To Protect and Serve Ch. 08

"You want something?" she asked.

"You, secured to a wall and glowing with sexual satisfaction," the dashing werespider said, "but given the circumstances, I'll settle for a talk. If you're up to it."

Shamira nodded. "I'm tired and I'm hungry, so make it quick."

"Shane asked me to take over the investigation," he said. "Looking for the morning star trade."

She nodded again. She suspected as much. "Congratulations," she said, not meaning it at all.

"I told him I didn't want it. It's your baby, the ideas are yours --"

"Sebastian, don't cross him because of me. YOU at least have a real future here."

"So do you," he replied. "Listen, I try to avoid being serious whenever possible, so feel free to revel in the moment. I've always respected cops, and I for one think you're a great enforcer, especially since you've only been at it for a little over a month now. Except for dealing with Shane, you've got some great diplomatic skills. Anyway, when Shane tried to get me to take it and I tried refusing. He kept after me, so I told him I'd only do it if you stayed on. Renata told me about how she worked with you before and I figured we could keep the same working relationship. I'm beginning to think there's something to Lacroix being involved."

Despite her wavering desire to leave, Shamira's interest was perked. "How so?"

"Those guys we tangled with had three decked out patrol cars, magical detection devices, and specialized weapons. None of that shit comes cheap, and I haven't heard about anyone in Macon who had that kind of stroke. Any bigwigs wouldn't be able to stay off of Shane's radar, but Lacroix is a lord. He would have the resources, and you did say that the disappearances started closer to Savannah."

"True. How much money does Lacroix have?"

"I don't know. And apparently he isn't required to report it to Shane. Shane could request the information through the Tribunal, but then Lacroix would know he was being audited."

Something tingled in the back of Shamira's mind. "Kira," she muttered.

"Who?"

"Kira Blanks. She's one of my donors, and she works for one of those big financial firms downtown. I don't know if Lacroix does business with her company, but she might know how to find this stuff out. I could barely do my own taxes."

Sebastian grinned. "I haven't paid taxes since I got transformed. All my jobs have been under the table. Until now at any rate. Shane seems to want more stuff to be above table than most of my employers."

"Cheating bastard," she muttered, but her mind was somewhere else. "I don't know if it's appropriate to involve a donor in vampire business though."

"Yeah, because that stops you all the time."

Shamira glared at him, but he just grinned back. "I've knocked you out once before you know." Even as she said it, she realized that she'd miss this wholly gorgeous and arrogant punk-ass. "Listen, I'll ask Kira how we could hypothetically trace this info down, but I don't want her getting involved if there's a chance she'll get hurt. I'll pass it on to you and you can do with it as you will. Take Shane's offer," she said. "You're a good guy. Sometimes. When you're not being a putz."

"A glowing recommendation if ever I heard one." He stepped aside to let her by. "Oh, Bunny was looking for you. It looks like she's attempting to make enough breakfast to feed a small army and was wondering how many pancakes you wanted."

"Good grief." Shamira rolled her eyes and headed inside.

Shamira found Bunny in the kitchen, and she was making a mess that was giving the cooking staff a fit. But the girl's natural enthusiasm was winning them over, and some even began to help. Bunny's mouth was apparently connected directly to her long-term memory without the benefit of a filter, so she told everyone absolutely everything about her, though she stopped often when other people had something to contribute.

Several people showed up for breakfast, though they and Shamira avoided conversation with each other. Renata and Banshee both looked like they wanted to, but respected the cold vibe that Shamira was giving off. Only Bunny seemed oblivious to it.

Finally, the silence grew too uncomfortable. Shamira thanked Bunny and then wandered away. She wanted to go back to the room, but wasn't sure she was ready to deal with Clara. There wasn't anyplace that she really felt at home. And damn, was she tired. Vampires didn't require as much sleep as humans or weres, but she hadn't been able to sleep much at all in her cell.

She walked through the house, hearing the distant din of leather lashing against flesh, chains rattling, orders being given, and moans being made. Things she would miss. Things she already missed. Eventually she lay down on a recliner in the back corner of the lounge and fell asleep almost instantly.

