Page 51 of Bold Mercy

“I saved you a plate,” Lucy said, jumping up to grab a foil covered plate from the oven. It weighed about five pounds, so mollified, I took it and looked around for a place to sit.

Zach offered me his chair. “I’m finished anyway. The only one of you who eats less than me is Max.”

“Hey,” Lucy said, pausing with a chicken leg halfway to her mouth. “I don’t eat more than Max.”

“Where’s my mother?” I asked, sitting in Zach’s vacated chair. Ash immediately left Joe’s side to come sit closer to me. He sat on his haunches and stared at me, waiting to see if any food would jump off my plate and into his mouth.

“She left with the wolves who escorted us here,” Lucy told me. “She said to tell you to call her after your meeting with the mayor. She has something important you need to talk about.”

I nodded. My mother had changed somewhat since we’d gotten a pack. It was important for a wolf, and she didn’t want to lose that. She knew that as an alpha, I wasn’t going to be Jared’s wolf, not really. Maybe she believed I might try to fight him for the position. I’d reassure her that would never happen. I might be alpha, but I was certainly not the type to want to head a pack or wreck the one I belonged to. A wolf alpha was too restricted, too wrapped up in pack politics, too overwhelmed and shackled with the responsibility of dozens of people. I shuddered. No, that wasn’t me.

“Max,” I said, happy beyond words that we were all together in my house again. “I want the people to see you, but if by some chance we get lucky and the rogues come—”

“I will be standing closest to the door,” he said, licking a smudge of cake icing off his finger, “and if a bunch of vampires appear, I’ll jump into Lucy’s arms and she’ll run us both to safety.”

All of us laughed but Joe. “I’ll be there,” he growled. “If Avis shows, I’ll make sure you get to safety before anything happens to you.” Then, he added, “And Lucy, of course.”

Lucy giggled, and I was glad to see she had thrown off her cloak of despair and seemed to be back to her normal bubbly self. “Thank you, Joe.”

“I hope Avis shows,” Zach said. He briefly touched the hilt of his blade, then crossed his arms and stared into the distance.

He may have wanted her more than I did, but if I got to her first, I was going to take care of business.

Finally, it was time to go.

We took Ash with us. With everyone gone, I was worried Sam the serial killer might break into my apartment, and I certainly didn’t want Ash there alone if that happened. I could leave him in the mayor’s house with people watching over him.

The gates were closed at the end of the mayor’s driveway, but two guards were there to open them for us. We wouldn’t want humans there tonight. It wouldn’t be safe. A couple of police cars sat outside the gates, and I thought about telling them they should either go home or come inside where they’d be better protected, but in the end I decided to mention it to Rick and let him handle it.

Reporters were waiting on folding chairs, their cameramen standing patiently, and a couple dozen suited security guys stood watchfully around the area. They didn’t try to hide their holstered guns or stakes, some wood, some metal. A couple of them had large crucifixes on silver chains around their necks, and one guy smelled so strongly of garlic that I gagged.

The mayor wasn’t outside, but Rick stood talking with two of the guards, and he watched me as I climbed from my car. Lucy and Zach were with me, and Max had ridden with Joe.

I turned when a loud black car sped up the driveway and a few seconds later, Remy Simon climbed from the vehicle. He was dressed the way the humans would expect a hunter to dress—in all black and dripping with silver blades. Remy was a good-looking man, but a person didn’t have to look hard to see the cold killer in his stare. He was eager for what the night might bring.

He wasn’t the only one. There were a couple of officers who strutted around the area with bright eyes and barely suppressed grins, their fingers eagerly brushing their weapons as they searched the shadows, hoping for something to kill. They weren’t terrified of their new world. They were excited by it.

Had any of the security present tonight actually fought and killed a vampire? No. The rogues were too good to get caught by humans.

At least by most of the humans. My stare flitted from Remy to Zach, both humans, both hunters, both dangerous. They would give the vampire rogues some trouble. And there was another human who could fight a vampire, as well, especially after his abduction. Rick finished his conversation with the guards and stood off a little to himself, watchful and silent, ready for anything. He’d changed since the vampires had gotten their fangs into him.

I hoped he would never remember what he’d done while under Axton’s control, but I was nearly certain that in time, he would. I couldn’t guess what he’d do then.

When Louis came out into the courtyard, followed by four of his security team, I immediately took Ash’s leash and went to meet him. “Can he hang out inside?” I asked him.

“Absolutely.” He bent down to scratch Ash’s head. “Noah will love him.” He gestured and one of the guards came to take Ash inside. “Do you think the vampires will show up?” he asked me, as we watched Ash trotting away.

“Yeah,” I replied. “I do.”

“Wonderful,” he said. “I don’t want to just tell the people of Jakeston you’re able to protect them. I want to show them.”

“If they come,” I told him, grimly, “get inside with your family. Don’t hesitate, no matter what. Okay?”

He took a deep breath, and it shook a little when he released it. “Okay, Kait Silver.” He straightened his shoulders and took another deep breath. “Can we get started?”

But as we walked toward the reporters, another car arrived.

Jared.

And for the first time since I’d arrived, something eased inside me. “Yes,” I murmured. “Now we can get started.”