Page 32 of There’s a Way (Mythic Beast #2)

Micca

The new Senatus voted that I could tell Will and Davy my secret under the normal oathing procedures, and the Concilio sent a messenger to tell us that if I did, Will and Davy’s lives would be forfeit.

And Marco had killed the messenger, which is apparently a statement of war.

I mean, I could’ve guessed that, but it’s a codified thing.

So, no doubt about it, the Senatus and Concilio were officially at war — and I’d put myself and my lovers smack dab in the center by asking to tell them the secret.

“I feel like you advised me wrong,” I told Aaron. “I wouldn’t have made the request if I knew it would come to this.”

“At the time, it’s what I would’ve done, based on the information we had. Apollonius didn’t believe they would move forward for war so long as Marco handled the ceremony, but it appears Alaric and his people lobbied hard for the vote to give us an ultimatum. I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

“It was my decision, and I appreciate all you’re doing to make sure we stay safe.” Blaming Aaron and Nathan wasn’t going to help anything. They’d advised me as best they could.

“The question is whether you want to go through with telling them, or hold off,” Nathan said.

“Is that still an option? I assumed ya’ll would tell me it’s off the table now.”

“Marco is prepared to let his top people handle the ceremony if you choose to.”

I shook my head. “I can’t put Will and Davy’s lives at risk, but if I can never tell them, it means I need to leave them. That’s probably best, right? So I make sure they stay safe?”

“Let’s not pull that lever yet,” Aaron said. “We’ll hold off on telling them for now, but don’t blow your relationship up. Do you trust me to handle the explanations of why we’re in a security situation?”

I sighed. “What are you going to tell them?”

“That you were given clearance to finally tell them all your secrets, and someone with substantial power who doesn’t want civilians to know found out and made some threats, so the possibility of you telling them has put everyone’s life in danger.

We didn’t expect this to happen, but now that it has, they need to let me move all of you to a more secure location until we get this resolved. ”

I sighed. “Yeah, it’s the truth without telling them anything. Thanks.”

“Aaron and I are going to handle this outside of supernatural politics,” Nathan said. “Once we kill a half-dozen of the top Concilio members, the rest will back off and agree the Senatus operates on its own, and not under the management of the original council.”

“And if they don’t,” Aaron said, “we’ll kill a few more of them, and keep doing so until they formally agree, in writing, that they are no longer the planetary vampire leadership, but only responsible for Africa, Europe, and Asia.”

Panda was waiting for us at the gate, and he opened it and then closed it behind us, watching it the entire time to be certain no one else got through. Eunice was waiting for us at the parking area, and he walked behind us, with me between Aaron and Nathan, until we were in the house.

Mira stepped to us from an alcove and asked, “Any issues getting here?”

“None,” Aaron said, “but they had no way of knowing where we were. They likely do now, because odds are the house is under surveillance. Anything I need to know?”

“Will and Davy spent the evening in the locked playroom, which simplified things for us. Silver, Animal, Hailey, and Ghost are in the basement theater. Any chance we can keep everyone on the lower floors tonight?”

“We’ll get everyone moved soon enough, and yes, we’ll keep everyone downstairs until we implement our exit strategy.”

I didn’t know what the exit strategy was, but I trusted my bosses. If I needed to know, they’d have told me, so I walked us all to the living room, stood in the doorway, and told Will, “We need to go downstairs for this — the theater maybe, or your recording studio.”

“Theater is fine,” Will said. “Sounds serious?”

“It is,” Aaron said.

Davy was in jeans without a shirt, and Will was in jeans with a shirt. Both were barefoot, but these men aren’t warriors.

I grabbed Davy’s hand, led the way downstairs, and ushered everyone into the theater, which has recliners all facing the screen.

As Mira had said, Silver, Animal, Hailey, and Ghost were already there.

Someone paused the video game when we came in, and I assume saved it, since it turned off after a few minutes.

This room wasn’t the best seating arrangement for a conversation, but the theater is mostly soundproof and it’s underground without windows. The recording studio is completely soundproof, but there’s only a few stools and no practical seating.

