6. Chapter 6
Chapter six
LUCA
Ollie and Sage sat at the front of the room commanding the troops and Sage looked the same as ever — composed and in control. You’d never know how much the weight of everything that sat on his shoulders actually affected the man. How much he risked helping these people. Not that he didn’t handle it well, he certainly got things done even if I didn’t approve of his methods. But looking at him up there, casually throwing out information he’d literally risked his life for, you’d never know he was burdened by the role he’d taken up at all.
Like everyone else, I’d assumed he was just really good at digging into things and extrapolating information. But we should have realized how limited information about any of this would be. Of course none of it would be just sitting around for anyone to find. Sage just hid it so well that none of us had even questioned it.
“So the others here are all answering to Graves?” Colt asked.
Sage nodded. “The police chief, D.A. candidate, and judge all defer to him. Roman is dealing with the judge, and Bastian’s campaign against Graves looks promising, but we need to deal with whoever is calling the shots or they’ll just keep sending more hunters until they get the results they want.
“Right now, there are a few things we need to focus on. One, our plans for the local hunters were derailed and it’s time to try again. After last time, the hunters scrapped their meeting schedule so we can no longer predict when they’ll be there. The simplest option is to set up some kind of surveillance magic and be ready to move at a moment’s notice. Two, Bastian’s campaign has the support of the non-humans in this town, but we have to face the fact that a lot of the community has not gotten involved in human affairs in the past, which means they don’t actually vote. That’s obviously a pretty big problem. He can have all the support in the world, but if the community doesn’t actually register to vote it won’t make any difference.”
“Can’t we just tell them to register?” Royce asked.
“I think we should be a little more proactive and have the tavern host a voter registration event. It should be pretty simple to just set up a table with a bunch of computers or tablets so everyone can register themselves. We can’t influence their registration or vote in any way so it won’t be a campaign event and I’m going to recommend Bastian not even be here just so we don’t draw trouble from Graves or the police, but if all the non-humans that are already coming in here can just walk over and register, we may get better results. And obviously any humans who want to come by as well.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Levi chimed in. “We can run some specials and maybe replace the door for a couple of days. I’ll need about a week to prepare so Connor can pick the menu and I can update the supply order. Does next weekend work? That’ll give me time to post the specials on the tavern’s social media pages to bring more people in.”
Ollie arched an eyebrow at Levi. “The tavern has social media pages?”
“We do now,” Levi answered. “Aiden and I updated the website a while back for takeout orders with curbside pickup and it’s getting quite a bit of attention. I just post pictures of Connor’s food and everyone comes running. We’ll have to change it up a little to draw them inside, but it shouldn’t be too hard. Connor will come up with something no one will be able to resist, and I’ll fill our pages with food porn pics. Fix that door and I’ll get people in here, promise.”
“I should be able to do it with my wards,” Maddox said. “I can put a barrier around the door that will contain the spell temporarily. It’ll still be there, but the repelling aura won’t get through until we remove the barrier.”
Sage nodded. “Great, sounds like you guys have that handled. The third thing we need to worry about is the council. They’ve given us some breathing room the past few months, but Lancaster is poking around again asking about our progress, which as you know is pretty much none since the day Holt ruined our plan. Basically, this means we need to step up our game if we don’t want to be fighting this battle on two fronts.
“I know it’s not fair, but the council has officially dumped this in our laps and at this point everyone non-human in Eastbend is going to have to make a choice. Either we face this fight head on and deal with the Origin Order, or we encourage all non-humans to leave Eastbend and hope that the hunters are satisfied with their victory.”
The room went quiet for a long moment. I hadn’t been a resident of Eastbend nearly as long as most of them and the thought of abandoning their homes and community sat heavy on them. My pride wanted to stay and fight the injustice. I’d always had that stupid hero complex, it was what drove me to become a cop in the first place, and look where that had gotten me. In the end, I would go along with whatever everyone else decided, though I still hated the idea of letting the men who had taken everything from me win.
“Some of the lower fae have already started leaving,” Rowan finally said. “The hunters targeted them when they were stealing away non-humans for their facility and while they are usually really good at staying hidden, the hunters have magic that conceals their presence. It’s really strong too. Most fae have a knack for seeing through illusions, but even we can’t see through their concealment spell. It was too dangerous to stay so they passed back through the tears. Everyone needs to be very careful about where you’re shifting and frolicking, they could always be watching.”
