“And in conclusion...” Ben says, but I mentally checked out five minutes into his pitch.
We carry on like that for the next hour and a half until everyone has presented their case as to why the extra funds should be transferred to their respective department. I already had an idea of how I wanted to proceed, but I’m not closed minded enough to assume I couldn’t be swayed onto a more beneficial or noble path. Beyond that, it’s a sake of keeping the peace, ensuring everyone feels heard so there’s no simmering resentment.
Endless mind games and formalities. People think wealth brings power, but they conveniently brush off the burdens that come with it in lieu of staring at the dollar signs like anything’s worth the sacrifice and not as bad as it sounds.
“Thank you, everyone.” Rising to my feet, I crack my neck and stretch my stiff muscles. “I’ll take your proposals under advisement and have a decision by the end of the week.” Bracing myself, I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. “Now that that’s concluded, on a more personal note, may I introduce you to my wife and mate, Scarlett.” Gesturing to her, she timidly peeks her head up above the screen and gives an awkward wave. “If I’m ever unreachable, she has full discretion for making decisions in my absence, so you’ll be seeing her around more in the coming weeks as she familiarizes herself with everyone in the building and their roles.”
There’s a heavy pause as we wait for someone to realize. Able to study her up close rather than a picture, now that they’re face to face, I wait with bated breath for someone to risk making the accusation despite her status. Sebastian doesn’t disappoint, the shifter’s nostrils flaring yet again, as I’ve tracked throughout the meeting, banking on him to be the one to click together the pieces.
The scent marking only masquerades her as a shifter around strangers unfamiliar with Kasen and Beck’s scents. With the two men in the room, it doesn’t take a genius to realize she’s not only my mate, but theirs. And once you sift through theirs, you’re left with the heady, drugged wine scent unique to her, mingled with vampire. It’s harder to distinguish, as most vampires are coated in a heavy layer of filth from their lifestyle, but as Sebastian narrows his eyes on hers, noting the red rings as she looks straight back at him, he shoves to his feet.
Chair clattering to the ground behind him from his abrupt movement, Sebastian slams his palms down on the conference table. His nails begin to lengthen as his lips curl back in a snarl, defenses rapidly building as he realizes the danger, sending his defenses into overdrive.
While energy thrums at my fingertips, ready to toss both a shield and defensive blast simultaneously if he’s stupid enough to launch himself at her, Kasen steps closer, prepared to intercept. Beck carries on as if he notices none of the commotion, but by the slight angling of his body as he tilts his computer an inch in my direction, it’s clear his skill set lies in subtly rather than direct combat. At that angle, his foot would be able to rest on the base of Scarlett’s chair. Since all of the ones in this room are on wheels, he could shove her towards me and out of the way before anyone made it across the table, all without giving his intentions away to the others in the room.
“What in the actual fuck?” Sebastian snarls, looking two seconds from pouncing, but wise enough to hold back since no one’s being attacked.
Shifters are incredibly reactive, overprotective to a fault, and driven by instinct; usually more than logic. In this case, both are working in our favor. He has no need to jump to anyone’s immediate defense in the heat of the moment, and though he senses danger, aware of the biggest threat in the room, there are enough human faculties to give him pause.
“Mind your words, Mr. Garner.” Embracing Beck’s approach, I stretch my arms above my head in a show of casualty. “Before they find you in hot water. You’re addressing my mate, after all, and I expect you to treat her with the respect she deserves.”
A dangerous sound slips from his chest, soon joined by two others as they pick up on the issue. “She’s a godsforsakenvamp,”he spits. “There’s no respect to lose.”
You could hear a pin drop following his declaration. Even the others that were beginning to become agitated cease all sound in the face of his bold words. That, or it could be they caught sight of Kasen, the shift in his eyes as they harden with resolve, and realize the real danger they’ve found themselves in.
Discovering a secret that people will kill to keep. We might be a civilized group, but at our roots, we’re all predators; we’ve just blurred the lines of where the true danger lies.
