2

"You're not breaking the contract over something so insignificant," he argued.

"First, you don't get to decide that when you broke the terms. It's for us to now say we're dissolving it, and you certainly cannot tell me what I find significant or not," I blasted, slapping my hand on the table and standing. I gestured to the cameras. "I find this bloody significant. A contract is a partnership .

"I am not your pet or lackey, and to treat an elder of another race this way, saying what I want doesn't matter and more—you're out of your bloody mind to tell me it's not significant. I was fed up and ready to dissolve it on the list of other reasons and issues we've been having that you've been ignoring . I'm a busy woman and not petty, so when I say there is a problem, there is a fu—"

Hunt teleporting right next to me startled me and saved me from an FTC fine for swearing on live television.

I did a double take. What was he doing here?

His mouth dropped open as he glanced around, and then he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Soraya, for the love of the gods, please don't be in charge of putting your appointments in your calendar anymore. I always check before I just show up so I don't interrupt."

"I don't remember…" I winced, pulling out my phone and checking my schedule.

"What did you put this down as?" Samuel asked as he leaned in.

"Babysitting the kids," I answered honestly, shrugging when his eyes went wide. I gestured to the senators. "They are children compared to me and they're acting like it. I mean, what else should I—"

"I thought you meant the pups of the coven , so I brought cute cookies," Hunt cut in, setting the bag on the table.

"You are so adorable," I cooed and then saw he was really upset. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I won't be sarcastic with my schedule anymore and will let the front desk handle it or—I think we're doing the aide thing again." I nodded when worry filled his eyes. "One of Sangria's so we'll trust them." I moved closer and kissed his cheek when he leaned down.

"You are such a handful," he sighed.

"I still get to eat the cookies?" I checked.

The look of love and like he wanted to spank me when he pulled away was amusing. I sighed and promised to give them to the kiddies, specifying that I didn't mean the senators just to be a shit.

It was in my nature.

"Actually, I hate to put you on the spot Lieutenant Hunt, but you can make a point for the senators they seem to have not realized," Samuel cut in, giving us both an apologetic look. "You have been a team lead for a while and were recently promoted to lieutenant. How much do you make a year?"

"You want him to admit that on live TV when they were just saying I'm the richest person in the world?" I hissed at Samuel.

Hunt moved his arm around me and kissed my hair. "You've said it again and again that you make enough money for all of us and our immortal lives so to stop focusing on money and I bring a lot to the table in this relationship. What does it matter?" He glanced between Samuel and the senators and answered.

"That's it?" I seethed, shooting the senators a nasty look. "He kills himself and lives at his desk all of the time to save lives and you pay him only that? And you dare drag me in there for anything to—no wonder your auras are so dark. That's disgusting."

"What she means is our team leads make four times what you do," Samuel hurried to explain.

"Yeah, I knew that," Hunt sighed. "It's why you guys are always flooded with applications from SPU. I told Comier that a lot of the hate you guys get is probably from the people you've turned down. Your people show up at scenes and don't even realize most of the cops have been turned down for those jobs and make so much more than us."

"I agree," Isaac admitted. " But they're idiots because it's not you guys they should be pissed at."

"There is no way you pay your people that much and keep in business," one of the senators who hadn't spoken yet argued.

"I told you that we take a loss from this contract, darling," I drawled. "We make up the loss in other ways."

"Yes, now you are branching out into final messages from the dead," he drawled. "From the woman who says it's against her beliefs to call the dead."

"First, she gets no money for that," Hunt growled. "The souls are already here . She's helping send them back or moving them on to where they should be." He chuckled when a few of them glanced between each other. "Of course, you assumed she'd be full of greed because—"

"Let's not get you in more trouble with your brass, pet," I cut in, giving him a quick kiss and smiling. "See you for lunch. I'll be done here soon."

"No, you will not," one of the senators snapped.

Hunt just snickered and shook his head before teleporting away.

I studied that man. "How much do you pay your right hand or aide?" My mouth dropped open when I heard the number in his head. He didn't want to say it, but I did.

"The front desk clerk who answers the phones and passes along messages makes at least double that," Samuel said, shaking his head.

"They do a lot more than that," I reminded him. "They're constantly pointing me in the right direction and keeping me sane."

"Yes, of course, but it's not a managerial position like a senator's top aide," he clarified before pinching the bridge of his nose. "This was—this could have been something productive and helped the situation. I cannot even control my temper and disgust."

I rubbed his shoulder. "I know, you always hope for the best. I'm sorry, but I prepare for the worst and assume it of everyone."

"Not us. You always have faith in us," he argued.

Fair enough. I did have faith in my coven and people.

"Pull the plug," I told Samuel. "Everyone finishes the cases we are currently on as we gave our commitment to those, but inform PI dispatch with whatever script your department came up with."

"You cannot be serious," one of the senators bellowed.

"I warned you that she doesn't make idle threats," the head senator grumbled, tossing his pen down.

"Good you've understood that about me." I gave a half shrug when he looked like he was grinding back what he really wanted to say.

None of this was my fault.

"This isn't happening, and it's not the end of our discussion today even if you risk the lives of Americans by blatantly abandoning your duty to—" a different senator tried.

