Chapter 16 – Layla #2
When I walk onto the platform, Cyrus takes my hand.
“You look marvelous, Queen Aldana.”
I murmur my thanks and shift on my feet, suddenly nervous about this next step.
The members of SUC were instructed to drop mild hints about the supernatural world with the humans in these high-profile positions that we’ve befriended.
We’ve been having conversations with them about strange experiences and showing them photos or videos from Vara’s clubs.
If we found them to be interested or excited, we invited them to tonight’s event.
If they seemed skeptical in the slightest, appearing to judge us, then we cut ties with them.
We didn’t compel them or tweak their memories, only because they’ll eventually find out, and we’re hoping planting that little seed of our existence will help them accept our world when the time comes.
“Thank you, Cyrus,” I say, head held high.
He glances behind me.
“How is everything working out with your head of security?”
If I could blush, I would be red in the face right now.
“Amazing. Thorne is perfect. A great protector.”
Cyrus narrows his eyes at me. “I’m sure he is... and the sphinx?”
I swallow my suddenly dry throat.
“She’s excelling in her position.”
Cyrus scoffs.
“Um... her position on the committee, of course.”
“Mhm.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s clear you know about us so just spit it out.”
“I know we said unity, but this is not what we meant.”
“Yeah, well what’s the harm?”
“It’s not queen-like!”
“Queen-like? What does that even mean? Human queens and kings throughout history have taken multiple lovers. This is the 21st century. Sex is not dirty. It’s natural. In fact, maybe you should consider a lover with a tail to help remove that stick up your ass.”
I smirk and walk past him to the microphone, not waiting for him to tell me it’s time to welcome our guests.
I hear him mumbling something behind me that I don’t care to decipher.
I glance at Thorne and Vara who are struggling to hold back their humor.
Vara winks at me, and Thorne gives me a thumbs up.
The soft instrumental music that was playing ends and the room falls into silence.
“Thank you all for being here tonight. Everyone in this room is part of a small group who knows about this plan to unveil ourselves to humans. As you know, tonight is our first test. Members of the committee have been working continuously over the past few months to make connections with humans in high-ranking positions. Humans who have sway, who can vouch for us when this plan comes to fruition. Tonight, we reveal ourselves to them and assess the reaction.”
Heads nod as the crowd listens.
A young vampire standing at the double doors in the back of the room waves to me, letting me know the humans are ready to enter.
“Without further ado... let’s bring them in.”
I nod and the doors open.
A group of about three dozen humans walk through, eyes wide and mouths parted in wonder.
They hesitate for only a minute before some brave souls move forward.
I recognize the tall and slender Black man at the front as a social media influencer.
He struts in with confidence, waving at supernaturals he’s previously met.
He walks all the way to the front near the stage where he gives me an up and down and a wink. I put my hand on Thorne’s forearm when he takes a step forward, growling low enough only I can hear—well, me and a few other supernaturals standing nearby.
Once the room has filled, I motion for the crowd to quiet.
“Welcome to our new guests. You might be confused as to why you’re the last ones to arrive. Don’t worry, the party has just begun.”
Servers are making their way around the room offering drinks and food. The attending supes make sure to grab some to show that it’s safe to consume. Not that any of the humans were concerned. Only a few hesitated to grab a glass or a snack.
“So you might ask, what are we celebrating?”
The humans look around the room as if that’s where they’ll find the answer.
“What if I told you magic was real? Vampires, werewolves, witches, and every supernatural being you can imagine wasn’t make believe?”
A few brows pinch and some raise their voices questioning what the hell they’ve walked into, but for the most part, excited faces stare back at me. Maybe they think this is some sort of dinner theater. A show... not real.
Well, they’re about to see the main event.
“I want to ask you to keep an open mind tonight. What you’re about to see may seem impossible. It may frighten you, but I assure you that you are safe here. We welcome all questions you might have, and we’ll be happy to answer them.”
The crowd quiets in anticipation.
“Are you ready?”
A few people mumble yes. Others are still frozen with worry. I nod to a few witches and vampires who have been assigned to take care of any human who has a bad reaction and help ease their fear with compulsion or a calming spell.
“I’d like for you all to meet the Manhattan Monsters.”
One by one, beings that have been masked drop their human appearances—including Thorne and Vara up on stage with me.
The vampires in the room show their fangs and the shifters reveal their animal forms. A few screams pierce the quiet air, but it’s followed by a chorus of oohs and ahhs and applause.
Only three humans have to be escorted out of the room for uncontrollable crying or because they passed out.
“Can’t believe your eyes?” I say with a smile. “Don’t worry. It’s all real. Talk with your neighbors, ask questions.”
I leave it at that and exit the stage with Thorne and Vara by my side.
“Well that went better than I expected,” Vara says quietly.
“Guess SUC did a great job preparing them,” I add.
“Can I just say how much I both love and hate that acronym,” Vara adds.
I chuckle and shrug as we weave through the crowd to find the humans we’ve connected with over the past few months.
“Queen Aldana,” a smooth, almost ethereal, voice says from behind me. I turn to find probably the hottest man I’ve ever seen.
He’s a vampire, that’s for sure. One I haven’t met, which isn’t surprising since there are about 2,000 vampires living in New York City. However, this vamp radiates power, and I wonder why I don’t know him.
He has dark curly hair placed wildly around his head, and his skin is somewhat tanned despite the deathly pallor of being a vampire. His eyes are sapphire blue as I stare up into them, because he’s slightly taller than Vara.
She’s also drooling over this man and even Thorne can’t look away. He must not find the vampire a threat because he hasn’t moved to protect us. He did, however, step closer and thread his fingers with mine and Vara’s.
“Sorry to interrupt. My name is Rory. I overheard a conversation you were having earlier with the gargoyle king and the short little witch with the protection tattoos.”
Is that what those were? I had wondered why the ink had been so vibrant.
“You’re in search of someone who knows about three-way mate bonding?”
I nod, my eyes shifting around to make sure no one is paying us attention. All the humans are enthralled with their new supernatural friends, and supes love being the center of attention, so they are focused on the humans, eating up this newfound adoration.
“I can help.”
“And you are?” Vara asks, arms crossed and brow raised. She might find him hot, but she doesn’t trust him.
“As I said, my name is Rory. But I suppose you might know me as Rorik. Rorik Sevier.”
I gasp.
“The first vampire?”