by R. J. Blain
Anatoly roared his displeasure, and Simmons lifted his hand to his ear and said, “All clear. Head Tiger is vocalizing his displeasure over a Presidential edict. Please send for a court clerk with civil union documentation along with required documentation for Head Tiger and Stiletto. Please bring the copy of the Blade Clan contract and a copy of the waivers regarding Stiletto’s untraditional documentation.”
“I have her birth certificate,” my aunt announced, and she rummaged in one of her desk drawers. “I made her mother properly draw the damned thing up last time she was in town. Congratulations, Jesse. You’re the first Blade Clan member with an official birth certificate, and we even managed to secure your father’s signature as part of your proof for live birth.”
My eyes widened. I had a birth certificate? Birth certificates made a lot of the little things in life go much easier, as many places required them to prove identity for purposes of having a good apartment or home. Mercenaries could get through life without them, but with one, I could do a lot more. “That’ll make voting a lot easier. And I won’t get yelled at every time I renew my courier’s license.”
“Ah. Agent Simmons? Please request someone to come renew her license while we’re at it; it’s up for renewal next month, and I’d rather not have to stress about it close to deadline. She’ll take herself over for an appointment, and she might even tell us she’s doing it.”
Simmons passed on the request. “Anything else, Madam President?”
“Begin working on expanding your principal’s agent roster, to be effective next month. Also start looking for agents who can work with Nate. They’ll need to be ready to travel and be able to form a functional relationship with two Siberians. Put them on a higher pay grade. One Siberian is bad enough. Two will be a challenge. Integrate both teams, as unlike most Siberians, I suspect these two will dislike separation, or so I’ve been led to believe. While my husband is confirming Nate is allowed in the palace overnight now, please make certain the Secret Service is aware of the alterations to his living arrangements. Offer a bonus for anyone who wants to include checking his home daily for issues on the way to work.”
Simmons nodded, opened the door, and slipped outside of the room.
“While I’m working miracles, is there anything else anyone would like from me before we get to real work?”
I raised my hand. “I have a question.”
“I have learned to fear when you have a question,” my aunt muttered. “What do you want?”
“When can I meet my mother? Do you think she could wrangle my father? I’d like to meet him, too.”
It was one of the secret wishes of every child of the Blade Clan to meet his father and do him proud. As I’d defied the Blade Clan in all other ways, I wanted to have it all.
My aunt smiled. “I’ll send word to her, although she can be difficult to reach. You definitely got your tendency to wander off from her. But I’ll make sure she knows you want to meet her. As for your father, that can be done. Honestly, he’s easier to reach than my sister is. But yes, what you want can be done, it will just take some time to make the arrangements.”
“It works out that it will take some time.” My thoughts turned to Ferdinand and the plethora of problems he would create for everyone. “We have more serious concerns to worry about first.”
“That we do.”
Chapter Five
The private dining room wasn’t large enough for everyone, which meant we had to use the formal hall. Without hundreds of people crammed into the space, the room transformed me into something small and insignificant. I’d done a good job of avoiding the place, as it held too many memories.
I doubted anyone would fling a dagger at Todd’s back, nor did I think I would tango with my uncle again. For his sake, I hoped the gaudy headdress had died a terrible death, as even the thought of the damned thing annoyed me.
It still amazed me how such a brief moment could create so much change. That one little bout with my uncle had made it impossible to hide from the world. It still amazed me the banquet hadn’t resulted in my capture or death. In some ways, things would have become much simpler if I’d gone along with the bounty hunters—save Ferdinand.
I could have happily lived without Ferdinand ever taking an interest in me.
I took a seat beside my tiger, stifling a yawn while everyone settled. My aunt sat across from me, which sent an interesting message: she had a lot to say, and she didn’t feel like having to raise her voice to be heard. Her lecherous rabbit of a husband sat across from Anatoly, and Todd took the seat beside me. Gentry plopped down next to his sister, and a baker’s dozen of Secret Service agents joined us, including my agents.
I found it interesting Simmons flanked my tiger, and I leaned over to say, “Don’t let him escape, Simmons. I like this tiger, and I wish to keep him. I’ll be very distressed if I can’t keep him. You can even beat him a little if he resists becoming my pet tiger.”
My agent grinned at me. “We only have to beat him when the President declares it’s time for him to go home where he belongs, and as he’s been assigned to your living quarters, I don’t expect we’ll have to beat him for that reason anymore. We do have a training session tomorrow, but I’m sure he’ll attend without complaint if you escort him to the gym.”
Anatoly sighed. “I’m not going anywhere, Jesse. I’m more concerned you might wander off somewhere. Or have help wandering off. As long as the Hope Diamond is around your throat, you’re a target.”
The Hope Diamond might really be the death of me one of these days, and as I couldn’t deny the accusation, I shrugged. “And if what Madam President has been saying is true, I’m the target of a double dose of it this time.”
My aunt nodded. “You are. The Hope Diamond is a constant target, and since it’s stuck around your neck, that makes you a target. But, it’s also securing your general safety in a way.”
