re an idiot,” I blubbered.
“I am, yes, I am.”
“I want Valentine’s Day spoiling from you too.” I wanted to roll my eyes at how petulant I sounded, acting a bit like Brian it seemed. “The spoiling has been fun. I’ve never had that before.”
“I planned to. I have several gifts ready for the goddess in my life, and the last is theater tickets I prayed you might join me for.”
“You really were coming back,” I choked out, getting upset all over again. I gasped and shoved at his chest. “Why is my breakdown making you hard?”
“Because you are beautiful even when tragically so,” he muttered, kissing my neck again. “Knowing you care and missed me so much gives me such hope I haven’t lost you. I thought I lost you, Sera. The moment I saw that tape and saw I hit the love of my life, I thought all hope was gone, my heart would only know darkness forever.”
“Idiot. You’re a total idiot.”
“I am, but can I give you a present right now?”
“You’re so not deserving of sex,” I growled.
“No, I am not,” he chuckled, smiling against my neck. “I made an official request of Queen Laila for aid. Two dozen strong members of her court should be landing soon to help Nina with power and anything else we might need. She is also ordering several noble families that have the finest warriors to rendezvous with us and join us in Iran.”
“Good gift,” I admitted, melting that he’d call in favors like that for me, so I decided to admit what I’d figured out in therapy. “It wasn’t you who hit me, Dain. It was the demon that spell put into you or whatever, okay? And I’m not the idiot here, and I say so, which means you have to listen to me.”
“Yes, my love,” he agreed after a moment. “I have missed you so, so much, Sera.”
“Me too, you idiot.”
“Is that forever to be my name now?”
“Yeah, until I see these gifts and how much you put into wooing me.” I smacked his arm. “Because I ordered three different lingerie outfits right after I made you mine because you said you wanted to make love to your wife and spoil me. It took me like an hour to pick them and debate which would make you happiest.”
“Gods above, give me strength,” he muttered. “If you tell me any more, I will stop being a gentleman and not take things slow at all. It’s taking every ounce of restraint not to strip you naked and have my way with you being so close to you, missing you as I have.”
“No, we’re going slow,” I reminded him. “I didn’t mean to tease you, just explain that I put in the effort too. I mean, I picked a lime green garter set that perfectly matches your eyes and it has ties all over it and the corset because you always say you love unwrapping me.”
“Please stop,” he groaned, pressing against me so I knew how interested he was.
“Maybe I should punish you,” I muttered, not really in the mood for it as I was still hurt.
“I don’t deserve it when you hurt still as you do,” he breathed in my ear. “But when you are ready, please do. Wear that while I am chained up and punish me for as long as you want. I deserve it. I would accept it and beg for more for hurting you.”
Oh, did my siren perk up at that idea, and I reminded her she’d had lots of fun lately so to settle down and not push me.
“Virgil’s here,” someone called out, and I moved away from Dain.
“Say you still love me,” he whispered as I reached the door.
“I do.” That was as much as I could give him after spending weeks hurting that he’d left me. Idiot.
I stepped out of the office and almost instantly was pulled into Virgil’s arms, his mouth desperate on mine as he pinned me against the wall. I moaned as he ground his hips against me, wanting what he was offering instead of any of the serious shit going on.
“Fuck, sorry, I missed you,” he groaned, kissing my neck in apology. “I always forget what your scent does to me and my wolf. Plus, you called me for help.”
“So your answer is to screw me against the wall?” I drawled.
“I’m male, Sera,” he teased, having gone through this shtick before. “You better be back before Valentine’s Day because I brought part of my present with me instead of sending it as instructed.”
“What present?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “What instructions?”
“We didn’t get a chance to tell her,” Simone warned, and I glanced over to see her amused look. “The club and your Betas were getting so many requests for information on where to send you gifts and any chance to show they’re interested, we had to figure out what to do.”
“I don’t…”
“You are so adorably dense sometimes,” Virgil chuckled, letting me go but sticking close to me. “Woman, you’re gorgeous. You’re fun. You’re sexy as fuck—”
“Thank you but—”
“You’re also a very wealthy woman now, my friend,” Simone reminded me. “A lot did not have faith you could hold Chicago, but now you not only have, it’s thriving more and more each month you are in power. There’s the success of the club that was your idea. Now you’ve taken over Milwaukee, and Alpha Lyon came from old, old money so…”
Everyone froze when they realized this was news to me.
Dain cleared his throat and moved into the room. “I’ve been handling all of that while she’s been busy and handling too much already. There was no rush to tell her,
or so I thought, until more was settled and this vampire advance team was approved to get much off her plate. The funding for all the people her division wants to hire.”
Simone nodded. “It’s no longer rumor you might be of the Dorcus bloodline, but confirmed and they have acknowledged you, adopted you. You are a catch. A most eligible bachelorette. Men woo women on Valentine’s Day. You will be wooed a lot. We combined the idea we had for the hosts.”
“Oh, to announce people could leave gifts for them this weekend or send whatever and they’d get them, right.”
“Yes, and the sirens, though that will be mostly yours unless you wish to share.”
I studied her. “So you’re saying I’m going to get gifts from more than I expected. Okay, well, cool.”
Several people opened their mouths, but she waved them off. “Let her find out later. She’s never had a real Valentine’s Day, and she deserves to experience it with all the fun.”
I had no idea what that meant. “We’re doing the consultations during the day with the lingerie and the singles event Saturday since it lands on that night, so yeah, I’ve never even gone out on a Valentine’s Day. It should be fun. I’ll try to be back for it.”
“Do you have what you’re wearing picked out for the party?” Virgil purred, changing the topic. “I brought my best boxer briefs now that I’m going to be in town.”
“Yes, I’m wearing something from our line,” I chuckled, shaking my head at his antics, wound up at the idea even more now. “I believe all of us are wearing several different options to showcase them for any men who might want to buy them for their women. We’re not doing the normal shows that night, as we want to be on the floor for that and to watch idiots. We were clear that anyone that gropes will be detained and the police called.”
“It’s going to be lots of fun,” Hagan drawled, not meaning it as he had to work security for the event and I was going as a single woman so… Yeah, I couldn’t say I blamed them for sounding less than thrilled. Hey, the club made a lot of money and jobs for the pack, helped us expand, so if it was for the PR and revenue, they’d live.