4

MOLLY had gotten off the plane, headed to the hotel and channel surfed for three hours before finally getting herself relaxed enough to get to sleep. Things were so . . . she didn’t know how to describe it. Anxious maybe. She wanted to get started on something. Hated not doing anything.

Still, when she woke up and her breakfast showed up, she began to focus and get ready. Having a purpose was something she found soothing. Doing her hair and makeup, getting dressed—it had felt as if she was putting on armor.

The walk from the hotel was as quick as the instructions she’d looked up online had said. Seattle’s downtown core made sense. Molly liked it. Loved all the little coffee shops and bakeries. Loved the hustle and bustle of commuters as they landed and began to stream toward office buildings.

There was a protest and a counter-protest outside the Federal Building. But plenty of police presence kept it out of riot territory. At least during the time she’d walked past. A lot of angry faces and hateful signs, as she’d seen elsewhere. That part made her sad. But it hadn’t made her fearful. And the counter-protest had been sizable. Larger than the anti-Other protest. That had cheered her.

The air was clean and her magick lay in her belly, so easily called. Not something she’d experienced in the middle of a city before. Maybe it was about the ground here being held by a clan so long. She didn’t know. Didn’t know a lot of things about this part of her identity.

That put her off balance a little. She liked being in control. Knowledge meant control. But at the same time, she found herself eager to learn.

The building the Owen offices were in had heightened security around it. Molly hadn’t expected that. But she supposed, once they became known, they’d be a target. It also indicated that Owen had plenty of money to do that. She hoped that was a sign of stability.

She could feel the wards. Something she’d never actually experienced before. But they seemed to recognize her magick. She’d ponder that later when she had the time to do so.

She walked through two separate security checkpoints. One with a metal detector. Her bag had been searched and before they let her in the building they called up and made sure she truly did have an appointment. She’d also been told that there were spells cast to dampen the ability of other witches to use their magick while on Owen property. The guard had said it by rote, not asking if she was a witch or not.

The one who searched her last had her wait while he called yet another to escort her inside. Her escort was armed and no-nonsense and used a key to get them up to the clan’s reception floor, leaving her at check in.

“Ms. Ryan, someone should be with you shortly. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?” The receptionist smiled her way. It was a business smile. A little wary at the edges. Remote.

“I had a latte already. I’m afraid if I drink any more coffee I’ll start bouncing off the walls.” Molly smiled, genuine and warm.

The receptionist relaxed, as Molly had intended. “I hear you. Meriel loves her coffee extra strong, so you probably would get a big jolt.”

“Always a plus in a job interview.” She looked out the wall of windows, over the city, and wondered if she’d be living there when this interview was over.

* * *

BY the time Meriel’s assistant came to collect her, Molly had made a friend in the receptionist, Kelly. Kelly had given her a few tips. Nothing that would be considered oversharing, but it was helpful all the same.

The assistant pushed a door open after tapping on it. Everyone inside the room stood.

The power there stirred her own, calling to her magick. Molly put a hand on her belly a moment before stepping in totally.

“Please, Molly, do come in.” A red-haired witch, no doubt Meriel Owen, moved in her direction, holding a hand out. Molly took it, liking the strong, efficient shake.

“Thank you. I’m Molly Ryan. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Meriel Owen, and the pleasure is ours.” She indicated the others in the room. “This is Dominic Bright. He’s my husband and my bond-mate.” A bond-mate was what Full Council witches had. Their sort of magickal other half and the person whose magick unlocked their full potential.

There were other introductions but Molly really sort of forgot them once Meriel pointed out the blond male with the wide shoulders and the wary gaze.

“Gage Garrity. He and Lark run the Hunter team together.”

When he turned to focus on her, Molly’s knees went a little weak. For long moments she was surprised at herself. She didn’t get weak-kneed over most anything and certainly not a man.

But as men went, the one looking her over with nearly amber eyes was a fine, fine specimen. Broad-shouldered. His shirt stretched over his upper body, only highlighting the power that lay beneath. She was sure he’d have a narrow waist and flat belly. She didn’t need to see him standing to know that. She also bet he had a nice butt.

Still, he probably called women babe and peed on the seat.

Meriel clearly wielded the power in the room, but she did it well. She leaned toward Molly, her fingers clasped loosely on the table. “So we’ve checked you out and know your background and experience. I’m not exaggerating to say we’re all very impressed. But our number one question is why? You didn’t really do your work for Others in the past. Why now?”

Molly looked around the table, meeting eyes with each and every witch there. It was a fair question and she wanted them to know what had changed for her. “I was raised in a human home. I didn’t even know I was a witch until I was thirteen. In middle school one of my teachers, Rosa Falco, noticed and spoke to me after class. When she realized I had no idea what she was talking about, she met with my mother.”

Molly held back a shrug and continued. “She and my mother came to an agreement. In the end, the Falcos became my second family. Rosa taught me how to use and control my magick. I spent many weekends at their home, went camping with them, learned how to embrace the other side of myself.”

