Page 87 of Resurrection

Bryar was stalking the scattered bones like he was waiting for them to rise so he could hack at them again. Everyone gave him a wide berth.

“Bryar?” Sei called. The fae turned his way, examined him for a minute then bounded over. Everyone in the room tensed. Having Bryar in full armor wielding a giant sword looking a little like some sort of Goliath headed their way, was a bit more than a little intimidating.

“Can you head home and look after the kids?” Sei knew there were more death squad witches. Probably over a hundred if he recalled the ranks. The Dominion tried to keep their names and faces quiet, using them as sort of assassins sometimes, to sneak in and take a witch from their home. Though the deaths were never quiet.

He knew his wards would keep them out of his house and properties. But for how long?

Bryar took off his helmet, his face smeared with clay. “No more battles today?” He sounded disappointed.

“Not here at least. But those witches might target Jamie or Kelly, the twins, or even Kaine.”

Bryar snorted. “Stupid mortals. You and yours belong to us. Kaine is ours.”

“He is,” Sei agreed. “But maybe he needs you to be a dad for a bit, yeah? Since I can’t go home right this second?”

Bryar shimmered with magic, changing from his warrior form to something not all that different from Seiran, even dressing in pajamas and slippers, his hair bound up in an elaborate ponytail. Though the images on his PJs were some sort of creepy looking duck with fangs thing. Seiran smiled instead of asking. Bryar put his hand over his heart, as if that was where fae hearts were if they had them, and bowed slightly. “I go to guard the prince.”

“Thank you,” Seiran said. And that fast, Bryar was gone, stepping through a tear in the veil and closing it behind him.

“People underestimate you,” Mike said mildly.

“They do,” Seiran agreed. “We are going somewhere?”

“Yep. You can clean up there and I’ll show you your new workspace.”

Seiran’s mind was reeling. “I…” But he didn’t know where to begin, so he followed the vampire, who was one of Gabe’s most trusted people, out to a waiting car. In fact, Seiran had trusted Mike for years. And there were too many questions in his head to even find a place to begin. And the sense of anxiety sat like a lump in his stomach. Worry for his kids and the Dominion rising to smash them all like flies.

* * *

The buildingthey drove to was very innocuous. It looked like every other high-rise around it. The parking garage the same, though entry only allowed after passing a heavily guarded checkpoint. It could have been a building for the wealthy and elite rather than some secret society Max had created.

They entered through a lower-level blast door, Mike having to scan his palm to get in. Seiran frowned at that, thinking of a dozen ways from movies it could go wrong. But maybe he had an overactive imagination.

“We’ll get all your details registered and set up once you’re clean,” Mike said as they entered the building. The first hallway was bland enough, but filled with security. Vampires, humans, and witches, all genders and abilities.

“What if someone cut off your hand to open the door?” Seiran wondered out loud.

Mike laughed. “It’s spelled. Without my life-essence and actual signatures, it won’t work. Sort of like a magical checkpoint, though it’s not checking my magic so much as my soul. Or whatever you want to call it. But good thought. I’ll have security double-check.”

“Hopefully not by cutting off people’s hands.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

There was a giant wall carving that said AF in fancy script on the wall behind what appeared to be a sort of reception area. Though instead of a check-in, it was more guards.

“Heard the order came down,” one of them said to Mike. “Looks like we are finally doing this.” He nodded at me.

Doing what?

“We’ve got over a hundred bodies in the past week. Even for the Dominion it’s a bit excessive. The government had to act,” Mike responded. He waved a hand at me. “I’m taking Rou up to his onsite apartments, then on a tour of his space. We’ll have to get his data updated and logged.”

“I’ll let the spec team know. Have them meet you in the Investigations Unit in an hour or so.”

“Thanks,” Mike said. He directed Seiran to follow him to an elevator. “You’re very quiet,” he remarked as they got in and the door closed.

“Tired and overwhelmed.” Grieving.

“He’ll be back.”