Bloody Freak (A Bloody Series Book #1) (2 page)

    "You kn
ow you sound like a child, right? I am right about this. Of course the Government will be sent in. It's possibly the biggest showing of Other evidence in a hundred years, caught on tape. With the internet now, there
’
s no stopping it from getting out. We m
i
ght be getting outted for real this time. You want to be in the middle of that?"

    "No, but I want to help any way I can. You
’
re not standing where I'm standing Bren. I'm not looking at this from the perspective of us being outted, or even my own person
al one of not getting caught. I'm looking at what
’
s left of these people, thinking I can help catch the Were that did this. Stop him from doing it again." She could hear Brena sigh.

    "Al, I know you think it's your responsibility but that
’
s what the Government is there for. You don
’
t want to be involved in this while they're around. If they realize there
’
s something different about you, they won
’
t hesitate to take you away. We've been over this a million times."

    "Yeah, but this time I'
m tired of saving my ass. What about the people I work with Bren? What do you think the Government is going to do to them? I can
’
t let them wipe my friends just for being involved with this. It's not their fault. They're good people." Just the thought of
h
er friends, Ken especially, being taken into a Government facility to be wiped of their memories was making her conviction to stay that much stronger. Unbeknownst to the human population, vampires were the leading cause in unexplained phenomenon, from Dé
j
à
vu to spontaneous “
human”
combustion. The worst was Alzheimer
’
s disease. Having your memory wiped again and again by a Vamp left permanent brain damage over time. It was an awful truth, and Alex would be damned if she was going to stand aside this time a
n
d do nothing.  

    "I can do this Bren. You know the Vamps can
’
t sense me. If I stay away from them as much as possible I
’
ll be okay."

    "No. I won
’
t risk it. You don
’
t know for sure that they won
’
t have Weres come into your department and sniff aroun
d."

    "I can avoid that too. Besides, it
’
s not really up to you. This is my decision." There was silence on the other end of the line.

    “
Bren? You there?”

    "Why would you risk this? You've always trusted me before," she said softly.

    "I've neve
r had as good a reason to stay as this. I need to do this. Whether it
’
s to help cover it up or to see it through to being outted, I need to be here." She hadn
’
t put much thought into the whole Other community being outted before. There were the groups out
there that wanted the Others to come out and the opposing groups that couldn
’
t bear the thought of exposure. She hadn
’
t cared either way until now. It was obviously a terrorist group that did this, the mess she was literally standing in at the moment, and
she couldn
’
t stand the fact that it had escalated to this point.

    "What am I supposed to do if you get your ass caught, Al?" Brena sounded close to giving in.

    "Why, come and save me of course," she answered brightly. Brena laughed.

    "I'll help
you with this but if it gets too close I'm physically hauling your ass out. We'll move to Alaska, I swear it!"

    "Okay. Thank you. You
’
re the best. I gotta go. I'll meet you at my place as soon as I'm off."

    "Alright. Have fun cleaning that shit up
," was her parting statement before hanging up. Bren was quite the softy.

Chapter Two

    Ethan Hollowman watched as the King looked at himself in the mirror. His tie was crooked.

    "Just lose the tie," Ethan said and the King looked up to see his ad
viser and closest friend. If he hadn't been so distracted he would have heard Ethan approach. And his tie wouldn't be crooked.

    "I'm trying to look somewhat presentable to the board, thank you. They already think I'm a shmuck." He took the tie off and t
ried again.

    "If they're too scared to say it out loud it doesn't matter. Give me the damn tie." Ethan took it out of the Kings hand and got it on faster than the King would have. "You're going to do fine. Just brief them like we talked about. I've prep
ared all the information Adam and Dominic have on the incident and it's waiting on your desk. Remember, we can't afford to take sides yet until we find out who did this. So don't let them sway you with their opinions on the matter. Just treat them like yo
u
treat your lab students and you
’
ll do fine."

    "Things would be so much simpler if you were in charge, you know?" He fumbled with his jacket.

    "They will never start respecting you if you don't start respecting yourself. Now get out there and prepare
our people for the shit storm we're about to endure."

“
Easy for you to say,”
he sniffed. Ethan grabbed the file the King had forgotten on his desk while they walked out.

    He thought about the incident that had taken place only hours ago. It seemed li
ke days since the word had gotten to them that a Werewolf from a pack unknown attacked a news studio on live television. He had not only attacked and killed seven people but had transformed in front of the camera. It was a huge statement. A group of rouge
s
had arranged this without a doubt. The Kings men had yet to figure out which one. The number of terrorist groups for the outting of the Other community was growing rapidly as the years progressed. With the invention of the internet it had become almost i
m
possible to prevent the very thing that had happened tonight. The Vampire community had whole groups hired simply to watch the internet for such information. He was getting to old for all this stress. He wouldn't have taken the King position even if it we
r
e possible for him to do so. Which was out of the question for a servant. They approached the board room just as he was pulling himself out of his thoughts on the past.

