Page 40 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)
SERA
T he federal agents arrived at dawn with the kind of military precision that transformed Hollow Oak's peaceful streets into a occupied territory, their black SUVs and tactical equipment creating an atmosphere of siege that felt designed to intimidate rather than investigate.
Through her bedroom window, Sera watched them establish what Elena euphemistically called "enhanced security protocols" while residents went about their morning routines with the stubborn determination that had sustained mountain communities through generations of government interference.
"How many?" Maddox asked from beside her, his enhanced senses obviously tracking threats she couldn't perceive while their mate bond carried his protective fury like electricity through her nervous system.
"Too many," she replied, counting vehicles and personnel that suggested Elena had requested significant federal backup for what should have been a simple custody transfer.
"This isn't about acquiring one psychic individual anymore.
This is about establishing permanent federal control over the entire community. "
"Which means running is no longer an option," he said grimly. "They've committed too many resources to abandon the objective now."
Through their bond, she felt his calculation of defensive options, his protective rage at threats to their sanctuary, and underneath it all, his absolute certainty that he would fight any force that tried to separate them.
"Sera," he said carefully, his voice carrying weight that meant he was about to say something she might not want to hear, "there's something you need to understand about mate bonds and federal custody."
"Something Varric mentioned yesterday?" she asked, remembering the elder's warnings about psychiatric intervention and supernatural sensitivity suppression.
"Something about how federal facilities handle individuals with psychic abilities," he confirmed with academic precision that couldn't disguise his emotional investment in her welfare.
"Standard protocols include psychoactive medications designed to suppress supernatural sensitivity, electromagnetic field exposure that disrupts psychic connections, and isolation procedures that prevent contact with supportive community bonds. "
"They would deliberately damage my abilities?
" The thought of losing the psychic gifts that had brought her to Hollow Oak, that had enabled Grimjaw's transformation, that connected her to the supernatural community she'd come to love, sent ice through her veins with realization of exactly what federal custody would cost.
"They would frame it as medical treatment for reality dissociation and delusional attachment to supernatural phenomena," he said with bitter honesty. "But yes, standard federal protocols for psychic individuals essentially destroy the abilities that make them valuable for study."
"Because abilities they can't control become liabilities rather than assets," she realized with growing horror at the systematic nature of federal suppression.
"Because people who can manifest supernatural cooperation represent philosophical challenges to government authority that prefers force over negotiation," he corrected with scholarly analysis that revealed deeper political implications.
The sound of engines approaching their house drew them both to the window, where Elena's familiar figure emerged from a federal vehicle with the kind of professional determination that suggested she'd finally received authorization for direct action rather than bureaucratic pressure.
"Time's up," Sera said with calm acceptance. "Whatever we're going to do, it has to happen now."
"We fight," Maddox said simply, his protective instincts overriding every diplomatic consideration. "Together, with community support, against federal authority that has no legitimate claim to supernatural community autonomy."
"Maddox," she began, recognizing the potential consequences of active resistance to federal agents with legal warrants and unlimited backup.
"No negotiation," he interrupted with alpha finality that brooked no argument. "No voluntary surrender. No trading your freedom for temporary community protection. We protect what matters, all of it, regardless of the cost."
She felt his absolute determination to defend their sanctuary and their relationship against any threat, but she also sensed the community's vulnerability to federal pressure that could destroy everything they'd built if resistance failed.
"What if fighting makes things worse?" she asked with practical concern that forced acknowledgment of scenarios where noble intentions led to catastrophic outcomes.
"What if surrendering makes resistance impossible?" he countered with logic that proved he'd considered consequences from every angle. "Sera, once you're in federal custody, once they've established precedent for supernatural community oversight, there's no going back to autonomy."
The weight of decision settled around them like November snow, and she realized that choosing between individual sacrifice and community resistance meant choosing between two kinds of permanent loss.
"Elena's coming to the door," she observed, watching the federal investigator approach with professional composure that barely concealed frustrated determination.
"Let her come," Maddox said with predatory satisfaction that reminded her his nature included more than scholarly intensity. "It's time Elena learned what happens when federal authority threatens a supernatural community that's decided to defend itself."
They could see other residents emerging from their homes despite the early hour, their unified response to federal pressure proving that Hollow Oak's bonds transcended individual survival instincts.
As Elena's sharp knock echoed through their house, Sera realized that the next few minutes would determine not just her individual fate but the future of supernatural community autonomy in an increasingly surveillance-oriented world.
"Ready?" Maddox asked.
"Ready," she confirmed, their completed mate bond providing strength that individual courage couldn't achieve.