All Bad Things (Salutem #12)

Chapter 9

9

S itting at the head of the table, Indigo searched the faces of the people sitting with him. He’d had an hour to go over the information Senator Williamson gave him, and now it was time.

“The president is willing to meet.” He gave them all a minute to digest the information. “He’ll meet Williamson in a week. That’s the earliest he can. Once Williamson has shown him all the information he’s gathered, he’ll call, and Balor will take me and Deacon, and we will show the president what information we have and shift if necessary.”

“This is really happening,” Jake murmured. “If only this had happened six months ago, Kris would still be here.”

The atmosphere dropped, and Indy glanced at the table. If onlys. That’s all they had, but they couldn’t live with them. They had to pick themselves up and move on, and now was a chance to end this group once and for all. And free those shifters who had been taken.

“Kris will never be forgotten,” Teal muttered in a firm voice. “None of those we have lost will be forgotten.”

“Right now, we need to focus on this.” Brian stretched and sighed. “I know Teal has talked to the farmers outside Salutem about protection methods they could use. I’ll make stops as well. If we do this and some humans don’t like it, they’ll be targeted first.”

Indy nodded and glanced at Deac, who also nodded. “I have Jim doing that in Morefield, and we’ve added extra CCTV where we can. We’re looking into altering patrols so we can try to cover as much ground as possible, but we’re all stretched thin.”

“How have those new shifters fitted in?” Cy asked.

“They all passed our background checks, so we’ve worked them in. Good so far. Sensible and can follow orders. They’re able to cover here, if needed.”

“I’m hoping things will die down once we come out. If we decide to, that is. Depends on the president.”

“And on what other shifter communities want. A few have reached out and are on board. Most of those I’ve spoken to know we are in a difficult position. A couple have outright refused.”

“I honestly think you’re not in a position to remain hidden,” Balor murmured. “Tech is advancing every day. It’s only a matter of time before a shifter is recorded shifting. How you haven’t been caught so far is a miracle. The world is becoming a place where even those who wish to remain unseen will be seen. CCTV is everywhere; everyone has a camera on their phone. Soon, the decision won’t be yours to make.”

Sheriff Paulo Gentile agreed. “We have been incredibly lucky. I believe it’s now or never. We can do this our way and in a way that makes us less of a threat. Add in those creatures and the humans may look at us with a more sympathetic eye and some fear. If those things can be sent after us, then what’s to stop them being used on humans?”

“Whatever we decide, we need to make sure we have enough people in place to handle whatever comes our way.” Deac sat back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, sighing heavily. “We’re all feeling the pressure this brings. It’s an unknown. The president is an unknown. Maybe I should strip and shift in front of him. That would help us.”

“Or scare ten years of his life.” Teal grinned. “I like your way of thinking, though. Shift in front of him, then he can’t deny anything. You’re right there in front of him with your furry ass on display.”

Indy smiled as the rest of the chuckled. They needed a laugh, no matter how small it was. Rubbing the back of his neck, Indy glanced at his mate, Balor, who nodded. “We know what information Senator Williamson has—or we believe we do.”

“You think he kept something from us?”

“I think he’s a politician. Yes, he’s invested because of his wife, but this could also help to further his political career. If he told the world about shifters…” Indy flattened his lips. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he has an ace up his sleeve. I’m almost certain he hasn’t told us everything.”

“As you said, this would serve his purpose. He could run for the presidency if this works in his favor.” Viridian steepled his fingers. “We have no choice but to trust him—or trust him as much as we’re able to and cover our own asses at the same time.”

Indy narrowed his eyes at Vir but nodded. He was still pissed at his brother for being the Senator’s mole and not telling him, but he’d put that to one side while they dealt with this. Vir was right: no matter what, they had to make sure there weren’t any problems once they went public. He knew some humans would oppose them being free and might hunt them. Similar things had happened when the vampires revealed their existence. They had to learn from their experiences and what they’d endured. That was why Sacha Marchesi was there.

As a vampire, he’d spent many years researching vampire history, helping to reveal the previous vampire king’s plan to take over the world and kill off as many humans as possible. Jacques, the current king, trusted Sacha.

“Can you give us a brief history of what vampires went through after you came out?”

Sacha nodded. “Pretty much what you’d expect. Some accepted vampires while others made it a game to hunt us down. Vampires were captured and used for blood sport: hunted and murdered. There were some humans who assisted vampires, but a few decades after the announcement were hard. Many vampires and humans died.”

“But that was a different time. I would like to think we’ve come a long way since then, but for some humans and probably vampires, too, a shifter will be seen as competition. Who is the better species? Three species vying for top dog.” Sacha paused, then added, “And we need to consider vampires and shifters joining forces on a more permanent basis.”

“What?” Indy stared at Sacha.

“Humans rule the world as it stands now, but everyone in this room knows shifters and vampires are stronger and can take more damage. We wouldn’t be in this situation if that wasn’t the case. It’s why shifters have been hunted, kidnapped, and experimented on. Can you imagine what would happen if vampires and shifters worked together to overthrow the government?”

