Absolution (11 page)

They were on a commercial flight. They had their own plane, but it was easier to just buy tickets. Too much red tape involved in landing in D.C..

“I just had a number.”

Vivian laughed. They were all in one row of four. Kitty and Vivian were in the middle leaving the ends for Russ and Ev.

“Just a number? We’re talking the First Lady here. That is more than some digits.” Russ shook his head.

Everett took Kitty’s hand and kissed her palm. “It’ll be okay. The girls are safe. We’ll be back in no time.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Everett assured her.

And he wouldn’t. He belonged at her side.

Kitty laid her head on his shoulder. “And I wouldn’t have you anywhere else. I just wish…I want…normal, you know?”

“I do know. Hopefully we’ll get the reveal out of the way and we can all settle down.”

“It won’t happen that way. We’ll be freaks and there will be reporters and—”

“Maybe at first. But that will die down eventually and we can think about us. We might have to get a few more guards for the house, but other than that, we’re good.”

“He’s right, Kitty. Things will calm down once people get used to the fact that shifters are real and here to stay. There will be some that will always oppose our existence, but we’ll ignore them and continue to live our lives.” Russ leaned over in his seat to look into Kitty’s eyes.

Everett felt her calming down beside him. It was that damn alpha voice. Russ had that effect on all of them. Hopefully it would work on the President.

Before he knew it, they were landing. They’d each only brought an overnight bag so they didn’t have to go to the baggage claim area. Kitty had called Langford to arrange a ride. They were going right to the White House so they’d be ready when the President was.

To his surprise, Langford himself waited beside a car.

“I thought I’d go with you.” Langford opened the door for Vivian. She slid in, Russ behind her.

“Have you heard from Kurt?” Kitty rubbed her arms.

Everett noticed she’d stopped calling him uncle.

“No, I haven’t. I figured he’d be back trying to take over, by force if necessary. I have guards out. Are you ready?” Langford gestured for them to get in the vehicle.

“Yes. I never thought I’d be back here.”

“You don’t have to come back after this is all over,” Everett assured her.

They got in and sped along the streets.

* * * *

Langford parked the car. Everett hated the city with all the traffic and smog. The noises were too much. He preferred the quiet of the pack house. The drive to the White House seemed to take forever. No one really wanted to talk on the drive and that was fine with him.

He kept glancing at Kitty to make sure she was okay. He knew she didn’t want to be here. She’d left this life behind and now they were dragging her back into it. Once this was settled he’d get her back to where she’d finally become comfortable.

Kitty gave him a small smile and took his hand.

“You’ll want to leave everything in the car except for ID. It’ll go easier that way. As it is, we’ll have to wait a bit to clear security.” Langford got out of the car.

“Why? They know we’re coming.” Everett was confused.

“Yes, they know, but there are still protocols in place. You can’t just waltz into the place. They’ll want our identification. Then they will compare them to the paperwork I submitted earlier today. As it is, we are being a bit rushed through. It’s unheard of to get in to see the President on the same day you fill out your security information. That is thanks to the First Lady. If not for Kitty and her family we wouldn’t even be able to get up to the doors.” Langford helped Kitty from the car.

“Seems a bit much.” Everett shrugged.

“It’s also the President of the United States. He needs to be protected. You’ll also be frisked so don’t go all wolf on the Secret Service agents.” Langford gave a pointed glare towards Everett.

Like I’d be the one—okay, I probably would. I’ll have to be extra careful.

They reached the doors and were stopped by security, and sure enough, they had to stand there as each of their IDs were copied. The head, or he assumed it was the head, of security talked into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. There was some back and forth until—a half hour later they were let in. They were stopped multiple times along the way, but weren’t frisked again.
Thank goodness.
After the first time he needed a bath. Kitty rubbed his back, as if she knew he was tense.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come. I could be a liability.

He didn’t belong in this world. But, man, Kitty did. She was in her element. She looked a little—royal. And she was all his.

“This shouldn’t take long. I hope.” Kitty squeezed his bicep.