"This was done on live TV , and people aren't as stupid as you hope them to be," I snapped. "Everyone here saw the same exchange to know that you broke the contract. And do not give me any more crap when your whole goal was to subpoena my files in the hopes of getting dirt on supes that you could use against them.

"Because I am not as stupid as you are, child. You could try and raid our offices and coven and you would find nothing . For one, you couldn't get past my security and you have nothing to stand on, but more than that, the files aren't there ."

I smirked at him and popped over to the far wall, slapping it twice with magic and making a door appear.

"They're in spaces you and yours cannot enter as they're magic." I opened the door to show them all a room, their mouths hanging open. "I am over a thousand years old. You do not live to be this old by being a ditz or a dumb blonde all you young boys keep thinking I am. You all should have learned a bit more self-preservation."

I closed the door and pulled back the magic before making a note appear in front of each of them.

And each one had their personal darkest secret.

I smirked at them as they all realized what I knew. "I foresaw what you were going to pull. I had no faith in this turning out any other way. Didn't you wonder at all why I didn't push back and came? Even with the cameras rolling?" I chuckled at them. "It's so cute when the kids come to play checkers and I'm playing chess."

I looked to the left when a few of Tommy's guys teleported into the room.

One winced as he glanced around. "Sorry, boss, but we've located another mal fundido nest. You said to be alerted immediately."

"Well done," I praised, making my phone appear in my hand and swiped to call Victor. "Tommy has the locks, and I need the location sent to Elder Sangria and Ancient Ikuyo. They've agreed to help clean up the area after and train their people how."

"Got it," he said before he teleported away.

"Soraya, you are on live television in a senate hearing," Victor greeted sounding in awe and like he was trying not to laugh.

I sighed. "Right, I forgot about that and you gits would of course watch. Ready to go hunting?"

"Yes, but we want pie," Andrew said in the background.

I chuckled and hung up the phone before using my power to change my clothes to hunting gear and bring everything to me that I needed. I froze when people gasped, a few screaming and yelling.

"Stand down," Isaac bellowed, shoving me behind him. "Just calm down. She's not threatening—Soraya, you can't bring a crossbow in front of members of Congress."

I sighed and sent it back. "Yeah, fine, okay, this is why people think I'm a ditz. I get it. I'm busy . It's gone." I popped away from Isaac before he got shot and held up my hands to the security that was there who had pulled their guns. "I'm also bulletproof, darlings, so you're not going to hurt me, but good on you for taking your jobs seriously. I apologize."

"You're going to give me heartburn," Isaac bitched under his breath.

I sighed and gave him a bored look. "I'm deadly with a thought, love. If I wanted to kill the gits, my crossbow is about the most impractical thing ever. I apologize for scaring people, but some need to use a bit more logic . If I came here to kill them —I wouldn't have. Why would I ever kill them publicly to be caught on TV? "

Everyone there seemed to accept that, but Samuel hurried to interject when I kept talking.

"Soraya, do not finish what you're thinking. I beg you, or you're going to be in another hearing like this," he said loudly.

I snapped my mouth shut so fast that I bit my tongue. I shrugged when a few of my people chuckled. Like they didn't know that I'd teleport the senators to the moon later if I wanted to kill them.

Of course they did.

"Good work here," I said to my people, making it clear we were done and using my magic to send my belongings back.

"You are not just leaving," that first senator practically snarled.

I smirked at him. "Are you saying live on TV that your silly little hearing is more important than killing mal fundidos before they wake early again? The very lethal monsters that—"

"That only you can kill, and I have questions about that and—"

"I just called in help right in front of you," I drawled. "Are you that daft, boy? I don't ever hunt them alone and have had to change how we hunt them because they've changed as well. Keep up." I glanced at the others. "This ‘meeting' is over. I got what I wanted, and I was never going to answer a single question the moment you brought in the cameras.

"You couldn't even keep your end of the terms we came to and blew our contract. I also don't answer to you. It was a partnership . You are not kings or dictators. So you can want to know whatever you want, but I'm under no obligation to answer. And none of what we do should be answered willy-nilly publicly."

"You might take a loss working with this contract, but it's still a huge source of income that will hurt you by flippantly dropping on a whim," someone else tried.

It was hard not to laugh when the head guy sighed, clearly knowing the answer already.

I smirked at him. "Darling, I don't do whims. I do plan B, C, D, E, and F . Always with the F ." I made it clear in my gaze that I wanted to follow that with a U. "Again, I knew the meeting would go this way. You should ask what else is on my calendar." I sighed when most of them glanced between each other.

But the head guy was smarter than the others. "I would guess meetings with France, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, Canada, and Australia where supes have the best rights next to the US."

"Well done," I praised. "Add another six countries because they're willing to adjust their laws to give supes the rights they should if my people are willing to work with their law enforcement to help save their citizens." I nodded when a few of them went pale. "Yes, so that's the progress I was holding back by being loyal to this contract when you weren't. No more."

And then I popped away… Only to land into the situation I tried to avoid most.

Which was people ganging up on me. Helen, Jerome, Keegan, and Tommy were all waiting for me in the lobby.

