Nolan just blinked at her, surprise freezing his face for the third time. Kylie covered her mouth because it was gaping wide. Her father’s panicked look settled into one of fury.
“The hell you are,” her father said.
“Oh, yes, I am.” Grace let her anger have free rein. “And you, Senator Krepky, have a choice—either announce that you’re not running for re-election and that you support my campaign, or I’ll release all the information on these hard drives that explicitly connects you to the program to genetically engineer a super-soldier shifter.”
“You wouldn’t… you can’t…” Her father was sputtering.
“Oh, I can, and I definitely will.” Grace’s jaw hurt when she clenched it—she’d been biting down all day, trying to survive Agent Smith’s sadism and fascination with her ability to instantly heal. It made her woozy to think about, so she shoved it aside and let her righteous anger rise up. “In fact, the dirty laundry is coming out no matter what. The people deserve to know how shifters have been mistreated. How their human rights have been violated. And they deserve to have one of their own on the floor of the House to make sure something like this never happens again.”
“I will not support this!” her father shouted, but his voice was screeched with panic.
“Very well,” Grace said, calmly. “Then I’ll show the world the scars your henchmen gave me. They can make their own judgment about a man who sent his own daughter into such a program. And all your little, bigoted friends can try to figure out where my shifter genes actually came from… and what kind of man you actually are.”
Her father paled and leaned against Kylie’s desk. His eyes still had that calculating look, but she could tell—he knew he was in a box with no way out.
“You’re leaving me no choice at all.” He looked lost, and for a brief moment, she felt bad for him. The Senate was all he knew, all he had ever wanted, and she was destroying that power dream for him. But then she reminded herself—he destroyed it the moment he sent her off with Agent Smith.
“This is your bed, Senator,” she said, coolly. “I didn’t make it, but I’m going make you lie in it.” It felt hard—brutal almost; he was her father after all—but it needed to be said.
The resignation finally came across his face. He straightened up from the desk, stiffly, holding his chin up. But she knew it was just bravado. She could allow him an exit.
“I’ll make the announcement tomorrow,” he said.
“So will I,” Grace replied.
He gave her a short nod, then strode toward the door. He paused when he reached her and Jared, and for a moment, Grace thought Jared might just kick the crap out of him right then and there—but he held back. There was fury on Jared’s face, but also a strange sort of satisfaction, as if things were working out just the way he had hoped.
Her father only spared Jared a glance, but he gave her a look full of loathing. “You will not be welcome at the estate.” And with that, he strode out of the office.
If that was all he could threaten her with—that she couldn’t return to her childhood bedroom—she figured that was as close as she would get to a complete and utter concession.
She heaved a sigh of relief once the door was closed behind him.
“Holy shit, Grace,” Kylie said, breathless. “All this time…” She looked at Jared anew, running her eyes over him in appreciation and a kind of awe.
“I would say holy shit is about the least of it.” Nolan’s eyes were shining as he looked at her. Once he had her attention, he said, “I need to get back to work.” But he didn’t make a move to go anywhere.
Grace frowned. “I know you and Kylie both… well, you work for the Senator and—”
“I have a speech to write,” Nolan cut her off. “You’re doing this tomorrow, right? And our themes are the human rights violations of shifters and cleaning up corrupt government? I can work with that.”
A grin swept across her face. “Nolan…” But then she was too choked up for words. She lurched forward and threw her arms around him.
He hugged her back hard. “You sure you’re okay?” he whispered into her hair.
She nodded, then released him. “I promise.”
He glanced at Jared, but for once, it wasn’t filled with rivalry. “He’s a shifter, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Grace said with a small smile for Jared. “And he’s my mate.”
Jared’s eyes sparkled in return, but he stayed silent. He had watched the whole thing play out, quietly backing her up with his presence and his strength.