The guard led them to a sitting area. “The President’s secretary will let you know when you can go in.”

They were left in the room. Everett wondered how much more waiting they would have to do. He looked down at what he was wearing—jeans and a T-shirt. He was so underdressed. He should have changed, but they were in a hurry.
God, who met the President in jeans?
Not Russ or Langford. They looked nice in their casual wear. Even the ladies were nicely attired.
Fuck.

“You okay?” Russ put a hand on his arm to stop Everett from pacing.

He was getting agitated and he needed to stop. He couldn’t screw things up. This was big.

A tall striking woman stood in the doorway. “The President will see you now.” She turned as if expecting them to follow. They moved single file out of the room until they were shown into a sitting area similar to the one they’d just left.

The President had his back to them. He looked regal—more so in real life than on TV.

“Sir, your guests are here.”

President Sparks turned and smiled at them.

“Kitty. So sorry about your family. My wife was a bit mysterious as to the meeting, saying you’d show me. My curiosity is getting the better of me.”

“Thank you, sir. Yes. It will be a bit hard to believe, but—I’m sure you’ll understand in a moment.”

Two Secret Service men stood in the background. They tried to be invisible, but if Everett wasn’t mistaken, one was a were. He wondered if he was from Kitty’s pack.

“Have a seat.” The President motioned them to chairs.

“Let me make introductions. This is my alpha Russ Masters and his mate Vivian. My mate Everett and you know me, well, maybe of me, I’m not sure we’ve ever really met.”

“No, but my wife has always spoken highly of you and of course, I was close to your father.”

“Yes, well, I’m going to let Russ explain why we’re here.”

Everett wondered if the President was paying attention to the words Kitty used. ‘Mate’ and ‘alpha‘ weren’t words most threw around in everyday conversation.

“Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you, but I’m afraid we are here because something big is about to happen. I am a wolf shifter and my mate is a fox shifter.” Russ paused for effect, but the President didn’t even flinch.

“Ah, so this is about exposure.”

“You don’t seem too shocked.” Russ leant back in his chair.

“No, Mr Masters, I’m not. I’ve been privy to your existence for a while.”

Kitty gasped. “My dad, he told you, didn’t he?”

“He did. He felt I would be better protected with a few of his pack as my security after the last assassination attempt. I admit, I wasn’t as calm the first time.” President Sparks winked at Kitty. “What can I do for you?”

This was unexpected, but a good thing. It would have been harder if not for Kitty and the fact that the news wasn’t a shock.

“I have a reporter in my pack who’s going to do a human interest piece on shifters. It would be great if you could make a statement to the people letting them know we aren’t a threat and then we can air our piece. Valerie only had a few more interviews to do and she’ll be ready.”

“Consider it done. How is tomorrow night? That will give me time to prepare something and for your person to finish up. My camp will want to pre-screen the video before it goes live, of course.”

“Yes, of course and we would like to see your speech before it goes live,” Russ countered.

“Very good. We’ll get that arranged. Give my secretary your email address and she’ll give you mine.” The President stood and their group followed suit. “Now, I have a few things to get out of the way so I can work on what I’m going to say. I hope to hear more from you Mr Masters. Kitty.” The President pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be a stranger.”

And with that the man was gone. One of the security team went with him and the other stayed behind.

“Is it true, we’re going to be exposed?”

“Yes. And you’re?” Russ held out a hand.

“Sorry. Brett Manning. I’m part of Kitty—well, I guess it’s Langford’s pack now.”

“We have a seer in our pack and the Ancients gave her a vision of a news story breaking and news reel of a shifter mid shift. It could be explained away, but it is time for us to come out, so to speak.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?”

“No, but I want a safe future for our children. If we take care of this now, by the time the young are old enough, it will be old news.”

“Just let us know how we can help.” Brett left as well.

“Okay, let’s get out of here. I need to get a status update from Valerie. Let me exchange email addresses and we’ll head home. Our return flight”—Russ looked down at his watch—“doesn’t leave for a bit. We have time for some lunch first.”

