Chronicles of the Uprising (Trilogy 1): Trilogy 1 (31 page)

“Is that supposed to insult me?”

“Did it?”

“You’ll have to try harder than that.”

“Only if you give me plenty more opportunities to do that.”

Now who was the one playing games with feelings? That odd awkward sensation came back, doubly so when she spotted Lucian’s concerned expression. He’d stopped short and stood with his arms crossed, watching like a man ready to go to war.

“Something wrong?” Mira asked, but she had the sneaking suspicion she knew the answer.

“Just concerned… wondering how we should go about things… with regard to the meeting.” All diplomat, but Lucian’s tone spoke volumes of what he really wanted to say. He was just as annoyed with her talking to Stryker as the wolf had been with Lucian’s interactions with her.

“You’ll do best to let me and Mira handle things.” Diplomacy had left Stryker, and his response dripped with condescension. “Speak when spoken to. Be brief and respectful.”

Lucian’s lips pursed tight. His nostrils flared with each breath, but he held his tongue.

The testosterone was thick enough to choke her, and she needed to snap these two idiots out of it. “Lucian’s input is invaluable,” Mira said. “He is, after all, an Elite of the city. That brings with it some important inside information. He will speak when he has need to. And so will our friends.” She motioned toward Curtis and Sarah.

Hints of apprehension flashed in their eyes. Sarah sighed. “We don’t want to cause any trouble.” She clung tightly to her husband. “We’re just glad for the chance to have a home and will do whatever is needed of us.”

“And that is exactly what the Council needs to see. Humans are not the enemy. They can co-exist.” Mira was never more proud to have Sarah along. They might have gotten off to a rocky start, but she’d proven many times over that she was an asset. “Now, we just need to make sure you and Lucian set that example too.” She glared at Stryker.

He met her eyes, staring back with all the power of his Alpha status behind him. “I will do my part. You make sure to be polite – all of you – and we will get through this.”

“Oh… I’ll kill them with kindness.”

That snapped the Alpha from his dominance stare and in an instant, the aggression faded into genuine amusement. “I’d like to see you try.”

Chapter 3

As before, the moment she walked inside of the large dome-shaped Capitol building, the ominous pressure of her task began to weigh heavily on her. Something about it, maybe the official nature of the place, the order of it, gave her pause.

The long, slender receptionist, Selene, stood immediately upon their arrival. Ignoring the trio of humans and Mira, she batted her long eyelashes at Stryker. “You’re late. The council has been waiting. But I’ll bet they can forgive you this once.”

The sickeningly sweet way she spoke to him made Mira want to gag. Thankfully, Stryker was all business, cutting off what would have most likely have been more simpering conversation by walking straight to the elevators. “We’ll head up, then.”

Mira and the others followed without giving a second glance to Selene. Mira was sure the Otherkin woman felt the slight, but she didn’t bother to look back and satisfy herself by seeing the angered expression. 

By the time they reached the Council chambers, all signs of animosity between Lucian and Stryker had faded. Uniting against a common foe will do that; something Mira had learned in the arena many years ago. Everything came down to putting on a good show – another skill Mira had learned in the arena.
Funny
, she mused.
Just another day… but in a different arena.

Alec wasn’t really her enemy, but neither was he friendly to her or the humans she called friends. Though obviously competing for her approval, Mira appreciated the way both Stryker and Lucian handled themselves, especially after seeing the hateful glare in Alec’s eyes as they came to the door of the conference room.

The dwarf’s displeasure was unmistakable, and he aimed it all directly at Mira. Not even giving the humans a second glance, his eyes bore into Mira’s with the threat of death behind them. Sure, she’d thwarted his plan to have no human set foot in Caldera, breaking rules…that was something Mira excelled at, but her intentions were honorable. And the deal she’d made went well beyond the crime they accused her of committing. She did not deserve his ire, but had to hold back her own inner rage.
Put on a good show, that’s all I need to do now. Nail down details to their plan and get the hell out of here. Should be simple.

Without a word, Alec motioned for them to enter. The room was huge and filled by a table cut from a solid plank of natural wood, preserved in a high-gloss finish. “I’ll gather the rest of the Council. Please. Make yourselves comfortable.” His words were congenial enough, but the daggers his eyes shot at Mira spoke to his true feelings.

