Demigod Down (8 page)

Grams and I looked at each other in shock.
Insulting a leader was dangerous, but insulting a shifter in front
of his packs, was suicidal.

Logan shrugged, not bothering to hide his
smug smile having pissed off his fiancé. This was so much worse
than I originally thought. Grams cast a long look at me and I
nodded, silently acknowledging things were deteriorating in the
Shifter Nation faster than I realized.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I focused back
on the task at hand - ownership of the car.

Jezebel stood from her seat and began pacing
the small area, far too close to Grams for my comfort. Grant rolled
forward in his chair as Ali stood behind her and I stood slowly
watching her erratic movements.

“You don’t understand!” she cried, tears
streaming down her blotchy olive skin, gulping down a breath of
air. Moving around Ali and Grant, I placed myself in front of her
uneven gait. She was too far gone in her rant to notice.

“You couldn’t possibly understand. You bitch
can reproduce! Do you have any idea how hard it is to carry child
after child and have your body fail each and every one?” she
screamed, turning her eyes towards me and searching mine for an
answer, red rimming her pupils.

“Pull it together, Jezebel.” I growled in
warning, watching the twitching of her hands.

“I can’t do this anymore.” Jezebel started
off, softly sucking in a deep breath, “I cannot be his mate
anymore! I cannot lose any more children and I cannot…”

Moving quickly, I clamped a hand over her
mouth. “I have given you one chance already, what comes out of your
mouth now cannot be undone.”

She nodded as I slowly lowered my hand and
moved back. “I cannot sustain this life anymore nor do I want to,”
Jezebel finished, turning to Jay.

He stood, tears streaming unashamedly down
his face. “Are you certain?” he asked, his voice broken with
emotion.

Silently, she nodded. Jay stood there
shaking, rage at her choice and this horrible situation playing
across his face. He loved her enough to fight for her, enough to
try for her, but she didn’t or maybe couldn’t. In the end, it
didn’t matter. She had just asked for death.

My eyes sought out Logan’s, what he saw there
brought him to his feet.

“With your permission, Jay.” he said softly,
finally the leader the shifters made an appearance.

Jay nodded, falling back into his chair,
seeing nothing.

“You are a monster!” Lorrain threw at Logan
before marching out of the room.

I blew out a breath. Well this was going to
shit. We needed her for the rest of this arbitration and I really
wanted to get Jezebel taken care of sooner rather than later.
However, I couldn’t kill her here and not suffer some blow back.
Human beings, as Loraine demonstrated perfectly, didn’t
understand.

“Gentleman, perhaps a break is in order?”
Grams stated, closing her organizer.

The two at the end nodded. “Give us time to
get cookies.” The tall one said trying to break the thick
tension.

“I prefer chocolate chip,” I said with a
smile. They nodded before heading out.

I sighed, “You guys good staying here?” I
asked Grams, Ali, and Grant.

“You are going with them?” Ali asked
uncertainly.

I nodded. I began this arbitration and I
would see it through.

Logan adjusted his suit. “You aren’t needed,”
he informed me, brushing lint off his sleeve.

“Yes, she is,” Jay said softly. “She is the
only one willing to see to the heart of the matter.” He moved
towards the doors.

“You need to hurry,” Grant warned, his eye
out of focus. “The dead are gathering and she isn’t strong enough
to stop a possession.” Did I mention Grant was from a long line of
Gypsies? His skills scared the shit out of me.

I nodded, turning to usher Jezebel out to the
SUV.

Covered parking was a brilliant idea in the
heat of the summer when steering wheel temperatures could melt
nails off. Grunting, I slid into my SUV with Dean, Jay, Jezebel,
and Logan riding shot gun.

I hesitated, fiddling with the AC before
asking, “Is there some place in particular you wanted to go?”

I took my answer from the silence, having
already decided where I would want to go.

Ninety minutes later, we pulled up at the
Shifter Cemetery where Logan’s grandfather was buried.

“You come here often?” Logan asked me as we
climbed out of the cool AC and back into the midday heat and
humidity.

“Sometimes,” I answered “the dead make great
listeners.” I said, closing my door heading into the shade of the
trees.