Panda introduced everyone and sat down, and then Aaron stood in front, so we were his audience, and told my men, “Micca has been lobbying hard to tell you her secret, and that includes convincing some high-powered people to call in favors on her behalf. A vote recently happened that quite narrowly gave her approval, but there are people who absolutely don’t want a famous person to know these secrets, and they’ve threatened to kill you and Davy if you’re told. ”

Nathan had been sitting on the front row of recliners, and he stood beside Aaron and turned to us.

“We didn’t expect this to happen, or we would’ve counseled Micca against campaigning to be able to tell you.

Long story short, we need to move everyone to a secure location until we get this resolved. ”

Kirsten flashed into the room as Nathan was saying this, and both Davy and Will squeezed my hands.

“She’s a friend,” I told them, but I didn’t try to explain because I assumed the vampires would make them forget they saw someone teleport.

“How many people are going?” Kirsten asked Aaron and Nathan.

“The two of us, Venom and Josef, four band members plus Davy, Micca, Ghost, and Collosa,” Nathan told her.

He put a finger up for each person as he spoke, and he made it to all ten fingers and then went to two fingers.

She looked at me. “Is there a one-piece sofa that will hold a dozen people? Not a sectional deal, something that’s all one piece.”

“There’s a daybed down here, all one piece and pretty big,” I told her.

She nodded. “Show me.”

I walked her out of the theater to the big game room and pointed to the daybed just outside the practice room.

She nodded, held a finger up, and disappeared.

Nathan had followed us out, and he shrugged.

“She does that when she’s in a hurry. Probably making sure she has a place big enough to take the bed, checking in with whatever security she has in place, making sure it’s night so the vampires don’t get fried if she’s taking us somewhere outside, or that windows are covered if it’s daytime.

Let’s bring everyone out and get them on it. ”

* * * *

Will

I wanted to tell everyone never mind, that Micca can keep her secrets if they’re this big of a deal, but something told me this wasn’t just going to go away because I said never mind .

I pay Drake Security handsomely to keep me safe, and since Aaron seemed to know the secret, I was assuming he wouldn’t be pushing for me to know unless he felt it important enough to risk my safety.

Also, I have to admit my curiosity was at an all-time high.

Having someone appear to teleport in and out upped it even more.

It had to be some kind of advanced tech.

Right? Drake Security is involved in lots of military stuff, who knows what they have access to that us civilians don’t have a clue about.

But questions could come later. You don’t stop the people keeping you safe during a crisis. Once everyone is in a safe space, then you can ask questions.

Nathan pulled the bed away from the wall as if it were plastic instead of cast iron, and we easily got everyone on it, five people on one row, five on another, with Micca in Nathan’s lap and Davy in the lap of the man they called Venom.

Nathan merely said, “Electronics,” as he put his cellphone and watch on a table, and most everyone else followed suit.

I didn’t, and Aaron told me, “Anything electronic will likely be fried. Best to leave it here.”

I turned my phone and watch off before settling them on the table, and was happy when Davy did the same without me having to tell him. Silver and Animal did as well, and I assumed that was everyone. Micca had done so immediately when Nathan said to, but he’s her boss.

And then the redheaded woman was back, as if she teleported in, and she kind of floated up and then down to stand in a tiny space mostly in the center of the daybed. “Everyone take a breath and hold it. This’ll only take a few seconds. I’ll count down from five.”

No one else was freaking out. They all seemed to take it in stride that this woman could just appear and disappear.

I had to assume explanations would be forthcoming.

Aaron, Nathan, and their people had always done an excellent job of keeping Mythic Beast safe.

I had to believe they were doing the same now.

She counted down, and I held my breath when she got to one .

The walls around us faded to nothing, and then fabric walls formed around us until we were in a huge white tent.

It was night, but lots of candles were lit all around us.

Real candles, not the kind I’d used in the playroom.

I hadn’t turned them off, so the batteries would probably be dead in them all when we returned.

“Welcome to Alfheim,” the redheaded woman said as she floated up and then down to the ground.

“This is Kirsten,” Nathan said, standing. “Queen of Alfheim. We aren’t expecting to be around anyone who lives here today, but if we are, you’ll need to address her as Your Majesty.”