17

"Where are we?" Shae asked as she glanced around.

"The country doesn't matter," I told her firmly. "But my castle is the answer." I chuckled when everyone there couldn't hide their shock. "If you see it from the outside, it looks like it's falling apart, but three enchanter families have been keeping it up for me all these many, many years." I glanced around it as memories hit me.

"You have a castle?" Remy whispered as if he couldn't put that together.

I nodded and faced him, thinking he was the easiest. "After Sangria helped me and I was on my own trying to figure out what to do and how to survive, I heard about a child with a strange disease. It was rare and the doctors of the time stumped. I remembered reading about something in the enchanter archives.

"So I went to help. Too many called me a witch and threatened to burn me—the normal crap especially back then. But the parents were desperate and told everyone to shut it. I examined the baby, and my magic just told me I could help. I did, and after several treatments, the baby started to get noticeably better.

"Then people tried to capture me so they could control me and force me to do magic for everyone." I chuckled darkly. "Those doctors who couldn't do anything were well respected and revered, but me they wanted to cage like an animal." I shook my head. "Sometimes I really don't think the world is worth saving. But that little boy was. That child was innocent."

"And that got you a castle?" Isaac pushed.

I nodded. "I knew the family was well off, but I was rather na?ve back then, sheltered even after living at the nest. All the big brothers and sisters and I didn't know that much about the world." I smiled at Remy. "He ended up being the monarch's younger brother, so the child was in line to inherit the throne.

"He was upset the way people were behaving when I was needed to keep giving his son treatments and was a good man. He gave me his summer castle and kept his staff on to take care of me. Mostly so they could always reach me in case there was an emergency, but it was legal and mine." I glanced around again. "Shortly after that, I found a group of trapped enchanters.

"They had their baby separate from them and threatened to kill the poor thing if they teleported away. They were too scared if they could get the baby fast enough and get away. I did and brought them to my castle to be safe. That's one of the families that's still here and takes care of it." I smiled. "The baby lived. He has grandchildren now. They visit often."

"You rescued the other two families as well?" Shae pushed.

"I did," I confirmed. "And many more who have used this castle as a refuge or sanctuary over the years." I gave her a serious look. "The only things I have stolen are things that should never have been property. Let me be clear about that before that's the next accusation or bullshit about me."

Her lips twitched. "Jerome has told us about all the slaves you freed but legally stole."

"Not just in America, love," I said sadly. "That is not a practice that was only America's shameful history." I brought them to the next location… Which was a hidden vault. I glanced around as I stepped into it. "I haven't been here in so long." I winced. "Someone probably needs to inspect the structure and if it's sound."

"Of course, you have more vaults than we know of," Helen sighed. "Seriously, Soraya, we need the full list."

I shrugged. "This is why people are valid when they call me a ditz, love. There's a lot to keep straight over so many years." I glanced over at Isaac. "How often do you search for your keys? That totally normal thing busy people do." I gestured around. "I have more keys than could fit on one damn ring." I moved over by a large chest of gold and glanced at Victor.

"What?" he asked.

"You should probably have some of this," I chuckled darkly as I opened it. "About thirty years after I left the nest, do you remember—"

"Vampires started showing up in the dining room where one of us always is speaking in a foreign tongue and complaining about a blonde woman they were going to gut?" he muttered. "Yes, we figured out you were teleporting bad vampires for us to handle."

I nodded. "They were abducting the virgin daughters of nobles to sell for a high price to monsters. Well, instead of their fathers selling them in bullshit so-called marriages since they were property back then. But at least there were lines, and it was better than warlords or being the star of a whorehouse in another country."

"Those were all the rage," Victor confirmed for Shae and those too young to know better. "It was how like people talked about ethnic beauties fifty years ago or rare looks. A whorehouse that had someone from a far-away country most could never travel to were the most popular. And a noble's daughter? The commoners could never think to touch a noble.

"Normally, it was a scam, but if they could prove it, the price was said to be worth it. Everyone turned a blind eye to the woman being kidnapped because what did that matter when she was from another country and just a woman? It always disgusted us." He met my gaze. "A lot of those places and their patrons fed us."

"I expected nothing less," I chuckled darkly as I tapped the gold. "This was my reward for returning them and getting rid of the vampires." I frowned and glanced around. "And that chest I think." I wasn't sure and moved closer to that one. "No, this was for saving a ship in a storm about five years later. The merchant gifted me this for saving his life and the crew."

