Page 32 of Infiltrated

“I picked up several lies, but from their body language you can tell there is something else going on. Something they are hiding. They know of my abilities and they tried very hard to hide certain tells, even as far as putting on too much perfume to hide the scent of deception. I am rarely wrong, we knew of corruption, but this all smells and feels of a deeper plot. Well thought-out, calculating. Dangerous,” Etienne said softly.

Pixie and I looked at each other and turned around and started typing rapidly on the computer. “Pix, once you are in their system, look up the following keywords: wedding, invitations, union. I will pull up the search for strength, force, power, and allies.” The men stepped closer, intrigued as our hands flew over the keyboards and our eyes quickly scanned and dismissed information, kept the needed information, and became engrossed. After about forty minutes and several fucks, motherfuckers, and shits, we finally came up for air.

I walked over to the side of the room and pressed a button that brought down a punching bag. What? After several years of research I hated going up to the gym and coming back down so I had one installed. Don’t judge me. I started to wrap my hands and punch the bag while speaking.

“This shit never came up in our searches because we never looked into political unions or allies within the stupid Council that would come from marriages. Even if we did logically, it wouldn’t be something that would affect the castes, bring up information on trafficking, or connect dots to my parents’ death.” I punched harder and harder until the bag became my bitch.

Pixie picked up, staring at me with a look full of amusement, love, and exasperation. I loved that woman.

“Looks like they have been planning a self-inflicted revolution of sorts. We hacked into emails and encrypted files and as it stands the Council wants to join the Shadows with marriage because they need to make a political stand. They want to show to castes that the Shadows aren’t just their protectors but their leaders. It is like a psychological mind fuck. Shadows will not only have more power on the streets but they will no longer keep to the shadows, they will show force by whatever means necessary. They plan on using the narrative that the vigilante has been captured and now the higher castes will be told that they are safe, because they have been fed lies of murders, and the lower castes will start to crumble because their savior is gone.” Pixie shook her head as she finished and wrapped her hands to join me at the bag.

“As if that’s not the best part, the Shadows being married? It isn’t only Luca. It’s you three as well. The bringers of the vigilante, the heroes will be commemorated and given honors, and married to these daughters as a show of some sort of fucked-up, dystopian novel fuckery. I mean really, what does this stupid shit do? You guys get married and the Shadows are further under the Council’s thumb? You already work for them. It isn’t logical, a lot of this defies logic. My people are kind, they just needed someone to show them that someone cares for them. No more abused women, children or even animals. Homes that are actual homes, food on their tables, building up businesses and improving everyone’s livelihood. I have been doing this for years. My last mission? I saved a little girl named Ambrosia from a gargoyle shifter serial killer. That shit wasn’t even on the news, the MLE kept it under wraps except for some boasting at the strip club, they didn’t want to do anything. I solved that case. I saved and healed that little girl. I took her home. I even patrolled after. I mean what the fucking fuck is the Council even doing?”

Oh. My. God.

I flew to the computer and typed in the words ‘shifter’ and ran a full database search.

I leaned back in my chair. I scoffed as the results filtered through the screen and I shifted through relevant and irrelevant information.All a fucking ploy.Every night an older child was attacked and a baby was also kidnapped. There was slight unrest in the middle and higher class castes, because of the kidnappings of newborns. The problem was, why. Why children, what did they gain from stolen children. It would cause anarchy when the Council couldn’t protect its own people.

I racked my brain and really tried to focus but was struggling to piece this together. Married Shadows, militant Shadow force. Outrage at stolen children. I sighed. None of this made sense.

The computer dinged and I peered at email communications and bit back a curse. The shifter had two purposes, attack the lower caste and torture information about the vigilante before they had to make a formal show of sending an Elite team. Seems like I was really putting a wrench into whatever plans they had, and they were out of options. Their planning seems like a fucking cluster of stupid ass ideas thrown together to bring dissent to Darnika. But why?

I took a deep breath and faced the men. I took in all of their features; Etienne’s handsome face and his calculating look making his blue eyes brighter, Luca’s piercing green eyes and a bit more than five o’clock shadow, Dimitri’s vampire-like scowl struggling to maintain his anger even hours later, and my sweet Dante no longer laughing but sullen. Fuck that, these are my men, our men, and I’ll be damned if we let them be used for some fuckery too. I knew they wouldn’t marry, they aren’t weak pawns but the Council didn’t need to know that. I needed a curveball, we needed a new target for them to focus on and I felt my power roll, I felt it awaken in levels I haven’t felt since the day I knew my parents were gone or the day I finally brought Pixie home. My rage blasted through me, Pixie shot me a panicked look and the men’s eyes flickered in alarm. I slammed down my shield and locked it up. I protect, I plan, I calculate, and I kill when necessary. Something is coming and my blood lust felt it. Except this time I wouldn’t tamper it down.

