by Lauren Dane
“Eat your food and then let’s sleep a while. Did you talk to Lark?”
“She’s upset about the house all over again. Meriel and Dominic have moved into an enclave. Simon doesn’t want to, but he wants Lark safe so they’re in one for the time being. Your name may have come up in a ‘Faine did it for Helena and so you should do it for Lark’ way. Not by me. I think it might have been my dad.”
He cringed and then laughed. “That’s what it’s like having a father-in-law, I guess. He wants you both safe and he has every right to expect me and Simon to make that happen. Though I do plan to ask him if he has a lawn mower and some Bermuda shorts the next time I see him.”
She snickered. “You two.” But then she put her head on his shoulder. “I’m so tired. I’m afraid of fucking up, but I’m so tired of being afraid to mess up that I’m sort of feeling punk rock about it. Like, bring it, I’m a cranky-ass bitch now so watch yourself.”
“I have no idea what you mean by that, but it sounds defiant and good and you said it with such viciousness I’m okay with it. There’s so much happening right now.”
“St. Louis is on fire. A little girl was turned away at a hospital. Who does that? She may die and all the person could think of was that she was a shifter? What is wrong with the world? Who raised such a creature? I can try to report a possible bombing, but I can’t stop that. It’s totally out of my control.”
“I know how much you hate being out of control, alamah.”
“I do.” She frowned and he nudged her to keep eating. “Grump and eat. Now that I know you get depleted after magick and need protein, I’m going to make sure you take care of yourself. That’s how I deal with my fear that something will happen to you.”
She looked up as she forked eggs into her mouth.
“What? Did you think I was beyond worries? I worry about you every waking moment. It’s part and parcel of loving a warrior isn’t it?”
“You’re very reasonable for someone who looks as good as you do.”
“I do try.” He paused a moment. “It’s okay to be afraid. I know you were raised to feel differently. But the world now is full of things to be afraid of. You’d be a fool not to fear for the future. You’d be irresponsible not to understand the gravity of what you do and how much people rely on you and not to be worried about letting them down. Fear doesn’t make you weak, Helena. It makes you strong. Because you do it anyway. You know the stakes and you get up every damned morning and you do your best.”
On the screen, the cameras shifted to Birmingham. On fire.
• • •
IT was still dark when Faine woke up. About two hours before the sun would rise. He lay still because he didn’t want to wake her. And because when it was quiet and she was sleeping in his arms, the world was perfect.
Things were going to happen that day. He could feel it. The buildup and anticipation in his bones. He waited until her breathing slid into the slow and deep of heavy sleep and got up.
He’d work out. Get some of the stress out of his muscles. He headed to the garage where the treadmill was. Now that she lived there with him, he’d need to clear out that part of the garage so she could park there. Since they’d both need exercise equipment, he could easily convert one of the bedrooms into a workout space.
By the first mile his muscles began to loosen up and he felt better, more alert. That day would see the House debating the Domestic Safety Act on the floor. He’d keep her busy so she wouldn’t obsess.
He smiled when he remembered her preferred end to their training session the day before. If he could keep her in bed all day it would be wonderful. But he knew his female, she’d want to be out and about and it was her job, after all. He was just grateful they weren’t in DC or she’d want to be at the House to watch the floor debate in person. And given how many times people seemed to want to kill her in DC, he was just fine with being across the country right then.
He’d had enough. Enough of this stupid crap with the PURITY people. More than enough of them trying to harm his woman. He had something more precious than anything he’d ever dreamed.
Being bound to her was . . . astonishing. Her strength lived in him now. He’d appreciated that before. Had watched her in action and admired her for it. But this was a different sort of experience. It wasn’t like he heard her thoughts or anything like that. But it was as if he were tuned into her. Intimately so.
If he concentrated, he knew she was still sleeping. Calm and relaxed. His beast approved and he was sure that should anyone try to disturb that, he would have bared his teeth and stopped it.
He also understood how hard she was working to let him in to share her life. To make it their life. Never would he have thought she would doubt she was worthy of such adoration, but he got it, just little twists here and there. Surprise and wonder when he did little things for her or professed how much he loved her.
One of these days he hoped she’d simply accept all the things he did and said as her due.
He turned on NPR as he rounded into the third mile and listened to news of the country falling apart.
• • •
HELENA woke feeling physically better than she had in a while. She’d only gotten five hours of sleep, but her body felt like it had been nine.
Tila, her . . . mother-in-law? Yeah, she guessed that was it, had told Helena that with the binding she’d have some of Faine’s strengths. If she only needed three or four hours’ sleep like Faine she could get so much more done.
Or at the very least, they could spend an hour or two every day in bed doing other things.
She deliberately didn’t think about work as she got out of bed. She needed to do some kickboxing and do a few miles on the treadmill. After she sweated a lot and showered, then she’d switch to work mode.
Faine was in the house. She knew it, felt his presence. That piece of him that lay in her belly shifted a little, as if it knew she was thinking of him.
