Going Under

by Lauren Dane

  “Before we get started, are you familiar with how this all works?” The PA hooked Molly’s mic up.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Do you need anything to drink?”

  “I’m good, thank you.” Molly smiled and the PA smiled back.

  “Good luck.” The PA took a look around before leaning in close. “Just . . . hang in there.”

  Well now, that wasn’t hopeful.

  The same interviewer who Molly had watched with Meriel just days before bustled into the studio. He didn’t look at or speak to her at all until moments before the cameras went live.

  He looked up, focused on her and began the interview without so much as a how-do-you-do. Clearly his mother didn’t teach him any manners.

  “I’m here tonight with the new public relations minister for the coven here in town. Ms. Ryan, some might wonder what you’ve been hiding.”

  She cocked her head ever so slightly and stared at the interviewer, a piggish-looking fellow whose bias against Others was blatantly written all over his posture.

  Her smile was perfectly measured to convey how silly she found him. “Minister? Oh my, that’s grand isn’t it? I’m sorry to say I’m a regular old communications person. Not nearly as exciting as a minister. And we’re Clan Owen, named after the Owen family who runs the organization of witches situated here in the area. Did you know the Owen family is one of the oldest established families in the area? Right up there with the Denny, Terry and Yesler families. They helped build up Seattle. In fact, one of their mercantiles is part of the Underground Tour. Deep ties to the land here, to the people.” She wanted to convey that over and over. They might be witches, but they had roots in the country. She wanted humans to understand that while their gifts had been hidden from them, their presence hadn’t been. They weren’t a threat; they were an asset.

  Molly shifted, crossing her legs. “But to be serious a moment, I’d like to talk about the new legislation being written in Idaho. We’re naturally—”

  He interrupted. “You suddenly appeared this week. Why haven’t you been here before? Just what are you hiding?”

  The only way to defeat a troll is to not feed it. This asshole had an agenda and she’d be damned if she’d descend to his level. Plus it amused her to ignore that and poke at him. She sent him an amused smile, though it was amused at his expense.

  “My mother would be puzzled by that, as she would beg to differ about how I just suddenly appeared. I’m still paying back my student loans so the University of Chicago might beg to differ as well.” Deftly, she got back to the subject. “This legislation seeks to change the constitution of the state to say a citizen would be defined as a human being. Others would be stripped of their citizenship.”

  “What are you hiding, Ms. Ryan?”

  “This is an interesting theme. I’m sitting here on television in the middle of the daytime. You and your station have been provided with my CV. Where I’ve been is clearly stated. In fact, it’s available on the Clan Owen website where I’ve started doing video updates and posting pertinent news and information.” She looked to the camera and gave the URL and then shifted her attention back to him. “Now then, legislation such as S1046 is dangerous on many levels.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  The man was so stupid she wanted to laugh. Instead she stuck to her points. “First, such legislation is unconstitutional. It’s a waste of taxpayer dollars to have legislators writing legislation they know will not survive a constitutional challenge. Things are hard for Americans right now; why on earth would we want our elected officials working on this time-wasting nonsense?”

  Gage watched her, impressed as all get out. Christ, she was a shark. This Briggs Anderson guy didn’t know what hit him.

  She adjusted herself, looking delicate and pretty as she did so. But not in a helpless way. There was something so self-assured about her. It drew him in, made his heart beat a little faster.

  She spoke again. “In addition to those very important facts, this is America. At the very heart of what this country is, is the melting pot. We’re all different in some way, yet we share more in common than the sum of our differences.”

  “You’re not human beings.” Briggs baited her with his tone and she easily stepped from the way, never ceding control of the interview for a single moment.

  “We are Americans though. That’s the point.” She smiled and refused to get pulled into his angry little trap. “I was born here, in this country. The doctor who delivered me also delivered my mother, which I think is pretty awesome. I went to elementary school and made macaroni picture frames for my grandparents. I went to high school and college. Weezer’s Blue Album was the first music I bought with my own money. I am an American. Like you are. Like the Others in Idaho are.”

  Damn, Gage wanted to give her a standing ovation. Briggs just gaped at her in silence, still not quite getting that she’d just totally dominated him and made her points.

  “But you are not Americans. You gained your citizenship by deceit.”

  “No, Mr. Anderson, that is not true. I gained my citizenship the same way you did. I was born here. As was my mother. And her mother. My grandfather fought in Vietnam, his father in Korea. This is my country as much as it is yours, or any of the legislators pushing this bill.”

  The red light went off to the right and the cameraperson made the wrap it up move with his wrist.

  Molly didn’t cede any time to Briggs though, she continued on. “We are the same people we were before this tragedy. We are your neighbors, your teachers, your friends and family. We have harmed no one and we just want to be left alone to live our lives as we did in the past.”

  She drew it out right to the very last moment and sat back with a smile. Even Briggs was caught up in it for a second until it was too late for him to say anything but “So you claim,” which seemed rather petty in response to her genuine appeal.

  Chapter 7

  GAGE shielded her as he walked her to the car. There was a small group of protesters outside the studio but none close enough to get to them.

