Lauren Dane: Wild Darkness

“Why is that?”

“Tracking wolves is serious business. Because I had to do it so often for so long, I’m good at it. It’s made me a better hunter.” She turned and then laughed at his expression. “What? I’m trying to have a glass-half-full moment.”

“I’ve yet to see you track, but I’ve seen you in several other guises as a warrior. You’re quite good. If you’d like, I’m always happy to help with training of any kind.”

“Really?”

He turned to her, smiling at the excitement in her tone as they waited in line for security to come and examine the car.

“Yes, of course.” He liked that she’d responded in such an enthusiastic manner. He also liked the possibility of working closely together with her in that way.

Witches at the security points checked for magick as well as bombs and guns. No car was allowed to park in their lot without a pass and a check.

The witch who’d come nodded at Helena, taking the pass and running it through her handheld. Helena was adamant that everyone, including her, have their documentation reviewed each and every time. All visitors were logged. All employees were monitored as well. Owen had adopted this policy recently, as had several other Clans and Packs.

Helena had told him it impressed the gravity of their situation in ways her saying so never could. Every day they were confronted with the severity of what was happening. Each time they had to run a security protocol, or be the subject of one, it underlined it. Made them safer because of it on multiple levels.

She was right.

Once they’d gone through the car check, it would be an armed camp inside. Even before the Magister they’d prepared and trained their hunter team. That level of preparedness was an adaptation to the far more dangerous environment they lived in and was now an international model for the other Clans and covens dealing with the new threat post-Magister.

Once they’d been waved through and he’d taken a spot in the garage, she got out, bending to grab her things. He wanted to take her bags but knew she wouldn’t allow it or anything anyone could ever perceive as weakness. She moved like a predator, her gaze flitting from place to place as they moved. Evaluating. Always measuring threat.

It was so sexy he had to look away, pushing his beast firmly beneath the skin.

From there they passed through more checkpoints, including a fingerprint and retina scan, and finally they were on their way to the restricted floor where the hunters and Full Council’s offices were.

“I’ll see you in the conference room in ten minutes.” She stopped at the end of the hallway, touching his arm briefly. “Thanks again for the ride.” She handed him a bundle. “I made you two more burritos.”

He paused, filled with warmth and something else he didn’t examine too closely right then. She’d taken care of him .

She blushed, which charmed him more. “I mean, you made all the food and I was wrapping up an extra for myself. You have to keep your strength up if you’re going to drag me all over the place.”

He took the bundle, briefly placing his hands over hers. “Thank you. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Trying not to be flustered by the way he’d put his hands over hers, the warmth still on her skin, Helena headed to her office. Once she’d closed her door, she changed into one of her more professional outfits and did a better job with her makeup while going through her messages.

Grateful for her assistant and her top people who she’d hand all this stuff off to, she headed into the conference room. It was already filling up. Though he’d gone into a sort of retirement after an injury years before, her father waited at the table. He taught her everything she knew and had run the hunter crew long before she and Lark had been born.

He stood to give her a hug. “Good morning, sweetheart. Call your mother today, all right? She worries.”

Helena smiled at him. He worried too, she knew, though both her parents seemed to be doing better since she and Lark had finally worked through some long-standing but stupid personal stuff and were once again as close as they had been before.

United Jaansen sisters made a scary threat. It was fun to be that once more instead of mourning the distance between herself and her sister.

“Will do. I have to stock up on her tea anyway.”

“That’ll make her happy. She’s not in a position to do much for you or your sister. But her teas and tinctures are something tangible. Does all three of you good, and when all my girls are happy, it does me good too.” He said it quietly, making sure no one else heard, knowing she’d be embarrassed. But it warmed her. She needed that.

Swallowing back the emotion, she nodded to the head of the table where Rebecca Gennessee sat as leader of the Clan, several of the Full Council to her right and left.

As a woman, Rebecca was someone Helena had grown up thinking of as an aunt. But when she embodied The Gennessee, she was every inch a leader. Slightly aloof, her magick rolled off her in waves. It was awe-inspiring as well as comforting.

“Thank you for the detailed report on yesterday’s situations. Do we have any new information regarding the firebombing?” Rebecca nodded in Helena’s direction.

“I’ve checked in with the local police this morning. They told me nothing. The FBI has a new task force. I touched on that in my update to you. I’ll get you more information when I get it. As of now I have a call in to the agent who was on the scene in Whittier last night. I’ll update you when I hear back.”

Before anything else could be discussed, the videoconference started with Lark’s face on the screen, which widened back a little to show Meriel Owen at the head of the table in Seattle.

Meriel spoke, clearing her throat. “I appreciate everyone coming together for this. I know things are busy right now but I figured if we could do it all at once with all the involved parties, it would be the best use of our time. Molly is going to start us off. Just quickly, before we do that though, I wanted to say Lex Warden, who is the liaison between the werewolves and the COO, is here. We’ve also got Grace Warden, the female Supreme Alpha; Max de La Vega, the Alpha of the de La Vega Jamboree and the liaison with the COO for the cat shifters; along with his brother, Gibson, who is their Bringer. Lark will liaise with the Vampires when we’re done here.”

The Vampires had been pushed past their patience when a car carrying their protected was attacked and the Vampires and humans inside were killed. They’d pulled back and were a breath away from open war with the humans. For the time being, Molly was keeping this from happening with her mixture of charisma, common sense and breathtaking ability to cajole just about anyone about anything.

Breathtaking or not, that would only last so long. Everyone was pushed to their limit and a lot rode on what happened over the next little while.

Meriel introduced everyone else and, finally, Molly took over.

The video equipment didn’t hide the healing wounds on her forehead and right cheek, though the bruises were mostly faded. Or the brace on her wrist. She’d been attacked in a federal hearing room just two weeks before. It was a lucky thing she was alive. Now she was not only alive, but Helena noted the light of ferocity in her gaze as well.

“We’re going to need to get moving again. Our road show has to get back to work if we want to take advantage of this window we’ve got. I’ve been in contact with senators Sato and Sperry, along with Representative Carroll. This new FBI task force is Senator Sato’s idea and he was able to convince the justice department to give it some actual teeth. It’s staffed with Others as well as humans, and will operate out of three major cities at this point, each taking a third of the country. How was it, Helena?”