Page 9 of Winter Unleashed
Stella narrowed her eyes. “But you are theVinura.”
“And I’m not ready to reveal that.”
Philip barked out a laugh. “You mean Mr. Fraser isn’t ready to revealhe’sthe Vinur.”
I glared at him only half wondering if he’d read my mind. “Liam doesn’t make my decisions. We decided together. After twenty-four years, the other shifters have finally realized I’m not cursed by some made-up goddess they believe is real. I don’t want to ruin that by telling them Liam is the King of Supes and I’m his queen.”
“Notallthe other shifters have realized that.” It was Philip’s only response though I knew he agreed with me. He enjoyed poking at me, but when it came down to it, he would support whatever Liam and I decided.
He was also right.Mostof the Cullum County shifters had realized Artemis hadn’t cursed me in utero. And with that, my life had changed with the seasons. As the air cooled with winter so did the animosity toward me. But even though some still weren’t sure, their daily attacks on me had stopped.
“I realize that, Phil, but thanks for pointing it out. Can we just get on with this shit?”
Stella looked at him while biting her bottom lip, and it didn’t surprise me when he said, “I think we’re done for the day.” Without another word or glance in my direction, he scooped her up and carried her into the house.
I settled back into writing for the third time. This time they left me alone for long enough to get three chapters down before my stomach growled. Realizing I hadn’t heard from Liam in hours, I tugged on the connection between us. A smile pulled at my lips when he responded.
The mate bond creates a connection, kind of like an invisible line of communication. We can tug on it to tell the other we are thinking of them. It also helps find them if say a crazy vampire queen or a crazy fairy abducts them. Mostly, its purpose is to tell other shifters to keep their hands off because you’re taken.
He tugged again as I headed up to his office. It wasn’t hard to figure out why when I heard the yelling before I’d even gotten to the top of the stairs. He either needed help or an excuse to end the meeting. I picked up my pace and flung open the door.
There I found Dr. Jackson, red-faced and haggard, staring down at a tiny but deadly Ciara. Liam sat behind his desk with a slightly amused look on his face as he watched the women. He looked over to me, smiled, and motioned for me to come to him.
I gave the women a wide berth as I moved around the room to stand beside Liam. “What’s going on?” I whispered without taking my eyes off Ciara and Dr. Jackson.
“Dr. Jackson didn’t like my response. Ciara has taken over the meeting.”
Ciara leaned around the taller woman to glare at her brother. “I didn’t take over. I’m just tired of her not listening to reason.”
“My sister is very protective of me. Be warned,” he said with a wink as he rose from his seat. “Dr. Jackson, I appreciate your dedication to the children, but I implore you to see it from my side. It would be unethical for me to allow you to use the drug before the researchers say it’s okay. Not to mention the repercussions if something were to happen to even one patient.” He gave her a warm smile. “I’m sure you don’t want that to happen.”
She moved to stand in front of the desk. “I’m telling you I’ve looked over everything myself. It will work. The side effects are few and the benefits are great.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” He studied her for a long moment. “How about this? If you get the rest of the board to agree with you, I’ll have no choice but to reconsider. Until then, my hands are tied.”
Her right eye twitched. I was sure she was going to argue, but she nodded and strode out of the room without another word.
“Do you think she’ll get the board on her side?” I asked staring after her.
“No. I’m almost positive she’s already tried to sway them. She only came to me because Fraser Pharmaceuticals developed the drug.” He shook his head a little. “She’s extremely dedicated to helping the children, but the bureaucracy drives her crazy. It’s why she wanted to be on the board. She hoped to have influence over the other members.”
“No wonder she was so upset. Do you think she’ll quit?”
“Hell no,” Ciara said. “Deep down she understands we’re doing the right thing. She gets too attached to the children though. When one dies, she mourns along with the parents. I don’t know how she doesn’t break down on the regular.”
Unsure what to say, I nibbled my lip while staring at the door Dr. Jackson had left open. Liam slid his hand down to the small of my back, bringing my attention back to him.
“So, what brings you here, Red?”
“Oh, I’m hungry. Lunch?”
“Can’t. The meeting Dr. Jackson took much longer than expected. I have to play catch up now.” He leaned in to kiss me. “I’ll see you later though.”
“Okay, I think I’m going to go back to my place to get more writing done. You know, hide out from the tribreeds.” I’d officially moved in with Liam but had kept my house to use as an office space when I needed privacy.
“All right, let me know when you get back. I’m sure I’ll be right here.”
We kissed again before I grabbed my laptop and headed back to my house. I ate leftovers in my office while re-reading the last few paragraphs I’d written before Philip had knocked me over.