A few had returned a hearty yes, and then had called to let her know they’d been denied access.
So, she told them to report that to the world.
The mayor took matters into her own hands. She and several other people in the community decided to take a different stand. They were shooting videos of just about everything. They still had access to social media, so they were going to use it. They shared their stories with friends, and through them, the world.
There were stories from the schools and the social dinners and the distributing of their supplies.
The mayor had even hired her own videographer. It was her son. She hired her son. But he and his team followed Paige through just about everything for the next two days. Not the secret meetings. But through most of her days.
Including home life.
It felt invasive. She didn’t appreciate it, but she had to get the story out.
Lovejoy contacted her on the burner phone and told her to keep doing what she was doing. It was helping, and the number of people being abducted had significantly reduced.
That was all good. Very good.
But this wasn’t a solution.
Paige called Mario and personally invited him to Troutdale and asked him to bring the media.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ms. Whiskey.”
“Why?” Paige was feeling good about herself. She’d seen the media coverage. They were trending and doing it while sending out a positive message. We can work together. “Because the president is running scared?”
“You baited her, and you continue to do so every time you mention the media.”
“Being able to come in and cover this news story that will affect people all over the nation? You’re right. That’s very irresponsible of me. I should remember that, when tyrants want me to be silent, I should surrender my voice and do as I’m told.”
He didn’t respond.
“Bring the news.” She disconnected.
It was time to show the people who they were fighting and give the power back to the paranormals.
Leah had to get back to school. She couldn’t stay out any longer, even though Paige really could have used the help. Her education was more important. Paige kept the twins close. They were growing so fast. And, frankly, so was Bobby. That worried her. She appreciated the fact that they were getting easier to manage, but were they growing too fast?
She still didn’t want to bring Bobby out into the spotlight. He was a prophet and was wanted by Heaven and Hell. So, she wasn’t going to put a neon sign over his head and invite that trouble. They already had enough.
Leslie was no help on the twin front. She had her hands full with a mystery of new people showing up. It was—Paige really didn’t know what was going on, only that she didn’t want to get involved and Leslie didn’t want her help. Great. Excellent. Moving on.
The upcoming news conference was giving her hives. Literally. It’d been a great idea two days prior, but now, with everyone gathering on Main Street and the big moment nearly around the corner, she realized she’d needed more practice. She couldn’t mess this up. How many people were there? Why would the town show up for this?
Then she realized this wasn’t the town. DoDO had done more than just let the media in. They’d let everyone in.
What were they planning?
The anxiety she had been feeling turned to panic.
Chuck took her by the arms as she headed toward the museum at the end of the street and exerted his alpha will on her, his blue eyes framed by black lashes. “Calm down.”
“I am calm.” She wasn’t even a little calm. She felt like a kindergartner on the backlines of a major war, proclaiming to be a general.
He tipped his head to the side and gave her a frank look. “You are not. And why isn’t your pack helping you with the twins?”
Because she kept forgetting about them? Also, the last time Margo’d been set to watch the twins, they escaped her to find Paige anyway. “They’re busy. We’ve got security issues, and I’m not saddling any of them with babysitting duty.”
He sighed, giving her a look that said he knew the real reason.
That man always did, which was probably why he was the regional high alpha.
“Fine. I’ll ask.”
He nodded and stepped away. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”
Yeah. She’d written and rewritten her speech a few dozen times and had practiced it in every mirror she could find. She turned to the crowd milling in the street and released a long breath she’d puffed into her right cheek. Her speech now had absolutely nothing to do with how it’d started. Was it right? Should she have stayed with the original? What had that even been in the first place? “Yeah.”
Chuck licked his lips, looked down, and then grabbed her arm, bringing her back around to face him.
She really just needed someone bigger and smarter and wiser than her to tell her she could do this.
He looked her in the eye. “There is a reason,” he said, his slight accent softening his words, “we put you in this position.”
“Because I’m the only one without a job?”
He gave her a look that told her to shut up.
Right.
“You’re the most powerful witch in this region.”
Being powerful didn’t mean she was the right person for the job.
“You are also most capable of handling trying situations.”
Cawli growled low in the back of Paige’s head in appreciation.
“We haven’t had a person like you in our worlds in a very long time, and you are the only one who can bridge our gap right now.”
She realized he wasn’t just talking about the gap between witches and shifters, which was wide. Or the gap between the other paranormals and witches and shifters.
No. It was the chasm between paranormals and humans. She’d invested a large portion of her career—nearly twenty years, which made her feel old—working with and protecting humans from paranormals. Too few could say that.
He nodded slowly, sucking in his bottom lip as he saw that understanding somewhere in her expression. At least, that’s what she assumed.
Right. Right.
She turned to the podium on the flatbed trailer.
Right.
Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she stepped up to the podium and raised her hands for the crowd to quiet.
Which version of this speech was she going with? The anxiety flooding her wiped out her memory. Almost.
Thank the goddess she’d practiced it so many times.
“Ladies and gentlemen, media, and all outlets of the world.” She worked her feet, getting her “speech legs” under her. She felt like she was on a boat and the water was choppy. She wasn’t going to focus on the fact that all these people were looking up to her, relying on her, waiting for her to mess up.
She focused on all these people who were searching for answers.
“We’ve had some pretty interesting days, haven’t we?” She knew they wouldn’t answer her, but they did respond. Some nodded. Others looked at each other.
She’d learned a lot over the course of the last week. It wasn’t just about getting the message out there. She had to engage.
But this wasn’t like being in D.C., where she actually got to talk to people. This was an actual speech.
“Many of you have come to Troutdale for your own reasons.” She had no idea what any of those even were. “But you need to understand one thing. Being here has put you in danger.”
A few people muttered around the crowd.
“What you don’t know is that the Department of Delicate Operations, DoDO for short, let you in. For a reason. But what is that reason? They also allowed in the media. For a reason. But for what reason?” She had a guess. “I believe they plan on attacking us. Or inviting an attack.”
A few people raised their voices in alarm.
She raised her hands for silence. She didn’t get complete silenc
e, but with the help of the microphone, she was confident she could be heard. “What you need to also understand is that Troutdale has been the center of several attacks, DoDO being one of them. So, we have protections in place. Protections that can be used and installed just about everywhere. And I’d like to walk you through them now.”
She invested the next few minutes into showing the people where the wards were. She set them off so they could see. Before this example could be made, Paige had ensured Eldora set the doors for somewhere other than North Korea and that a Blackwood witch was there to retrieve them.
She then had Margo attack her on stage in front of everyone. A rip appeared in the air, and Margo disappeared.
“They’re being sent to a detention facility in Utah.” After Margo went through, Phoebe, the Blackwood witch sent to bring Margo back, would leave that location and return home. “So, if there is an uprising or if we are attacked within the protections of our wards, then DoDO, or whoever the aggressor is, will be sent to jail. Of course, the president will bail them out, but that isn’t the point. The point is that we’re safe. Here.”
Kinda.
“But the president wants us in cages. It will start with a forced registration. I’ve been informed that we’ll then be chipped, and the more dangerous ones will be forced to wear collars. And I’m sure that makes many of you feel safer. But there are creatures in this world who are not answerable to the president; demons and angels and demigods. Yes, demigods. Thor is real.”
That elicited quite a few chuckles.
She’d had to check the library records on that one. He was real. He just wasn’t really on this planet.
She gripped the podium and whispered, “Bal, I need you.”
A cloud of black smoke appeared beside her, and Balnore stepped out with Bastet by his side in her full regalia.
Paige sent him a thank you with her eyes, hoping he caught it.
He nodded a greeting to her but kept familiarity out of his expression.
“Try collaring the gods. See how that works for the president. She—”
An explosion interrupted her.
Mario looked at her with a frown of confusion.
Paige had set this up as well. If DoDO was going to play it safe—which was something they could do, especially when she’d so publicly called him out about it—then she’d force it to happen. But she had to make a good show of it.
She stepped back, her hands raised, her magick out.
Bal and Bastet reacted as well as only they could as demigods, ready for anything.
Nothing further happened, per the plan. The explosion was just to get people’s attention, nothing more. This was a show, not the real deal. She didn’t want to actually put these people in danger. She wanted to force DoDO’s hand in doing nothing.
Paige stepped up to the podium again, not releasing her magick as she continued to scan the area. The gamble might not work. DoDO might step up and still do whatever they’d originally planned. This whole thing was one big gamble. It could blow up in her face. It could set Mario into actually responding in kind.
A demon walked toward them, the crowd parting for him. “I received your invitation.”
Had Mario summoned a demon? Seriously? What was he planning?
Mario smiled and nodded, but his brow furrowed as if he were still confused.
So, the demonwasn’t a part of his plan.
The demon shook his head at Paige. “You really think you stand against them, against any of us? We’ve been on this earth a lot longer than any of you.”
“Gerriel,” Bal said. “What are you doing here?”
“Teaching these people a lesson. The paranormals are very dangerous.” He smiled wickedly, and then a chuckle bubbled out of him, exploding into a rolling laugh. “Oh, I do so enjoy this president.” He sobered and launched a fireball into the air.
The people screamed.
Paige reached out with her witch hand to grab his demon soul and shove it through the hell gate embedded in her bones.
But before she could, a door opened in front of demon and swallowed him up, closing with a whoosh.
The fireball went straight into the sky and was dissolved by the wards.
The street was quiet.
