Chapter 18
Interpol Headquarters, Lyon, France, Friday, January 25, 2013, Afternoon
The meeting with global officials was going well. The participating organizations were far more interested in enhancing their protective and investigative capabilities than treating the supernaturals like the enemy. Everyone recognized that their organizations existed because there would always be individuals who operated outside the law and the bounds of conventional morality. They also understood how outmatched humans were against supernatural rogues.
Ash and Luca presented their plan to the group during the first hour. Representatives from every agency in attendance, and the several dozen participating remotely, voted to establish the Supernatural Protection Alliance and Response Knights immediately. As the daughter of veterans, Ash was adamant that anyone who served at SPARK was taken care of for life. Her plan included a healthy pension and built-in safeguards to help manage battle fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, and any other mental health challenges presented by their work.
“What about the people working behind the scenes at meetings like this? Is there a title for us?” The MI5 official’s tone carried enough humor that she could play it off as a joke.
Ash thought about it and grinned. “Sure. It’s gonna take a lot of grunt work to get SPARK up and running. If we’re sticking to the order of chivalry, that would make us Squires.” She thought it was funny, but the majority of the group looked back at her with interest.
“Yeah! That sounds great. I want to tell my great-grandchildren I was part of this, Your Majesty. Squire, Chevalier, Knight, I don’t care. You’re changing the world. I want to be on the right side of history here.” He beamed. “My name is Russell Vexler. At your service.”
Ash laughed and picked up her pen as she stood. “We will have an official ceremony later, but for now, I dub thee Squire Russell Vexler.” She pointed her pen at his left shoulder, then the right. “Welcome to the team.”
The room erupted in laughter, and Ash made a mental note to do something special. She hadn’t realized how their work would impact people beyond the ones they saved, and she was touched to see that they cared beyond the job. As they quieted, another man stood and called for her attention.
“Before we proceed, I would like to say something, Your Highness. My name is Coen Spaling, and I am with the Dutch Royal Marechaussee.”
Ash smiled. “Of course.”
“My colleague was correct. We are on the right side of history, but it is more than that. You have given humanity a gift beyond description. The revelation of your world could have gone very differently if you had not presented so many more reasons to cooperate than to fight. You’ve let humanity get out of its own way so we can enter the next era.
“I don’t know if anyone has said it to you specifically, but thank you. Reading between the lines, it isn’t difficult to see you were the key to a lot of this. My apologies to the king, but I don’t think we would be here without you. Everyone here has seen the worst people have to offer, and we understand human extremes. Civilians might not know the extent of what you’re doing, but we do.”
Luca grinned. “No apologies necessary. You’re right. None of this could have happened without her. My father would have killed me, and Nadya would have destroyed him, with humanity as the collateral damage.”
Ash wiped at the tears stinging her eyes and laughed. “You’re welcome. I try to use my powers for good.”
They settled down and got back to work soon after that, although the room felt electrified with the energy of so many people working in unison. Their thoughts tugged at her mental shields, but Ash maintained control and allowed them as much privacy as she could.
Four hours into their meeting, she and Luca were seated at a table centered at the front of the large conference room, with the attendees on the tiered platforms facing them. It reminded Ash of Luca’s classroom at the college where they’d met, and she smiled. Luca discussed the practicalities of supernatural forces working with the SPARK team. They hoped that a witch, a shifter, and a vampire would be included in all missions. That would maximize their ability to handle otherworldly situations.
Ash’s purse vibrated. They’d contemplated leaving their phones at the apartment to focus on the meeting but decided that either might get a call they couldn’t ignore. The compromise had been to stash their phones in Ash’s purse on vibrate. Luca’s phone had the message.
It’s your phone. Want me to check?
Yes, please. I’m on a roll.
Ash unlocked his phone and read the message, and the color drained from her face. Eyes blazing, she stood, her chair scraping loudly across the floor. Luca looked at her in concern.
“He has Dani. I have to go. Now.”
She dropped the phone in Luca’s lap and disappeared in a flash of golden light. Luca picked up the device and saw the message from Jules on the screen.
Fucking hell. That moron.
Luca cleared his throat. The newly-titled squires stared at him in astonishment. He shook his head and grinned, then ran a hand through his hair. “That was unexpected. The queen received a message that her sister was kidnapped from the Therian palace in a foolish attempt to prove we don’t care about our people. We wanted to start our reigns with open access and transparency, but apparently, that created gaps in operational security. I don’t suppose you could offer any recommendations about being available to the people and still protecting the vulnerable in our care?”
He’d asked so they would get involved. Luca had plenty of ideas on improving security at the palace, though he’d hoped not to have to. Perhaps that had been an idealistic dream, but he was who he was, and it was too late to change now. Ash would handle the situation far better than he could, but anxiety still gripped his heart at the thought of his mate and her sister in danger.
Thinking about what Ash might do if they’d caused Dani irreparable harm sent fear racing through his veins. She was only beginning to discover her powers, and Maerlin’s warnings kept him awake at night. Ash was a gentle soul who had taken on a lot of responsibility, and if she harmed innocents, it would devastate her.
Forcing himself to refocus, Luca continued the meeting.
Jules’ Safe House, Russian Countryside, Night
Ash teleported to Dani’s side. She didn’t stop to think about how the magic worked or whether she could. She just did. She was in a sitting room on the other side of the world, and the sky outside was dark. Her mind fought to adjust to the time difference, but thoughts of time zones fled when she saw her sister.
Dani lay unconscious on a couch with a nasty bruise on the right side of her face. Fury surged through her, and only Dani’s steady breathing and heartbeat stopped Ash from reducing the house and everyone in it to their constituent atoms.
