by Flynn Eire
Claudius’s eyes flashed shock as I felt the same rock my body. He took the drive, and then again the shock came back. “You took the security recordings from the estate.”
“Yes,” El admitted quietly. “I knew it wasn’t over and we were supposed to die, so I made sure as much of everything possible was recorded from their cameras and snuck it out when we left so no one could erase it.”
“Good call because the team we sent to investigate and take out the nest found all the cameras and computer equipment destroyed,” he muttered as he took the drive. “And we found it was one warrior from East Canada’s camp who knew exactly who you were and called this camp to come quickly get you and Falcon. You guys said none of the warriors survived, and that bought him time to get you out because they still wouldn’t have wanted anyone to come here.”
“Is he okay?” El asked as he went pale.
“We found him and extracted him, but they did a number on him. He’s going to transfer here after he recovers at Wyrok headquarters.” Claudius held up the drive. “Thanks for this. Is it the only one?”
“No,” I answered, getting better what was going on. “Not that you aren’t to be trusted, but we both know not everyone who might touch that is so noble.”
“No, it’s smart. If it wasn’t backed up, I was going to do it,” he admitted, tucking it into his back pocket as he glanced around. “This whole thing is way worse than we thought. I mean, council members working with zakasacs and just the reach is too far. I’m going to recommend closing ranks and starting with here and working out. I can’t figure another way to handle something so big.”
“That’s smart,” I said as I reached over and squeezed El’s shoulder so he knew to keep quiet. “We also know this is the most secure place for anyone needing safety with Nero here. His range has extended since he’s last worked officially.”
“Good, but if he would mate, it would jump farther,” he sighed, and I blinked at him, not knowing that. He shrugged. “Alastair’s did for his gifts. He said mating unleashed several levels for him, as now he’s grounded and could handle it. Some of the other warriors we’ve talked to said the same, but they’re young to us. Helios said his gift was easier to control after mating and working with the empath here.”
“Nero’s range is far enough that pushing him to mate isn’t needed,” I said firmly.
Claudius snorted. “He’s ready to mate, no push needed. It’s his young fiancé that wants to take the time.”
“Not rushing is wise when there’s so much chaos and overwhelming discoveries every other day,” El argued as his posture went stiff. “Some of us don’t have thousands of years to know everything and can jump instantly. Then again, you guys keep not knowing everything, right?”
“Shit, you are so hot,” I murmured, even as I moved him behind me. “And I love your temper and that it never comes out at me.” I smirked at Claudius as I wrapped El’s arms around me. “He’s not wrong, though.”
“No, he’s not, and I’m glad you’re with someone as smart as him because he’ll be good to you then,” Claudius accepted, dipping his head to me before they headed back into the cafeteria, leaving El and I alone.
“Thanks,” El murmured as he kissed my neck. “I took that personally.”
“I know, and you did because you care about me so much, so I’m glad you do.” I turned in his arms and gave him a quick kiss.
“Pussy,” someone chastised behind El. “Fucking pussy bending over for some smaller guy.”
“He’s ancient and got moves like you couldn’t fathom, so yeah, I don’t care my size,” El drawled, spinning to face someone about his height. “It’s a shame only your body grew and not your brain because who tops and bottoms seriously only matters to idiots.” I flinched, and he moved his arm around me to tell me the comment wasn’t pointed at me. “And I feel bad for the woman you’d look so far down on just because she bottoms for you.”
“A man is supposed to top,” he said in disgust.
“A partner isn’t supposed to care about stupid shit like that,” El snapped, letting me go to move on the guy. I held him to me, and he couldn’t break the hold. “You’re not even worth trying to explain it to when you’re too stupid to get it.” He glanced over the group and shook his head. “Your camp is a disgrace that helped set up the Quebec coven to be slaughtered. Don’t you have other things to worry about? Any shame you’re part of them?”
“Fuck you, asshole, we were told it was handled,” he growled, storming into the cafeteria with his group following.
His attitude pissed me off more than El having to take bullshit because I was worried about what people would say or do if they knew I liked to bottom for him. I pulled away from my lover and headed into the cafeteria as well, seeing lunch was ending, so it was back to only those for the inquisition. I whistled loudly, getting all their attention.
“War is coming,” I announced, meeting all the disbelieving glances. “In one morning, three council members, vampires in one of the highest positions in our world, have been found to be working with zakasacs . Others have been fooled into letting a coven get slaughtered. Over a thousand zakasacs were in that one nest, and they attacked while the hundreds attacked this camp and Denver and many attacks on the remaining royals overseas.
“Are any of you scared yet because you should be? ” I finally saw the fear I knew they were all swallowing down and burying with this posturing. “We are building a haven here for any who want safety and will work to help the community, fit here and—”
“So only fags and lesbos are allowed?” one councilman sneered. “Good, you can all die together too.”
I moved faster than he could track, grabbing the front of his suit and slamming him into the wall. I bared my fangs at him. “You die first, asshole. Just say the threat, and you can go first.” I dropped him when I smelled urine, realizing he’d pissed himself. “Yeah, you should judge anyone .” I looked around again. “No, not just gays or lesbians. Anyone openminded is welcome. No hate here. No ‘humans are ants or beneath us’ shit. No looking down noses at warriors.”
