Nico held up a hand. “Let’s talk this through. I’m not saying it’s a good idea or a plan that I want to implement, but I’m not completely against it like I would have been a couple of weeks ago.”
“Are you serious?—”
“Don’t get ahead of me. This is not something to take lightly. I want to approach this vial like it’s… a nuclear bomb or something. Dangerous, powerful, and only to be used at the very last second.”
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Like yesterday, if things had started going poorly. I could take it to see if it gave us an advantage. Something that would save lives.”
Nico nodded wearily. “Exactly. Here are my stipulations. Using the vial is on the table… if it looks like all is lost and there are no other options. When it looks as though we are all going to end up dead anyway, then, and only then, would I be okay with you drinking it. Can we agree on that?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Nico looked pale, but he pulled me in again.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I guess we’ll see how things go.”
Despite the danger we were in, I felt hopeful again. For the first time in days, I had something to look toward. Having a weapon in our back pocket made everything else seem a little less dangerous, a little less terrifying. I didn’t truly want to use the vial but knowing Nico agreed it was a good last option was nice. Sort of like jumping out of an airplane but knowing you had a parachute.
The virtual interview was set up for early afternoon. It had taken a lot out of Sinthy to open a portal so the dead could be handed over to the authorities, and none of us wanted her doing any more magic until she was fully rested. She’d already eaten more than a high-school football team would have consumed and was currently sleeping again.
Luis set up a digital video camera and a small TV monitor so Nico could see the reporter he’d be talking to. It would be awkward, but everyone had gotten used to this type of thing since the pandemic a few years before.
Nico, unsure of what image to present, had opted to wear a suit. The last thing he wanted was for Viola’s ‘filthy degenerate shifter’ message to be used because he was dressed like a slob.
“Are we ready?” Nico asked.
Luis was on the phone with the news station and gave Nico a thumbs-up. “The guy’s name is Bruce. He should be on any second.”
I was nervous, and I wasn’t the one who’d be on screen. My palms were clammy, and my mouth was dry. A moment later, a man appeared on the TV screen.
“Mr. Lorenzo? I’m Bruce Witherspoon. Wonderful to meet you. We’ll go live in two minutes.”
Nico gave him a hesitant grin. “Yeah, good to meet you too.”
Not long after, the actual interview started.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” Bruce said. “Today, we come to you remotely from Clearidge, Florida, the site of yesterday’sintense attack on the Lorenzo shifter pack compound. With us is the alpha of the Lorenzo pack, Nicolas ‘Nico’ Lorenzo. You may know him from the viral video posted online yesterday. This video has already received nearly one-hundred-thirty-eight million views as of nine o’clock this morning and is increasing rapidly. In the video, he goes into great detail on the history of The Monroe Group’s illegal activities as well as an alternate history of the legendary werewolf king Edemas. He has agreed to an interview today to give us even more insight into what he believes is going on. Welcome, Mr. Lorenzo.”
I chewed at my nails off-camera as Nico nodded and smiled. “Hello, Bruce. Thanks for having me.”
“First things first, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Can you give our viewers, who may not have seen your video, a bit of background on your history with Viola? Where did this vendetta begin?”
Nico cleared his throat. “It started hundreds of years ago when Viola’s ancestors, distant relatives to Edemas’s queen, turned on the royal couple. I won’t get into a history lesson about that—the viewers can see my video for more information on that.
“The current crisis began months ago. My mate, Maddy Sutton, was identified by The Monroe Group, who is known in shifter circles by their ancient title, The Royals, as the last remaining descendant of Edemas. She was attacked and almost murdered in her place of business. My pack and I stopped that attack by sheer chance.
“Since that night, Viola and her group have done everything in their power to get at the secret they think Maddy holds. Maddy, her best friend, and both her adoptive parents, along with her birth mother, have all suffered from kidnapping and were tortured during their time in royal hands. Maddy’s friend is suffering from PTSD as a result.”
Bruce held up a hand. “Let’s dive deeper into this story Viola has woven about Maddy Sutton. If her videos are to be believed, your mate is the next coming of some sort of demonic werewolf shifter. Someone to be feared, to be stopped at every opportunity. Where does this come from? Why does she believe that?”
Nico shrugged and gave the camera a humorless grin. “I have no clue. Maddy is like anyone else. She was a latent shifter and didn’t develop her connection to her wolf until recently.Thatis only because her adoptive and birth parents knew she would be hunted and gave her suppression meds. Maddy’s life has been one long history of running, hiding, and fear. All because of one woman’s psychosis.” Nico lifted a hand and gestured for me to step forward and join him.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. He wanted me to go on camera? Was that what he was asking? He gestured again. Without any conscious thought, my feet took me closer to him, walking over to join him in front of the camera. Once I was there, Nico draped his arm around my shoulders.
“Does this woman look like a monster? Like some sort of beast that’s going to somehow turn all the shifters into an army to subjugate humans?” Disbelief and derision thickened his voice.
Bruce raised his eyebrows and gave a small shrug. “No, Mr. Lorenzo she does not. Hello, Miss Sutton.”
“Hello,” I said, surprised at the calm in my voice.