She turned to Mario, wondering if that’d gone to plan.
He raised two surprised eyebrows at her and shrugged.
So, someone was playing him as well. Who had summoned that demon?
She swallowed hard and released her magick. “We’re living in a new era,” she said, her voice a little hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “One where we can’t blindly believe that our government is trying to protect us. They’re vilifying us and creating a war in our back yards, in our homes. Our families and friends.”
Mario shook his head, staring daggers into her.
“It starts with chips and collars,” she said, staring daggers right back at him. “But where will it end? In prison camps? Laboratories? Death camps?” She turned her attention back to the crowd. “We don’t want war, but it certainly feels as though the president of the United States of America does.” Fear thrummed through her, wondering what in the hell she’d just said and why and what the consequences would be. “And we will not go quietly into the night.”
And that was all she had to say.
Mario, however, looked like he was ready to explode.
Chalk one up for their team.
15
It took hours to get the media circus to filter out of Troutdale. A few news crew had decided to put down stakes and take up residence.
DoDO blockaded the roads again, so it might be forever or never to regain access to the town.
Several people wondered if she’d been the one to summon the demon. If the president of the United States could create fake news, it made sense that she would too.
That irritated Paige beyond measure because doubts entered into everything at that point. No one would know what was real or not because it was so easy to make up the truth.
Bal approached her after the crowd dispersed and mingled on the streets. “That demon was summoned by DoDO.”
Paige wasn’t surprised he knew that. “But Mario looked surprised.”
“Yes, he did, didn’t he? He wasn’t the one they wanted or expected.”
Paige frowned up at him. She was still getting used to the fact that her father figure was a demigod. He’d always been a demon, and that big reveal was still a little startling to her. “Coincidental?”
“Not really.” Bal stopped her and gave her a very dark look.
“Thanks for… playing your part.”
“Of course.” Bal nodded, gave her a kiss on the forehead, then placed Ember on his shoulders and disappeared into the crowd.
Mario took Bal’s place. He scanned the crowd once before speaking. “That was one hell of a stunt.”
It was. It really was. “What were you really planning by letting all these people in?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“Your people summoned that demon.”
A frown furrowed his brow. “Come now. There’s no need to pretend with me. There are no cameras.”
“You might want to figure out who’s pulling your strings,” she told him. “Because for all the big talk, you’re not the guy on top.”
“I assure you, Ms. Whiskey, you do not know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay. Well, someone in your organization did. You’re out of the loop, Mario.”
He narrowed his blue eyes, his platinum blond eyelashes invisible.
“Maybe you should get out of my town while I’m still being friendly.”
He tipped his head to the side and quirked his lips. “How very American.”
She smiled at him. “Be blessed.”
That was the highlight of the after-party, if that’s even what she could call it.
The streets were festive enough. People milled around, gawking at the famous surroundings. Out
siders asked questions, requested tours. There were places they’d seen on social media or people they’d seen, and they wanted up close and personals.
Michelle pulled Paige aside as the party died down. “Any word on Dexx?”
Paige shook her head. “How’s the investigation?” Even though Lovejoy said she was on it.
“You’re not going to believe it.”
Oh, she was almost certain she would.
“He’s in fucking Europe.” Michelle’s body shivered. Her skin resembled bark for an instant.
Right. Of course he was.
Paige’s body sagged with the overwhelming feeling of everything going on. Yeah. Of course he was on the other side of the planet.
Well, she didn’t have time to have a meltdown. She’d save that for bedtime. Or after she was in bed. She had shit to do first and wondering why the hell Dexx was in Europe wasn’t it.
She mentioned Dexx’s whereabouts to Merry, who got this look on her face, said nothing, and just left.
Whatever that meant.
When the sun hit the treetops and the party wound down, Merry came to Paige again. “Are you ready?”
“For?”
Merry simply spun on her heel and led the way to the parking lot behind downtown, which was this weird, little diagonal thing that was ridiculous to park in with anything bigger than a mini Cooper.
Eldora was there with a door open. The blackness shimmered. “They’re waiting.”
Who was waiting?
Merry disappeared through to the other side.
Paige didn’t wait. She followed.
Eldora closed the door behind them.
Paige stood in a rather large room with several people she knew and a few she didn’t.
The room could only be called grand. The vaulted ceiling had an immense chandelier of crystal, and polished wood gleamed everywhere. The floors were white marble, and the table in the center of it all had the feel of something King Arthur might have commissioned.
All four of the elementals were back—earth, air, water, and fire already sat along one curve of the table. Showing solidarity?
Another fae-looking woman stood off to the side with a small retinue who—well, they looked fae only because of their unique features, if that made sense. It was like looking at creatures from a Jim Henson movie.
Whiskey Storm (Whiskey Witches Midnight Rising Book 1) Page 14
