Going Under

by Lauren Dane

  “Makes sense. God knows how many Others have had something happen to them but didn’t know where to turn to get help.” Lex took a quick note. “The other thing?”

  “You need a council of Others. A governing body of sorts. And then at the top of that, we need representatives from each group who will accompany me to different appearances and press conferences. Humans need to see us. They need to hear our voices and be reminded we are the same as we were before the Magister came. They need to hear that we understand their fear and upset, but are unwilling to be their victims. It’s an easier message to hear if it’s delivered right.”

  “And snarling, seven-foot-tall werewolves, even in nice suits, make it harder to hear?” Nina’s mouth twitched as she studiously avoided her husband’s gaze.

  He snorted though.

  “They knew about some of us. You’ve been out for a time, the cats were working on it, vamps too. But this is different. They found out about us in a terrifying way.”

  “Did they lose their father? Their uncle or their children? How dare they get scared of something that didn’t hurt them at all!” Lex pounded the table and Molly was proud she didn’t jump.

  “Don’t raise your voice to her.” Gage spoke calmly and simply, but he was just as scary as Lex had been.

  The two males locked gazes as the room got very, very silent.

  “She’s making apologies for what’s happening,” Lex said at last.

  “Bullshit,” Gage countered.

  “If I may.” Molly rapped the table with her knuckles. “There’s a difference between making apologies and understanding motivations. How can we begin to make peace with the humans if we don’t even take into account how they’re feeling? How can we address it and still get our point across that we are not going to take this nonsense if we don’t even understand why they do what they do? It’s stupid, in my opinion, to go to war with anyone without a basic understanding of who and what they are and what makes them tick. If I make an apology, I do it openly and honestly. I do not appreciate being accused of something I have the courage to do without pulling punches. I was raised to believe that sort of thing was insulting.”

  Lex heaved a sigh. “Why do all the females I know give me lectures?”

  “She’s right.” Nina arched a brow at him.

  “I’m testy. These are my people, my land, everything I need to protect and I can’t. I’m not much interested in making nice with people who burn down houses with children in them. But,” he added before she could speak, “I know you’re not saying that. My buttons got pushed but you’re right about the importance of understanding motivations.”

  She understood it. Everyone had been shocked. Everyone had suffered staggering loss. It was more important than ever to keep their heads right then.

  “For what it’s worth, I’m not interested in making nice with murderers who kill children either. In fact, I’d love to be sure we hold them accountable so they spend their lives in prison for it. We can do it. I think. But it’s going to take planning.”

  “So what’s your plan then?” Nina spoke at last.

  And Molly told them.

  Chapter 8

  “BEEN a long day for you. How ’bout you let me buy you dinner?” Gage kept his eyes on the road as they got off the freeway and headed to her hotel.

  “I wanted to thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Back when Lex was so angry, you defended me. Thank you.”

  Gage was outraged anew at the memory of how she’d flinched, just a little bit. “He was out of line.”

  “He lost his father.”

  Beneath the cool, together exterior she had a big heart. “So did you. We all lost people.” Gage’s mouth hardened. “No call to terrorize someone you invited into your home and who was trying to help him and his damned wolves. He’s not a bad guy. He’s good at running his pack. People look to him for leadership. That you won him over the way you did will mean something to them. And to the Others also thinking of joining your little road tour.”

  She blew out a breath. “That’s the idea anyway. I hope it works the way I envision it.”

  He wanted to soothe away the tension around her eyes. Wanted to take care of her a little. She was so far away from home. “Do you like burritos? One of the witches in Owen runs this Mexican joint just ahead. They make the best burritos in the state.”

  “All right. Sounds good.”

  “Let’s get you back to the hotel first so you can change. Put on something warm. It’s cold out there tonight.”

  “I won’t argue with that.”

  He checked her room and the wards out before leaving her to get dressed. He told her to knock on the connecting door because he needed to check in with Faine anyway.

  He didn’t know why she got to him the way she had, but she did. He mother always said he was a nurturer. Of course his mother was a hippie-type witch who loved to use words like nurturer. But Molly was half a country away from home with no friends and family around. It had to knock her off balance.

  She’d handled herself so well with the wolves that afternoon. Anyone, big or small, powerful or not, would find it hard not to cow to a powerful Other like Lex Warden. The male was a freaking nuclear reactor of energy. But Molly had met his gaze without flinching. And even when he’d pounded the table, she’d hidden her distress. Her response hadn’t been more anger, it had been reason. She was cool as a cucumber, but Gage wondered what she was like when she finally lost the reins on her emotions.

  Faine had returned from the job Gage had sent him on that morning. “So I watched PURITY HQ all day. I’ve forwarded you all the film of who came and went. A few took the back way. Those ones you’ll likely recognize quite easily. Including a federal court judge and two members of the county council.”

  Gage’s lip curled. “Fucking ridiculous.”

  “Yes. But now we know. How’d she do? I saw the interview, by the way. Don’t think they cut too much. She held her own.”