“I don’t trust that guy,” Lucian said, taking a presumptuous seat at the head of the table. “He agreed too quickly to let us in. He has an agenda.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” Mira agreed. “But we need shelter, and you need protection.”

Maybe it was the way she said the word protection – she hadn’t intended to insult him – but Lucian suddenly straightened in his seat, and the high-born Elite in him returned. “I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself.”

Mira had to fight not to roll her eyes.
Men. Always having to prove they’re the biggest and baddest. Stupid
. “Now’s not the time for playing the tough guy. We all know you’d be dead in a week living out there in the badlands.”

Lucian’s expression cycled from embarrassed to appalled. He turned away from her, only to find Stryker’s steely glare. When he opened his mouth to speak again, Mira cut him off before the sound escaped his lips. “Any human would be dead out there. The deal I made was to ensure you remained alive.”

“And no one appreciates that more than we do,” Lucian said, indicating Curtis and Sarah.

The older human male cleared his throat and stood proudly next to his wife. “Yes. We all appreciate what you have done. Never before could I have imagined that a vampire would be our savior. You’ve certainly show me the error of my thinking.”

Sarah smiled. “Yes. Me as well. When we first met, I was hoping you’d burn in the daylight.” Mira snickered. She’d certainly gotten that impression on their first encounter. “But you’ve saved me and my husband so many times in this last week. We owe you our lives.”

The appreciation party was nice, but Mira didn’t need to hear their thanks.

“Get on with the but.”

Despite his aggravated expression, Lucian laughed. “Always so blunt. What we’re getting at is… You’ve done a lot and we trust you, but be wary of the deals you make with the Otherkin.”

Now it was Stryker’s turn to look annoyed. “Why, is there something wrong with making a deal with my people?”

“Historically…” Lucian’s hard glare softened. “At least what I was taught…”

“Oh, are you suddenly an expert on Otherkin? A week ago you hardly knew a thing about vampires, now you know about others?” Mira asked.

The high-born elite faded again. Lucian stuttered, tripping over his words. “No, not an expert. Just… there was mention of Otherkin in our history books. They were called tricksters.”

Unimpressed, Mira narrowed her gaze on Lucian. “And I recall … other information you knew to be true about my kind was nothing more than slander and prejudice.”

“I’ll not deny that I have my prejudices against the supernatural people.”

Ready with an angry retort, Mira opened her mouth to speak, but Lucian held up a hand. “Those prejudices against your kind are unfounded. Those I have recently lost, but others have yet to be broken by deeds.”

Mira scrunched up her face, confused, and suddenly filled with questions, but again, Lucian held his hand up as if to say, hush.

“As Regent of New Haven, I had the duty of sending patrols out. Some never came back. Some came back stark raving mad. I can only imagine it was Otherkin…” Lucian tried to suppress the sneer, but Mira saw it. “Like that muse who addled their brain.”

“I’ll take credit where credit is due.” Alec’s arrogant tone surprised the whole room. They’d all been too wrapped up in their own conversation to see he had returned with the rest of the Council, none of whom looked happy to be there. Alec sauntered over to a high chair that appeared to have been specially made for his petite stature.  “We do what we must to protect our own. As a former leader yourself, I’m sure you can appreciate that.” Shockingly, Alec not only addressed Lucian directly, but he was looking at him too.

“Many of those men, my human soldiers, never recovered.” Lucian didn’t bother hiding his anger.

“And many of our own patrols never came back,” Alec shot back at Lucian. “They had families too you know.”

The two looked as if they might come to blows. The idea of letting them, in the arena, flitted into Mira’s mind. They didn’t deserve a fight to the death, but men were always better knocking each other around for a bit before they could cool down and talk reason. At least, the men she’d known… half-starved vampires. These two, though claiming to be civilized, seemed no different. 

At the rate they were all going, nothing was going to be accomplished. “Enough!” She hadn’t intended to shout, but her voice seemed to have its own volume control “We’ve all wronged and been wronged here. The point is we need to find an end. Peace or whatever else we come up with.”