“But you never belonged to the coven there?” Dominic Bright wasn’t accusatory in this, but it was clear he wanted to know why.

“No, I didn’t. The Falcos did—do. I went to some coven events. I finished high school, then college and then I started working for a PR firm. I worked eighty hours a week. My leftover time was for sleeping and eating. I didn’t feel it was necessary to join the coven. I’m a witch. I’m not ashamed of it. Neither did I feel like I had to wear it on my shirt like a button. It was a part of me, but it wasn’t my banner.”

Dominic nodded and she got the feeling her answer was what he was looking for.

“So why now then?”

“I got a call in the middle of the night. It was Rosa telling me her husband, the man I thought of as my father, had simply disappeared. And Emma, her oldest daughter and my sister, had also disappeared. It was some sort of creature or being and it had taken them. Over those first days we knew of others who’d been taken. So many.

“And then the backlash began. I’m trying to help Rosa and her son get through this and suddenly these bigots are showing up at my mother’s office. My biological mother, I mean. She’s a professor, though I expect you know that. Anyway, they know about me and they want her to resign. She kicked them out. But it was the beginning. They showed up at my office too. They knew about me. They’d dug around and because I’d never really hidden it, they had pictures of me at events with the Falcos and other witches. They threatened me with it. I assured them they didn’t know me at all.”

“You figured they’d leave you alone?” Gage’s tone told her what he thought of that reaction.

“I figured they were attempting to blackmail me. I don’t give in to terrorist threats. I don’t give in to blackmail. I’m a witch; I never tried to hide it and I wasn’t going to. My mistake was in believing my clients, people I’d worked with for years and years and had saved multiple times, would stand behind me. I believed the other partners in the firm I’d created would back me up. I made the money, after all. These clients were mine.”

Gage watched her as the change came over her features. Just a brief glimpse. Pain. So much for them all. “And you were wrong.”

She nodded. “I was wrong. I was outed on PURITY’s Know Your Enemy show. They have a show now.” She shook her head. “My clients all began to give in to the pressure and leave. And then they began to go around me to the other partners.”

Molly sat back, her back straight, her gaze clear. “As I sat there, the people I’d helped support, some of them my friends, wanted me to slink away in shame because of what I was—well, I realized it was time to push back. And then I was at my mother’s house and I saw Powers on television and my mom said something like how Others needed a good PR campaign and I realized yes, yes, we did.”

Meriel nodded. “And we do.”

Molly spoke again. “You do a fine job, first let me say that. As I said on the phone with you, you’re smart and well spoken and you clearly know what you’re talking about.”

Meriel’s smile widened. “Thank you. But I know my niche. I know what I’m good at. Before this mess I’d have been fine. But with the fever pitch now, well, we need a professional to get the message out there.”

“It’s a full-time job and you have far more things to do than just dealing with media. The biggest task will be to keep your message on target. There will be all sorts of side tangents to get sucked into. It’s human nature. And before you know it, your three to five minutes are up and you didn’t make your point.”

Meriel nodded, frowning. “Yes. Frustrating.”

“Media people know how to do this. They do it every day. Most of the time to keep people on task, but as you saw with the reporter interviewing you, sometimes they do it to knock you off message because they have an agenda. It takes someone who knows how to avoid those traps to get a message out.”

“And you think you can do a better job? Even though you grew up as a human and didn’t have much to do with our world?” One of the other members of the Full Council, Sami Ellis, asked. It was clear the woman had her doubts about Molly. Sami could be very intimidating so he supposed they’d see just what Molly Ryan was made of. “What makes you think an interloper can tell our story better than we can?”

Gage was impressed by the way Molly simply turned that perceptive gaze toward Sami. The question was rude; he caught sight of Meriel bristling. But Molly kept her cool and he added a few more points to his estimation of her.

“Interloper? That’s an interesting phrase. You mean because my father walked out and never bothered to tell the person he was sleeping with that he was a witch? Is that my fault too? You’ll have to excuse my sore spot on this point, but I’m trying to do what’s right. Not only for me, but for my people. If your clan is just PURITY with a different face, I’ll just take my services elsewhere. Because I have no need to prove my racial purity to anyone. I have lived in the human world. My mother and grandparents are human. I am not ashamed of that. Nor would I ever allow anyone to make me feel that way.”

Gage caught Dom’s eyebrow as it rose for a brief instant and then settled back into place. He smiled then.

“I can’t guarantee this will be easy. It hasn’t been for any of us. But I can guarantee one thing and that is we won’t be engaging in any sort of purity tests. I grew up outside a clan too.” Dominic looked toward Sami before he cast his gaze back to Molly. “And now I run one. You’re a witch and you’re offering your services, which we all know are highly desirable and effective. We’d like to offer you a position here.”

“Not just as the head of our public relations campaign, but as a member of Clan Owen,” Meriel added. “We’ve checked you out. You’re everything you claim and more. We need you on our side.”