"This one?" Remy asked, blinking at the comically overloaded massive chest filled with jewelry and gold everything. It was out of a damn pirate movie almost except it wasn't a prop and real.

I opened my mouth but then closed it, trying to remember. I snapped my fingers. "Plague. I helped cure a plague, and one of the lords of the area gifted me that." I moved on to another one. "This was from an elder for saving a pack of wolves. They were being used in fights like dog fighting and there were too many humans for them to handle. So I did."

"So you were a mercenary," Shae muttered, glancing around.

"No." Helen declared firmly, waiting until Shae focused on her. "No, she wasn't. Mercenaries take jobs for pay. Soraya saved people and sometimes they did what they should and rewarded her. I had nothing to give her when she saved me. Jerome didn't. Keegan was just a kid. There are millions of us like that. Our whole coven. Don't you dare reduce her to a mercenary."

"Don't take offense, love," I said gently. "Sometimes I did take jobs for pay. I normally had another agenda, but I did." I brought everyone to one of my hidden stores of alcohol that I wasn't sure anyone had ever seen. "Be careful with what you touch. Each of these bottles are millions of dollars each."

"I knew you had more," Andrew chuckled, finally saying something.

"I have dozens," I snickered. I glanced at Shae. "This was because of a job I took for pay, but it was my way to get into a situation. I won this in a card game, and back nine hundred years ago it wasn't worth what it is now—not that I know what it is."

"Priceless," Victor hissed as he looked over one shelf. "Soraya, this shelf alone is priceless."

"Probably." I shrugged. "I cared more about the enchanter children that were being used like magical batteries for evil people." I glanced at Shae. "And yes, I cheat at cards." I smiled when Remy snickered. "Fine, only bad people, and I warn the nice people that I hear thoughts so not to play with me. I honestly don't know how to play without cheating."

"So this is ill-gotten gains?" she said nervously.

I snickered. "In a country where gambling is illegal and I'm very sure the statute of limitations is up over nine hundred years later. Yes, technically. I pay taxes on the property under a… I believe a corporation. I can't keep it all straight." I sighed when I felt the excitement of the nest. "Yes, you snobs can have a bottle of whatever. I know how you all love your old wine."

"I always wanted to try this label and year," Victor explained.

"We tried to get it when it was made, but there were only a hundred bottles or something because of a flood," Andrew added. "And you have six here. Unreal, Soraya."

"You're just going to give them a priceless bottle of wine like it's a breath mint?" one of Shae's crew asked, interjecting he was so shocked.

Helen snickered and then Jerome chuckled before Keegan broke and then all three of them did.

"Yes, yes, I'm a handful," I drawled before focusing on the man. "I do things like this all of the time, love." I gestured around to the massive wine storage. "What do I need this for?" I waved at the happy vampires. "They're like excited lads at Christmas. That's so much better than leaving that bottle on the shelf. Let them enjoy it. They're the only reason I'm here after all."

We spent hours jumping around places with me telling them stories. There was another castle and several huge mansions and estates. Jerome had already taken them to the farm I'd found and freed him from that was still mine. We also grabbed food but kept going.

Then I took them to the vaults my coven did know about, not telling the humans my magic made the gems all stored there… But I saw Brax immediately figure it out. I simply winked at him.

"Why show us all of this?" Shae whispered. She looked beyond shocked and like she was spinning. Knowing someone was rich but seeing it all was very, very different.

And she hadn't even seen my bank balances.

"I'm getting to that," I promised. I brought all of them to one of my islands. "I own this island. Outright." I glanced around. "It was a nuclear test site." I winced when the humans looked panicked. "Sorry, it's fine, completely clean. Don't worry."

"You're sure?" Shae checked.

"Yes," Helen, Jerome, and Keegan said together.

"Yes," I chuckled. "I cleaned it. Completely." I waited until they calmed down and she nodded. "I also wanted it because…" I winced and glanced at Remy and Brax. "I told a bit of a fib."

Remy put it together first and his eyes went wide. "You tested your barrier in Chicago against an actual nuclear bomb? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Technically, not that barrier, but I have tested my magic against one, yes." I shrugged when he looked ready to throttle me. "I was curious. You're really shocked that's something I played with?"

" Yes! " Several people exclaimed, including everyone from the nest.

Fine, fair enough.