  “She said they had to agree to curtail editing for only specific things. Part of her contract to speak. She’s smart, our Molly.”

  “Totally. What’d the wolves think of her?”

  “They agreed to her plan to have a council of Others and they’ll send one of their people with her when she does public speaking events. Hell, she even showed them how to do video blogs to update the pack members via their website.”

  “I noticed she gets people to agree to things they probably had no intention of agreeing to before she walked in. And the aftermath of the death threat?”

  Gage shrugged. “She’s shaken up some. Who wouldn’t be? But she did that interview right after she was told. We still need to go to the police to report the death threats. She got Meriel to agree that we’d report them all. Still don’t know how effective it’ll be. But I get her point.”

  Faine shrugged. “We won’t know until we try I guess. I like her. Molly I mean. She’ll fit in here just fine. Just wish it was under better circumstances.”

  “Yeah. I’m taking her to grab dinner. You want to come with us?”

  “Sounds good.”

  * * *

  EVERYTHING had been . . . manageable until they’d finished what had been a pretty delightful dinner.

  Gage on one side, Faine on the other, she was protected by a wall of giant, muscly and admittedly gorgeous man flesh as they left the restaurant and hit the sidewalk outside.

  “Shit. Hang on, Molly.” Faine touched her shoulder. “We’ve got a whole group of protesters to get through.”

  “Let’s go back inside, we can head out the back door.” Gage’s face had hardened, leaving her breathless and fascinated.

  “No. Unless you think it’s too dangerous. I don’t think we should turn tail and hide.” Part of her knew how much they both hated the idea.

  Maybe it was the fear. Or her exhaustion. Maybe it was the way the death threat had turned her world upside down but whatever the cause, she didn’t want
to back down.

  Gage locked his gaze with hers. “Are you sure? This could get ugly.”

  “Uglier than a death threat? Uglier than losing my job because my clients, who I thought were friends, turned on me?” She hadn’t meant for that to come out, but it did and he took it in, emotion flooding his features for a brief moment until he hardened again.

  That’s when the tussle happened.

  A wall of protesters surged forward and Molly nearly lost her balance. She stumbled back into Faine, who shored her up, allowing her to keep her feet. Gage snarled something, shoving forward. The magick flowed from him, surrounding her, bringing the hair on her arms to stand.

  The crowd was screaming stuff. She didn’t register most of it, but the tone was enough to convey their hate and fear. Molly dimly registered that things were being thrown, but not what. She kept her head down.

  They held signs with crude and hateful words. Some used the signs to batter the group as they tried to make their way through. She should have gone out the back door like they suggested.

  The sidewalk was full. People spilled out into the street. Cars screeched to a halt to keep from hitting people. Horns sounded.

  Chaos ruled, and for what?

  Molly’s brain shut down everything but essential functions like keeping her feet and letting Faine and Gage get her through the crowd and to the car.

  Faine shoved her in and followed, shielding her with his body. Gage scooted across the front to the driver’s side, cursing as he jammed the key into the ignition and started the car. They were surrounded by protesters banging on the hood and windows until Gage did some sort of magick stuff and they parted enough for them to get free.

  They drove away quickly, Faine on his phone with the woman who owned the restaurant telling her they were sending some people over to guard the front entrance.

  Molly stared out the window and barricaded the walls around her emotions. They trembled and she whispered in her head to hold it together until she got back to her hotel room.

  The rage radiated from Gage as he drove. Faine made calls and gave orders, punctuated by short directives from Gage as he went. Neither of them said anything to her, which was good because she was beyond speaking anyway.

  Back at the hotel Faine turned to her. “Hold on, I’m coming around to get your door.”

  She nodded, numb, her hands loose in her lap.

  Gage turned in the driver’s seat to look at her. “Are you all right?”

  If she spoke she might laugh. Or worse, cry. So she nodded again.

  “Did you get hit with anything? Harmed in any way?”

  In any way? A laugh bubbled up. One of those not-quite-sane laughs and she choked it back, shaking her head and scrambling out when Faine opened her door.

  One foot in front of the other and she got to the elevator and then down the hall. She managed to blurt a thank you to Faine on his way out of her room to be sure everything was fine.

  He paused, clearly about to speak, but must have seen the panic in her eyes and touched her shoulder instead, before leaving.

  She locked up and methodically took her hair down, throwing the pins across the room so hard they pinged off various surfaces. Her watch followed, whether it broke or not when she threw it she didn’t know. Or care.

  One shoe knocked over a lamp, then the other better aimed at the closed bathroom door.

  Gage knocked on the door. “Are you all right, Molly?”

  Fuck no. She wasn’t all right.

  “Fine,” she nearly snarled as she headed toward her bathroom, pulling her clothes off as she went.

  The nearly scalding water filled the room with steam. Enough that she didn’t have to look at herself when she got into the shower. Enough that she wasn’t sure where the tears began and the water ended.

