"He's a werewolf," Tori said.
He looked at Derek. "I hear you're Changing already. How is that going?" A small laugh. "Hellishly painful, I've heard, meaning it's a dumb question. But otherwise? Everything's all right?"
Derek nodded.
Tori moved closer. "I thought Cabals had a problem with werewolves."
"They do. An old prejudice. But that sister I mentioned? She grew up spending summers with the werewolf Pack."
"The one near Syracuse?" Chloe asked.
He smiled. "Heard some stories? I can imagine. I certainly wouldn't want them as enemies, but the Alpha is a good man. Again, I'm in no rush to introduce you all to the rest of the supernatural world. Not until you're older. But if Derek has werewolf issues, I can get answers from the best source."
"So what happens now?" Tori asked.
"We talk about what comes next. Now that I've learned this project exists, I've convinced my grandfather--the CEO--to put me in charge. Since most people expect me to succeed him, they tend to listen to me." He sobered. "I know what you guys really want is freedom. Just reunite you with your parents, let you go and leave you alone. But even if I could convince the Cabals to do that--which I can't--it wouldn't take long for you to land on someone else's radar, as you've already seen. What we're going to try to do today is come up with a compromise. We give you as much freedom as we can and as much support as you need and we hope that in doing so, we'll eventually convince you that working for a Cabal someday isn't quite the worst-case scenario you expect."
"So this is about grooming future employees," Tori said.
Sean nodded. "Very valuable future employees. It's not charity or civic duty--I'll be clear about that up front. It's like any other investment--we're willing to take the financial risk in hopes of a very nice payoff. But for now, our focus is on reaching a compromise everyone can live with."
There were representatives from both Cabals waiting to negotiate. Antone and Kit would speak for us.
Corey stepped forward. "We'd like Maya to represent Project Phoenix." He turned to Antone. "You seem to be on our side, but after running from you for a week, I'm not taking that chance." He looked over at Kit. "And you seem to be on our side, too, but you've got your own kids in this. I want Maya to speak for me."
Do I sound like a coward if I say I wished Daniel could join me? There was a time when I'd have leaped at the chance to speak for my friends. But now, after all we'd been through, I'd learned a little humility. I won't say my confidence was shaken, but it was, perhaps, tamped down to a more manageable level. I had doubts. I had worries. As uncomfortable as that felt, I think it made me better suited to step into those negotiations than I would have been. My actions and my decisions had consequences for all of us and if I wanted to be a leader, I could never forget that. So I agreed, with trepidation.
As Antone said, it was almost over. No more running. No more hiding. No more fighting. Just talking. But of everything I'd gone through in the last few weeks, nothing was harder--or more terrifying--than those negotiations. I was bargaining for my future and for the futures of my friends. If they agreed to my deal, and things went wrong later, it would be my fault. If they didn't agree because of some concession I failed to win, it would be my fault.
The plan Kit and Antone proposed wasn't much different than what I had in mind. It was better, actually--Kit had the legal experience to push harder, even if we were unlikely to win those concessions.
Partway through the meeting, the clinic called to say Daniel was out of surgery and awake. That made it easier for me to focus.
Finally, we came to an agreement. Was it perfect? No. Did I completely trust the Cabals to abide by it? No. But Kit seemed satisfied and I knew he had his children's best interests at heart, which meant I had to trust his judgment.
The next step was to tell the others. Did they pat me on the back and say I'd done an amazing job? Of course not. I had to explain why we'd made certain concessions and what we'd tried--and failed--to win. Corey was most wholeheartedly behind the plan. Rafe knew I'd done my best and seemed satisfied. Hayley and Sam grudgingly agreed it seemed the best solution. The biggest surprise, though, came from Ash, who muttered that he wasn't promising anything, but he'd stick around and see how it played out. And so, with the most lukewarm response to my endeavors, I got the most satisfying response, the one that truly told me I hadn't totally screwed up. My brother would stay.
They took me to Daniel next. He was up already, trying to use his persuasive powers to convince the doctors to let him join us next door. As soon as I heard his voice, my heart jumped and I wanted to break into a run, like I had in the park when I'd seen him by the fire. I'd told myself then that I was just so happy and relieved to see he was okay, and of course that was part of it, but there was more. I always felt something when I saw him, whether we'd been apart for days or hours. My heart jumped and my pulse quickened and I felt myself grinning, the very sound of his voice making me happy and relaxed and centered in a way nothing else did. It was like the universe clicked into place when Daniel was there. It always had.
I stood there, outside the door where he couldn't see me, and I tried to look at him. I could see him just fine, but I didn't mean that. I meant look at him. As a guy. As soon as I tried, though, it was like my brain threw up a barrier. Off-limits. Taboo. I wasn't supposed to look at him that way, because he was Serena's and even now, a year after her death, I'd kept thinking that, kept feeling that. It had made things easier. Do not look at him like that, because if you do, you'll have to face things you're not ready to face, things you've been feeling since he really was Serena's.
I've said that I let Serena win that game two years ago because I didn't feel that way about Daniel. That wasn't true. I let her win because I'd been starting to feel that way about Daniel, starting to watch him in the boxing ring, watch him stripping off his shirt and pants to swim with us, and I'd been feeling things I wasn't ready to feel. It was all too confusing. And embarrassing. So I let Serena win, and then he was hers and I would never look at my best friend's guy that way, so the problem was solved. Except it wasn't. Not really. I just took what I was feeling and relabeled it as simple friendship. A really close friendship that no one was allowed to interfere with, not even a guy I genuinely liked.
So where did that leave me? The same place I was two years ago. Confused. Because now there was Rafe and he wasn't just a substitute or a distraction.
Daniel noticed me then, and when he did, he broke into a grin. I froze there a second, before he called, "You coming in?" and I did. I went in and told him about the deal I'd brokered with the Cabals.
When I finished, he caught my hand and pulled me closer. "You okay?"
"I'm not the one who got shot."
"Yes, but I think
you might have had the harder ordeal. I know that wasn't easy and I wish I could have been there, but obviously I didn't need to be. You did great. Better than great." He pulled me into a hug. "You did perfect."
"This looks familiar," I said as I looked around the helicopter, seated behind the pilot, Daniel beside me.
"Except this time, I'm not unconscious on the floor," Rafe said from my other side.