“Some of the smaller shifters have started moving away too,” Colt said. “Groundhogs, beavers, raccoons, they don’t stand much of a chance against a hunter and have started relocating to protect their families. I can’t officially speak for Levana, but the pack’s job is to protect the community, so as long as there are shifters in Eastbend, we will stay and defend our home.”
Ollie was unusually quiet next to Sage. She had one hand wrapped around her belly and her eyes were on her mates, though none of them spoke either.
“Already been chased out of my home by hunters once,” Royce said, taking the attention off of Ollie. “Don’t like the idea of it happening again. A lot of us have been building this community for decades and we have to consider the possibility that the hunters won’t be satisfied with Eastbend. Wherever we try to rebuild, there’s a good chance they’ll be coming for us again. That said, I’ve got grandkids now and I want them safe as much as anyone. We’ve all got people we want to protect, and I’m not going to pretend I know what the right answer is or the best way to keep them safe. But at the end of the day, this is the community I want them to grow up with, and I’m willing to do what it takes to protect it.”
“We may wish to relocate Aiden and the hatchling temporarily,” Titus chimed in. “Eastbend is important to Aiden and it has given us a second chance and a place to call home. I will gladly defend it if it means my clan can continue on in peace. That said, using our dragon forms in this world poses problems, so while we should be formidable allies, I’m afraid our help will be limited to these bodies.”
“You are a capable fighter in your human form,” Silas assured him. “And I will remain as well.”
“We’re staying,” Nikko agreed, though he was destroying his manicure, nervously chipping away at his nails. “We’ve seen what some of the other communities are like and Eastbend is special. We may never find another place like it if we just give it up. I’m not running anymore.”
“Luca?” Sage asked, his eyes boring into mine. “You haven’t been a resident of Eastbend all that long, no one would blame you if you wanted to return home.”
Home was a word that filled me with dread since I became a vampire. But now that we sat there discussing the fate of Eastbend, I had to admit my feelings had grown more complicated. Home once meant a big house near Richmond filled with way too many people talking at once over huge pans of the world’s best empanadas. It was my parents and siblings and their little rugrats, teasing and hugs and bickering. It was only now that I was forced to acknowledge home also meant this crazy bunch of misfits, which now included me. And as long as I couldn’t return to my old home, Eastbend was the only one I had left.
Sage’s steady blue eyes held mine. He wouldn’t judge me for a second if I backed out of this fight. None of them would, I knew that without a doubt. But that was never the issue, it wasn’t if I wanted to stay — it was whether I should. Because somehow Sage had become the part of Eastbend I gravitated toward again and again. And if I stayed to stand at his side, it would only be a matter of time before I lost that fight completely.
Sage was a ray of sunshine, and I was starved for the light. But just because he was good for me, didn’t mean I was good for him. The fear I’d had since he started visiting me after I turned hadn’t changed. What did I have to offer the man? Nothing but pain. And yet, I was selfish enough to keep coming back. Plus, there was no denying that part of me simply wanted revenge on the men who had taken everything from me. It wasn’t a heroic or honorable reason, but I didn’t want to walk away from this fight.
“I didn’t see what was happening when I worked with them, and part of me wants to right that wrong. When I came to Eastbend, it was to protect the people here and I don’t really like the idea of leaving before that’s done. That said, the same goes for you. You could just as easily go home.”
Sage nodded. “I’m not any help in a fight, but I feel the same way. We’ve come this far and I’m not about to leave before my work is done. I’ll stay and help out as much as I can for as long as I’m needed.”
The room went quiet again and all eyes were on Ollie. No one even looked to her men, knowing they would follow her anywhere. When the silence stretched, her eyes finally came up and looked around.
“Why did everyone stop talking?”
“Because you’re the only one who hasn’t said if you’re staying,” Rowan told her gently.
She rolled her eyes. “When have you known me to run from trouble? That said, the usual ‘fuck it, let’s just blow shit up’ plan isn’t going to work this time around. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we need to be careful. We need to have plans and backup plans in place for the humans and the families that can’t fight. I don’t have the solution just yet, but we need to be thinking three steps ahead from here forward.”
Sage smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who’s always falling back on blowing shit up, but I think we’re all in agreement with the rest of it. It looks like the decision’s been made, we stay and protect Eastbend. Which means we need to start preparing.