He came around the corner as she headed to the garage to work out. “Good morning, alamah.” He pulled her to his body and kissed the top of her head.
“Mmm, morning.” She tipped her face up and he kissed her lips, his taste settling into her senses.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m going to run a bit. Work out with the bag.”
“Want a partner with the bag? I already did five miles but I’m always happy to stand around and watch you glisten with sweat as you beat the bag into submission.”
“I’m pretty sure you’d be able to make any subject whatsoever sound dirty.”
“I have many talents.”
She laughed and he kissed her again. His joy at doing so flooded the connection between them. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on, making that quick kiss a longer one.
“You taste good.” She grinned and he swatted her butt.
“Keep that up and you won’t get outside for some time.”
“It occurs to me that we haven’t even had shower sex yet.” She went out into the garage and began her stretches.
He poked his head out. “I’m going to start the coffee and then I’ll be out in a bit. But don’t think I’m going to forget about the shower sex comment.”
She moved to the treadmill. “Counting on it.”
The scent of coffee rose and woke her up nearly as well as the miles she ran, and when he came out some time later without his shirt and wearing his snug running shorts, she was plenty awake.
“Suddenly I really don’t care about the bag.” She stepped to him and took a lick over his right nipple. “But I’m really, really dirty. Think you can help with that?”
Laughing, he bent, caught her at the waist and heaved her up and over his shoulder and jogged to the master bath where he gave her a workout and got her all clean. Physically anyway.
• • •
FORTY-FIVE minutes later they came out to the kitchen. “You totally deserve to have me make breakfast after that performance. If I had scorecards
you’d have all tens.”
“You’re in a mood this morning. I like it.” He poured them both a cup of coffee.
“Calm before the storm, I think.”
“Are we defining sleep as the calm?”
“Five hours without injury or conspiracy is a win. I’ll take what I can get.” She began to pull the makings for breakfast from the fridge. “And now that I’m exercised, sexed up and clean on the outside, I suppose I can no longer avoid looking at the news.”
He winced and she knew it was pretty bad. “You want to get me up to speed while I cook?”
“They made four hundred arrests last night in St. Louis. At this point it’s millions of dollars in property damage. The mayor declared a curfew.”
“The little girl?”
“She made it through the night so they’re cautiously hopeful. Her parents went on television and begged everyone to calm down. A mob showed up at their house and tried to burn it down. But the Pack had guards there and they prevented such a thing. The cops showed up and arrested everyone, even though the mob started it and the wolves were just defending themselves. Rumors are swirling around. Cats came after that and are guarding the house along with some witches and some humans too.”
“Good lord. Well at least there’re some small rays of hope.”
“The coven offices in New Haven were trashed. Windows broken out. A security guard was beaten. He was treated at a local hospital and released. Several members of the city council showed up today to help with cleanup.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m trying hard to hold on to all the positives in that news.”
“Me too.”
They ate breakfast and watched the national news while she scanned the local news on her notebook. She needed to get out in the field. Things at the office were being handled.
She called to check in and Marian told her Rebecca was fine and they’d moved classes to the nearest enclave and had upped the security. The kids were learning defensive magick along with geometry and poetry. That’s how it had to be and no matter how sad it made her, it didn’t change anything. But it would make them better able to defend themselves in a world where some people wanted to harm them simply for who they were.
“You’re going to carry today?” He tipped his chin at the weapons she’d strapped on.
“Concealed mainly. But if they’re assaulting children now, I’m not taking any chances out there. I need to stop over at the DMV in Montebello. They were refusing to help anyone who appeared to be an Other yesterday. Like you can tell?”
Faine gave her a long, slow perusal that had her blushing within moments. “I don’t know. I can see the magick all around you. Beautiful. Makes me want to lick you.”
She waved a hand to fan her face. “Stop that.”
“You’re breathless. I thought I’d satisfied you enough to hold you over for an hour or three. I apparently didn’t do my job very well.”
“You’re making me all fluttery.”
“I see that. It’s beautiful on you. My beast loves to play with you.”
“You did. Three times.”
He laughed. “Maybe it should have been four.”
“I’m going to be so relaxed the DMV people will eat me up. I need to be tough and hard-ass.”
“Mmm. I’ll let you play bad cop if you’ll let me frisk you later.”
She laughed, finishing her coffee and rinsing out her cup. “Come on. Incorrigible.”
Bad things were happening all around them. But it wasn’t all bad. She had this male, this being who made everything better.
“You sure about carrying? I distracted you inside before you answered.”
“Yes. I’ve got a permit. And I’ve got a don’t-look spell on them at the moment. No one is going to see them unless I want it.”
He pulled the car out of the garage and they’d gotten about two blocks when she rolled her window down.
The sun was now up and she waited to hear the birds. But instead she heard . . . yelling and then gunshots.
“Shit. Get to the gates. Now.”
She put her earbud in and called the office. “There’s something going down at the enclave down here.”
Which was an understatement.
Several large trucks had pulled up to the front gates, a few mounted with .50-cal guns. They sprayed the area with bullets as other humans wearing camo and masks tried to get in the gates.
