In reality, they couldn’t have kept the god a secret, not after the fight in Central Park, not with the way packs talked. In the end, the god’s favor had enabled Jono to bring in more packs for the fight ahead. The logistics of getting the packs situated would be easier if they knew where the bloody hell Ethan was.
“Any hunter troubles where you’re from?” Jono asked.
“Here and there. Your warning about the demons was appreciated. What do we need to know about what’s going on here?” Monica asked.
Jono mulled over what he could say without giving away the secrets they still had to keep. “Do you know what happened in Paris?”
Monica arched an eyebrow as she swirled the toothpick with the olives speared on it in her drink. “The zombie attack? Who hasn’t?”
“We expect something similar to happen. Odds are it’ll start here in New York City on Samhain.”
“How sure are you about that?”
Jono leaned his weight against the counter, gaze drifting over the crowd. “This city is an altar more so than others. The government is treating it as ground zero, even if that isn’t public knowledge. It’s why we needed more support. Paris was nearly overrun, even with the preternatural community coming out in force to push back. We’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”
“The news has been talking about the Dominion Sect lately, especially after what happened last night. Is that who we’ll be facing?”
Jono nodded. “It won’t just be the packs. We have alliances with local covens, the fae, and the Night Courts. They’ll all be fighting alongside us.”
Monica seemed surprised about that, as were others in the crowd. “Vampires?”
“They’re annoying but useful sometimes,” Emma drawled.
“True,” Jono said with a snort. “There will be others, we hope. Some of the support is run through the SOA, so I can’t disclose that information right now, but Patrick has made the agency aware of the werecreature community’s support.”
Some in the crowd appeared uneasy at that statement. Those werecreatures who weren’t god pack members risked their anonymity in the fight ahead, but Jono had to believe they were aware of the risk when they volunteered to come here.
“How do you plan to fight the Dominion Sect?” Monica asked.
Jono shrugged and spread his hands. “Block by block.”
He and Patrick had worked out the framework of a defense drawn from their experience in Paris. They’d taken input from their allies, and they had a rough plan. He only hoped it would work when the fighting started.
Monica nodded slowly, gaze thoughtful. “We’ll trust your lead.”
More like they’d trust Fenrir. Jono was willing to leverage the god’s presence as much as he needed to if it would gain them more people for their side of the fight. They couldn’t trust that the gods of heaven would come when called. They needed to act like they had no cavalry waiting in the wings, because they didn’t.
“Anyone need another drink?” Jono asked.
A few people piped up with their requests, and he went about making them some.
* * *
“Hey,”Marek said from the sofa, not looking up from his laptop.
Jono shut the door to Marek and Sage’s flat, Emma having stopped off on the floor below where she and Leon lived. The Art Deco building was quite large, the center of a mix of Tempest pack territory and god pack territory.
Hamilton Heights was the traditional territory Jono had no desire to live in right now. He wondered if they could offer it up to any of the packs joining the fight who needed a place to stay. He’d need to take it up with Sage.
“Is Sage still at work?” Jono asked.
Marek nodded. “She’s planning to stay late. She has a lot on her desk to offload, and it doesn’t even include pack issues. Deadlines can’t wait, no matter what gods want.”
Jono grimaced, hoping they weren’t stretching Sage too thin. Tiarnán was a name partner at Gentry & Thyme, aduine sídhe, and one of their fae allies. Jono doubted Tiarnán would fire her, but it was a balance they’d have to work on in the future.
Jono went to the kitchen and rummaged in the refrigerator for any leftovers that could make up a very late lunch. He went through the Chinese takeout cartons he found and carried the plate of food back to the living area once it was heated up.
Only when half the food was gone did he speak. “Have you seen anything?”