I tilted my head to the side and considered my aunt. “What do you mean?”
“The Hope Diamond has a personality, and it is known to zap anyone it doesn’t want touching it. You are a far more convenient way to move the stone around. But if they kill you, they’ll lose that, so your safety is important to those who want the stone.” Something across the room drew my aunt’s attention, and she straightened. “That would be the court clerk now. We’ll continue this discussion after you’ve permanently secured your tiger as an asset.”
I snickered at that. “You’ve been demoted to my asset, Ana.”
“It’s not a demotion. It’s a promotion.”
Everyone chuckled at that, and I twisted around in my chair to observe a younger woman with a stack of papers in her arms. She strode to the table and dumped her burden on the pristine cloth. “The paperwork you requested, Madam President. Judge Smithson will be along in a few minutes to oversee the signing. He is finishing up some verification work on the other end of the palace at the moment. He asks that you try not to take too long with your review, as he would like to make it home for dinner for a change.”
My aunt grinned and reached across the table for the paperwork, which she rummaged through until she found a few sheets, which she reviewed and tossed to Anatoly. “Review that for accuracy, but don’t sign until the judge gets here.” After a few more minutes, she slapped a piece of paper in front of me. “As the bride of this relationship, you get to tack Silverston onto your name. Since you don’t have a middle name, Alexander can become your middle name, so you can keep both rather than changing out your last name, which is what people usually do. That will also allow you to use Alexander on legal documentations moving forward if you want, although I expect your tiger will become upset, as he’ll like knowing you share his last name. I’ve noticed men can get very upset over that. Some women opt to keep their name and make their men change their last name, but I expect you’ll be happier this way, as it’ll let you get a move on with the rest of your life. Usually, we would have you sign the marriage certificate first, but the judg
e isn’t here yet, so we’ll just go ahead and do this. You don’t have to be married to change your name, anyway. It just costs more, and I’d pay the fee anyway, just to keep your tiger from having an excuse to roar at me again today.”
Anatoly shrugged. “Maybe if you stopped telling me things I didn’t like, I wouldn’t have a reason to roar at you.”
Sometimes, all I could do was ignore my tiger’s insanity. Instead of worrying about his posturing, I thought about my aunt’s comments. After a few moments of reflection, I realized she was correct. Nodding, I searched for a pen, and the court clerk offered me one. After reading the documentation, I wrote my new name, which was my old name but with Silverston tacked onto the end, and signed in the appropriate places before returning it to the court clerk. “If the tiger gives you any trouble, please roll this up and beat him with it.”
She smiled at me, claimed the sheet, and tucked it into a folder, which went beneath her arm for safe keeping. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hey, what did I do?” my tiger complained.
“You let these people disturb my nap.”
He chuckled at my answer. “That’s fair. I should have done better to prevent them from disturbing your nap, although I am enjoying the results. You know what these documents are for, right?”
“It’s the legalized version of a mating bite,” I replied, rolling my eyes over his concern I was utterly clueless. “While I haven’t attended a marriage ceremony, I do understand the tax benefits of putting up with you. It also helps post disputes, as we tigers are a species of cat who enjoys things others would be filing domestic violence charges over. The paperwork helps with the species exemption laws for such things. I’d hate to have to bail you out of jail every time you need to show you’re a worthy tiger. I also would like to avoid requiring bail because I needed to put you in your place again.”
My aunt snickered. “That’s one way to view it, Jesse.”
“I see I’m outnumbered here,” Anatoly muttered, and he faked a sniff. He slid his papers to me. “It looks okay to me. There is no evidence of them trying to marry us to anyone else.”
“That would be quite the trick.” I took my time reviewing the paperwork, which essentially informed me we would be classified as a legally married couple post signing. As bites held more sway than any government document, I viewed it as a nice way to save some money on taxes later down the road, as the government offered tax incentives for permanent partnerships. “I don’t see a line here informing the world I am acquiring a personal slave.”
“Marriage doesn’t give you ownership over your tiger,” my aunt replied, her tone amused. “I had similar thoughts about my rabbit.”
The rabbit shrugged. “I would have given it to her if that was what it took to convince her to marry me, honestly. I was a most pathetic bunny then.”
“I love that you acknowledged you were a pathetic bunny,” I admitted. Then, because I could be just as evil as everyone else when pushed, I did a sniff test. “I’m not sure you’ve been doing your duties, Mr. Male Rabbit.”
My aunt tossed back her head and howled her laughter. “She got you with that one, babe.”
“Good little tigress. I will have to figure out a suitable reward for that one. I will do my best to rectify my cruel mistreatment of my wife.”
“In the privacy of your chambers, if you please,” I replied, careful to keep from either laughing or grimacing and ruining my attempt to hold my own against the rampant pervert.
“I don’t please, but my wife makes me behave.”
Unable to help myself, I rolled my eyes. “Why did you pick a rabbit?”
“He cried, and damn it, I really can’t stand when prey I can’t eat cries.”