    "You can do this. I'll be there if you need the support but I don't recommend look
ing to me for answers like you did the last time. There
’
s a reason they think you
’
re a shmuck." He laughed as the King glared. He was quite a contradiction. A seventy-five year old man, in the body of a twenty-nine year old. He could quite easily take con
t
rol of a room full of lab employees, but a board room full of Elders was beyond him. He had only been King for three short years. Which wasn't near enough time to make him a strong leader in the eyes of the board. Ethan pushed the doors open and shoved hi
m
inside. The members were already milling about the large table. He spotted Adam and Stellan Hevenside by the windows overlooking the bay. The twins nodded their greetings. They were his only allies in the room. Every member of the board was an Elder and
t
hey all saw him as the servant he was, and treated him as such. Only Adam and Stellan took him remotely seriously. They had been friends for many years. In fact, had Ethan been High Born, he would be a member of this table. Only the fact that the King had
made him his adviser allowed him to attend meetings. The King sat at the head of the table and called the meeting to order.

    "As you all have no doubt already heard, there was an attack orchestrated today by an as of yet unknown group of Weres in Colum
bus, Ohio. We can only guess at this point that he was associated with a Pack and not a lone wolf. His use of the phrase 'We want to come out, Tony.' before he shifted is all we have to go on. He could be speaking on behalf of all Weres as he believed but
our investigators don't think so. He gave a false name to the news reporter, so we only know he has yet to be identified and no group has claimed him. We'll be waiting on word from the Scanners for any news on the web. I have been in contact with Master O
r
leans, and he assures us that the 'mutt in Columbus' does not represent his Pack or any Pack under his command. Beta Orleans should be sending men to help with the investigation. He's awaiting our opinion on the matter before continuing, which is greatly
a
ppreciated. Now, what we need to discuss is how to approach this incident." He paused long enough for a member to throw his opinion out, which caused another to oppose it. That started a riot of arguing among the members and the King looked to Ethan for a
d
vice. All he could do was nod for him to take over.

    "Enough!"  He yelled loud enough for the board to calm their voices. Only slightly.

    "I will not have precious time wasted while we argue over the same things we've been stating over and over again for decades. We must make a decision about this and soon. Now, my first instinct is to cover this as best we can, but I will take advise o
n
spinning this towards an eventual
‘
Coming Out
’
if you can be calm about it" The board members looked at him for a few seconds before Ammand Hamid stood.

    "I believe, your Majesty that coming out at this time would be a mistake. The human population wil
l certainly panic regardless of the timing. To come out at a time like this, after the attack, they would certainly lump us in with those beasts. We would forever be seen through the eyes of all who had watched those people being ripped apart."

    "I agr
ee. This attack was clearly planned for the sole purpose of causing fear amongst the humans. How they could possibly believe such an act would serve any good, I do not know." Jones McElroy stated with a haughty air.

    "Well I don't believe they were tryi
ng to do any good, Jones. I believe they were trying to do evil," the King said. Jones huffed.

    "What's your take on the situation, Adam?" The King asked.

    "I think we need to be on the scene. Reguardless of the evidence against these Weres, and of
how you decide to spin it, we need to have out hands in it. If Master Orleans is in agreement then all the better," Adam answered.

    "Excellent. You have my permission to prepare a team."

    "If I may, your Majesty," Stellan spoke up, "I would like to
say that I think if given the right PR, we could very well spin this in our favor. But it would have to be soon. To delay would only allow the terrorists their say as the only representation on the entire Other community. If we come out now and state 'Yes
we exist, and no we don't condone the actions of a small group of Were terrorists', then we have the upper hand."  Stellan looked to Ethan for confirmation that they were in agreement. He couldn't give it just yet. The King looked at the file in front of
h
im, thinking on what Stellan had said.

    "I will give this some thought while our investigators collect more Intel. Thank you, Stellan. I assume you would be in control of the PR should the need arise?"

    "With your leave, Majesty." Stellan smiled his
best smile, knowing full well he was the best man for the job.

"You're not honestly thinking of listening to this drivel are you?" Jones exclaimed. The King turned his head slowly towards him.

    "Yes, Jones, I am. I was once told a good King looks at all
sides of a situation before acting. I wouldn't presume to act rashly with what could very well be the future of our race." Ethan was very proud of the King in that moment. Jones opened his mouth to assumedly argue.

    "And had you spoken to my Father wit
h such insolence, he surely would have had your tongue cut from your head. Do well to remember who is King now McElroy. I may be young and I may be more lenient than my Father, but I am still King."

    "Here, here!" Ethan exclaimed. The look on Jones' fac
e told him he should have kept his opinion to himself. Adam and Stellan were clearly holding back identical smiles.

    "I believe if there are no more comments to be made I will take my leave gentlemen." The King stood and the board stood with him. "You s
hall be informed of any news as it arrives."

Ethan approached the King and patted him on the back. "I'm proud of you. That
’
s the sort of spirit I
’
ve been trying to pull from you for years. It's good to see that backbone. I particularly enjoyed watching McE
lroy get shot down." He smiled.