“Why are you not taking this to her?” Mrs. Brooks asked me.
“Because she still has scars from it too,” I whispered, rubbing my neck. “And if your friend’s daughter needs to speak with someone, we know a trauma counselor who was involved. She’s human, but she’s helped the others without knowing the supe specifics. Mel—she’s helped Mel drastically.”
“I will talk to her, thank you, yes,” Mrs. Brooks agreed. “We’re still missing pieces. If Melody Rothchild has scars, this could help—”
But Councilman Brooks had figured it out. “Who was involved that Ms. Rothchild would take the head of? Who do you want us to take the head of before she does?”
Smart man. “Someone I have several scores to settle with, but will put aside so you can get your justice and I don’t lose my sister.” I stood and took off my charms. “I’m not going to lie to you; you’ll be going to war, but I’ll let you see who you have on your side and why you’ll win.” I set them all down and gave him my hand.
“I don’t understand,” he admitted, studying me. “You’re not a wolf. I knew this.”
Right, it was women who normally were more sensitive. I went over to Mrs. Brooks and she took my hand as well.
She simply nodded. “Not a wolf.”
I blew a raspberry. “Well, shit. Everyone’s always busted me. I honestly don’t know how to do this without that.” Saying that seemed to amuse them, but then I remembered several warnings White had given me about runes I had learned for the Power Playoffs, as everyone knowing they were fairy runes and only fairies could do them.
So I did a few of those right then, not writing them on my arms and clearly not having a conduit on.
“By the gods,” Mrs. Brooks whispered, her hand moving to her throat.
“It explains so much,” Councilman Brooks murmured as he went to sit over by his mate. “How?”
“I cannot give you the answers to that yet,” I replied as I shut down my magic. “But I can tell you I’m not alone anymore and we are coming back. Not tomorrow, but soon. I promise you that we are. So yes, you will be going to war, but you will be on the right side of it, and while we cannot outrightly fight it yet, you will have help from the shadows.”
He bobbed his head, reeling from all that I’d just dropped on them. “Who? Who was involved?”
“Ainsworth. Councilman Ainsworth is one of the heads of the supe black market, and we know a murderer who drains witches for magic, sells them. What our contact uncovered is he was the one who used magic to locate supes who were high value or good fighters, captured them, and sold them to the humans for their fighting ring. He was the one who orchestrated the whole fucking thing for over a year.”
“A year?” Mrs. Brooks rasped.
I nodded as I sat back down. “I have the list of people he sold to them. I don’t know who is what species, but I would guess there is more than one wolf, as the list is longer than even Mel knew.”
Councilman Brooks took out the two USB drives from his suit jacket pocket. “That’s what’s on there?”
I nodded. “The one is what we had on Ainsworth past what we originally gave you. It’s all of his dirt and proof he’s a murderer, more on the black market that I’m trusting you with now that you’ve cleaned your own house. None of your council have any ties to it we’ve found, but the loop needs to be kept closed on that for obvious reasons.”
“Clearly.”
I was glad he did think that and continued. “The second is this new information. I verified what I could, but I’m too new to being a supe to know where to go and who to ask without risking alerting Mel. The woman I got it from is solid. We’ve used her for years and in all that time, has given us one bad piece of intel that was an intentional trap she didn’t catch at first, but corrected within twenty-four hours.”
“That’s an impressive track record for someone you use occasionally,” he muttered, smiling when I snorted. “Often, then.”
“Often,” I confirmed.
“What specifically are you asking for?”
Now we were getting into the tricky part. “And what am I offering.”
He shocked the shit out of me by waving that off. “Your people are generous. I’m not worried about that at all. I know it will be worth the effort and the side I want to be on, simply too many headaches of making the others agree with me without divulging why I would agree immediately.”
Right, not telling them I’m a fairy would hinder the process. Life was full of complications, but people couldn’t know yet. “I want you to handle Ainsworth, bring him to justice, and punish him. But I also want you to throw the weight of your council into keeping them from just filling the seat with the next corrupt asshole. That does nothing to help us, as the next one in line—”
“Is the head of the Craftsman bloodline, who the dragon royals released a few weeks ago,” he muttered, looking years older. “And you’ve said he’s much more powerful than the current councilmen.”
“Yes, not as evilly corrupt, but he has no morals, so given that chance… Do we really think he wouldn’t become just as evilly corrupt?” I couldn’t even hide the sarcasm, my tone dripping with it. “I heard it from his own lips he would take over the council and put in his own powerful friends and do more. I