They were outside the car when someone stopped beside Kitty. Everett turned and grabbed his mate, putting her behind him.

“Wait. Wait. I need help.” Kurt slouched against the car and ran a hand through his hair.

He looked different from before—defeated and more haggard. Something had to have happened between his escape and now to put the look of utter dejection on his face.

“What do you want, Kurt?” Russ finally came out of the White House.

“I need help. I was…wrong.”

“What happened?” Russ raised an eyebrow.

“I met my mate.”

“Ah, you do know you will never be an alpha of a pack again. You should probably find a new pack and I might have the one for you, if you don’t cause problems. You stay away from us and Kitty and I’ll get you the help you need. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have places to be.” Russ nodded and got into the car.

“I’m sorry, Kitty,” Kurt whispered the words. If Everett hadn’t been standing so close he wouldn’t have heard.

“I can’t accept that, Kurt. You killed my parents no matter the technicalities. It was your fault.” Kitty patted Everett’s back and climbed into the backseat, leaving him alone with Kurt.

“You stay away from my family or you’ll die. Do we understand each other?” Everett waited for Kurt to acknowledge him before he too got into the vehicle. He turned to look out the window. Kurt stared at the ground and didn’t move. His shoulders were slumped and if it was anyone else, Everett might have felt sorry for him. As it was, he felt cheated out of ripping Kurt a new one.

“You okay, Kitty?”

She nodded, but was silent. Everett would feel better when they got home. They might never know what drove Kurt to the point he had the need to kill his brother and his wife and Everett didn’t really care. He had his girls to take care of now. He hugged Kitty close and kissed her head. Home had never sounded so good.

Chapter Thirteen

“People of this great nation, I have an announcement to make. One that some of you will not be prepared for. Over the next few days I want you to really think about your response to my news. After I am finished you will see a few interviews. I urge you all to watch them so you can have a better understanding of what is taking place.

“Shifters are real. This is not a joke. It isn’t April Fools or even a prank. No, you are not being ‘Punk’d’. I have met a few wolf shifters in my day and have just been introduced to a lovely fox shifter. They are not freaks or monsters. They are just like you and me. The only difference is they can change into different animals.

“I want you to respect them for the humans that they are. Do not go out searching for these people. Leave them to lead their lives as they see fit. I will not stand for hate crimes against shifters anymore than I stand for any kind of hate. My staff will be taking calls if you have any questions. Now I’ll leave you to watch the interviews of a few shifters who were willing to open their lives to you.”

The screen faded. Kitty and the rest of the pack watched in the theatre room as the President of the United States told the world of their existence. It was tense in the room, as was to be expected. No one wanted to go public, but you listened when the Ancients spoke, at least that was what she’d learned since coming to the Masters pack.

Next up were Bella and David. They looked so—normal. She had no idea what to expect. They hadn’t been shown the video beforehand. She was just happy she hadn’t needed to be interviewed.

“Hello, my name is Bella and this is my mate, David. We’re shifters.” Bella placed a hand on her stomach. “As you can see we’re about to become parents. I’m excited and a bit nervous. We just found out we’re having triplets. Not what we were expecting, but we’re happy all the same.”

A voice from off camera spoke. “How did you and David meet?”

“I went searching for her and brought her to our pack house,” David answered.

“Pack house?” the voice asked.

Kitty knew it was Valerie, but it was a bit disconcerting not seeing her on camera.

“Yes, we have an alpha, a man who is in charge of all of us. Keeps us in line.” David grinned. “We live together because just like real wolves we like to be in big groups. It’s just easier when we have a head to take charge. It’s also like one big family, only not just on holidays.”

“Now, you shift. Is this something you control?” Valerie asked.

“Yes. The urge might be a bit stronger on a full moon, but for the most part I can control it. If I’m extremely emotional it can be difficult. That is why we homeschool our young. The little ones have more difficulty controlling it at first and need help. Sometimes they’ll stay in wolf form for days before figuring out how to shift back. Would you like me to show you?” David stood. He started to take off his shirt and shoes. He left his pants on.