“Peace may never come, but an end to the outright hostility and slavery of our people will suffice.” Michael said. As the vampire representative on the council, he stood out with his pale skin and striking eyes. He glided across room almost as if he were not walking but merely floating above the ground, and took a seat in the middle edge of the table. “Please, let us sit and discuss things like civilized beings.”

Though the word made her snicker a little, Mira was thankful at least someone on the Council was making the attempt at civility.

Natasha, the other vampire council representative, followed Michael’s path just as regally and took her place next to her counterpart.

Mira waited to see if Natasha would add anything to the conversation, but the tall, dark-haired vampire was mute and looked as if she had better things to do than deal with Mira and her humans.

Roseanna joined her counterpart Alec at the table, sitting quietly, her expression neither passive nor aggressive. She’d always been fairly quiet, Mira recalled. Even in their previous dealings, the female Otherkin had been keener to watch and wait than jump in with emotional responses. Mira made a mental note to remember this about her. Appeal to her sense of factual data, perhaps, if the situation arose.

Niko the sharp-nosed and the redhead Katerina, both shifter elders, joined Lucian at the head of the table.

Mira wondered how deliberate their placement had been, forcing the others to filter in between them all. Another startling addition on which Mira picked up immediately were larger men, wearing green robes, guards perhaps, filtering into the room after the elders. The weapons at their side would suggest guardians or soldiers, but as before, Mira noticed that the blades they wielded were all as shiny as the day they were forged. Unused. Untested. They might be there as guards, or maybe as intimidation, but it wasn’t working on Mira. Even if they packed the room with additional support, she’d wager she could still take them on and have a fighting chance. Untested soldiers were child’s play for the well trained and battle worn.

“Please… sit,” Michael said again.

Mira took Sarah and Curtis by the arms and pulled them with her to the table, taking places between the shifters and the vampires. Stryker took the closest available space near Mira, and members of his pack began to filter into the room after. Their presence shocked Mira. Back at the pack’s den, no one had been around. She’d assumed they were on patrol or out hunting. After the shock subsided, something she had not felt in a long while settled down on her: warmth, like the comfort of a warm blanket. Security. Dare she admit it, a sense of solidarity.

Such an odd feeling; a good one, but very odd. Having people on her side. It bolstered her confidence more than she could possibly say. She met their eyes one by one and silently mouthed her thanks to them for showing up. And, one by one, they nodded in response.

With as many bodies as the room could hold, the whole mood became claustrophobic. Mira was used to crowds watching her from above, but elbow room only with potentially hostile people was disconcerting.

Not one for mincing words, Mira spoke up. “Is it necessary to pack the room so tightly?”

“At the moment, yes,” Alec informed Mira archly. “We are here to discuss the details of our deal. Should anything go… poorly… we want assurances that we are safe.”

“From a couple of humans?” Mira snorted.

“From you,” Alec said flatly.

She hadn’t expected that.

“I see you sizing up our guards. You’ve already swayed the allegiance of our patrolling pack.”

Mira stood slamming her hands down on the table. “You seem quite happy to condemn me as the enemy. What grievous injury have I dealt you? All I’ve done is come here requesting sanctuary. As a vampire, that is my right, is it not?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “Yes, I brought humans with me. Yes, I know your rules say humans cannot come inside. But things are no longer black and white.”

“Funny to hear that from a former slave.” Alec snickered.

“All the better it come from a slave. I’ve witnessed firsthand the atrocities of the human race. I’ve been tortured, beaten, abused, and forced to kill my own kind… at the request of the humans. But, unlike you, I know that not everyone should be judged by their people’s mistakes. These humans” – she placed a hand on Curtis and Sarah both, emphasizing her point – “they are good. They have proven that to me and to your patrolling wolf-pack. That is what swayed them, not me. You, however, have it stuck in your head that I am the enemy, rather than opening up your eyes to the fact that times have changed.”

“I have seen no such goodness. What I have seen is half of our patrolling pack decimated, all after you and your humans appeared. This one” – Alec jabbed a finger at Lucia – “he’s an Elite of their city. They are hunting him and you. Because of that, your presence threatens our way of life.”