Page 46 of A Deeper Blue
“We can leave right now,” he said. “We can be in Wyoming by tomorrow.”
She leaned into his shoulder, afraid that someone else would hear her.
“I want this, but I’m scared.”
He pressed his head against hers. It felt like he pushed strength into her, and Azure took a deep breath and pulled back, smiling at him. The second sight had been right—she needed Rafe if she was going to do this.
The mermaids arrived shortly after the selkies. They wore large abalone shells and broad black stripes of make-up around their eyes that made them look like the totem poles of the indigenous people of British Columbia. They eyed the selkies skeptically but seemed pleased by the large metal planter container that Moira had found to be their pool. In general, Azure thought the seating arrangements had gone over well, but it was about the only thing that did for the next hour. The moment Albert opened the floor for discussion, accusations and blame were the only things that seemed to come out of everyone’s mouths. She had heard all these arguments before in smaller groups. Both her common sense and second sight could easily predict where things were going.
“Lady Blue,” murmured Rafe after a gnome threatened to chop someone’s dick off. “If the cow gets anymore into the corn, then we are going to be cornless. Is it time to blow your horn yet?”
Azure sighed. “Not yet,” she said. “I have to wait until someone says something about sacrificing someone.”
“That didn’t qualify?” asked Scarlet leaning in. “That gnome seemed very serious.”
“Gnomes say that kind of thing all the time,” said Rafe. “I have some in my garden, and whoo-boy, you should hear the things that come out of their mouth on the topic of rabbits.”
“You know what I think,” announced one of the shifters from the European pack. He was a big man with a Viking look to him. Azure thought his name was Henrik. “I think we ought to just go back to the old ways and sacrifice some humans. Maybe that would get the fucking point across and get enough blood magic going to bring back the old days.”
“And… there we go,” said Azure. She knew that her comment about sacrifice had sounded like she was speaking from a place of foresight, but it was just experience. Sooner or later, someone always suggested sacrifice. If she talked before that point, she would only have to revisit it later. But now the moment was here, and this was when she spoke. Would speak. Was speaking. She took a deep breath.
“Good luck!” whispered Scarlet as Azure stood up.
“My friends,” said Azure, pitching her voice to carry over the babble of voices.
“I’m not your friend,” said the wolf who had mentioned sacrifice. “I don’t care who you’re fucking. I don’t associate with humans.”
Rafe let out a low rumbling growl that Azure thought she could feel in her bones. If Henrik kept going, Rafe was going to do something.
Henrik eyed Rafe and then sneered. “And I think if we’re going to start with sacrifice, we should start with—”
“Cisza,”said Azure and made the hand gesture. The wolf’s voice cut out, although his lips kept moving.
“My friends,” said Azure, as if the man hadn’t spoken. “It is at times like this that I am reminded of the words of my esteemed foremother, Deonaid of Lairg.” Azure rattled off a quick two sentences in the Scottish dialect, and an older wolf on one of the very top seats who hadn’t said much laughed so hard he fell off the back of the bleachers. “Which, as our friend at the back there can tell you, loosely translates to: Fuck this shit. I’m leaving. And while, of course, I respect my elven ancestor’s decision, and the decision of all my Fae ancestors,” Azure paused as a rippling echo of the wordFaerolled around the circle in a whisper, “I find that I do not wish to follow her. This place is our place.” The older wolves, who could put two and two together, were now eyeing her more thoughtfully, but there was a murmur of agreement. Everyone liked that part. It was the next bit that was the harder sell.
“But this place also belongs to the humans. Our friend here, Henrik, was it?” She gestured to the now silent shifter who glared at her. “I admit your name did not make an impression on me—speaks of blood magic, but have any of you asked what blood magic has already been done? What has stopped the humans from being able to mate with us? What has separated them from us?”
“You tell us!” barked one of the visiting pack representatives. She was a tall woman with short red hair. “The Fae kept the records. They were the magic teachers. Without them, the humans took over. Maybe this is your fault!”
Behind her, both Rafe and Liam growled at the same time. Azure was surprised and glanced back at Scarlet. Scarlet smiled at her, and Azure felt the odd sensation of having backup.
“The Fae left because they found humanity and their technology toxic and could not endure it.” Azure thought about pointing out that the fate of the Supernaturals wasn’t the responsibility of the Fae, and the others could have attempted to write down their own damn history, but she didn’t think that would advance her cause. “However, it is true that the Fae were knowledgeable about many things. I do not have all of that knowledge, but I have some, and I am willing to share it.”
There was a mutter of surprise around the circle. Sharing knowledge was also not a common Supernatural trait.
“And in return, we do as you say, I suppose,” said the red-haired woman suspiciously.
“No,” said Azure. “That’s not how knowledge or friendship work.”
“I should clarify, however,” said Scarlet, raising her voice without rising from her seat, “that if you’re a dick to my sister, I personally will not be handing out any knowledge.”
Azure glared at her sister, but the assembled wolves all gave a collective nod. That caveat seemed to settle them more than any assurances from Azure. Scarlet had read the wolves more accurately than she had. They liked the clarity of knowing where the boundary lines were. Azure tucked that information away for further consideration.
“My friends, Albert has called us here because we have common problems and common enemies. He has also spoken of discovering why we have been separated from humans. Perhaps together, we can find solutions and answers.”
“Humansarethe enemies,” snarled someone. “Dirty Warlocks and their filthy kind. That’s what we need to fight.”
“They are not all the same,” said someone else.
