To Protect and Serve Ch. 12

Banshee had already put the fear of God into the troublemakers of the area. She was a very hands-on sheriff who had already developed a reputation as a bad-ass before taking charge of the political reins as well. The lawlessness suffered under Lacroix's rule would no longer be tolerated.

Banshee had found several magical beings to act as her enforcers, adding to the group that Shane had lent her. Staying true to Shane's guidance, she was going to build a diverse group rather than favoring her own race, and it was proving to be a wise track. Not only did she have vampires and weres, but she had, with Shamira acting as her representative, convinced the entire local faerie colony to take up residence on her estate. In exchange for physical muscle if needed to protect the colony, the faeries provided a powerful magical security to the land itself.

Banshee had also enlisted a brother/sister pair of elvish assassins. The elves were still wanting to get back into Shamira's good graces, despite her assurances that she did not blame the entire race for the actions of one rogue member. But apparently, everyone wanted to make damn sure that the last Moon Dragon was not pissed off at them.

For her part, Shamira was looking forward to the day that she could be a full time enforcer again and stop playing Tyrannosaurus Nanny, though the role did have some rewards. The first time Aodh had shown understanding of what had happened to his race and vowed not to let it happen again . . . that had filled her with hope and pride. And the first time that Jörmungandr swam in the ocean, his mind transmitting unparalleled glee, had also made her heart sing.

Luckily, the merfolk of the Atlantic were more than happy to assist in acclimating the great beast, already thirty feet long) into how to navigate and survive in the great expanse of the oceans. As a result, Shane and Banshee had both forged an alliance with the merfolk, a previously unprecedented event.

Katar and the other Lesser Dragons were also living on the estate, though Katar would soon be leaving. The Tribunal had been impressed that a once subservient race would aid in the resurrection of those who had once treated them so badly. But Katar and his folk saw the Greater Dragons as a part of themselves that had been missing for too long. In exchange for their help, the Lesser Dragons had been granted a membership in the Tribunal, and Katar would be its first ambassador.

Shamira shook her head as she watched Aodh telepathically attempt to reason with the Quetzalcoatl and coax it out from under the pile of hay bails that it had used to create a cave. The feathered serpent had been harassed by a Sea Serpent, who had already been sent to the swimming pool for a "time out," but the Quetzalcoatl refused to budge from his hiding place.

"Now I know how my sister must have felt," Shamira muttered.

"Speaking of which, she called a few minutes ago," Clara said. She was sitting on the edge of the pool, letting the Sea Serpents swim by and tickle her toes. "She told me to tell you hi, and not to freak out but that she was going out with Clyde tonight and was . . . and these her words, not mine . . . hoping to get lucky."

Shamira clamped one hand over her grimacing face. Samantha had started dating the werewolf lord of Huntsville, AL, shortly after her divorce was finalized from that cheating asshole Patrick. Shamira's sister had taken a great interest in the magical community after finding out that Shamira was a vampire dragon thingie, but her interest in Clyde was still a little disturbing. Okay, maybe he was handsome and charming and much more loyal than Patrick, but . . . but Shamira just could not fathom that her sister was dating a werewolf.

"She's a grown woman," Clara said, reading her lover's thoughts, "and she's probably safer now than she's ever been. No one, human or magical, is going to hurt her without going through a very powerful local lord and his entire pack." Clara pulled her feet out of the water and strode over to her girlfriend. The two of them were still sharing a room and, more importantly, a bed, and both of them were quite happy with each other.

Shamira finally smiled. "I know. It's just that so much has changed. It's barely been a little more than a year, but I still remember being alive. I remember being a cop and complaining to her on the phone about how dull my life was. Now she's humping a lycanthrope, I'm an undead part-time dragon who sleeps with a beautiful undead woman who also ties her up sometimes --"

"And these are all good things," Clara interrupted, wrapping her arms around Shamira's neck and holding her close. "Especially that last part."

About that time, a limousine flanked by black SUVs pulled into the shelter, and Shamira said, "And now it's show time."

Shane got out of the limo, leading several blindfolded and shackled humans from the depths of the vehicle.

"You are in more trouble than you can guess," one of the captives said. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in? Kidnapping federal agents --"

"And as I tried to tell you," Shane interrupted, "that these are merely temporary inconveniences. In a few moments, all will be explained to you. I promise you that no harm will come to you, and that you will all be released if you wish to go."

"Why the hell wouldn't we --" a woman started to say, then she gasped as her blindfold was removed. All the humans were relieved of their blindfolds and bonds, though they were surrounded by Shane's and Banshee's guards. The Tribunal members had chosen not to attend this meeting, mostly as a precaution in case things did not go well.

"You're Shane Stapleton," one of the men said, looking amazed. "You're one of the richest men in the country, so why would --"

"Why would I be kidnapping FBI agents and bringing them to a secret location and then promising to free them?" Shane looked at each one of them. "You were chosen to be here because you, more than anyone else in the United States government, are inclined to believe the impossible. You were chosen because you have always been assigned the jobs that no one else could understand or would even WANT to understand. You are the kind of people who look into the dark places and wonder not only who might be hiding there, but also what might be hiding there."

"Are you going tell us that you're aliens?" one of them scoffed. "That's a little too X-files for my taste."

"Aliens? Don't be absurd," Shane replied with a smile. "Of course I'm not an alien. I'm a vampire."

The humans looked shocked, amused, or befuddled. Sometimes all three.

The woman spoke. "A . . . vampire. Seriously, is this some kind of --" The woman stopped and shrieked as Shane opened his mouth and caused his fangs to grow right before her eyes.

"Nice trick," the first man said again. "But I'm sure --"

"Before you say '-- that there's a logical explanation,' let me assure you that there are vampires in this world, and all other sorts of beings that you could scarcely imagine. Before you leave here, you will understand what truly lives on the other side of the shadows that most humans have feared, sometimes rightly so. We believe that it is time to come forward and be part of the great community of this planet, and you will be our liaisons back to your world. And before you attempt any further objects, I believe that I can show you all the proof you could ever need." He pointed at something behind the humans' backs.

The FBI members turned around to find that the guards had parted to reveal --

"Oh my God," one whispered, his eyes coming to rest on Aodh, who was curled in a semi-sphere around Clara and Shamira. "What is that?"

"That's my adopted son," Shamira replied, remembering the role that Shane had wanted her to play. She felt Clara pulling her robe away, leaving Shamira nude. "And that's not the coolest part."

"It . . . isn't?" the woman muttered, still staring at the Thorn Back dragon.

Shamira began to smoke and then shift, growing to massive size and taking a new form. It a few moments, she was no longer a muscular young vampire, but was instead Shadow Wing. Her wings of smoke and ash extended to block out the view of the ceiling, and her neck strained forward to the first man to have spoken. Her nose stopped just a few feet from his amazed face. Shamira was pleased to see more awe and wonder in his eyes than fear. He was a believer whose cynicism had just been short-circuited.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said at last.

From behind the dragon, Clara laughed. "I keep telling her that, but she doesn't believe me."

Shamira, her thoughts smooth and warm, reached out to the man and his companions. * Once, I was like you. I found myself trying to understand the notion of a world that had been just beyond my own. But eventually, my eyes were opened to the reality of it. We are real. We are here. The only question now is, do you believe? *

The man reached his hand forward slowly, touched the smooth, cool scales of her snout. For a moment, everyone watched in silence. Finally, the man began to smile.

"I believe," he whispered. "I believe."

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The end . . .