“Angelina is speaking to the high priests and priestesses of local covens about the problem,” Casale said.
Angelina Casale was a priestess for the Crescent Coven and worked beneath Hera, who pretended to be that coven’s high priestess while basking in prayers. Jono was fairly certain that goddess was still ensconced in Greece with Zeus. Angelina had aided them briefly with their hunter problem back in August, and Jono was grateful for that. Whether or not she could muster solid support despite promises given remained to be seen.
“That just leaves everyone else in the five boroughs not dialed into the preternatural or supernatural communities,” Patrick said. “Millions and millions of people.”
Casale grimaced. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”
“And what do you know that you aren’t telling us?” Jono asked.
“What makes you think you have the right to be privy to that information?”
Patrick was no longer called upon by the PCB to aid in their cases. What cases Patrickcouldoversee were limited due to his ties to the preternatural community. It meant their information pool had shrunk, and that helped no one right now.
“We’d like to think you know what’s at stake.”
“Do I?”
Patrick snorted, leaning around Casale to call another lift. “Don’t play dumb. You saw what happened in Brooklyn and Central Park. You saw the scene at the Ritz-Carlton. The Dominion Sect is everyone’s problem, so don’t be a fucking stranger if you learn something before the SOA. We need to know.”
The soft chime of another lift arriving prompted Jono to push Patrick toward it, leaving Casale behind. Jono pressed the button for the lobby, both of them keeping quiet until they’d swapped one lift for another to get to the underground car park.
“Will the joint task force do anything about it?” Jono asked once they were driving away from City Hall.
Patrick snorted as the light ahead turned red, braking for it. “The Sluagh? I want to say yes, but the joint task force is more focused on Ethan and the Dominion Sect right now.”
“This involves Ethan.”
“Speaking to the fucking choir. Reed could be convinced. Setsuna wouldn’t throw up roadblocks. It’s everyone else that’s going to balk if I report back that there’s a bunch of hellish fae running rampant in New York City. They’d want more proof than what we saw.”
“Because they don’t trust you?”
Patrick tipped his head in Jono’s direction in a slight nod, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. “And they won’t trust you.”
Jono frowned, turning his attention to the road as the light turned green. “Fuck.”
“Pretty much.”
Patrick drove toward the SOA field office rather than back to their flat. He was working today, and that meant actually going in for meetings. Patrick double-parked in front of the SOA’s entrance when they finally arrived, and Jono leaned across the center console to pull him into a kiss.
“I’m in Queens today,” Jono said when he pulled back.
“Take Wade,” Patrick said, licking his lips.
“I thought he had school?”
“He’s taking a leave of absence for the rest of the month. Sage finally got it cleared with his advisors. She told me last night while you were pouring some drinks.”
“Right, then. I’ll swing by and pick him up.”
“He’ll want breakfast.”
Jono leaned close and kissed Patrick one more time. “I’ll let him clean out a deli.”
They both got out of the car and Jono took over the driver’s seat, not putting the car into drive until Patrick was inside the heavily warded building. Then he pulled into traffic, already ringing Wade.
“Yeah?” Wade mumbled when he picked up.
“I’m coming to get you,” Jono said.