“For starters, all of our magic users should start stockpiling spells. Anything you think will be useful in a fight, start making and storing them now. I know that’s a little vague, but we’ll come up with something more strategic once we have a plan. For now, let’s not waste any time, it’ll be better to have spells we don’t need than to exhaust everyone’s magic trying to do everything at the last minute.
“Also, I’ve finally dug up the name of the man I believe is at the head of hunters, but I don’t know where he is. Graves is receiving orders from the assistant to a man named Beau Sherman. From what I’ve seen, this is the one at the top handing down orders. He’s the one with the master plan to eliminate non-humans.
“I only just got this information so I have a lot more digging to do, but so far it looks like he was a lawyer in Tennessee until a little over three years ago. His wife died and he seemingly turned to religion and suddenly became outspoken about things that sound a lot like the principles of The Origin Order. That man is the only one made in gods image and all others violate the laws of nature and carry the taint of hell. Some of his more extreme comments seem to have cost him his job and he disappeared.
“At this point, all I know about the wife is that she was killed and the police ruled it a robbery gone wrong. But based on the timing of his turn to the hunters, I think it’s possible that she was killed by a non-human. That said, I’m not sure what set his sights on Eastbend. Maybe he thinks his wife’s killer is hiding here.”
“So we have a name, but not a location?” Ollie asked.
Sage nodded. “I checked all over Virginia and Tennessee, I can’t find any record of him. His previous home in Tennessee was sold after he lost his wife, and he seems to have disappeared. It’s likely he’s hiding behind the hunter organization, but they don’t exactly advertise where they’re operating out of. The council might have some kind of records of known hunter groups, but based on Lancaster’s insistence that we handle this ourselves, I’m not convinced they’ll share anything with us.”
“Older non-human families probably have some kind of records,” Declan chimed in. “I know my family had records of hunter activity that included groups all over the country.”
“Great,” Ollie said. “Go get it.”
Declan rolled his eyes at her. “I can’t just go get it, and they’re not going to give it to you either. That information is too valuable to let out of their clutches.”
“We can pay them for it.”
“It wouldn’t be worth anything if they just sold it to anyone who made an offer,” he grumbled. “Do you think the Prescotts are especially worried about hunters coming after them? They’re far too arrogant for that. That information is gathered because knowledge is power and when someone important enough becomes entangled with a pesky hunter group, it can be used to bribe something useful out of them. Trust me when I say that none of you are important enough to be useful to them.”
Ollie shrugged. “Then I’ll just break in and steal it.”
“No!”
The instant rebuttal came from both Declan and Elliot.
“This isn’t a game, Ollie,” Declan snapped. “Use your damn head and do not underestimate that family.”
A table full of glares turned on the sorcerer at the way he spoke to her and he shrank back behind Alwin, unable to hold his ground against three demons and a sorcerer.
“No one said this was a game,” she snapped back. “Do you think I want to waste time on this when we should be focused on what’s happening here? We don’t have a choice, we need that information.”
Elliot sighed. “We do, but putting you at risk to get it us unacceptable. I’d offer to talk to them, but I’m pretty sure that would only make things worse.”
“Absolutely not,” Ollie answered.
“Any of you going after that information is only going to put Elliot back on their radar,” Declan huffed.
“Good point,” Ollie agreed. “Back to the original plan, you go get it.”
“Hell no.”
“You’re already on their radar and you know that place better than anyone. If anyone can get in there and get the information, it’s you. You haven’t helped out at all, this is your chance.”
“When did I agree to help with anything?”
“When you decided you wanted to keep living in Eastbend.”
“Not happening.”
“How many other relatives do you have that are willing to take you in?” she asked.
Declan gritted his teeth. “Do you enjoy torturing me?”
She smirked. “Yeah, it’s pretty funny. But this is something we need, and I wouldn’t actually force it on you if it wasn’t a matter of life and death. Whatever magic you need we’ll get it for you, but this has to be done. Obviously I’d prefer to put it in the hands of someone more capable, but you’re the one who knows that place and where the information we need would be.”
“I will go with him,” Alwin offered. “This is part of the mission to take out the leader of the hunter sect, which I agreed to take on. We will get the information and I will deal with Sherman.”
Declan was sweating pretty hard when Ollie threw the job in his lap, but Alwin’s easy offer to go along eased some of his panic.
“Great, that’s settled,” Ollie decided. “In the meantime, let’s make our move on the local hunter lodge before Lancaster shows up again. The council is just waiting for us to fuck this up and we can’t give them any reason to make a move against us.”