Etienne

The Council doesnothing but lust for power, it is disgusting. Luca has been trying to deal with having a sister, being told to marry, and having to bring down someone who we bonded with. He took his phone and threw it when we left the Council room, smashing it into pieces, and when that other soldier was being a dick, we didn’t even give a shit when Dimitri walked up to him and punched him repeatedly. Luca rarely loses his cool, he’s more personable, more political and to be honest, it is the only reason I defer to him, despite being more calculating and controlled myself. I don’t like people or pretty speeches, and I damn sure don’t want to have to speak to the Council more than necessary. When we got in the car, we were silent and said nothing until we were at the penthouse.

Watching Ellie and Pixie train was impressive. It soothed something in me and filled me with affection for them. Ellie calling me out on my bullshit and challenging me set me on fire. Hard work, patience, and perseverance was sexy and it was alluring to me in a way that spoke to my nature. But when we were led down into their hidden private research office, which to be honest, looked more like some type of lair, and presented with the information we were told a few hours ago, I was glad I had to sit down because I got hard immediately. I am not getting married, I am bonded. I have more than most people have, the chance to fall in love with my actual matches. Fuck that. The Council is supposed to lead but they are melting from the inside from twisted corruption, and here are these two women about to take them on with information, inner fire, power, and sheer will.

I felt rage fill the bond, pure anger and fire, and my eyes flew to Ellie’s face, and Pixie’s expression of panic at the feeling. The look in Ellie’s eyes sent a shiver down my spine, I picked up on the combination of anger in her gaze and her relaxed posture. She was comfortable in her anger, and unlike Dimitri who tended to live in it but was unable to rein in and let it loose when provoked, she accepted it and wielded it like a weapon. She was going to take the Council on and set it on fire. Strangely enough, I have been feeling on edge since leaving the Capitol, but now I have a strong feeling of peace. I shouldn’t have.

17

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."-Martin King

“Dangerous, yes. Because now, this fury has to be directed somewhere and it just keeps building.”-Charlie

Charlie

“The Council has been attackingits own people,” I said as I threw the freshly printed papers in front of them. A chorus of fucks filled the room.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, I have to go. I need to patrol early and warn the castes of Exousia taking a leave and to be vigilant. A few people in the community had a direct line to Exousia for emergencies, everything else was monitored by my cameras and security systems. I needed to expedite the construction and prepare my team for possible issues. If the Council plans to make the Shadows more of a militant presence, I needed them warned and prepared to take people in. Mentally, I made a list and slightly panicked.

Maybe I can set up panic buttons around the city but I don’t think I can accomplish that, and the downside is that I would have no idea who is calling because of a need or because of a set-up.

Fuck me. I may thrive on action but realistically, I cannot leave the academy every time I get an alert…it would draw too many eyes. Knowing all the shit I do now and the possible dangers concerns me. Warning them and taking the Council down from the inside will have to be sufficient, for now. But I just cannot promise to stay on the academy grounds if shit becomes too much for them to handle over there.

I sighed. I am not sure when I started to think of them as my people but I knew that a part of me would die if I ever let them suffer because of the callousness of the Council.

I opened my eyes to everyone staring at me. Pixie understood, she always did. Now I need to explain to the men and hope that they don’t give me shit. I understand the bond, if I could, I would wrap Pixie in bubble wrap, but you don’t do that to someone you care about. She is tough, trained, and this angry bitch will always have her back. That is the way our relationship works. However, we haven’t really developed a dynamic with the men. They knew how I was and now they know who I am, they understood it, I hoped. In the end, it wasn’t about me anymore, hell, it never really was, it was pretty much Pixie and I; now it was Pixie, Etienne, Luca, Dimitri, and Dante. I needed to respect that, didn’t I?

“Okay, I need to patrol early. It’s Monday, which means we have the rest of today and until Friday, five weeks from now, to train as much as we can, however I have a responsibility to the people I chose to protect and I won’t leave them defenseless.”

My vampire spoke up, “What does that mean? What’s the plan and how can we help?”

“Well, two things here, Vampire.” I resisted a smile when he scowled. It lightened the mood and we needed that. We needed to take as much happiness as we could get. “Okay, so Pixie and I are going out on patrol earlier than usual this entire week, we need to make sure people are extra vigilant. That means we need to still fit in training, sex, food, sex, drinking water, and more sex.” I rubbed my head and started up the stairs with everyone following.

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