I could feel them watching me as I walked out and I didn’t care. I walked down the hall to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door before letting out a scream of frustration.


    I’d like to say that after blowing off that steam and getting my wolf under control things got better.


    They didn’t. At about five, a furious Rosalie came out of her office and called the team around her. She had been on the phone for twenty minutes, the blinds in her office closed, and I could smell her frustration. “Attention please everyone,” she said as we stopped and gathered around. “Effective immediately, we are to cease inquiries and investigations into the Chicago mob. Assemble the information you have and send it to me, and I will pass it to the Organized Crime bureau.”


    I mmed my hand on the table. “Really? Those fuckers are taking this from us?”


    “Those are my instructions. Randall, my office. Now.”


    She turned around and stormed back into her office, and I followed her in and closed the door. “Take a seat,” she said. “You’re getting too involved in this case, you need to let things go,” she said as she sat down.


    “Like you are right now?” She covered her face with her hands. “What’s going on, really.”


    “Joey ‘Bag of Donuts’ Veni is an FBI confidential informant,” she said as she sat back in her chair. “Organized Crime Unit won’t allow any investigations to go forward, he has immunity from prosecution. It wouldn’t do any good.”


    Fuck me sideways. “Well, can’t he give us information on the training facility?”


    “They don’t care about him or the facility, they are trying to take down the crime family. We are not to proceed with anything, including any investigation that could draw attention to him.”


    It was my turn to sit back. “What did you find out about the ind?”


    “It’s a no go, the State Department is trying to gain cooperation from them in other areas. Exposing a sex ind in their waters would embarrass the government further.”


    “So we fucking leave twenty women, God knows how many of them American, sitting there to be abused and we can’t do a fucking thing? What the HELL are we even doing? I should be leading a Hostage Rescue Team into that ind by tomorrow night, killing every one of those bastards!”


    “Watch yournguage, Agent Meechum. I’m still you’re fucking boss, and we don’t have authorization to kill them all, no matter how much you want to.”


    She was a good one, but this was bing difficult. My frustration boiling over, I stood up and punched the wall. I left a hole in it, looking at my fist I wasn’t hurt. “I’m sorry. There’s a lot going on in my family right now and I’m taking this case way too personally.”


    “Anything I can help with?”


    “I met a woman while I was back home. It’s… it’s getting serious quickly. I think she is the one, but her sister… her little sister was tricked into prostitution and died of an overdose. It’s made my job all the more real and urgent. I’m having trouble holding myself back from violence. if I found anyone that hurt Tania, I’d be as likely to kill them as arrest them. Maybe more likely, I don’t know.” I figured it was a good enough lie for now, it’s not like I could say ‘hey I’m mated to the sister of our main witness who is mated to my little brother.’


    She watched me as I took a few deep breaths to calm down. She knew my reputation with women, the whole office did. I didn’t screw around on the job, but in my off time I screwed around a lot. I’d never had more than a one-night stand, though. “Really. She must be quite the woman to get a second date out of you.”


    I blushed a little. “She’s special, I love her.”


    “Go back to her,” she said. “Look, you’ve hardly taken any vacation and your sick time doesn’t count. With most of this investigation stalled, I don’t need you in the field yet and I know how bad you are withputer investigations and paperwork. You’re more of a ‘bust heads and get confessions’ kind of agent.” I smiled at her characterization of me, I hated the grunt work. I wanted action. “This has been tough, take a week or two and get your personal life in order. If anythinges up, I’ll call you.”


    “I can’t leave you shorthanded,” I said.


    “You can’t be beating up witnesses or shooting perps, do you have any idea how much paperwork that causes me?” She threw her hands in the air. “Look, I’m not asking. What you just said could get you in a lot of trouble if you told it to me and then it happened. I’d rather you take some time off ande back when you’re ready.”


    I blew out my breath slowly. “What if it doesn’t change? What if I can’t hold back?”


    “Then I’ll have to reassign you or you resign, Randall. The FBI is bigger than you, this case is bigger than you. I can’t have it ruined because you can’t control your anger. Now, it’s been a long day. Go home, Agent Meechum.”


    “Yes boss,” I said. “Sorry about the wall.” I walked out, everyone in the office looking at me as I grabbed stuff out of my desk and left. I showed them my badge and gun. “It’s all right, I’m just taking a vacation,” I said. “Keep on these assholes. I want to have plenty of warrants to serve when I get back.”


    There were some pats on the back and whispered ‘good lucks’ as I left, but they all knew this vacation wasn’t my idea. It was a suspension with pay, without the paperwork.


