by Lauren Dane
One of her brows rose and she cocked her head slightly.
“Your home, once you secure a place to live, will be warded by one of the witches the clan trusts. Meriel’s father is one of the best. Sami is also quite powerful at warding.” He paused to eat and let it sink in a little.
“Welcome to war, Molly Ryan. It’s my job to be sure you’re tough enough to make it out alive.” Even though he knew it wasn’t a promise he could keep every time. The truth was, he couldn’t protect them all.
* * *
GAGE, true to his word, had assigned her a guard and a driver named Faine. Faine, who was a great deal like a flesh-and-blood tank, was Lycian. She’d discovered Lycians were sort of like werewolves and they came from the other side of the Veil, like the Fae. There were Fae. She was still sort of reeling over that.
Anyway, Faine was Simon Leviathan’s younger brother and once she got past the fact that he was nearly seven feet tall, she discovered he also had a very sweet way about him.
He’d been given the room next to hers at the hotel and had come inside Molly’s room to give it the once-over. Apparently someone from the clan had come over earlier to ward the place as well.
Once he’d finished, she touched his arm briefly. “Thank you. I’m sorry your life has been uprooted just to be next door.”
Faine smiled again and she couldn’t help but respond with a smile of her own. “This is what I came here to do. I’m pleased to be able to help. Have you eaten dinner yet?”
She shook her head and took a peek at her watch. “Didn’t realize it was already after eight.”
“How about I order us up some dinner? We can get to know each other a little and I can explain to you just why it’s necessary that I’ll be your shadow for the next little while?”
She sighed. “All right.”
“I’m going to shower and order the food. I’ll be back over in about twenty minutes.”
Molly used the time to change into sweatpants, thick socks and a sweatshirt. She called her mother quickly while she had the chance.
“I’m sorry it’s so late!” she said when her mother answered.
“I can’t sleep anyway. I’m glad you called. I feel better now that I’ve heard your voice. So tell me.”
“I accepted the job. I started pretty much immediately. Wrote a press release even.” She snorted. “I’ve got an awesome dragon as an assistant. She knows stuff and no one is getting through to my desk unless they deserve to.”
“Good to hear. They’re good people? These Owens?”
She smiled. People sometimes considered Molly’s mother to be a bit of a stone-cold ballbuster. But underneath the ambition that had driven her to such success was a person who loved her family. Molly would be seventy years old and her mother would still worry. That filled her up.
“They seem to be. They’re footing the bill for this hotel I’m in. One of those extended-stay dealies. They offered to help me find an apartment. My assistant even made me a list with places they consider safest. I have a driver and a guard.”
“A what?”
Molly sucked in a breath and explained. “This is more than me being a witch and outed on television. Here I’ll be associated with the clan in a much more open way. They seem to think it’s a necessary thing so I’m going with it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Me neither. But what can I do? Hide? Pretend it’s not happening? You should see some of the background material I read today. There is some seriously bad stuff happening to Others all across the globe right now.”
It turned her stomach. Outraged her that it had barely even been spoken of on the news. She needed to remedy that. Humans needed to understand and Others needed to realize just how threatened they were.
Her mother spoke again, interrupting her mental planning. “When do you think you’ll be back to pack up?”
“I don’t know. My schedule is already full.” Molly rubbed her eyes, suddenly exhausted.
“I just spoke with Rosa earlier. Why don’t you let us do it? At the very least we can get your clothes and shoes packed up and sent your way.”
“You’re so good to me, Mom.”
“I’m your mother, it’s my job. Also it gives me something to do so I won’t miss you so much. So . . . what’s it like? I feel bad, not having you grow up knowing this stuff. I never meant—never knew it would be like this.”
“Please don’t apologize for the choices you made. I wouldn’t change a thing about the way I grew up. I promise. It’s different here. It’s not that I’ve never been around witches. But they’re very, I don’t know, it’s a big part of who they are. I mean, you should see this building they’re headquartered in. It’s like a giant corporation of witches. They have a landscaping business. A chain. A legal department. All sorts of stuff. They offered me lessons. So I can learn how to use my power in new ways. Classes on clan history, which will be helpful in my job. Some of them are wary of me. Most of them have been welcoming. I’m overwhelmed, but so busy it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
“That’s probably for the best. You always do better when you have lots of things to do. Anything new on the stuff with the firm?”
“I’m not going to get my job back. Which is pretty much what we knew. I mean, Jim said he could fight it and maybe we’d win. But the partnership agreement was violated in that my whatever—existence, identity—had brought negative attention to the firm and cost it clients. That was true, even though the reasons were stupid. I don’t want to fight it for years, spending all that money. Their settlement to me will be double what they offered originally.” And that was a great deal of money. Though, of course, money she’d made anyway. “They have to change the name of the firm, and Jim crafted a better statement on my departure that didn’t cast them as saints and me as a witchy whore.” She sighed. It still hurt.
“I hate them.”