I don’t know why I didn’t stop walking until
I reached the grave I knew well, but I did once I got there.

Jezebel knelt on the soft grass as Logan
moved behind her, his eyes locked onto the back of her head.

“Are you ready?” I asked softly.

Jezebel lifted her tear-stained face to look
at Jay, “I’m sorry,” she said before bowing her head once
again.

I took Jay’s hand and he squeezed it
painfully. Logan’s eyes met my own and I nodded.

Reaching down, his hands were quick, fast,
and efficient. The bones in her neck broke instantly, separating
from her shoulders, falling forward and lifelessly onto the
ground.

Jay rushed to her, brushing her dark hair
back on a head that didn’t quite line up with her body anymore.
Logan came to stand beside me.

We both turned, hearing another vehicle in
the gravel drive.

“We made arrangements on our way out here.”
Dean said, softly staring at Jezebel’s dead body.

I moved to Dean, resting a hand against his
forearm. “If you need anything, please let me know.”

He nodded, meeting my dry gaze with his moist
one. Turning I pulled Logan behind me passing the other clan
members with a simple nod before loading back into my SUV.

I could feel Logan’s hatred before we pulled
out of the driveway. “I had to do it,” I said softly.

“I hate it,” he growled.

I sighed, letting out a deep exhale before I
answered. “I know, but we have to keep them safe.”

He scoffed at my openness. “You seem to enjoy
it.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” I answered,
wishing Blake was here.

On cue, the SUV’s Bluetooth system began to
ring and Blake’s name flashed on the center panel.

I hit answer, not caring that Logan was in
the car. “Hi!” I greeted him, happy for the distraction.

“Hey babe, you doing okay?” he asked,
worried.

“Yeah,” I answered, slouching in my seat,
“Today isn’t going exactly to plan.” I hadn’t let him know about
the arbitration I had signed up for.

“Are you almost done?” he asked, rustling
papers in the background.

“Probably a few more hours. We haven’t even
begun on the Logan and Lorraine wedding nightmare.” I answered,
smiling at Logan who was scowling at me.

“What a cluster fuck that is going to be,
you’ll have to explain how you got roped into it,” he muttered.
“The politics of the shifter nation is a train wreck right now and
all the high and mighty pair do is more damage. It’s a damn miracle
Logan hasn’t been challenged for the title.”

“I know. I was actually thinking the same
thing,” I answered thoughtfully. Logan shifted in his seat, arms
crossed over his chest.

“Probably has something to do with Kass and
Darren getting married. You, my dear, are viewed as aligning with
them and you are a powerful threat,” Blake said as a door opened in
the background.

“That’s a vicious rumor,” I muttered. “I have
not aligned myself with the shifters, just Darren.”

Blake laughed, “You know it doesn’t work like
that.”

I groaned. He was right. “A girl can
dream.”

“Yes, she can,” he said with a sigh. “I gotta
go sweetie, not sure when I’ll be back.”

“No worries,” I said with false nonchalance
as the call ended.

“He sounds busy,” Logan commented.

“He is, Logan, just as I am, babysitting your
ass, in case you hadn’t noticed,” I informed him, pulling onto the
highway.

“I noticed,” He growled.

“Anytime you feel like correcting that, be my
guest,” I told him forcefully.

“It’s complicated,” He growled, sinking lower
in his seat.

“No, it’s not. You got to the top because you
were the most powerful, just, and deadliest shifter there was. A
stupid human does not change your roll, no matter how you wish you
were different. We are the creatures that go bump in the night,
that seek justice and create it in bloody ways when necessary. Do
not forget that,” I informed him, hissing out a breath.

We rode back to the hotel in painful
silence.

Neither of us could get out of the SUV fast
enough once we were back in the underground parking lot, stomping
our way back to the conference room.

Logan opened the cream doors pausing a moment
before moving aside to let me through. “Thanks,” I muttered at him,
not sure what caused the sudden chivalry.

Laughter greeted my ears as I jerked my head
up from the carpet seeing Darren and Kass sitting at the end with
glorious food spread out.

“Hey,” I said, my voice betraying how
relieved I was to see them.