No one else was in the room, though Ash could hear several people elsewhere on the property. She touched the injured side of Dani’s face and sent her energy and desire for healing through the contact. Golden light flared at her fingertips and sank into Dani’s skin.
When it faded, the bruise was gone. Dani opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. “Wh?—”
Ash silenced her with a finger across her lips. Just think it. I will hear you. I don’t want them to realize I’m here. I want to port you out first.
Dani glared at her. Like hell, you will. Those bastards need to die since they won’t stop until you make them. Next time, they won’t take someone who has you to rescue them.
Ash rolled her eyes. Believe me, I want to kill them more than I should since they hurt you, but I’m no better than them if I kill everyone who stands in my way.
Dani crossed her arms and maintained her stubborn expression. Fine, then offer them the choice of prison or death. Those assholes don’t get another opportunity to join us. They used the first chance to be irredeemable dickbags.
Ash smirked. You know, I could just push you through a portal to safety.
Dani grinned. I could just sprinkle you with powdered milk while you sleep. Try it. I dare you.
Ash sent her sister a mental groan. Fine. If you get killed, I’m totally telling Mom and Dad it was your fault. Stay out of their reach, and don’t engage if you don’t have to. Are you sure you want to see me in full murder mode?
Like I haven’t seen you go to Super Saiyan before? Quit trying to scare me away and go kick their asses. I won’t get in the way, I promise.
Satisfied that Dani would keep as safe as possible, Ash let her anger take charge. She walked over to the door and kicked it, sending splinters of wood flying. “Jules? You wanted to play? Well, I’m here. Where are you, you little shit weasel?”
The other Therians in the safe house jumped to attention in response to the new threat. Leon lumbered into the hall, his large body filling the space. Ash let him come, but when he swung his meaty fist to hit her, she vanished. After reappearing behind him, she delivered a swift strike to his spine, and he hit the floor, unable to use his legs.
“You’re a hyena, right?” Ash shot a scathing look at him. “Laugh about that, bitch.”
She continued down the hall to where Mathis, Gaspard, and two more Therian traitors waited.
“Who are you?” the closest one demanded.
“I’m the fucking cavalry.” Ash grinned. “You didn’t think we’d let you shitstains get away with this, did you?”
One man charged her, brandishing a wicked-looking knife. Ash dodged his clumsy attacks and whirled to punch him. Her fist went through his skull, and she jumped back with a yelp of disgust. As his body crumpled, Ash shook her hand and glared at the corpse. She hadn’t hit anyone since she’d risen in her immortal form. It hadn’t felt like she’d hit him that hard.
“Don’t kill them all before you get the information you need,” Dani called, stepping gingerly over Leon’s limp form.
Ash willed herself to a calm state to learn what she needed to. She hoped the other three Therians were smart enough to recognize that they could not win.
“Sit!” she roared.
They dropped to the floor in unison, unable to resist the command in her tone. Leon moaned weakly and tried to turn his head to look at her. Ash examined them, trying to see the individuals through her blind rage at their actions.
“Where is Jules?” she growled.
“He’s not here!” Mathis gasped in pain when he tried to resist Ash’s hold on his body. “He left with Maksim shortly after I brought her here. They went to Nadya’s compound.”
Ash focused on Mathis, and he shuddered at what he saw in her eyes. “You hurt my sister,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
Mathis stammered as he tried to defend himself. “I-I only h-hit her o-once. I d-didn’t m-m-mean to c-c-crack her skull. Maksim h-healed her.”
Ash growled, and she nodded at his fallen comrade. “Why don’t I just hit you one time?”
The man flinched away, certain that his death was imminent. Seeing his resigned expression made Ash feel like she’d sunk to their level, and she lost her will to kill.
“You get one chance, due to my mercy and my unwillingness to scrub your brains out from under my fingernails. Your actions were reprehensible, and rebellion will not be tolerated. Go to prison and live out your lives like the captives you made others into, or die here and now. That’s more of a choice than you gave your victims.”
She glanced at Mathis. “You have to give me a reason to keep you alive.”
“I have information!” Mathis cried. “Please don’t kill me!”
Ash was disgusted. He was a coward, like his leader. “I won’t kill you unless you make me. What about the rest of you? Prison or death?”
“Prison,” Gaspard and Leon chorused.
Ash looked at Dani. “Are you satisfied with that? I can leave Jules a crater to come home to.”
Dani shook her head. “I don’t suspect Therian traitors will have a pleasant life in a Therian prison, and these slavers earned their fate. An easy death would be too good for them.”
“You heard her, boys. Pick up your idiot friend and line up.” Ash opened a portal to the palace and sent the others through. Before she left, she spread her hands wide, throwing her fury and destructive desire into the house as a swirling ball of golden fire. She shouted from the force of the chaotic feelings whirling through her and to relieve the pressure.
Adjusting to the reality that her powers were only limited by her imagination was proving terrifying. Ash sought to process the magic at her disposal. The weight of the possibilities sometimes felt like it would crush her, leaving Ash struggling to keep her head above water that only existed in her mind.
It felt like staring into an endless, incomprehensible void that called her to explore until she was hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of her thoughts. As the power surged and threatened her control, she fell back on what she knew and framed her abilities in the context of Dungeons and Dragons spells. It wasn’t a perfect fit for her situation, but it gave her a foundation to build on so she could explore her power without destroying the planet.
The fireball struck the opposite wall and exploded. Ash sent the flames with the intention to burn this place and its contents to the ground but not to spread before they died. She wanted Jules to return to a crater that represented her anger at his audacity, but she had no desire to damage the nearby land.
Then she walked through the portal to deal with the prisoners and retrieve her mate.