She woke up an hour after sunset, feeling only slightly better rested that she had before. Around the house, her ears began picking up the sounds of training. The time for pleasure would come later . . . after the chores were done. Shamira didn't give a crap. She was going to go meet her donors in a few hours and talk to Kira about helping spy on Lacroix.

Then the intercom came on and Shane's voice told everyone to meet in the den to discuss the meeting. She didn't want to go, but she'd made a promise. She was on the job until the day after the big meet-up, and wouldn't put it past Shane to lock her up again if she didn't show. Shamira had no intention of missing her appointment with the Blanks.

She walked into the room and saw that most everyone was there, and pretty much everyone glanced at her silently. Each gaze carried a silent inquiry, and each inquiry went unanswered by Shamira. Clara was the only one who didn't look, though there was an empty space next to her on the couch. Shamira stood at the back of the room, leaning against the wall and waiting.

Shane walked in last, and he was flanked by a number of people Shamira didn't know . . . about two dozen of them. They turned out to be other vampires that Shane had changed, as well as some weres in his employ. These were those that worked for him but weren't officially part of his house for one reason or another.

Bringing up the rear was Travis McNeil, the head security guy from Prometheus, and all of Shane's human security forces. The werebear looked every bit as massive now as the last time they'd met, and he wound up settling against the wall next to her. He nodded to her, but didn't say anything. Shamira appreciated his silence.

"Okay everyone," Shane said, "this is how everything is going to go down. Guests will start arriving tomorrow, and we are responsible for their safety while they are in our territory. Most of them will be bringing their own security contingents, but I still want everyone on their guard. We'll be getting the canopy set up outside, and that's where the meeting will be taking place. We'll have about a hundred guests, and then we've got the far-reach spell. For those who don't know what a far-reach spell is, it's pretty much a WebEx for the magical world. We'll be talking to lords and Tribunal members all over the world, so I want everyone on their best behavior. Anyone who instigates a conflict without warrant will be punished harshly. Best dress, best behavior, and total vigilance." He looked over at Renata, who took her turn to step forward.

"Members of the house will be teamed up, with each dominant having at least one submissive on leash. Submissives, be on your best behavior. You may be stared at or ogled, but you should be used to that. But you have every right to defend yourself if someone tries to take liberties. Our guests know that our subs are just that . . . ours. You may be asked to entertain one of our guests at Shane's discretion, but ONLY at Shane's discretion. We look after our own." Renata's glance fell briefly on Shamira, then she looked away and continued. "Clara and Lillian will be maintaining the wards from the casting chamber, so they'll not be topside."

"Oh, we'll have some magical help for them," Shane murmured, also glancing at Shamira. At that point, a little green flitting ball of light shot out from behind a fern. "This is Princess Coramen, faerie and sorceress of the colony of Golden Grass. She is here on generous loan from Golden Grass, with the help of our allies from the faerie colony of Nature's Blessing. The faerie presence at this meeting is somewhat unprecedented, as both the colonies that I just mentioned will have delegates. So please, make sure that your knowledge of faerie customs is up to snuff."

Shamira had mixed feelings about this. She was shocked to see Coramen, but was happy that somehow Shane had gotten a hold of them during Shamira's incarceration and had arranged to give the girl an audition. But she was also angry, because there wouldn't have been a faerie alliance without Shamira, something which Shane seemed to have forgotten. Or maybe he just wanted to take credit for it.

"The faerie presence will be to our advantage," Renata said, watching Coramen settle on Shane's shoulder. The little person seemed to be looking around, finally noticing Shamira, she started to wave, but stopped when Shamira turned her head. Renata continued with, "In an outdoor setting, their magic is powerful and it's hard to hide from them."

"Their Majesties from both Golden Grass and Nature's Blessing express their honor at being included," Coramen shouted, her tiny voice projecting nicely through the room. "The faeries feel we need to become more involved in the magical community, and appreciate the house of Lord Stapleton taking us in as allies."

Shamira suppressed a snort. 'Great,' she thought,' now even Coramen is giving him credit.'

"We welcome the aid of the faeries," Shane said, offering his tongue as greeting. Coramen accepted. For a moment, Shamira hated them both.

