Page 2 of Princess For All

“Fair enough and no one can,” Joel accepted, before focusing on me. “Bringing in this last coven was the right move. They aremotivated. They hated their circumstances and want everything you have. Not in a bad way though. They want security. They want a future and they’re willing toworkfor it. Hard and for a while.

“I’ve heard several say that five or ten years of really hard work is worth the security of a future. And much better than what they endured.” He waited until I nodded. “It’s kicked the ass of the other two covens who are still guests. You now accepted full-time members and others realized that this wasn’t just talk and they could be left behind.”

“Agreed,” several of us said.

“Clearly, you have a plan of what to do about it though,” I hedged.

“Yes, blend them,” he said firmly. “Let the lazier ones see how the motivated ones are behaving and make it clear they will probably get the full package of your coven soon because of it. Showing some the door kicked people in the pants to behave better,butyou didn’t kick out anyone on the lazier side, so some see that as the level they have to work up to for perks.”

“It’s smart,” Kristof muttered. “We were thinking the same that if people don’t make the next round of invites, they will be shown the door.”

“With all due respect—and I mean that because I do respect all you’ve done—you need the manpower too much for people to buy that right now,” Joel countered. “A better threat would be shittier assignments like sifting gas and using their vamp abilities more.”

“It would be better to have them in groups on the same assignments and see how much faster the new coven gets things done,” I muttered. “Filling up dumpsters to clean out dorms and whatnot.”

That was the plan we went with. I partially understood it and people were getting tired of working day in and day out… But we all were.

We wereall fucking tired.

Too bad.

People were dying.

People were starving.

We had aGodworking against us to end the world.

So… Too bad. Move your asses.

We laid out specifics for the next hour to get us through at least a week’s worth of work. Then I made my call, which wasn’t what they had wanted.

“I’ll give your clans a month trial to make sure you take this as seriously as you’re saying and won’t use the fact that we need the manpower against us,” I told them. I shrugged when the shifters seemed shocked that I basically pulled an UNO reverse on them after pointing out our weakness. “I’m prudent. You should want that in your leader.”

“My clan won’t make you regret giving us this chance,” Joel promised, taking it in stride and recovering first.

Good.

“I know you’re not okay, but I just need to hear where your head is, my wife,” Kristof worried as we took a moment before what came next.

“I still haven’t seen Kaitlin’s ghost. Now I haven’t seen my mother or brother’s,” I muttered. “That’s where my head is. I don’t like it and it worries me.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “Then you need to keep focusing on your health and growing stronger. You are stronger than Keres and will keep being so.”

We could all hope. Tian was able to confirm that Keres was in the Florida coven—either as a guest or had taken it over. He and a few others tracked her blood trail. The shot I’d taken had worked and now we knew.

If she was smart, she would move or guess that was my goal.

But I didn’t think so. While she’d proven to be smart, that had been a good move on my part. Most wouldn’t have thought that the goal and I’d simply missed my shot.

Smart people inmy camphad thought that.

Plus, now we had her blood to track her again and again if we needed to.

I swallowed a sigh as Lloyd walked in and started with his normal bullshit like we were all old friends and he thought I would let him touch me. Kristof snorted and moved his hand to the man’s chest and made it clear not to be so stupid.

“I’ve let this situation go on too long—mostly because I was trying to figure out what your angle is,” I said when Lloyd finally quit, realizing I wasn’t going to engage. Hell, I’d barely been paying attention to his drivel. “But honestly, I don’t think you have much of one besides you want to be near the power or make people think you have power.

“I think you’re fucked in the head and you just get off on people believing your bullshit. I think that’s what you’re about and it’s really…” I rubbed my neck. “Boring.” I snorted when Lloyd’s eyes flashed shock. “You’re boring, Lloyd.” I gestured to him. “This shtick is tired and boring. It’s the apocalypse, man. You couldn’t like step up your evil game?”

---