    I took the elevator down to parking and got in my Jeep. I tried Talia, she still wasn’t answering, then I called Dad. I told him what had happened and what my n was. “Come on home, son,” he said. “You don’t have to do this alone.”


    Damn right. I had a Pack, and we’d take care of this ourselves.


    Master Vampire Jarrod Covington’s POV


    New York, Council HQ


    “What are THEY doing here,” the guard asked me at the door.


    “They are here because they have business with the Council,” I replied.


    “The Chairman will have to approve this, it is highly irregr.”


    “They are MY responsibility, and I will not allow them to be harmed when I have brought them in good faith.”


    “We shall see.” The big vampire went to a phone while we waited in the room, five floors below Manhattan. The waiting area off the elevator was ostentatious, serving to show the power and wealth of the vampires who lived and ruled from here. I looked down at the huge Persian rug we were standing on, hoping it didn’t end up with blood on it. He returned a minuteter. “You may proceed, but you and your Coven will be held to ount if they try anything. Mistress Dani is not happy about this development,” he said.


    “Mistress Dani was not happy when I left,” I said. He led us forward to therge, gold-ted doors that led to the Council chambers.


    Six vampire guards showed up, two nking each of my guests. I looked back at them. “Say nothing unless directed, and be respectful as I have discussed,” I told them. “Mistress Dani and Master Louis are just looking for an excuse to kill you.”


    “I’m trying to build bridges, not burn them,” Alpha Brent said. He was ate addition to my group, convincing me he shoulde just before our transport arrived. It was dangerous, but so was bringing a newly changed hybrid before a potentially hostile Council.


    “I’m not saying anything unless asked, and then as little as possible,” Erica said. “This ce skeeves me out.”


    The guard knocked at the door as we quieted. When he opened them, I entered first, walking to the center of the room below the five chairs for the Council members. My Coven and guests lined up two steps behind me; Marceline on my far left, then Eduardo, Erica and Alpha Brent, then Anastasia. We all bowed our heads respectfully, our eyes up. Their emotions were carefully controlled, but I could sense the mix of hostility, curiosity and surprise in their eyes. “Master Jarrod Covington, reporting to the Council as requested.” I introduced my group, then introduced the five Vampires to them. Eduardo and the two werewolves had never met the Council before.


    “Your scent is interesting, hybrid,” Master Lukaku said. “I saw one like you sixteen centuries ago in Tangiers, but he was male and hostile. He was taken out immediately,” he said.


    “It is different, a mix that doesn’t belong together but on you it works,” Mistress Edith said. “You are mates with this vampire?”


    ‘Yes Mistress,” Erica said with a shy smile. “My wolf imed him, as his nature imed mine. The change allowed us toplete our bond.”


    “What changes happened with the bond,” Master Niki said.


    “I have received mental bonds with my mate, her family and the Pack,” Eduardo said.


    “Really? That’s amazing. I didn’t think vampires would change as a result of the bite, I thought she would gain our characteristics,” Master Lukaku said.


    “We have blended, to what extent we are still discovering. The maker’s bond I have with Master Jarrod remains intact. I am still bound to obey him. I also have an Alpha bond now; I can bemanded by him like any Pack member, but not if it vites themands of my Maker. I can defy the Alphamand on my own, it is just painful to do so.” He looked at them.


    “Erica, do you have the same bonds?”


    “I do not have a Maker’s bond as my mate has described. My Alphamand remains in ce, but what I did gain was a family bond with his Coven. It’s not the same as I have with Eduardo, I can’t mentallymunicate, but my wolf and I consider them family and will protect them as if they were in my Pack.”


    “How interesting,” Niki said. “I would like to test this. Erica, Eduardo, please move over by the door, the rest of you to this side.” Weplied, not sure of what was going on. When we were in ce, he looked at me. “Alpha Brent,mand Erica to defend herself and her mate to the best of her ability but do not kill.”N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    He did so, I could see she was nervous. “Now, Master Jarrod,mand your Coven members to remain where they are and not interfere.” I gave thatmand.


    “We will be testing many things now,” Niki said. “Alpha Brent, you are not to interfere, or I will have my guards kill you, understood?” He nodded. “Martin, Yuri, attack the hybrid and beat her severely but do not kill her.”


    “Yes sir,” Yuri, the big guard who had let us in, replied with a bow of his head. He smiled as the two of them faced Erica, who was scared. She only had a few days of training in her new form, and these were professional vampire guards. I kept my face neutral, but I was furious inside. They were my responsibility, and I had told them they would be safe.