I just wanted the meeting. Finally, I sighed and went with the goal. “I want to give them information. Like I did you with the club. I want to show them what they don’t know. That’s it. No pitch. No—I will feed them and give them information. You guys live in the shadows, and that leaves you too in the dark. I swear on everything that’sit.”
He was quiet several long moments. “You have more goals than that, Jasmine. I am not the fool you—”
“I donotthink you a fool at all,” I said firmly. “I don’t. You don’t get to be the leader of a place likeRomeand be a fool, Ricco. I wouldn’t fucking trust you with shit if I thought you were an idiot. I wouldn’t trust you with something this important.” I sighed again when that didn’t seem to be enough. “I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m trying something new.”
“What?” he growled.
“The truth. I’m giving people the truth and seeing what can grow from there like we have. We know I shouldn’t be involved in any of that anyways as the baby. Please, just get who you can there. With your word it’s safe, they will learn much, and—”
“That is not enough for people who live in the darkness, Jasmine,” he grumbled. “I would not even on the word of them. That’s not enough value for those of us who have lived so long to know anything too benign is normally a trap.”
I blew out a harsh breath. “You guys don’t hurt for money or...” I trailed off when he snorted. “You do? You’re ancient.”
“Yes, and it costs a lot to hide, young one,” he drawled. “Most of us did not come from generational wealth and witnessed it all get taken by humans or—money incentivizes a lot.”
“Fine, this is the information stage of who we can trust, but the answer then is money. Tell them there is a chance for a lot of fucking money,” I said firmly. “Possiblypapers like we’re talking with you and fucking money. If they make it to the second meeting of real talks of a better future after they see the truth of a lot—you will see more truth than you have already, I will show them the money.”
That worked, also that it wasn’t on anyone’s turf and not ours at corporate even, so it was “neutral.”
Except it really wasn’t since we were the German government, but… Let them think it was if it helped us. Duh.
Once I started getting confirmations from Ricco of who was in, I looped in the other senior VPs I was up to something, and to say I was in trouble was an understatement. The second part of it all—or really, maybe like the seventh part at this point—I went to see Mason and asked for a favor.
To say he was shocked was an understatement.
But his reaction would make me laugh for years. Like he dropped his drink and slowly pulled off his glasses and studied me as if trying to see if I was someone else glamoured as me.
Or maybe if aliens had overtaken me? I wasn’t sure, but I convinced him it was really me and I was serious. After that, he was in.
Awesome.
Elijah, Rita, and Arthur werepissedwhen they showed up to meet the next morning, something Ricco immediately caught on to.
“You didn’t tell them you were starting trouble?” he accused.
I shrugged. “Cutting through the bullshit is my greatest ability most days.” I handed him over a bracelet. “I’m going to need these back. Nonnegotiable. The magic has to be absorbed back into the warlock who made it or… I don’t understand magic, but people agree now or I break them for being assholes.”
And everyone understood me since I was already wearing one. Yeah, Mason came up with providing bracelets with translator magic for this meeting all on his own to help. It was so cool to watch after I sent people to get the supplies he needed.
Honestly, my lover was seriously impressive.
And ridiculously sexy when focused on doing magic.
Everyone besides Ricco and the demons seemed to hesitate, but then one shifter snorted and rolled his eyes, coming closer and rattling off under his breath too softly for the magic to pick up. He almost reached me when his energy hit me and I took a step back, cursing under my breath.
“Wolves did much damage to her and she still recovers,” Ricco explained quickly. “And yet she was honorable enough to not exclude your people.” He gave me an apologetic look. “I forgot. In my own—”
“My piles of issues aren’t for you to remember, Ricco,” I told him easily, offering the bracelet to the ancient wolf. “It’s also that you’re powerful and annoyed and it’s like bugs over the skin since I’m young.”
He gave a sharp nod and took the bracelet, slipping it on. “I said there’s no point in hesitating when we need your people to take us back through the portals. We’re stranded or have headaches otherwise. I am impressed you are running thismeeting—even so young—and thought to make sure we could all communicate. It bodes well for my busy time spent here.”
That pushed the others to accept and I was glad, especially when the others nodded that their promises to give back the bracelets were real.
“Look, I’m not ancient, and I can’t lecture you guys on anything or how you’ve done things,” I said to them all—my friends as well. “But I do cut through the shit because we’re all busy and my doing that last time worked with Ricco and the leaders in Rome and now we have a chance at better. Theylearnedthe truth about a lot.”
“And he said this is our next lesson?” one I recognized hedged, not sounding like he liked to hear that. “We accepted your party at your club. We were wrong. It was not a whorehouse like old. It was—I apologize for my assumptions. Your business is good business.”
I nodded, accepting the compliment. “But we’re not just our business. That’s what I want to show you today.” I ignored when the demons froze and waved everyone to follow.
