“Did you live amongst humans all your centuries?’ Abel asked when Gregor quit speaking.
“I have, indeed, Abel,” Gregor confirmed.
“Right, so you know all that’s shit and they…are gonna…freak,” Abel returned. “It doesn’t matter that I’m a biker who has a Chinese American family and Lilah’s the shit. They’re just gonna freak.”
I was feeling warm inside about Abel describing me as the shit when Gregor kept at him.
“This would be you doing what you need to do as a member of The Three to convince the American people, the people of the world, that your people mean no harm.”
I felt Abel preparing to reply so I squeezed his thigh and quickly leaned into him.
“He’s right. It is,” I said quietly.
“He’s right. It is,” Abel agreed. “It’s also not gonna work.”
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try,” I pointed out.
“And put your face out there for people to think shit about you? You with a werewolf vampire? So even when we do sort out those assholes, everyone everywhere knows you and me and can give us shit…for eternity?”
“Uh, babe, you’re hot. Women the world over are totally gonna get it,” I shared, and he stared.
Then he stated, “Lilah, this is not about me bein’ hot.”
“People forgive a lot if you’re hot, believe me. That means Lucien is gonna kill and so is Callum, and I mean kill in a good way. Everyone will want their own vamp or wolf.” I turned to Gregor. “Actually, that’s more of a problem than the other stuff. Especially if it gets out that vamps can make their mates live for eternity.”
“Specifics about certain things will be shared carefully, Lilah, or not at all, until that knowledge is needed,” Gregor told me.
“Good call,” I muttered.
“Seriously, are you thinkin’ of goin’ for this shit?” Abel asked, and I looked back to him.
“Do you have another idea?” I asked.
“Find those fuckers who wanna turn the world upside down, obliterate them, then go back to normal,” Abel answered instantly.
“This idea holds more merit for me as well,” Lucien put in.
“We’re working on that too,” Gregor shared.
“That’s good since an eternity of fame is far from tedious. It’s often frustrating and can be aggravating and I’d rather not expose Leah to enduring it,” Lucien shot back. “Therefore, I can obviously understand why Abel feels the same.”
“Lucien can seriously kick ass, as you know,” Leah said as explanation to me. “What you might not know is that the immortal world knows it too and thinks it’s awesome, and that’s not always good.”
“Ah,” I murmured.
“Find another way,” Lucien ordered Gregor.
“We are all destined to live in harmony,” Gregor returned, then finished on a dire note. “Or not.”
“We can accomplish that without all of us being poster couples in the press,” Lucien retorted. “So find that way.”
“Do you have another idea?” Gregor asked calmly.
“That’s not my job,” Lucien bit out, not calmly. “My job is to save humanity while keeping my bride and the rest of The Three alive. You’re the politician. Do your job.”
“I had concerns our plan would meet with negative reactions, so this isn’t surprising,” Gregor replied. “However, I’d still request that all of you consider it.”
“You’ve explained that you’re concerned about your family’s safety.” Cristiano spoke for the first time, his attention on Callum, “That being the case, I would further request that you consider utilizing Calder. He has a vast worldwide network and is able to find out a good many things. If The Three don’t wish to come out publically, then we must intensify our efforts privately to understand what the enemy is planning.”
“And Calder has activated his network,” Callum told Cristiano. “He’s just organizing those efforts from here.”
“He has a way with them,” Cristiano pointed out carefully.
“And he’ll use that way over the fucking phone,” Callum returned.
Cristiano drew in a breath before he nodded.
“Avery?” Leah called softly. “What do you think?”
The strange-looking man turned kind eyes to Leah and didn’t hesitate with his response. “Although I understand why it was suggested we utilize the media in our efforts, I’ll share with you what I shared with Gregor, that being I don’t think it’s an exceptionally good idea to have any of The Three identifiable by anybody around the globe. I believe this creates unnecessary vulnerability.”
To that, Gregor’s only response was for his lips to thin.
“There might be desperate times that call for desperate measures,” Avery went on. “Fortunately, we have not yet hit that time.” He took in a breath and finished, “Unfortunately, if we do not do something, I’m afraid that time is fast approaching.”
“And your idea would be…?” Callum prompted.
“My idea, I’m afraid, will be even less popular,” Avery told him.
“Share it anyway,” Callum ordered, and Avery nodded.
“I believe we should allow our adversaries to make their first move.”
Something about this made my body string tight.
Abel felt it and his hand curled around mine at his thigh.
“This way,” Avery continued, “our immortals, and there are many, including The Three, would swoop in to protect humanity. This would offer a very powerful message. Obviously, losses would be had on both sides. But humanity would see that there are immortals who are guardians, not vanquishers. The Three would be able to go about whatever they’re required to do anonymously so that, when we all taste victory, they can enjoy their eternities without celebrity.”