Bold Mercy by Laken Cane

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mayor Hedrick and his wife Amy were wonderful people. They were also stubborn as hell.

“It would be good for the city, Kait. Let me put you out there. I won’t mention that you found our child after he was abducted. I understand that would put you in an impossible situation. I simply want to give them a champion, to bring someone out of the shadows who has been here fighting for us all along. I want them to know that long before they were aware of vampires, you were actively hunting them, killing them, protecting us.” He slid forward on the sofa and reached across to take my hands, his deep brown eyes sweet and earnest and totally fierce. He wasn’t going to let me say no. He knew it, and I knew it.

Still, I had to try. “Mayor—”

“Louis,” he insisted.

“Louis,” I said, though that felt wrong. “I’m not one for the spotlight. And I’m not the only one fighting the vampires. There are more…likable people out there.”

“You’re extremely likable,” Amy said. “And you look like the champion this city needs. You’re so…” She hesitated. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but you have a look about you, Kait. It’s…otherworldly. And you see spirits. You’re not a normal human, and it shows. It’s frightening to look into your eyes for very long.” She laughed, but it was just a little uncomfortable. “Even now, I have to fight not to look away from you.”

I could have told her right then that I wasn’t human, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Just couldn’t do it.

“Kait,” Louis urged. “Let’s give them what they need before it’s too late.”

So I capitulated. “What do you want me to do?”

He slapped his leg. “Thank you, Kait. Thank you. I’ll take care of everything, and I’ll call you with the details. I’ll contact some people and get things set up. We’ll get you on TV—and anyone who works with you, bring them if you’d like—tonight. We’ll do it tonight, when it’s scary as hell out there. It’ll give our city hope. They’ll concentrate on you and what you can do instead of the bad guys.”

“Also,” I said, not quite looking him in the eye, “they need to know that not all vampires are murderous sons of bitches. They’ve been here with us all along.”

He nodded soberly. “Good. That’s good, Kait. You’ll tell the city everything they need to know, including how best to remain safe. They’ll listen to you instead of the “experts” spouting their nonsense. Did you see the professor on the news last night telling people that if they eat garlic every three hours they’ll be immune from vampire attacks?” He hesitated. “That’s not true, is it?”

“No,” I said, trying not to smile. I could smell the garlic on both the mayor and his wife. “These rogues aren’t trying to find someone tasty to eat. They’re just killing people and causing trouble. They’re going to do that no matter how a human smells or tastes. But,” I added, “a hungry vampire will avoid biting a human who tastes like garlic. You can’t eat enough garlic to kill the bloodsucker, but you can make him sick.”

“Then that’s something important to tell the people,” he said. “We need to calm them down. They’re killing each other in their panic.”

I’d do my best to convince Jakeston that they had people fighting for them. That we were stronger than the vampires. And that not all the vampires were the bad guys.

I left the mayor’s house and outside, Rick was waiting for me—and Remy Simon was with him. The detective smiled—sort of—when he saw me. He reached into his overcoat pocket and pulled out a lanyard from which a laminated ID dangled. “I knew you’d lose at least one,” he said, “so I had extras made.” Then he felt the tension, saw the way Remy and I were looking at each other, and he immediately dropped into cop mode. He stiffened. “What’s the problem?”

Remy laughed. “I thought Kait was a hunter like me, but it turns out she’s just something I kill.”

Rick had his gun pressed to the back of Remy’s skull before either one of us was ready for it. The men in the mayor’s security detail, three of whom were posted outside, started toward us.

Remy lifted his hands. “Whoa, there, Detective. I didn’t say I was going to kill her. Kait and I will work through our shit.”

I was shocked at Rick’s sudden ferocity, but I was pretty sure I didn’t show it. I gave Remy a cocky grin. “Maybe we will,” I agreed. “But until we do, you might want to watch your mouth.” Then I turned my back to him and walked to my car, dropping the lanyard over my head as I went. “Thanks, Detective,” I called.

“Anytime,” he replied, his voice emotionless.

Before I got into my car, I turned back to look at them. Rick had put his gun away and he and Remy both watched me. “Where are you going?” Remy asked, finally.

“I’m going home,” I murmured. I wasn’t going to tell them that I had to get dressed to stand with the mayor and speak to the city, but then I thought better of it. Even if I had to put myself in front of the people and be the voice for the ones who protected them, having a crew beside me could only help. “Both of you go make yourselves pretty. Mayor Hedrick is calling in the press and we’re going to be on camera tonight.”

They only stared, unsure.

I shrugged. “If I have to put myself out there, I’d like the ones helping me to be there, as well. I’ll text you when I get a meeting time from Louis.”

I’d call in Max, Joe, Zach, and the alpha as well. Lucy and Ash could come, too. And because it would be dark, I’d ask Bastien for his support.

Maybe the mayor was right and seeing “superheroes” might give the humans some hope. There was a chance it wouldn’t do anything but piss them off. We’d see.

I called Lucy. “I’m on my way home.”

“So are Ash and I,” she said cheerfully.

I sighed. She was supposed to wait until I got to the house before she even left Shadowfield, so I could make sure the house and area were safe. With everything going on, it was easy to forget that there was a human serial killer with his sights, apparently, on Lucy.

“If you get there before I do, stay in your car with the doors locked, Lucy.”

“I’ll will,” she assured me. “Don’t worry.”

“Why aren’t you worried?” I asked, a little aggravated.

“Because…” Her voice strengthened. “Because things are going to go how they go. Besides, Susan is with me. She’s almost as good a bodyguard as you are.”

“Hi Kaity,” my mother called. “There’s a car full of wolves right behind us. Eli wouldn’t let us leave without protection.”

“They’ll be taking her back to Shadowfield later,” Lucy told me.

I wasn’t sure if taking Lucy home was a good idea—I just knew there was danger everywhere. She’d nearly gotten shot at Shadowfield. “And Jared?” I asked, my voice a little too casual.

“We didn’t see him before we left,” Lucy told me.

I knew the alpha was going to be extremely busy making sure Shadowfield was protected against raiders, human or otherwise. He was also going to blame himself for his wolves getting hurt in the first place. Shadowfield was about to change, and the wolves would change with it. It was how they would survive.

I wasn’t sure how the pack was going to feel about me accidentally calling all their wolves, but I’d deal with that when the time came. I shouldn’t have been able to force their shifts. I wasn’t their alpha. Without a doubt, it was going to cause some issues.

Maybe with Jared, as well, who I hadn’t seen since he’d gone into the woods to heal his gunshot wound. But I had enough on my mind without adding extra worry, so I shoved the uneasy thoughts of him and his pack away.

But I wondered, as I was sure Jared wondered, if I could have done such a thing if we hadn’t forged an unbreakable bond in his bed.