Well, all except Frank, the only human here that’s eyes are currently bugging out of his head on the opposite side of the table. Garrett and Bishop are visible right outside of the door through the sliver of windows on either side of it. They’re a couple of the select few that are already brought up to speed on Scarlett’s existence, and seeing as there’s no need to guard the penthouse when she’s not in it, their current assignment is ensuring not a single soul leaves this room without hearing us out. Or worse; if theydoand still refuse to shift their prejudiced mindset... we can’t very well let them leave. Contract or not, they’ll spread the news that there’s a vampire in the building, their words laced with disdain and hatred.
The world’s on the brink of a major change, whether they like it or not, and we can’t afford to let them make things any more difficult than they already are.
Kasen’s tone sends an icy chill down the spines of everyone in the room. “Sit. Down.”
You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as people exchange wary glances, but Sebastian refuses to back down. “Or what? You’ll kill me?” he scoffs. “That’ll go over well for you in front of all of these witnesses.”
Kasen matches his energy, a completely different man than the one I brought into the penthouse just a few weeks ago. “What makes you think there will be any left?” He raises an eyebrow in challenge. “We brought you all here to let you in on classified information. If you’re too stubborn to shut up and listen, you aren’t fit to be a department head in a company that thrives on innovation. And if your existence proves to be a threat to my mate, I won’t lose any sleep over killing you, or anyone else in this room.”
Sebastian’s lips are still curled back, but the sincerity in Kasen’s threat has his eyes flitting towards Scarlett once more, effectively submitting by looking away first. “Why isn’t she attacking? Drugged?”
Tongue in cheek, I rein in my temper, hoping we can salvage this before it escalates further. “If you’ll take a seat, I can explain, and answer any questions at the end.” He’s clearly pissed, but eventually picks his chair up and resituates himself at the table.
“Now before I proceed, I’d like to point something out.” I have to clear my throat to get their attention on me, even for a brief second, as most are eyeing Scarlett like she might attack at any moment. “We’ve sat here for the past hour and a half without incident, none of you aware there was even a vampire at the table. It wasn’t until you were actively studying her, and even then, only three of you figured it out. The rest were filled in by Sebastian’s declaration.”
Scarlett’s head is down as she focuses on her computer to avoid the harsh scrutiny and condemning glares. I send a wave of assurance down the bond, but it fizzles out, my mate slowly building up her emotional block; no doubt to hide the toll this is taking on her.
Facing the rest of the small crowd, I continue, “And even after, when there was someone aggressively snarling at her, she didn’t attack. I’d hate to think that when each of you is responsible for hundreds of people, whose decisions affect tens of thousands more, aren’t using rational judgment and assessing situations before reacting.”
As my words register, I watch as they sink in, their focus pulled back to studying Scarlett, but with a hint of curiosity mingling with the fear and hatred. Starting back at the beginning, with Evie’s research and discoveries, I bring them up to speed on everything. The initial sickness when people began to evolve hundreds of years ago, turning people into corrupted versions of shifters; the original vampires, with more predatory instincts than every other race combined. The abuse of the tainted pack link controlling changed vamps, assurance that only the originals are capable of it, and everything else we’ve learned and observed over the last few months.
By the time I stop talking, I can’t get a read on nearly anyone’s thoughts. Expressions are blank; lost either in contemplation, or short circuited. Veronica, though, clearly thinks I’ve lost my ever-loving mind, face scrunched up at the ludicrous sounding story.
Frank swallows before breaking the silence, tentatively asking, “So if someone were to spearhead a mission to eliminate all of the originals, vampires wouldn’t be any more of a threat than shifters are.”
There are a few growls of protest, both at the claim and taking it as an insult, that I ignore. “Archer Donovan already has his men on it.” I weigh the risks before adding, “And we’ve been working in tandem to arrange temporary housing for the freed vampires until we can integrate them back into society. While most have families they were torn from when they were forcibly changed-”
Scarlett cuts me off. “A lot of humans would rather imagine their loved ones are dead than accept them back like this.”
At her speaking, several people tilt their heads, studying her with renewed curiosity like she’s a pet that learned an unexpected trick, and I fucking hate it. Beck suddenly reaches over and smacks a few random buttons on her keyboard.