Molly grinned. “Thanks, Mom. It sucks. A lot. But the money will enable to me buy a great place out here and get a car and still have some in savings. I suppose I need to look for the bright side for the next little while.”
“It’d be more fun to punch them all in the throat.”
“Ha. Yes, much more fun. Alas, the police look down on such problem solving.”
They chatted a while longer before hanging up and she felt a lot better. More settled after she’d touched base.
* * *
FAINE came over shortly after, tapping lightly. She noted the food on the big tray in his hands gratefully.
“I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until right now.” She stood back and he came in. They settled at the table and he pulled two beers from a bag.
“Bless you.” She grinned his way as she opened things up and grabbed a carrot.
“I didn’t think to ask if you were a vegetarian or had special dietary stuff.”
“You have very good manners. Your mother must be proud.” She took a long drink from the beer.
“My mother would not tolerate anything else. She’s not even four and half feet tall, but no one would dare to disobey her.” Faine grinned.
“So was your, um, world affected by the Magister?”
“It didn’t manifest on our side of the Veil. We knew it was bad. The Magister I mean. Simon and Lark came to us to warn and get our pledge of support. But we didn’t . . . we had no way of . . . The night it came was the stuff of nightmares. But even though I knew about it, I still can’t quite get over it. I came over with some of my family when we got word about it. Lark nearly died. I don’t know if my brother could have gotten over it if she hadn’t come through.” He paused and then changed the subject. “You’re what they call outclan, yes?”
“I don’t know what they call it. I was sort of an extended member of a coven. But it wasn’t part of my daily existence really. I had a life and my being a witch was like having blue eyes or a quick wit. Part of me, but nothing I really thought about a lot. And then suddenly it was everything and I didn’t even
know what all was true.”
He pushed her plate toward her. “Won’t do you any good to get sick because you’re not eating.”
She ate because it seemed as if he wouldn’t unless she did. It was automatic, but it got the job done.
“I spent pretty much the entire day today reading reports about what’s been happening. All the assaults, threats, violent attacks, people losing jobs and homes.” She shook her head.
Molly was used to being good at everything she did. She was in over her head right then, needing to just go step-by-step, but having someone she could talk to was a hugely important resource. “I’m still sorry you have to be here babysitting me instead of out living your life.”
“My life has been pretty much consumed with the aftermath of the Magister. Guarding you gives me something to do. I’ve been staying with Lark and Simon so it’s a nice change of pace to have a space of my own. And room service is better than having to cook. This is my job.” He shrugged. “I’m good at my job.”
“As your job is keeping me safe from thrown eggs and nails in my tires, I’m grateful.”
“You read it yourself. This is far more than egging or mean-spirited op-ed columns in the newspaper. We’re talking death threats, Molly. Don’t let yourself forget just how dangerous it is out there. Witches look human, so you’re safer than some Others. But those assholes in PURITY want you dead just the same. And many have ended up that way.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t want other people in danger because of me.”
“I don’t want you in danger because you’re trying to help our people. So, we’re even.” He winked at her and it broke the tension.
Chapter 6
“HOW’S it going?” Gage tapped on her door. “Settling in all right?”
The morning sun glinted off the gold highlights in his hair, making him look like an angel. A fallen one, but an angel just the same.
“I’m just on my way out. I’ve got an interview at the television station.” She held up some papers she’d been reading over. “This proposed legislation is abhorrent.”
“Yeah.” Emotion crossed his features and she knew she wasn’t going to like whatever he said next.
She sat. “All right, I’m sitting. Tell me.”
“I must be losing my touch if you could tell it was that bad.” He moved and sat beside her. “What’s your schedule like later today? I’ve been speaking with the Enforcer at Cascadia—the local wolf pack—and they’d like to meet you.”
“Hang on.” She pulled her calendar from her bag. “They’re not just any old pack right? Aren’t they like wolf royalty or whatever? The oldest brother runs the National Pack?”
“You did your homework.”
“It’s my job. I can move things around this afternoon and evening if necessary. I’ll have to coordinate with Faine as well; I assume I’m supposed to take him to things like this? What time did they want to meet? And then you can tell me what gave you that look.”
“The meeting will be with Lex Warden, who is their Alpha and he’s also the representative to the Council of Others so he’ll be speaking for not just Cascadia but all wolves.”
“Good to know.”
“Four, if you can do it. Faine . . . well, the wolves and Lycians have a tense relationship. It’s best if I escort you. They tend to spend lots of time on dominance displays. It’s sort of tedious.”
“Interesting. Shall I have Rita call to confirm then?”
“Yes, that’s good. I’ll check with her on my way out to be sure she has the contact information. As for my look . . .” He heaved a sigh. “Nice piece in the New York Times this morning. You work fast.”
“Part of my charm.” She shrugged. That and the issue was a hot one and she was willing to talk about it. She knew who to call and what buttons to push, which also helped.
A glimmer of a smile and then it was gone. “You got your first death threat. Record time. Only two full days of employment.”
She sat back and swallowed, hard. “I’ve always been an overachiever.”
“You’re well protected, Molly.”