Renata nodded. "With a shaman, a necromancer, and now a sorceress, we'll be as protected magically as we can get. And don't forget that Jeremiah will be keeping an eye out, so we think we've got that angle handled. Travis," she added, pointing towards the werebear, "will be organizing human security in real-time, and he'll be in the security control room unless the shit hits the fan."

"All enforcers and assassins are on standby for the next two days. The Tribunal representative will be arriving, but we won't know until that person is in the air. Henry will be running that show, so he'll explain how it's done."

"All y'all come talk to me after Shane wraps up. I'll explain the game," Henry said.

Shane looked around. "I want everyone to familiarize yourselves with the grounds and security measures by Monday. We're going to drill, plot, and plan every contingency. Members of the house will work with remote employees to make this happen. Everyone, take your jobs as seriously as you have ever taken them, because this sort of even could make or break this house and everything it wants to accomplish. That's all for now. Enforcers and assassins, remember to talk to Henry before you disperse."

Shamira scowled. If Shane meant "on standby" to include not going to visit her donors for probably the last time, he could kiss her ass. What was he going to do? Fire her?

There were a dozen or so people that she didn't recognize who acted as Shane's enforcers in the outlying areas of his territory. They were stretched thin since he inherited the extra land, but he was working on expanding that part of his empire as well. Shamira realized just how powerful Shane must be . . . he had a veritable army of very dangerous people at his beck and call.

Henry explained that they'd be playing a shell game, taking four identical black SUVs and one limo. The limo might or might not be a decoy, as they would decide when they got there which vehicle the Tribunal member would ride in, dividing up the rest of his or her staff as necessary as well as Shane's people. Everyone was to wear body armor and be armed and ready to go the entire time, even when sleeping. Shamira rolled her eyes. 'No chance in hell,' she thought. Henry dismissed the group, but put a hand on Shamira's shoulder.

"Listen, what's going on between you and Shane sucks, but I need your head in this. You can see stuff the rest of us can't."

"Yeah yeah," she replied. "Shadow sight and all that."

"Actually, I meant just suspicious activity. I'll trust good old-fashioned training over those fancy super powers of yours any day," Henry said with a grin, though he didn't get one in return.

"Whatever. I'm going to go visit my donors now, so --"

Henry looked annoyed. "Did you not hear anything I just said? Armor and armory until we get the Tribunal member back here safe and sound. Don't go pissing Shane off just for the hell of it. That doesn't mean you have to back down to him all the time, seeing as I know that's not your style when it comes to your work, but the time goes by a lot faster when we aren't at each other's throats."

Shamira realized that Henry didn't know she planned on leaving, hence his misinterpretation of her indifference. "I promised them I'd come, and I'm keeping that promise."

"You made a promise to Shane too. You promised you'd act as his enforcer in whatever capacity you could, and he's called on you." He put both hands on her shoulders. "No matter what you might think of him right now, I need you to be a professional. If it helps, don't think of doing it for him, but maybe doing it in spite of him."

Shamira just glared. Henry had nailed a very sore spot for her, which was her pride. Shane had wounded it, but that didn't excuse her going back on her promise. 'Four days,' she thought. 'Just four more days.' "Fine. At least let me call them and let them know why I'm letting them down," she said, hoping her words stung just a little bit.

She whipped out her cell phone and walked away; Arthur picked up after the second ring. He sounded disappointed that she was canceling, but understood when she explained that she was going to apparently have to work for four days straight. She promised she'd come visit them next Tuesday, even though she knew she'd have to get Shane to agree and give her one more day.

She'd consider it her severance package, since she didn't want anything else of his. She still had fifteen-thousand dollars tucked away from when she and Henry busted those drug dealers, which would help her get set up wherever she was going. A nice apartment, a used car, and enough money until she found some new kind of employment.

Then she asked to talk to Kira, who also sympathized with having to work too hard. Shamira asked how hard it would be to trace someone's finances, particularly if they didn't bank at all. Kira sounded almost giddy at the prospect of doing some investigation. Apparently, she and a lot of the people she worked with check out the stocks and financial prospects of celebrities and the like for fun on their coffee breaks. She did it all the time, and promised she could even hunt down a lot of info if they banked elsewhere.