Indy knew he was wearing the same shocked expression everyone else was. He had never considered that possibility. “I never… Shit.” The powers that be would have considered this. They would have considered this and other possibilities they hadn’t.

“The president will be thinking about these scenarios—or his team of advisors will. They will consider scenarios we could never dream of. You need to bear that in mind.”

“Well, fuck.” Brian said what they were all thinking.

What do you think? Indy asked Balor.

He has a point, and if we go through with this, there would no doubt be similar laws the vampires had. Security would have to be tightened.

Indy exhaled heavily. I agree, but do we continue or not?

That depends if you want this to end and on what the senator wants. You may all agree not to carry on, but the senator has all the information you have. He may go ahead without you. He has a mate. He has a family.

Indy nodded. I have a feeling we’ll be revealed whether we want to or not.

Yes, and do you want to be included in the decision making?

“He could reveal our existence whether we want it or not. He’s mated.” Indy watched Balor stare back at him. Demons?

No one needs to know about us other than the senator. We don’t live here, and we aren’t interested in human affairs.

“I feel we have no choice in this, and it is something we’ve considered many times before.” Deacon stood and poured a cup of coffee. “We know we’ll have to be more watchful for a while, but I can also see the military being involved.” He glanced at Elliot Young, who nodded.

“Agreed. Military would be deployed while we are assessed.”

“Assessed?” Cy asked.

“How much trouble we’ll cause.” Eli shrugged. “It’s something I would do if an unknown entered the equation.”

“So, we’d have to deal with the senator, the president, all humans and vampires, and the military.” Deac laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Peachy.”

“But we wouldn’t be hunted or experimented on, and those creatures would be gone.” Jake stared at the table. “In time, things would go back to normal or as normal as can be. The humans would find something else to entertain themselves with, and we have Jacques to help.”

Sacha nodded. “Jacques won’t put up with any bullshit, and you know the humans love him.”

“That’s because he smiles and humans swoon.” Cy did an impression of someone fainting. “Miguel enjoys it.”

“He does find it amusing,” Sacha agreed. “Having him there when your existence is revealed will help. Also, let them know how shifters have served this country, your sense our patriotism. You need to make shifters as appealing as possible. Send out sensible single shifters.” Sacha arched an eyebrow. “You know there will be humans who will want to sleep with a shifter.”

“Not going there,” Indy muttered. “I don’t care who fucks who. What I care about is keeping us safe when all this comes out.”

“Let the humans see what you have to offer. Let their people come here and see how you live. It helped when Jacques did that, and he had a couple of presenters from popular TV shows come in as well. Interviews as well. Be open and transparent.”

“This sounds like some marketing campaign or political campaign.”

“In a way, it is. A campaign to show humans you’re not some boogeyman.” Sacha handed Indy a folder. “This has a list of what Jacques did.”

Indy opened the folder and saw a list of names, then closed it and stared at Sacha, who shrugged. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Then assign someone who does and do it quick. You have limited time available now. The senator is ready to make his move, and you need to be as prepared as you can. Once you see the president, he will no doubt make an announcement on TV. He’ll want you there.”

Indy opened his mouth, then closed it. “I had considered that, but it always seemed something far off.”

“I’ll do it.” Cy winked.

“Oh god, no.” Deac laughed. “That would be like putting Manu and Preston on show.”

“We’re working on it,” Manu muttered through gritted teeth.

“I know you are. Utility closet? Couldn’t find anywhere else to work on it?”

Manu ducked his head. “He makes me so angry sometimes.”

“So, you take it out on his ass and let us all know?” Eli asked.

“At least I get to enjoy something.”

“Let’s get back on track.” Indy stared at everyone. “We’re doing this. Agreed?” He went around the table, noting all the nods. “It’s a go then.”

“I’ll handle all security measures with my team and liaise with Vir.” Eli looked at Vir, who nodded. “We’ve been doing it for years now, so we can assess the situation and go from there. Just keep us in the loop, and I have no doubt you’ll need to provide our numbers to certain military personnel. I’m certain we can handle everything they come up with.”

“The good old days,” Vir murmured.

“I will speak with Jacques and Hunter. We can assist security, if needed.”

“Hunter’s back now after Chester and Silas’ funeral.”

“Military angle is covered, security is covered, we’re doing the publicity stuff, and the president.” Indy swallowed. Calm. You’re not alone.

Indy glanced at Vir. I’m still not talking to you.

We’re not talking technically. I know you’re angry at me but put that aside for now. We’re all in this together, and we’re all here for you.

“You need a pretty face for the public. You two don’t have that.” Sacha’s lips twitched. “No offense. You need someone who appears trustworthy and will say what they want to hear. That’s why Jacques is good, and he suffered to.”

“Sky? Robin?” Vir mentioned their names.

“I’d rather keep it to the council, if possible, but they have also been in the labs.”

“They’re both good looking too.” Sacha shrugged. “And with their stories about the labs, they would win over some humans as well.”

Indy straightened. “Let’s add some other names to the list and go over everything else. Can someone call Sam’s and arrange for food? I have a feeling we’re going to be here for some time.”