“That shit has to stop if we are to survive ,” Proximo added. “I can feel your fear. It’s valid. We found several nests on the way here and more across the country. Their numbers are vastly over what our ‘leaders’ were saying. Now is the time to fix your mistake and help us protect as many as we can.”
“What do you ask of us?” Councilwoman Aberdeen asked Proximo, holding up her hand to silence others. “We cannot fit all the covens here. It would be too much and no chance of keeping it quiet from the humans.”
“Not all will want to come, but you can facilitate us getting those out who want to come. There should be more subdivisions built. There’s no reason there can’t be one for each council with that camp protecting them. Closing ranks is a good idea, simply not into the coven estates. That makes nests, and not one of you has faith in the coven leaders in your area because I can feel your fear at the mention of them.”
“New Orleans has already been lost,” I told them, confirming the rumors as long as we had a group. “That whole coven converted, fled when they got word from the council member of this council, would be my guess, when they heard Nero was going there. Charlotte was lost years ago. They are not alone. So you want to keep with your bigotry? Go ahead and die. We’ll save the ones who are above that, aren’t so primitive, and worth saving.”
“Amen,” Claudius muttered, scrubbing his hand over his head. “And yes, the Midwest council member Proximo called out warned New Orleans Nero was coming when Alastair talked to the council about the plans here. We’re worried about Santa Barbara after you were in LA, as communication has cut with him.”
“Fuck,” I hissed, rubbing the back of my neck. “This is bad. I mean, this is global kind of bad.”
“Yes, but I’ve talked with Mahala, and she has a plan for us to help in getting only good, non-traitors here so you guys can focus solely on getting the place up and runn
ing. Helios and others with gifts like him will have to do some field work, go coven to coven while we handle councils, but it’s a good plan.”
“Too many could run once she enacts it,” I worried.
“Let them,” El said as he joined us. “We can hunt them later, but get them away from those they could force or kill as part of their plan. Nero’s range is astoundingly good as you said, and I agree with the idea of having noncombatants train with the drones that can register zakasac heat signatures that we could have flying all the time. The focus needs to be getting this place up and letting only those who were questioned and checked to be on the right side in.”
“Agreed. A daunting task but agreed,” I muttered. “Alastair said his house is done, the whole wall around everywhere, the new warrior dorm, and several miles of bug out tunnels, so the next few dozen McMansions, as your friend calls them, can be done. That apartment building he mentioned too.”
El snorted. “The first snow fell, next comes a shit ton of it. Those foundations better go in like tomorrow if you’re planning any more before spring.”
It was my turn to snort. “Plots are already dug out for Gaius’s, Proximo’s, Nero’s, Basilia’s, and I believe the apartment building Falcon suggested was done yesterday.” I winked at El when his mouth fell open. “We don’t mess around, lovely.”
“You and Morggyan got slighted because you weren’t here,” Claudius teased me.
“Yeah, and no one ever wants to live with the one who can kill by touch,” I muttered, not meeting either of their glances.
“Well, we can get a nice room in the new warrior dorm,” El said easily, shrugging when I glanced at him. “I just want to be with you, Sen. I don’t care about a McMansion. Build one for orphans that we can put others in charge of, and we’ll live in the warrior dorm.”
“That sounds nice, yeah,” I agreed, smiling at how kind his heart was.
“Oh boy, you’re getting mated too then?” Claudius chuckled, shaking his head. “Is it in the water here?”
“I think it’s the caliber of people,” I answered, then snickered. “And Alastair. I think we all never would have guessed him mating, and when he did, we were all hopeful again. I know it shook me out of the mindset ancients don’t mate.”
“Yeah, a mate sounds nice,” he mumbled, walking away before I could say anything.
“Maybe he should build a house here after things settle,” El suggested, shrugging again when I looked at him. “We’ve taken hits, but so have the zakasacs . They won’t come at us again until they’ve regrouped and figured out some more plans. We’ve got the plans, and we’ve just got to keep them off of us while we enact it. Honestly, that’s the easier position.”
It took me a few tries to get my mouth to work. “Since when are you all sunshine and roses?”
His cheeks heated. My huge lover actually blushed in response. “I have a family, which I’ve never had. Someone awesome told me they love me and want to mate me. I expect rose petals to come out of me for a while at least.”
“You are too much, lovely,” I teased him, wrapping an arm around him and giving him a kiss. He returned it, and I felt my heart soar. Yeah, we could do this. Cut out the bad, give the fight where we needed to, and turn the tables so we saved more and more.
Simple, right?
6
A few days later, the inquisition was over. I think everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, and Dimitri looked like he might pass out when Alexander was officially cleared of all charges. He’d been such a mess during the whole thing my heart went out to him.
From the moment I realized Alexander wasn’t behind the conspiracy, I didn’t want him punished. I wanted change so something like this could never happen again. And that was what we got. There was now a contact at the Wyrok main office that any trainee or warrior could call for help, and the phone number wouldn’t ever change, just forward around if need be for security reasons.