I glanced back at Shae. "This isn't the only island I own. I own over a dozen. In different countries. With different agreements. Some don't even know it's me who owns them. Two aren't a part of any country and my own whatever." I nodded when I saw in her eyes she understood. "I might not be able to keep my life straight, but there is one thing I'm aces at."

"Having a backup plan," Victor muttered.

I kept nodding but didn't look at him. "I learned early in life that I never wanted to be without one. The nest saved me that night, but they were my only hope. I never, not ever wanted to feel that again especially after what I went through after and people died to save me. The moment I started saving people I always had backup plans.

"The castles, estates hidden—all of it. Allies I could stick people with to protect. Packs, prides, hives, and more who would take care of enchanters or children for me if I needed or had to throw people off my trail. I've done it all. That has always taken all of my focus. That has always been my priority. Always."

Shae nodded. "What else do your barriers keep out?"

"Everything," I chuckled darkly. "Demons. Fire. Hell. Heaven. Anything I want." I gave her a moment with that. "So this nonsense that I need any government or anything from anyone is nonsense ." I gestured all around us. "I could teleport all enchanters here to live a protected life and the only negative would be the lack of flushing toilets for a bit.

"I could teleport our farms and animals here. Everything I have hidden all over the world people would never find. We could live an island paradise vacation life while the world burns. We don't need my stores or Paranormal Investigations, certainly not the cleaning company. We could walk away from everything and be just fine.

"That was always my goal. To make sure we were all fine and taken care of. I've long since achieved that. And much more of this hate and being blamed for everything and we will. I will tell my people to leave their lives and forget the stores that help millions of people and let's enjoy life here instead of being stressed out and blamed for everything.

"So if people would please listen to me for once and hear me that this is the truth instead of—they should learn one thing from the senate hearing. I do not bluff. I will protect enchanters and pull the plug on everything. We do not need that contract or any contract. We don't need protection or to be allowed to live in the US.

"The only real threat we had against us was our own elders and they're gone. Now we can retire on one of my many beautiful islands at any time." Again, I gave them a minute with that. "But will the rest of everyone else survive? The farms we work with need our magic, and if we leave, those farms die per the contracts. All the jobs I provide.

"All the humans who use our products that are cheaper and without side effects of pharmaceuticals. All the crimes we've solved and criminals we've put away. I have saved millions of people over my thousand years. Until anyone else can say the same thing and bring the receipts like I have, I'm done hearing their judgment of my life or lectures on how I need to live.

"I don't see sex or race or species. I see people and have rescued all of them. I've saved innocents in war. I've saved whole bloodlines that now thrive. People need to start appreciating that and how much we do instead of constantly and incessantly bitching I'm not doing more. I've set everything up for the veil to eventually fix itself, and I will as I promised.

"But the rest? Everyone can kill each other and society can crumble before I'll allow my people to be treated this way any longer. I refuse to let them suffer through any more witch hunts, and now with what the US government pulled and the lack of help, psychics are getting and being blamed for everything… I'm not taking the risk.

"So this is the reality. I'm not a ditz in the way people think. I certainly don't need the US government the way they need me, same with their citizens. And yes, I'm strong enough to protect my people from nuclear bombs and any military in the world, so there's not even a threat they can make that scares me. Please start behaving better or we will move here."

Shae swallowed loudly. "I think anyone rational and with a brain will be terrified and take that seriously."

"I know I just about pissed myself," one of her crew muttered.

I nodded and made the gesture for him to cut the camera. I waited until he promised it was done. I glanced over at Isaac who was in shock.

Oh dear.

And I hadn't even gotten to the good part for him.

I popped over to him and snapped in his face. "Stay with me, babes."

"Can't," he mumbled, blinking at me. "Trying not to freak out."

"Well, not to make it worse, but I have your mother and stepfather in a holding cell and told the other croc elders that I'll be executing them for their crimes after they're fully interrogated. So we're going to have to handle that soon, and I figured you'd want to be the lead on working with the interrogators."

He blinked at me before his eyes rolled up into his head and he dropped faster than I could react.

"That's about the appropriate response," Andrew drawled. "Jesus, Soraya, only you could knock out one of the most stoic and locked-down people I've ever met."

"He's not the only one who fainted," Victor mumbled.

"Oh bollocks," I groaned when I saw that Remy was also out along with Helen and Keegan.

Well, that was a mess for tomorrow?

The End