Lauren Dane: Wild Darkness

“The locals waited far too long to respond to the scene and when they did arrive, they were hostile. I regret to say this is not unusual. However, once the FBI came on scene, things changed. They listened to me and followed up. My people reported that their agents were respectful and thorough. I don’t know what that means other than our brief exposure last night, I’m still waiting on a call today, but at least we’ve got that much.”

“Good.” Molly made a quick note before looking back to the screen. “Helena, I’d like you to take the point on this team. I’ve spoken with The Gennessee and she’s given her support.”

Helena blinked, surprised by Molly’s request.

“As most of you are aware, Helena runs the hunter team for Gennessee. It’s her efforts and innovation that’ve kept the West Coast witches safe. And through them, other witches as they are trained by members of her crew.” Molly spoke and Helena saw herself through the other woman’s eyes. It was flattering and sort of overwhelming.

“With major help from Lark.” Helena didn’t want anyone thinking she was taking all the credit for what she’d done with her sister.

Lark broke in. “Helena’s leadership is exactly what the team needs.”

“There’s no one I trust more to head this team than Helena.” Rebecca spoke from her place at the head of the table and Helena realized she was one of the last to know about this. The full council of Owen and Gennessee both had discussed it to let it get this far, and Lark had known that morning when she’d called too.

Part of her job was understanding that other people made the decisions she carried out. She accepted it. But part of Helena, the part she walled off and kept to herself and let no one else rule, was pissed that no one, including her sister, had bothered to bring this up with her first. She could have told Helena on the phone earlier, at least to allow her to be prepared.

Resentment was useless, no matter how valid. So she shoved it away and focused on her job.

Rebecca spoke again. “The witches are leading this charge with the human government. It makes sense that we are in charge of any security team to protect our people. It’s no secret we’re the most human looking of the Others and there’s no sense in not using that to our tactical advantage.” She paused to let that settle in. “We’ve got a prominent place on the Council of Others as well, and Helena, I’ll expect you to sit on their defense task force.”

Over the phone lines Helena heard the rumble of shifter agreement to that.

Okay then . She started making mental notes to hit the ground running once the meeting ended.

“Owen is in total agreement. Lark will be here working on continuing our nationwide training for Others but she will continue to liaise with Molly and Helena and the other members of the Council of Others regarding our internal and external security.” Meriel nodded. “Faine, if we could continue to rely on your help and the support of Lycia, I’d consider it a favor if you could serve as Helena’s lieutenant on this security team. She’ll need to be protected while she’s protecting everyone else.”

“Of course, Ms. Owen. I would be honored. You have Leviathan support for as long as you require it.” Faine rumbled this from his space next to Helena and the echo of it seemed to brush her skin.

“We start tomorrow afternoon in Sacramento with a two p.m. meeting. Helena, if you could get with Sato’s people as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it,” Molly added. “We’re arriving late tonight. I’m going to forward you the details.”

“We’ll have you met at the airport and escorted in. I’ll leave for Sacramento as soon as I can to ready things. I assume Gage will be part of your detail?”

Originally, Faine had been Molly’s bodyguard, but when things had gotten very serious between Molly and Gage and she’d been injured, Owen had sent Faine to Los Angeles to help Helena while Molly had been confined to her bed for a while.

From the look on Gage’s face, Helena wagered no one, not even a nearly seven-foot-tall Lycian, would be good enough to take care of Molly. He’d want to do it himself and she understood that.

“Yes.” Gage spoke, looking sort of feral. Though still smoking hot. Aside from the attempts to kill her, Molly was a lucky woman. “I’ll touch base with you in an hour or so with more information.”

Helena nodded.

The call ended and Helena turned to her father, a man who’d run the hunter corps before she and Lark had taken over when they were in their early twenties. “You have to take over for me here until I’m back.”

He sighed and Rebecca mirrored that sound.

She shrugged. “I can’t do it all if I’m going to be traveling so much. There’s too much here that should be covered. You know the job already. People respect you. You’ve worked with most everyone on the team and they need to rely on a leader. Our people need to be safe.”

Her father nodded. “I’ll step in, but not as your replacement. I’ll be your other lieutenant here. It’s the best way. You lead this crew and you do it better than anyone else could.”

She didn’t say it, but it hung between them unspoken anyway. Anyone but Lark.

She swallowed but didn’t argue. “Fine. Work with Marian and Evan. They’re in charge while I’m gone. I’m briefing everyone.” She glanced at her watch. “In twenty minutes in our common room. I need to be out of here by noon.”

Her father nodded. “On it.”

They dispersed and Faine waited for her. “I’ll drive. We can take my car to Sacramento.”

“You can fly up if you like. It’s a long drive. No use both of us having to drive. I just want to get started and it’ll take a while to arrange flights. And I like to take all my weapons.”

He just raised one brow at her, daring her to keep arguing. She wanted to, just on principle and just because she wasn’t one to turn down a dare. But she needed to get moving.

And every time they got into an argument, she only ended up more attracted to him.

“Fine. Thank you. If you drive I can work.”

“ Or you can sleep.”

“No time for that.” She needed to contact the hunters in the San Francisco office to have them meet her in Sacramento. She’d leave the majority of her people in place, but she’d used the witches from the San Francisco office several times before so they knew the routine and would work perfectly.

He frowned at her and she had to swallow back her demand to know how it was he could do that and still look so good.

“See you in just a few minutes at the briefing.” She turned and left, taking a thick file folder from her assistant, who walked at her side as they headed to the hunter’s conference room.

“All the information is here. I printed out everything Molly and Lark sent. The hotel has a floor set aside for you in Sacramento. The usual. Get me your schedule and I’ll take care of all the reservations for the team as well. Your special ammo is in the lockbox. I’ll have it loaded when you’re ready.”

Just the balance of their world all in her hands.

No pressure.

HELENAstood at the head of the room, pacing just slightly as she addressed her crew. Her father, David, sat off to the side, letting her hold the reins, which Faine respected. His own father tended to be like that. He was the symbolic head of Leviathan, but Pere, Faine’s oldest brother, ran things.

“I don’t know how long this is going to take. As head of this new team, I expect to be gone at least seventy percent of the time, so in my absence from this office, David will take the lead, along with Marian and Evan. Things need to continue as they’ve been. I want three shifts of patrols, and keep on those police bands. I’ll still check in via video for the daily briefings when I can, and you know you can contact me if you need to. We’ll continue our position here. We will not back down when locals demand it when our people are in danger. This is the new normal, folks. No one seems interested in protecting our witches, but it’s our job. We will do it. They want to tell us what our power is. But no one knows better than we do. We don’t need to be given our power, it’s already ours.”