And once a month all the camps and councils had to confirm lists of who was assigned where and why and to which areas so no one ever got “lost” again. I was glad the Wyrok were taking a more proactive role instead of being in the shadows since they seemed to be the only ones who couldn’t be corrupted.
With age came intelligence to see beyond petty shit. Or that was my current theory.
Alexander and Dimitri were actually taking a vacation, like a real one, not just travel for work, and I was glad for them. They definitely needed it, as they were at the center for so much for too long. Helios went with Rune and a few Wyrok backup to start closing ranks in the Midwest covens, interviewing for traitors and those who’d want to come to the new haven being built.
Rune was going because he couldn’t leave his mate for long with the mating bite, but also he was the tech genius, and not every coven was doing what they should, what they could. Always good to be smarter.
But that put Gilroy in charge until the ops/tech boss returned, and he needed a right hand. That was one area I had always excelled at, so in between my own training to get my real warrior title, I was helping him along with Wally. There was a lot more going on, so more were needed. The job of getting the whole subdivision perimeter set up was enough to keep several of us busy for a while.
And a good chance for me to feel something normal, as I was going to work on that part with the post-trans we had.
Another change was all warrior pre-trans in North America were to come to our camp. All the other camp programs were found incredibly lacking, and all trainees were being transferred. It made everyone nervous to have them all in one place, but if zakasacs were targeting them, thinking they were the key to their evil plan, it was best to keep them where there were almost a dozen Wyrok living.
It also meant more post-trans, so Matteo was a bit stressed, but Nate was going to officially become his right hand trainer along with some of us as well. Basilia was taking over for Dimitri while he was gone, and we had her covered as well. We’d make it as long as everyone worked together.
Falcon hadn’t wanted to hear the ruling on his parents yet, and I didn’t blame him. They’d knowingly come to testify thinking he’d be dead from a sniper. Yeah, they won parents of the fucking year. The only reason they weren’t dead was they were afraid of Garrow’s retribution if they didn’t go along with the plan once they had gotten into bed with him.
So to the council’s prison they went.
He also didn’t want to watch the sentencing, but I did. I sat there with Sen, holding his hand, as Claudius took the heads of those involved, those responsible for the hell we’d gone through and the deaths of so many in Quebec. It was then I felt it was finally over, really and truly. Maybe not healing, as I had lots of emotional and mental scars, but yeah, it was over.
Finally.
The morning after, people were quiet, either lost in thought or still trying to come to terms with so many of our leaders being involved. The world was actually much scarier than any of us had thought, and that was something to take a moment with.
“We got engaged!” Falcon blurted as he joined our table, holding out his hand to show the ring.
“Congrats, Brother,” I said, smiling at him as I took his hand and studied the ring. “It’s beautiful. Wisdom, right?”
Gaius’s eyes flashed shock, and he nodded. “Yes, it’s the meaning of Quinn. Falcon’s agreed to take my name.”
“Glad to hear it, but if you hurt him, I’ll melt your fucking insides before you can even try for another chance with him that could hurt him more, clear?”
“El,” Falcon hissed, yanking his hand away.
“Crystal clear,” Gaius chuckled, shaking his head. “I hear you loud and clear. I love him with my everything, so I might be stupid, but I will spend my life doing everything I can to make him happy.”
“And he can make little mistakes that might hurt me,” Falcon grumbled, hugging his fiancé. “No one’s perfect. Don’t jump the gun.”
“He cheats or something like t
hat and I’ll melt him,” I clarified, smiling at how worried Falcon was, telling me how deeply he loved Gaius.
“That’s fine because he’d deserve it then,” Falcon agreed after a moment, Gaius pinching his side. “You would.”
“Fair enough.”
“It’s so nice to get rings when engaged,” I muttered under my breath, teasing Sen. Sure enough, he went stiff next to me. “And rings with meaning, gorgeous ones no less.”
He let out a heavy sigh and stood, walking over to another table that kept being construction meeting central, and grabbed a few pages before coming back. He set a large mockup on the table after moving our trays aside. “Rings are wonderful, and I didn’t know they were so important to you but—”
“Sen, I was just teasing you,” I murmured, standing and pulling him into my arms. “Seriously, I was just teasing you since we didn’t announce it.” I cleared my throat as I kissed his cheek. “Besides, I think I found the ring I wanted to get for you, but I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff. I was going to ask one of your friends once the inquisition was over.”
“You’ve been looking?” he whispered, staring up at me with love in his eyes. “What is it?”
I nodded. “Black gold with purple diamonds that match your eyes.”
“That’s perfect. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I murmured, lowering my lips to his. I meant to keep it sweet, but he threw his arms around me, and the next thing I knew, I had him pushed up against the wall grinding my hips against his. “I need you, Sen.”
“Wait, let me show you your engagement gift first.”
“Gift?” I muttered, all my blood in my groin.
“It’s what I’ve been working on and why I didn’t think of rings. I thought we’d get them when we set a date. I’m not up to date on current traditions.”