With frowns.

Shit.

"I apologize for how I handled that and yes, I'll agree to whatever you want, loves," I said quickly, glancing between them. "Please don't be so stressed and—I'll handle it. Whatever you're all frowning about—I'll handle it and get it done."

"They told me you would immediately cave if they all agreed and showed up together, but I didn't believe it," a woman to my right said with an amused tone. "You really are a softy to your people."

I glanced at her and wanted to groan, shooting the four of them shit looks.

Then I was a shit back and overshared something they'd never put together.

"Honestly, part of it is a trauma response," I confessed, having realized that a while ago. "My father was incredibly abusive, and my uncle and his cousin joined in often. So while the four of them would never hurt me, I see them as family, and when they gang up on me while being upset, no matter how old I am, I revert to the little girl worried about being beaten."

"Fuck, Soraya, you never told us that," Keegan whispered.

"We're idiots for not having put that together," Helen accepted.

"We're never idle to think of things like that," I chuckled darkly. I glanced at Shae Cooper again and frowned. "Does she know? Is that why she's here?"

"Oh my gods, I completely forgot," Helen hissed. "No, that's not why and—we cannot keep going with these images of you and continue, Soraya. We have to do something and—this is serious shit we're in. And no one is taking it seriously. Even other supes."

"And you think an interview with a war correspondent will fix that?" I asked, dipping my head to Shae. "I mean no offense, your reporting is commendable and—"

"It's why she saved your life," Tommy muttered. "I'd forgotten about that too."

"Twice," I confessed, shrugging when they couldn't hide their shock… And Shae's crew looked ready to fall over.

But Shae was only curious. "When we were taken by rebels in Cambodia."

I smirked at her. "Ohhh, that's not where it was, love. Want me to take you exactly to that little shack they held you in? Show you the graves of those men and how the keys to their truck appeared in front of you along with the knife that your cameraman over there used to cut you loose?"

"Shit, it really was you," the guy whispered.

"Aye, lad." I glanced at the clock in the lobby. "I have to meet up with the ancients. We know I'll agree if you all want it, so arrange whatever."

"They're coming with you then," Helen told me.

"No, there's a live mal fundido even if in vegetarian mode and mostly hibernating. The last one practically smiled before attacking and—"

"The ancients are wearing cameras to catch it all, and they're coming in after to see it for real because some countries are reporting it's all hysteria and magic you've used to scare people." She nodded when I couldn't hide my shock.

"Why?" I whispered. "What would be the goal? People get hurt in those situations. We get blamed for everything and…" I rubbed my forehead. "Whatever you think. There's too much to do." I glanced at Shae and her crew. "You know I'm not guaranteeing your safety. You're fine with teleporting?"

She nodded. "We can handle this."

I didn't doubt that.

"And they'll be with you for a week," Jerome added.

Then I laughed, apologizing when Shae and her crew were offended. "I apologize, but your heads will pop off."

"With all due respect, but you've seen the situations we've been in," one of the guys said.

"Yes, but that's simply dangerous. I hope you like roller coaster because that's my life," I drawled. I waved him off and focused on Helen. "We review everything before it goes out. I don't want faces of the children on camera. Even our providers—any of it. We out no one because we are trying to clean up my stupid image."

"They know. She's agreed, and her network basically agreed to forfeit their everything to make this happen. They want the scoop of this since you never do things like this and it's well known how much you hate interviews."

"They always make it so damn pleasant for me," I drawled before popping away to meet up with the ancients.

Victor simply shrugged. "They are a force to reckon with when they all join up together with their damn logic. If it protects you, we will help."

I nodded and waited for them to gear up as I brought what I needed to me. They hadn't known this was coming and all had their own lives to live, so I wasn't complaining or upset. They had been dropping everything fast to help get rid of every mal fundido that we could locate and I wasn't the only one who appreciated it.

They had to change clothes like normal people since they didn't have magic. Even if they could do it super fast, that took more energy, and they were smart enough to save that for the fight. Then it was anything protective besides my charms, which were limited since no magic could be used with a mal fundido, and the weapons.

Everyone slowly looked at me with frowns, even turning to see me if they'd had their backs to me, and seemed concerned. I glanced between them, completely confused… Until Andrew's fangs came out.

He stepped towards me, but Benjamin caught him by the back of the collar. "Nope, no, we're not doing this again. Ya on a cleanse and the lass is getting her life together and healing. We all agreed to stop ya, remember?"

"Right, right," he muttered, nodding to Victor.

I was about to open my mouth to blast him asking what the fuck was going on when I realized I hadn't been watching them gear up but Andrew change. If the state of my hormones were any indication, I'd been watching him like my next fucking meal.

"I really am a disaster," I whispered and rubbed my forehead as I turned away.

"I think of falling off the wagon and shagging my ex at least once a week and we've been done for centuries," Rayaz said easily. "Ya not dead and looked. That's about the most normal thing ya do, lass. The monster hunting and poking at ya government would make most people think ya having a laugh."

Yeah, fair enough… But I still really needed to have a conversation with the men in my life. Helen was right and it was time.