  She didn’t get death threats! She didn’t have people screaming that she was a demon from hell. Didn’t get things thrown at her. Even when she’d dealt with the worst kinds of scandals she hadn’t seen this sort of violence aimed at her.

  She was far from everything. From Chicago, from the road signs and rooftops she knew best. Far from the way her mother’s front walk curved ever so slightly before it reached the front steps. Far from Rosa’s porch swing and roses.

  She had no one to talk to. No one who could understand her. Her life in Chicago was hours ahead. Too late to call. Too late to be listened to.

  Molly was not a wallower, but it seemed like it was all she could do to try to scrub the day from her skin as she wept like an idiot.

  * * *

  GAGE heard the thump and then another and then a crash. He pounded on her door. “Are you all right, Molly?”

  There was no sound and then the tiniest intake of breath. Admittedly he used some magick to boost his hearing. She was on the edge, that much had been clear by the way she’d held herself on the way to the hotel.

  When she answered with a terse “Fine,” it was threaded with anguish. He put a palm against the door, not knowing what to do.

  “Leave her be.” Faine jerked his head toward his door.

  “She’s clearly upset. We can’t just leave her be.” He stayed at her door until he heard the rush of the shower and then headed to Faine’s room.

  “We have to let her decide if she wants to share or not.” Faine shrugged as Gage locked up.

  “She needs friends right now.”

  “She does. And they’re a thousand miles away. Or maybe two. Whatever, it’s far from here to Chicago. This is all new to her. She’s essentially lived as a human. Nothing is the same for her now.”

  Gage’s stomach hurt. “Which is why we need to go to her now.”

  “No. It’s why we need to let her decide when to let us in. Dude, I know a control freak when I see one and the lovely lady next door is the biggest control freak I’ve ever met. She’s precise in nearly every way.”

  Gage remembered the way she’d laid her napkin out, the way she’d cut her burrito up into equally sized pieces. “And your point?”

  “My point is, when people like Molly lose their shit, they may not want to do it in front of a total stranger. She might see it as a weakness, being affected by all this crazy. If we push our way in, she’s going to be embarrassed. Or worse, feel like she has to keep holding it together when I’m going to venture a guess that she needs this little breakdown more than even she understands.”

  “You went into the wrong field. Should have been a psychologist.”

  Faine lifted a shoulder. “I have many talents. Anyway, go on home. I’ve got things covered here. I’ll check in with her tomorrow morning to make sure she’s all right. I doubt she takes days off. Then again, neither do you.”

  “Too much to do.” Gage headed to the door again. “I told her I’d take her to the police station tomorrow to report the death threat so I’ll be by at ten or so. I can take tomorrow with her so you can have the day off. Hell, take the weekend. Spend some time with Simon and Lark.”

  “I got it. She’s not that much work and when she’s at the office I have plenty of time to finish my other work.”

  “No arguing. It’ll be good for her too. I’m going to give her some training on Sunday anyway. Defensive magick. She should know more about how to take care of herself in this new world she finds herself in. Probably give her some sense of control too.”

  “All right then. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Gage didn’t go straight home. Instead he headed to Heart of Darkness. He needed something. Company maybe. A drink definitely. Chances were Meriel and Dom would be there so he could brief them on the situation.

  And maybe to keep from being alone.

  Chapter 9

  “YOU sure you want to do this?” Gage looked her up and down when she opened the door to her room the following morning.

  “Where’s Faine?”

  “You’re going to give me a complex, Molly. What am I, chopped liver?”

  “Liver’s gross.”

  “
I suppose that may have been a compliment. Anyway, Faine has the weekend off. I’m on Molly duty. It’s better that I go to the SPD with you anyway. I’ve had some dealings with them and we’ve got sort of an established relationship there.”

  Molly took one last look at herself, grateful for the wonder of modern makeup and the few awesome glamour spells she knew to get rid of under-eye circles. She’d slept pretty hard after her shower wallow and that huge bowl of ice cream. Before the makeup and hair she’d looked every inch the person who’d been up too late.

  “Yes, let’s get this over with. I have a conference call in two hours. Do you think this will take that long?” She grabbed her bag and he helped her into her coat.

  “Shouldn’t, no. They may have questions, but it shouldn’t take them that long.”

  “So glad it’s a snap to report a death threat,” she muttered.

  He guided her to the elevator and then out through the lobby where his car waited. She didn’t want to talk about the night before but he had that look men got when they knew they should probably mention something that had upset the woman before. But they didn’t know how to do it and they were uncomfortable with it anyway. If she’d been dating him, it might have been more amusing than annoying.

  She headed it off. “I’m fine.”

  He gave her a sideways look as he snapped the seat belt but thankfully left it alone.

  “This cop we’re talking to is pretty all right. He’s someone the wolves have dealt with in the past I’m told. So he’s not unfamiliar with Others, nor is he a bigot. At least not any kind that could be turned up after a search of his background.”

  “Do you do that? Routinely check on people?”