Darren smiled, standing to embrace me
breathing in the scent of the graveyard and death as he pulled
back, a question in his eyes before he turned to shake hands with
his brother.

“Thought you guys might be hungry,” he said
as I grabbed a cheese sandwich and pickle.

“Famished,” I answered, stuffing my face.

Logan scooped up what appeared to be a turkey
club sliding me a napkin and plate before setting himself next to
Kass.

We sat in companionable silence, Ali and
Grant sliding in to get something to eat as well and hand out water
bottles. The peaceful sound of our chewing was interrupted by
Lorraine barging through the doors. I felt her hot hatred and
irritation before I even turned to see who it was.

Exhaling, she said nothing as she sat down
next to me. Her arms locked across her chest, glaring daggers into
Logan.

“Would you like something to eat?” Kass
attempted politely.

“Not that crap. I do have a wedding dress to
fit into,” Lorraine scolded as Kass pushed her plate back, fleeing
from the room and Lorraine’s cruel words.

Tendrils of pure hatred wove under my skin as
I turned to her. “Insult her again and I will make you bleed,” I
whispered softly.

She scoffed, not believing my threat, “You
can’t touch me. I am his fiancé,” she informed me smiling smugly,
crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back righteously in
the chair.

Not moving my body forward, I smiled flashing
my flat white teeth, “How is your nose healing?” I whispered.

Fear made the blood leave her face, but she
was quick to recover. “It isn’t my fault she got herself knocked up
before the wedding.”

My hand rocked out against her cheek,
whipping her head to the side with a satisfying crack. Turning to
me, she was horrified to feel a thin tendril of blood seep down
from her bottom lip.

She turned to Logan, “Are you going to let
her get away with this?” She screamed at him.

Logan shrugged, “She warned you.” He
answered, mouth full. “Not my fault you didn’t listen.”

“You are supposed to protect me!” She hissed
as the door opened and the other two shifters brought in a tearful
Kass eating a cookie.

They rumbled dissatisfaction and annoyance as
they gently set Kass down next to Grams at her original seat,
treating her gently.

I smiled at her. “You okay?” I asked.

She nodded, “Hormones.” She shrugged. “Olie,
this is Jeff and Kent. Darren and I met with them a few weeks ago.
They are the reason we are here today.”

“Here I thought it was to feed me.” I
answered, smiling gently trying hard to forget about the annoyance
that was Lorraine.

I cast a look toward Darren who had murder in
his eyes at the mistreatment of his fiancé.

Jeff and Kent moved to the other side of
Logan and Lorraine to sit down awkwardly as Lorraine glared at me.
“If you will, excuse me,” she hissed at Logan slammed up from the
table. “I have to fix my face.” She said, hitting my chair
forcefully as she left the room.

Kass leaned over the table and shoved a
cookie in my mouth. I bit down pinching my lip, my shoulders ridged
as I turned to Kass. “Well played,” I said, my mouth full.

She smiled as Darren took her hand across the
table. “You are beautiful,” he said to her beaming with pride. “She
is an idiot.”

Kass sighed, taking another bite of cookie
while casting an annoyed look at Logan.

Grams cleared her throat. “Let us finish our
meals,” she heaved a sigh, “than we can get back to business.”

Food and dessert was quickly polished off. I
sat next to Grams drawing a long breath as Logan dragged Lorraine
back into the room. Bitch.

“The next issue for us to discuss is the
wedding between Logan and Lorraine,” Grams said with a forced
smile. “Let us begin.”

Lorraine scoffed and it took all my will
power to keep from reaching across the table and slamming her head
into it.

The pen in my hand however suffered a brutal
fate as I rubbed the ink on the clean paper in front of me.

“Let’s start with a budget,” Ali suggested
behind me, passing me a wad of napkins.

Arms crossed and glaring at Logan, the
she-monster answered. “I shouldn’t have a budget. I’ve seen the
packs finances.”

“Pack finances are not available for personal
use,” Darren said from the end of the table.

“It’s a pack wedding,” Lorraine said, glaring
daggers at him.

Turning, I looked at Grams tapping her pen
against her unblemished paper. Feeling my eyes on her, she shrugged
as if to say “What the fuck?” At least that’s what she said in my
head.