She needed to pull everyone together. She spoke into her phone, “Get the rest of the guards in the area here. I don’t want us to get flanked, so someone needs to get a better view of what’s happening around the entire enclave. People need to stay in place, we don’t want to leave any openings. Remember there are kids here, get someone to contact the school and if they’re not on lockdown protocol, make that happen. Call me when you hear. Don’t bother calling the local cops. Call Gil Anderson at the FBI.”
Faine pulled the car around a corner and they got out, keeping low. “I need to get over there to get people together.” She popped the trunk and pulled out more weapons and ammo. He took what he needed.
He understood it. He’d been in command in military situations for much of his adult life. But if she thought he’d stay behind while she did, she was out of her mind.
“Lead on. I’ve got your back.”
She grabbed him, kissing him hard. “If you get hurt, even one little scratch, I’m going to rip some people apart. Got me? And I’ll make you use my mother’s green soap. So keep your head down.”
“I think I can manage that, boss.”
She harrumphed and he followed her.
One of the trucks with the mounted gun had several people in the guard shack pinned down. He knew she was drawing magick as they moved, felt it build in the air all around them. Their link shimmered and heated as she charged herself. But even then he was not ready for the moment she stepped out, shot the guy at the gun in the head with one hand and blew back the others standing near the gates, trying to pry them open, with a heated blast of power.
She spoke instead of yelling, but her voice was modulated to be heard by those in the shack.
“Get out of there and behind some cover. Weapons hot. Shifters, you’re free to take either form. Witches, don’t waste whatever shot you get with anything but lethal force.”
“We’ve got two down,” one of the guards shouted.
“Leave them in the shack.” It was fortified, Faine knew. “We’ve got backup on the way, but let’s see about clearing out this riffraff before one of these nearby houses gets hit.”
“We got them evacuated first thing. Only one house was occupied. A lot of people had already left for work.” One of the guards, a shifter named . . . Sophie, that’s right, spoke to Helena.
She’d been training this group so they followed her orders perfectly and fanned out, narrowly avoiding getting shot. The problem was that one of the trucks sat at an angle behind the wall so it was hard to get a shot at it, but they had a higher vantage point and kept them pinned down.
“Who are they? Have they made any demands?”
Sophie shook her head. “They haven’t. They just rolled up to the gates and opened fire.”
Helena made a call and ordered her people to run the plates. Faine took film of the situation and emailed it to the Gennessee office.
“I’m going to shift. Cover me.” Sophie got her clothes off and in a blink she was a large, honey-colored wolf.
“Go left, along the wall. I’m going to take out this nearest truck.” Helena drew more power. “They just tossed the dead guy off and there’s another one now. The ones near the gates will be bleeding out the ass for a while, if they’re still alive. But we need to deal with those mounted guns.”
She turned to the others. “You, if you get in that tree over there, you can use magick to short out their engines. I’m going to try something with the guns. I need a distraction because I need to be closer. I’d prefer not to take a bullet the size of a small dog if I can help
it.”
“No jokes,” Faine growled at her. “I’ll shift. I can jump the fence easily.”
“No. What I want to do . . . well, everyone needs to be behind me. Cover me. You’re handy with a weapon.”
And then she took off her shoes and began to pull magick, spooling it up at a rate he figured was pretty alarming given the way the nearby witches gaped at her.
“Go on!” He waved at them. “Get in place or this is for nothing.” Once they’d all run off he got in Helena’s face. “I know you’re going to do something scary. And I’m not happy. I get it, I know why. But you’d better not end up dead, Helena. I mean it.”
Her eyes were otherworldly now. The power arcing off her skin. The hair on his arms stood straight up.
“I got this. And stay behind me.”
“Give me a forty-five-second lead. I need to lay down some fire and the rest just got into position.”
She nodded and he had no choice but to put her immediate safety from his mind.
Helena’s heart raced and her mind reeled. She’d never brought so much power into herself, not even when she stopped that bomb. But something about her link to Faine had grounded her. She felt the power rushing through her, knew it could burn her out and leave her brain-dead. But she held the reins.
She gave him his forty-five seconds and gunfire began to fill the air. She blocked it all out except to be sure to stay out of the line of their fire. Her focus was on the two remaining trucks and the deafening percussion of the chunk, chunk, chunk of the bullets hitting the pavement and the walls of nearby buildings.
They saw her coming and she let it go. Let them see her full of magick. Let herself be the monster they were frightened enough of that they’d attack a neighborhood filled with innocents.
They’d tried education. They’d tried diplomacy. They’d even fought back and used threats. But PURITY and their buddies kept coming. They would keep coming until all the Others were dead because that’s the only thing PURITY wanted.
So she’d be sure they understood if they wanted that, it would be their bodies at the morgue.
She raised her hands and drew more power. The city had its own sort of energy and she pulled it from the people, from the buildings and cars, from the stored energy in the roads and sidewalks. She drew from the Font as well.