Shamira promised to provide more information when they met in person. She didn't add that it would probably be their last meeting. She'd make sure that Sebastian had their contact number. She just hoped someone else would pick them up as donors.

"Hey!" Coramen shouted, flying up when Shamira got off the phone. "Thank you so much for recommending me to Lord Stapleton!" The little faerie got this sparkly look in her eye when she said, "Isn't he dreamy?"

"Yeah. A real peach," Shamira said.

Coramen looked concerned. "Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

'Besides complimenting the enemy?' was the silent response. "No, you didn't. Hey, I hope it works out for you. Any problems getting up here?"

"Nah. I followed the magic streams all the way up, paid my respects to their Majesties at Nature's Glory, had sex with that cute Captain of the Guard . . . what's his name?" she pondered, scrunching up her cute little face.

"Thorias," Shamira replied, smiling a bit in spite of herself. "He's a good guy."

"Very good," Coramen replied wickedly. Were all faeries perpetually horny?

"Listen, I gotta go get geared up. I'm on call for the foreseeable future."

"Okay. I need to go find that Lillian person. She and Clara and I are going to adjust this freaky ward system of yours. You guys have some serious mojo! That weird magical web that you have is wickedly cool!"

"You have fun playing with magic," Shamira finished, touching tongues with her much smaller counterpart. She watched Coramen quickly locate Lillian and Clara, flitting over and landing on Clara's shoulder . . . that beautiful, smooth-skinned shoulder. Clara looked and started to smile, then her face fell for a moment before she smiled again. Coramen wasn't who she'd been expecting to touch her there. Clara didn't look over. Shamira walked away.

Shamira went and got into her armor, then picked up the rest of her gear. She had one whip wrapped around her waist as usual and the bullwhip hanging off the side. She had two shoulder holsters, each sporting a 9mm with silver hollow-points. A couple of knives in her boots and a double-barrel, silver buckshot shotgun slung over her back made her feel like picking a fight. Probably not the best thing for her current frame of mind, but Shane had been the one to demand it.

The second she stepped out of the armory, she found herself face to face with a half-dozen people she'd never met before.

"Lord Stapleton said that you'd show us the ropes," one young man said. He smelled like humanity and Irish Spring, and Shamira really had no patience for this. 'What is he thinking?' Shamira wondered. It was Henry's words that got her mind back on track, but she didn't have to pretend to like it.

A woman spoke up. "I believe our assignment is supposed to be the patrolling the golf course. Shouldn't be so hard."

Shamira glared at her. "I've played that course. Were you ever my caddy?"

"No," the woman replied, looking slightly perplexed.

"Lord Stapleton's caddy? You've played those holes then? No? Well then you don't have a damn idea what you're talking about. We've got a couple of miles of perimeter, some heavily wooded areas, and a lot of places to hide. I've already been in one fight out there, and it wasn't fun. The house and the meeting area can be accessed easily from the course. Keep that in mind before you put up your hammock and take a nap."

'Damn,' Shamira thought, 'I'm being extraordinarily bitchy aren't I?' The girl was looking suitably chastised, so Shamira led them outside. It turned out that there were a couple of human trackers, both former military, and a bunch of werewolves in this group. They had great senses of smell and were highly territorial, so they'd do just fine. They went over not only where possible points of access were, but also what can be seen from the exterior. Not everyone would be going for direct harm: spying was an option.

It turned out that everyone, including the woman she'd snapped at, wound up taking their jobs incredibly seriously. The woman, a werewolf, was an avid hunter and had a keen eye. Shamira felt bad about snapping, so she made her a patrol captain. All in all, they proved that Shane seemed to know what he was doing when he hired them. And she knew she'd miss this.

She released her troops in time for midnight meal, but decided to keep patrolling the area herself. The werewolf she'd yelled at, whose name was Mindy, offered to help, but Shamira sent her with the others. They needed to bond with the others.

Shamira wanted to be alone, and since there was no requirement to eat with the others, she put her feet to walking. She was looking at the moon and the lights, sketching a map in her head of the deepest shadows . . . the ones easiest for her to jump through and to heal in. And . . . and she wasn't alone in the darkness.