Lauren Dane: Wild Darkness

He did. Damning though it might be, the collection of the data couldn’t have been legal. But there were enough people whose lives were on the line at this point. He’d been a lawyer long enough, he knew how it worked. Someone would roll first and that would lead to more people doing the same.

“People will turn on one another. We’ll get him that way.”

“The attorney general agrees with that assessment.” She grabbed her jacket and put it on. “I’ve got a statement to make to the American people. Come along if you’d like to watch.”

He most certainly did.

FAINEturned the television in her room on and everyone gathered to watch.

The president walked to the podium, looked into the camera and spoke.

My fellow Americans. The last six months have been revolutionary for not only our nation, but for the entire world as we thought we knew it. With the revelation of the Others, we realized our world was far more complicated than we’d imagined.

And the Others, our neighbors and friends, were reeling from the unexpected and horrible deaths of those in their communities. We struggled as a nation to understand this new reality. To find a way to balance our beliefs and social rules with what we now knew.

I have held off speaking during this time because I wanted a national discussion to take place. An honest exchange of ideas. And I want to say how proud I’ve been of most Americans in that department. Most of you, no matter your personal beliefs, have been able to talk about these issues without harming anyone else.

Minds have been changed through something as simple as a conversation. And that’s why I tried to remain out of the fray. Real change can be complicated and emotionally painful, and you have put in the time and effort. I’m proud of that.

But the insidious facts are that some Americans were not satisfied by the free exchange of ideas. They wanted to use violence to silence those who were different. This has, I’m sad to say, been part of our history too. But we have attempted, time and again, to be better people. Better Americans. And so during the debate on the Domestic Safety Act, my office, along with offices all along the Hill, was inundated with calls and emails and letters, the overwhelming majority opposed to this legislation.

But some are never satisfied with the will of the people. Some, like those terrorists who have been attacking Other communities for months, will never stop. And so, while this national dialogue continues, I want something to be completely clear.

An hour ago I signed an Executive Order extending the status quo to all Others. What this means is that if you were an American citizen before the revelation, you are an American citizen now. The same rights and responsibilities you held before the revelation are yours.

There will be no more discussion as to whether or not you are Americans. You are. You were before and you are now.

There will be no concentration camps. No GPS chips. No roundup of Others. Go about your lives, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy the bounty you have as a citizen of this great nation.

We face challenges in this new reality, yes. But they do not need to include violence. I’ve declared a nationwide curfew until the unrest has ended. Those not employed in jobs or mandated activities taking place after seven in the evening will keep to their homes until five the next morning. There will be an increased military presence in the cities where rioting is taking place. Looters and rioters will be arrested and prosecuted under federal law.

Lay down your arms. Go home and accept reality. You don’t have to like the werewolf next door, but you are not allowed to kill him or harm his family. Be better people.

Our national dialogue on this issue will continue. I look forward to hearing from you as we move ahead into this new and fascinating future. Thank you.

The president nodded once and turned, walking away.

Six months later

“THISis the first vacation I’ve had in years.” Helena watched her husband swim in long, bold strokes, cutting across the lake.

“The weather here will be good for you.” Lark adjusted her bathing suit top. “Mom will finally calm down a little. Maybe.”

Helena had needed a hip replacement of all things. The bullets had shattered the bone to hell and so there she was, not even thirty, with a brand-new hip. But the real problem had been the secondary infection that had kept her in the hospital an additional two months.

She’d been pissy about it. Had felt like, hey, with this new strength from the binding and all her magick and being in such good shape, she should have been out and running around in days.

Then they’d found out the bullets had been treated with biological agents and a normal person could have died. One of the guards shot that day at the enclave had died from a terrible infection. The one shot with regular ammunition had been in the hospital for two weeks and was now back to work.

Tila came out and smiled when she saw them. Her mother-in-law was just as pesky as Rain when it came to making sure Helena was taking care of herself. But it pleased Faine to see it, and Helena liked Tila so it wasn’t really a trial to be here in Lycia, soaking up the sun all day as she healed up.

The violence continued on and off, but after the riots had ended and the country faced a death toll that numbered in the thousands, humans and Others alike had sobered and resolved to work things out better.

The humans finally understood that the Others could and would defend themselves and quite ably. But they also seemed to realize that while the Others had a great deal of power, they hadn’t used it in all the time before they were outed, and so maybe they weren’t the monsters some had said they were.

Of course it wasn’t all peace and love. There were several counties and towns that had declared themselves independent Other-Free zones. Others weren’t in any hurry to move to any of these places and there’d been a general feeling of, well, at least they’re far away from here , so while the states and federal government weren’t pleased, they had enough on their plates to deal with.

In the meantime, she and Faine were going to spend the next two months in Lycia. He had a house there and had been making it into a home for both of them. Their days so far had been filled with lovemaking of the gentle sort. He spent endlessly creative hours on her body and she had no complaints. He helped with her physical therapy with the new hip, as did Tila.

Lark and Simon had joined them the day before and they’d stay for a few weeks as well.

“So when were you going to tell me?” She sipped her juice and looked over her sunglasses at her sister.

“Tell you what?” Lark then burst into giggles, blowing her act.

“When are you due?”

“I just got the plus on the stick yesterday. It’s early days. You’re the only one other than Simon who knows.”

She squeezed Lark’s hand. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I’m excited and freaked the hell out.”

“Gonna be an auntie. I like that. A whole new world coming up for them to be raised in.”

“Scary.”

She shrugged. “Exciting. This is a beautiful thing, Lark. Imagine how gorgeous this kid will be. How powerful. How loved.”

“You’ll have to give him or her cousins.”

Helena laughed. “Not for a while. But yes. That will happen someday.”

They looked out at Simon and Faine, who’d stopped swimming long enough to shove each other and enter into some sort of brotherly dunking and splashing thing. Two more Leviathan brothers jumped in and joined the fray.