  “You did a great job.”

  “He’s an asshole.” Though luckily, like most assholes, he was a stupid one.

  Gage laughed and she liked the sound. “He is.” Gage opened the door and looked around before he motioned her inside. “But you dominated him in that entire interview.”

  She smiled as he got in on his side.

  “He’s small potatoes. That was a softball compared to what we’ll face out there from now on. Anyway it wasn’t live so we’ll see how it’s edited.”

  Her stomach growled and he gave her a sideways glance. “You hungry? We don’t have a lot of time before the Warden meeting but they’ll probably have snacks. I’ve got protein bars in the glove box.”

  “I can wait.” Though when this was all over she had some ice cream that needed eating. “I need to give Meriel a quick debrief.” She pulled her phone out.

  “Tell her I said you kicked ass.”

  Warm with his praise, she ducked her head and called Meriel to fill her in on what had happened.

  Molly liked Meriel. She was unerringly competent, intelligent and ran the clan well. They were tight-knit without being cliquish. Close without being into each other’s business. The people she’d met from Owen had been an eye-opener. Molly had all sorts of preconceptions about clan life, and none of them had been correct.

  Meriel told her she’d sent some recent news via email so Molly made a note to check it out when she finished up with the wolves.

  Once she’d finished, she turned to Gage. “Thank you for guarding me today. I know things are busy in your office.”

  He nodded. “It was nice to get out, actually. Gives me a chance to get to know you better too.”

  She could not lie. She wanted to hear that little flirtation in his voice. He made her sort of . . . breathless and giddy. As this wasn’t a usual state for her she preferred to pretend it was the novelty tha
t she liked so much. When really it was that she had the beginning of a crush on him. A crush was wholly fun and silly. Something to cleanse away the negatives that surrounded her all the time.

  “How are you settling in? I mean, you’ve only been here a few days I know. I imagine it’s hard to leave everything behind.”

  An understatement. But really, she’d lost so much that she still reeled from it. So she tried not to think on it, instead pouring herself into her job.

  “I miss my family.” She shrugged. “I’ve been so busy it hasn’t been as bad as it could be, though. My mom and Rosa, my other mom, they went to my place and packed my clothes up and have sent them. I have to find the time to look for a place to live before I can get everything else dealt with. I guess it just falls to the bottom of my list.”

  “If I can be honest, it’s better to have you at the hotel anyway. We know the owner and most of the employees are Others. We can keep you safer there.”

  It was turning out to be too busy for her to look anyway. She’d been there only a few days and already had travel plans for work. “I’m looking forward to a time when I can have my own place, but I’m so busy just now I don’t have time to miss my stuff.”

  “We’re glad to have you and I think you’re a great asset to us. This will be over. Someday. And when it is, you can build a life here. I’m sorry yours was so abruptly altered.”

  “Everyone’s was.” She desperately didn’t want to go there just then. She needed to keep her focus on the meeting. Bringing the Others together, at least in some way, was her priority. Falling apart wasn’t even on her to-do list.

  “Tell me about the wolves.” Changing the subject would help and she needed the info anyway.

  “They’re smart. Well organized. Especially now with Cade Warden at the helm of the National Pack. They have a good public face. Each pack has liaisons with local law enforcement, which was revolutionary at the time. Still is now, I wager. Anyway, Wardens run every influential pack in the U.S. The sister in Portland. Another sister and brother-in-law in Chicago.”

  “They speak with a unified voice then?” It would make it easier if they did. That is if they weren’t crazy. She’d done some homework on Lex Warden and his family and from what she could tell they’d be good allies in this fight.

  “They’re all attuned to their members. Each pack has its own challenges and strengths. But they do have a unified voice, I’d say yes. They went to the brink of war several years ago. Cade unified them. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He understands politics; he’s sharp. Brutal when necessary.”

  She raised a brow at him. “When necessary? When is that?”

  “Don’t tell me you think this can be handled if we all just love each other enough. We’re not humans, Molly. To pretend otherwise is why we’re in this mess to start with.”

  “I was under the impression we dealt with this earlier. I’m not stupid. Or naïve. I asked a question. If you can’t answer it, you’re in the wrong job I’d say.”

  He was quiet for several minutes, which made her nervous but at the same time, if he was thinking over his answer that meant he was more thoughtful than she gave him credit for, which was important.

  “You look so soft and sweet.”

  She snorted. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

  He laughed again. “An observation. Though you’re no chore to look at. What I meant was that at first glance you look like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth but you’re no soft touch. I shouldn’t have assumed you were attempting to insult me or being naïve.”

  “I don’t ask questions idly. Not usually. If I’m to do this job, it’s best if I do it with as much input as I can get.”

  “To answer your question, brutality is rarely necessary, but when it is, it’s best to not hesitate. In this specific context, I believe there’s at the very least a significant percentage of the human population that would happily dance us all into our graves. So brutality may be necessary to underline just how unacceptable that would be.”

  She nodded. He was smart as well as muscly and handsome.

  “You’re quiet over there.”

  “Just listening.” Molly felt that listening was more important than talking. Many people didn’t seem to get that.

