Page 133 of The Omega's Bloodline: Part One

“Easier said than done.” I leaned comfortably in my chair, draping my hand over Logan’s.

“I think we should use our newly acquired information,” said Yelena.

“Which information is that?” I asked.

“We should plan a live show. It’s been a while since we’ve had one, and better an orgy than a brawl.”

I laughed, snatching up a cookie for the tray as Murdoch set it down for us. “Thank you, Murdoch. And who are you expecting to perform in this show?”

“Logan, of course.”

The little witch squeaked, her jasmine and forest scent making my pussy clench.

“I’m not a performer.”

“I’m pretty sure you could be, precious. Obviously you don’t have to, but if you come around to the inclination of getting your pleasure in front of a crowd, plenty of the nest would be having a good time.”

I set my hand on the back of her neck, breathing in the fresh burst of her scent and feeling the buzz of her power against my skin. “Thoughts and feelings?”

“I don’t think I should say them out loud.”

Kendrick scoffed. “That’s the whole fucking point of these meetings.”

“Okay.” Logan took a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m not saying no to the idea because it does kind of sound like fun, but I think I need to get the nest residents to respect me as a Protector before I put myself on display like that.”

“That sounds like you’re expecting this lockdown to go on for a long time,” said Shakti.

“Well, yes. At least until we can figure out how to kill the monster so people can leave again.”

Shakti tapped her nails against the table. “Unbelievable. You caused this whole fucking mess and nowwehave to clean it up.”

Logan bristled. “That monster had already killed multiple people before we went on the run. It’s very likely that if it hadn’t been chasing us it would’ve killed a lot more. Now we have a chance to regroup, to figure things out while it’s focused on us and not out hunting. I don’t know why it wants us, but at this point, I’m kind of seeing it as a blessing that it does because thatmeans it’s not going anywhere until it has us. I know I’m putting this nest in danger, but I would rather do that, knowing you five have the strength to protect these people, than to have let it run wild and consume the lives and magic of who the hell knows how many others.”

Shakti rolled her eyes, but I knew the praise buried in that speech would’ve struck perfectly with her.

“Logan’s right,” I said. “It’s like we’re drawing the Eye of Sauron so that the ring can be tossed into the volcano.”

Calliope giggled and Kendrick grit his teeth. I didn’t pull out my references very often, but they always got that same reaction.

“Now, focus.” I waved back to Logan. “What else can we do to help everyone stay calm?”

Logan raised a tentative hand.

“We’re not in kindergarten, precious,” said Yelena. “You can speak at any time.”

“Okay, this might sound weird, but has anyone considered zoomies?” Half the table stared at her blankly until she took another breath and launched into an explanation. “So, you know how cats run around all crazy in the middle of the night? What if we could convince people to go into their travel-sized forms, just for short bursts, so that although the size of the nest doesn’t change, it would get a lot bigger for them. You could even do things like races in different hallways to tire people out, you could set up makeshift agility courses on the lawn, you could?—”

“We’re shifters, not animals,” Shakti snapped.

“I know that. But that doesn’t mean it won’t help. Haru said a lot of shifters don’t feel comfortable in their smaller forms because they don’t feel safe. Maybe the rules of the nest need to change so they do.”

“You can’t just change how an international refuge system works.” Kendrick shoved a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated huff.

“I’m not trying to,” Logan defended. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to the general rules of how everything works changing, but I’m just trying to offer solutions for right here and right now.”

“I’d be willing,” I said, giving Logan a wink when she turned to me.

“Of course you would.” Kendrick gave another eye roll. That man was going to detach his retinas one day doing that.

---