Nausea rose, making her skin clammy. “Was it a call? Letter? Is it credible?”
He reached out and squeezed her hand, more than a little impressed with her ability to continue thinking about the big picture. “An email sent via the website. It ran through an anonymizer program but we’re working on it. Lark and I have assessed it; we don’t believe it’s credible, no. In fact, in the days before . . . well, before all this, we wouldn’t have even told you.”
“This needs to be reported to the police.” She sat up straight and took a deep breath.
“We don’t involve human police in clan matters.”
“Yes, well, they know about us now.”
“They don’t care, Molly. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth of it.”
She shook her head. “You misunderstand. I don’t care about that part. I’m not surprised. But they’re trying to remove our status as citizens just one state over. We will report this officially or I will myself. We are citizens and we will expect the same service from the government as anyone else.”
“Why? So they can ignore us and we can waste our time reporting it? You’re overestimating how much humans care about our lives, Molly.”
She narrowed her gaze and he saw fire there. So much that it sent a thrill through him. “Listen here, I am many things, including in over my head. But I am not stupid. Or naïve. We need to report because we are citizens. We can’t let them allow us to feel otherwise or in fact, to legislate otherwise. It’s not that I want a lollipop and a teddy bear from them because I’ve been frightened. It’s that I am a fully vested citizen of this country and I will be treated as such. Anything else is wholly unacceptable. We need to stop acting as if it is.” One brow rose as she took him to school.
“Underneath the subtle but feminine perfume and the pretty clothes you’ve got the heart of a predator.” He smiled.
“I’m not going to allow anyone to make me feel inferior. If a human received a death threat, they’d go to the cops. Why should I do anything different?” She held a hand in his direction. “Let me see it.”
“No. It’s ugly. Hateful and ugly and you don’t need to see it. I’ll handle it with the police.”
“Here’s another fact about me, I don’t like to be handled or managed. I may be new to the death threat game, but I’m not going to pass out because I’m fragile. Let me see it. I’m the one making the police report, I have to know what it says.”
Stubborn. Damn, he liked it.
He handed it over and she scanned it. He’d have been lying if he denied being impressed with how she took another person threatening to disembowel her and let crows eat her guts. She read it calmly, though he caught the way she’d paled and made notes before looking back to him.
“Tell me why you feel this isn’t credible. I’m not arguing, I just need to know your process.”
“Partly it’s the energy of the message. Hate, yes. If the sender saw you on the street he or she might yell at you, might picket outside a building you were in, but there’s no intent.”
Her eyes widened and she leaned closer. “You know this how?”
“It’s part of my gift. It’s not infallible, it’s a gut feeling and it needs to be backed up by other evidence. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all, especially when it’s a letter or over the Internet. But when it pings my magick, it’s usually because it’s got a lot of intent. We have a checklist of things we use. This particular threat is one we’ve received a few times already. Pretty much word for word. It’s almost like an Internet meme. He’s hateful, but not serious.”
“That’s incredible. What an amazing gift you have. And of course it’s a gut feeling, that’s where your magick lives.” Her eyes looked so damned blue. The expression of wonder she wore made her even more beautiful.
He was struck by the sudden and intense desire to haul her close and kiss her senseless.
/> He shoved that desire far away and decided to stick with amused and flattered. Far less likely to get slapped that way.
“I never really thought I’d have call to use it. It’s not something we had to deal with before. Death threats and the like, I mean.”
She sighed and folded the paper into her file. “I’ll take this to the police with me.” She stood and he caught the scent of her magick, just a brief breath of it. Enough to bring the hair on his arms to stand from the electricity of it.
He followed, standing too close, but not moving. “We’ll call them and have them come out. Let’s get you to the studio first. Faine and I are switching places today and probably tomorrow.”
“Is he all right?” She cocked her head, looking up at him.
“You’re a very public face on Owen. You’re a high-profile target for a lot of attention. Meriel came by with Dominic to discuss this issue. Lark and I feel you’d be better with one of us. Faine is great and damned good at his job.” He took her hand and squeezed it briefly. “But I’m better. I have magick, he doesn’t.” Though certainly one couldn’t underestimate the power of shifting into a giant wolf with razor-sharp teeth and claws.
“I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than babysit me.”
“No, not really. This meeting later with Warden is huge for us. It’s important I be there anyway. And in the wake of the piece in the Times today, it’s important you continue to represent us in the media. So my being there is important too.”
“That’s a lot of important, right there.” She said it low, with a teasing smile on her lips and the air between them thickened.
He stepped back. “It is.”
* * *
SHE sat across from the interviewer and clicked into her job in a way she hadn’t thus far. This was familiar territory at least. Here she didn’t need to dwell on the sick dread she’d been choking back since she’d read that death threat.
Molly didn’t get death threats. Sure, being in the PR biz had exposed her to negativity on multiple occasions. That came with the job. People wanting to kill her didn’t. Her brain couldn’t process it and so she put it in the place she’d been shoving all the other stuff she couldn’t process over the last month or so.