Molly kept her gaze on Sami, which Gage found himself fascinated by. This was a full-council witch. Most people would have left it alone. But Molly Ryan was clearly not most people.

“Before I give my answer I’d like to hear from Ms. Ellis. I didn’t grow up in a coven. If this is going to be an issue, I’d prefer it to be said outright and openly. I’m afraid that while I use subtlety in my job all the time, I’m not much for using it with my employer.”

Meriel’s gaze shot to Sami, who sat back, clearly surprised by Molly. It made Gage like Molly even more.

Sami’s tone was slightly defensive. “If I have reservations, it’s my duty to speak them.”

Molly’s posture remained confident. “And that’s what I’d expect. I’d simply prefer it be laid out openly. I came here for a job interview. I expect you all to look into my background and to want to know who I am and why I want this job. That’s part of the territory. But I’m trying to fight against this sort of contest to see who is more pure and if it’s going to be an issue that I didn’t grow up in the magickal community, it’s best that I know now. Because my answer would be different than it would be if it’s not an issue.”

“You’d turn down a job because of that? Because of me being worried about how you’d adjust in a clan system after never having been in one? Doesn’t that suggest you’re not the right person for this high stress of a position?”

“What an interesting interpretation. No. I’d appreciate having a discussion on the differences between the non-magickal world and the inner workings of a clan. And I’d certainly understand your wanting to know how I’ll deal with it. Which is of course an entirely different tack than the one you took earlier.” Molly leaned in and Gage felt the wave of her charisma. “I have a lot to learn about clan governance and I’d consider that part of my job to get up to speed. But I’m not a second-class human or a second-class witch because my human mother raised me on her own outside a clan. Nor will I tolerate any inferences of the sort.”

Sami nodded. “All right then. I do hope you accept and should you do so and want any history lessons or other information I’d be honored to help you.” She tipped her chin down slightly, which of course Molly couldn’t have known the importance of, but everyone else at the table did.

“Thank you.” Molly tipped her chin back at Sami and then turned to Meriel and Dominic again. “I accept the offer. Of both the job and the place within your clan.”

“Excellent!” Meriel beamed and then lowered the hammer. “We’ve already got some work for you to do. Oh and an office and an assistant. Just in case you took us up on our offer.”

Molly stood and Gage couldn’t help but admire her anew. Tall, but not too tall. She wore hose on her legs, not something he saw very often, but with her businesslike skirt and blouse, it worked. Instead of old-fashioned, it was sort of delightfully retro.

He wondered then if they were stockings and then made himself stop. Then he started thinking about her other underwear.

Gage had had to physically turn his gaze away so he could get his focus back.

Meriel stood as well. “I’m going to show Molly around. Dominic, can you check in with Lark to be sure we’ve got someone on Molly when she makes public appearances?”

Lark nodded and looked to Gage.

When the room cleared, Dominic sighed and leaned back. “So glad Meriel won’t be out there all the time. Don’t repeat that to her, I’ll only deny it and tell her I think she’s awesome. Which she is of course. So what are you two going to do to keep our new PR person safe?”

Gage and Lark had talked about this just the day before. “She’s going to be the public face of this clan in a way that will attract negative attention. There’s no way around having a guard on her at all appearances. She may not like that though.”

Dominic nodded. “We’ll need to get to know her a little. Once she finds a place to live we’ll have to ward it well. I’m going to suggest the clan assign her a driver. Simon’s brother, Faine, might be perfect for that. Then he can be her guard as well as her driver. He’s been wanting something to do.”

The Lycians had sent Faine, one of Simon’s younger brothers and a warrior just like he was, just a week before. He was on loan for the foreseeable future to help. As the guy was nearly seven feet tall and broad as a truck, he would be perfect as a guard.

Lark looked to Gage to be sure he was on board with Dom’s suggestion. Gage and Lark had a good rhythm. She was different than Nell, his old boss, but they worked the team in a more cooperative way. Lark was good at what she did and trusted him to be good at what he did. They’d taken the team light years ahead in the last months, even after the disaster of the Magister.

“That’s a good suggestion. I’ll talk with him today.” Lark made a note.

Dominic nodded. “Good. Okay. Just get with Molly on it. I want her to feel included and welcomed.”

Unlike what Sami had done. That passed, unspoken between them, but Gage knew Dominic, knew too that something would be said to the other full-council witch about keeping her communications with their new PR person civil.

“I’ll stop by her office in an hour or so to introduce myself. Then I can go over some things with her. I don’t know what her power is like, though certainly charisma is one of her gifts.”

“We can talk with her about some training too, for her magick. If she needs it I mean. And who doesn’t?” Lark shrugged. “I don’t get the feeling she’s easily offended or intimidated. But I do think she’s at that I am witch, hear me roar stage, which is good.”

“She’s going to need it. The news gets worse every day. We’re tossing her out there into a firestorm.” Gage respected Molly’s experience, but he hoped she’d be all right. They were asking a lot of her.