My uncle leered at my aunt, and I dropped the papers and rose to lunge across the table to end his perverted ways. Anatoly grabbed me around the waist, yanked me to him, and sat me on his lap. “Easy there, my beautiful tigress. Despite appearances, you actually do like your uncle despite him being a terrible First Gentleman.”
“I’m not a terrible First Gentleman. I’m perfection.”
Todd heaved a sigh, stood up, and flicked my uncle with a finger between the eyes. “That is for making Jesse want to kill you.”
“See? Even the stallion is on my side.”
The First Gentleman laughed. “I love that we’re surrounded by Secret Service agents, and not a single one of them even thought about protecting me from such a cruel assault.”
My aunt snorted. “That’s because you deserved it, and the last time they tried to help you, you electrocuted them. They’ve learned to just let you handle your own problems unless it looks serious. Now, settle down. As soon as the judge gets here, well take care of the signing and have one less problem on our plate. Then we’ll talk serious business.”
“Serious business that involves the majority of your detail, the current leaders of the Secret Service, and a few extras?” I asked.
“I would have brought the entirety of the Council into it, but between my rabbit and your tiger, we have all the information we need to discuss the situation. They can relay to the Council once we’re done with discussions here—and the Secret Service overflows with intel we may need for this. I’ve found it’s sometimes best to just bring them to the table and make use of their expertise.”
The more I heard, the more worried I became. “And all of this is because of one rogue wolf?”
“Not precisely. You’ll find out soon enough.” My aunt straightened. “Ah. There’s the judge now. Jamal, come witness these signatures so we can get to the rest of our evening and you can go home to the wife for dinner. How are you?”
“Pleased I’m doing something other than look over murder cases, thefts, and arsons. There’s been a plague of them lately,” the older man complained, stepping to the table. “You finally convinced Silverston to settle down?”
“Convinced? They’re trying to give her detail a heart attack. They got nippy with each other, wore themselves out, and passed out so hard Gentry roaring in their ears didn’t do jack shit to wake them. I’m just providing the legal documentation so you don’t end up with a chain of cases of them being accused of domestic violence when they’re flirting with their teeth. I’m saving you from a great deal of paperwork.”
“Tigers,” the judge complained. “It’s simple. Sign on the appropriately lines, print your name below the signatures, date the form, and pass it to the witnesses. You need one witness each. I recommend the President and the First Gentleman. They’re considered unassailable witnesses. Mainly because no one is stupid enough to question either one of them on something like this.”
I had no idea who the judge was, but I liked him already. I took up the pen again, found the appropriate lines on the form, and filled it out before passing it over to Anatoly. “Sign so I can claim you as my slave.”
Anatoly chuffed his amusement. “We just went over this, Jesse. This is not a slave ownership paper. It’s a marriage certificate. But, if it makes you feel better, I’ll pretend I’m your most loyal servant.”
“Servant?”
“I get paid as a servant.”
“What am I paying you? Damn it, I already signed! Nobody told me I had to pay him.” I pointed at my aunt. “You tricked me.”
“Why are you pointing at me, little girl?”
“This was your idea.”
“You’re paying him with your love and affection. He’ll probably accept bites or nibbles as currency.”
I considered that. “Then I’ve paid him in advance.”
My aunt’s expression turned thoughtful. “Yes, I would say you’re correct. Payment has already been rendered, Nate. You’re now a serf at absolute best.”
With a shrug, my tiger signed the papers and slid it across the table. “She’s worth serfdom, so I suppose I must accept these terms.”
“You better,” I grumbled.
Anatoly smirked at me, and I hissed at him.
My aunt
took her time with her signature before handing it over to my uncle. “Jamal, please have this record sealed from the general public. Until certain matters are handled, it’s a safety concern. Have it flagged as having to be unsealed by you with my direct approval, and mark the file as belonging to the Silverstons. That will help cover their tracks somewhat. As soon as a certain matter is resolved, I will have you unseal the records.”
“Understood, Madam President.”
After five minutes, some discussion over certified copies to be held in the President’s safe, and some pleasantries, the judge and court clerk left. As I expected all hell to break loose, I kept a close eye on my aunt. “What’s going on?”
“The Secret Service has vocalized concerns over an assassination attempt on many upper government officials, along with the guild leaders of major mercenary bands in the city. As the people insist on voting in my favor, there are those who wish to end my Presidency through any means necessary.”
“Do you think Ferdinand is involved?”
“I think it is probable, as it would fit his goals rather well. He wanted to take over Dawnfire, but my brother is a stubborn old grizzly who has no plans on retiring, and whenever he’s out of action, his wife takes over, which had made things difficult because she would need to see me often.”
While I didn’t see Felicity often, she hated being separated from Gentry for more than a few hours. “Let me guess. She’s why Charlotte was picked as your residency.”
“It had something to do with it, yes. Felicity doesn’t ask for much, but she wanted to be closer to home without having to shirk on her duties to the government. I liked being closer to family, too. Charlotte has all the infrastructure we need, and it is generally considered to be in a safe location.”