  “So are you teasing me then? What’s your take on brutality?”

  She shrugged. “As it happens I agree with your take. Mostly.”

  * * *

  THEY really couldn’t talk about it much more as Gage got off the freeway and they arrived at the huge gates at the bottom of the drive to the Warden estate. Two ridiculously large guards came from what appeared to be thin air before verifying who they were and that they were supposed to be there.

  Once they’d parked and had gone inside, Molly didn’t bother to hide her appreciation of the beautiful home Lex and Nina Warden lived in with their children. Expansive views from every window, wraparound decks—the place was insanely gorgeous.

  Much like the Alpha couple.

  Lex was dark haired with dark eyes, broody, sexy and big. The guy was massive and when he shook Molly’s hand, hers was dwarfed.

  Though this was totally a new thing for her, she wasn’t nervous. First of all, she’d begun to think of Others as just like any other client. Even if they did turn furry or need blood to live. Plus, Gage stuck close as they went through the introductions. He only spoke to give her little bits of information she might need. He was pretty good at that part and she made a mental note to thank him when they left.

  Nina Warden had beautiful, long dark hair she’d braided back away from an equally lovely face. “Welcome to Cascadia land.” Nina waved them toward some chairs set around a large table. “Please come and sit. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”

  “Me too. Condolences on the loss of your father.” Molly addressed Lex and then Nina. The death of Lex Warden’s father had been a blow to the Other community, she knew from all the background material she’d read. And she knew as much from her own losses.

  Lex nodded, the pain on his face. “Thank you. I understand you have your own losses to bear. Condolences to you and yours as well.”

  She nodded briskly; best not to dwell.

  They got down to business right away. “I spoke with Cade, that’s my brother and the Alpha of the National Pack, earlier today. He’s empowered me to be the spokesperson for the wolves here in the United States. As such, I’ll be your liaison with the different packs.” He turned a charming smile her way briefly. “If you have any advice on how to get a bunch of grumpy wolves to mind, let me know.”

  Molly tried not to snort. “I’m afraid I’m not much of an expert on how to get anyone to mind, much less wolves.”

  Gage spoke up then. “Don’t let her bullshit you. She’s been with us only a few days and she’s already instituted a clear channel for all communications from other clans and covens.”

  Molly waved it away. “Well, it makes sense to have one point everyone knows to start with when they need to report something or ask a question. That’s common sense.”

  Lex looked over to Nina, who smirked. “It is, but I didn’t think about it until just now. Though my lovely mate did bring the issue of having a communications director up to me just this afternoon.”

  “I’ll try not to lord it over you. Too much anyway.” Nina turned her attention back to Molly. “You’re that, right? The communications director?”

  “Yes, apparently. Though today I was referred to as a PR minister, which sounds better than communications director.”

  “Briggs Anderson interviewed her. You should have seen her kick his ass.” Gage tipped his head in Molly’s direction.

  “Oh him.” Nina rolled her eyes. “Okay, so things are bad. I don’t see the use in not just laying it all out there so we can work together. We’ve got wolves all across the country who are being discriminated against. Attacked. They’re receiving threats, vandalism to their businesses and homes. We’ve made
an effort to keep things calm, but each day that passes means there is more of this nonsense.”

  “And each day that passes means Others nationwide are coming out of their grief-filled stupor and realizing just how bad it’s getting.” Lex added with a raised brow. “It’s only a matter of time before we start fighting back.”

  “And what’s wrong with that?” Gage demanded.

  “Well, to be honest, nothing is wrong with it. We should be allowed to defend ourselves.” Molly looked over to him. “But I’d prefer to find solutions that don’t involve us having to defend our homes and families from being firebombed. It’s not good for our children to have to fear all the time. It doesn’t have to be lying down to be killed or doing the killing ourselves. Not yet anyway.”

  She spread her hands on the table and looked Lex and Nina square on. She’d been reading up on how to address shifters and she hoped she didn’t mess it up. “I’d like the opportunity to provide a unified front with all the Others, to stand together and strong. There is all this stuff going on and as long as we remain in our camps, we’re weaker.”

  “No one speaks for wolves, but wolves.” Lex nearly growled it.

  Gage moved closer. Close enough that Molly felt the warmth of his magick as it came from him in waves. It made her a little light-headed.

  Molly contented herself with a raised brow and a sniff in Lex’s direction. “I don’t want to speak for you. I have enough on my plate; I don’t want to run your pack. I don’t want to tell you what to do. This is war, Mr. Warden. We can make a far less attractive target if we stand together. You can do what you want. Working with us isn’t mandatory. But I’ll be making this same pitch to the cats and to the vampires.”

  Slightly chastened, Lex nodded. “Just what is it you’re pitching then?”

  “Two things—they’re actually connected I think. For practical reasons, I’d like Others to have wide-open lines of communication with their people so they can be updated on a regular basis. Others need to feel heard. We need a place to report the things we’re experiencing. A place where we can connect them to help and services and be sure they’re getting the help they need. Meriel has been gathering legal resources and I’m happy to share that.”