Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(67)

All right. There had to be a way to diffuse the situation. "Please," she whispered.

He slowly released her arm. "You're in charge of the entire Irish Guard. The witch police force. You're the commissioner."

"Aye," she said softly, facing her soldiers.

"Ma'am?" Jasper asked, his gaze on Bear and not on her. "We vacate?"

She kept her face stoic. The wrong move from Bear and things would get bloody before she could stop it.

"You're not fuckin' going anywhere," Bear hissed.

She swallowed and stepped forward to address her people. "You are the finest police force in the world, and this action only proves that fact. To mobilize in such a way and conduct an attack on foreign soil before meeting any interference is something only we could do. Well done. Very well done." Man, she was going to have to soothe some international feathers, and soon. She turned to Jasper. "You and six soldiers remain here at post to set up a command center for an Apollo task force. Vacate the remaining troops for home. Full movements go dark." The fewer people who found out about this, the better.

Jasper paused for a brief moment.

"Now," she said.

He turned and gave the order. Trained perfectly, the troops filed back into tanks, helicopters, or silently into the forests, to return the way they'd come. The helicopters lifted, did a sweep, and headed out toward the sea.

Silence descended.

"Jasper? Set up a command post," Nessa said, already clicking through the next few hours. "I'll need to reach out to world leaders to avoid a war." If she could. Any witch forces in the USA were already going dark and creating battle plans, she had no doubt.

Lucas stood at attention next to Bear. "You're not using our war room."

"Donna' need it," Nessa said easily, as her men started erecting a field tent on the other side of the rec room. Computers would be arriving within the hour, she suspected.

"Plans?" Bear asked shortly, not looking at her, his body visibly vibrating.

Her lungs refused to work properly. As his mate, she was already in tune with his moods, with his emotions, and right now he was on a dangerous precipice of raw fury. "I have to reach out diplomatically. Fast."

His head lifted, and he focused on Lucas. "They use the war room. Ours."

"No-" Nessa started when Bear turned to her, his eyes deep pools of anger. If her soldiers weren't near, she would've taken a step back.

"Our war room is surrounded by multiple layers of concrete block, among other materials," he gritted out between tightly clenched teeth. "A series of bombs wouldn't even shake the room. You. Will. Work. From. There."

Jasper looked back and forth between them, curiosity in his gaze. But no challenge. "Commissioner?"

At her title, Bear growled again.

She drew air in and slowly breathed out. With a slight struggle, she plastered on her most diplomatic expression and softened her voice to pure politeness. "Very well. Thank you for the use of your facilities." She turned to Jasper. "Let's start with the king. No-with the Coven Nine and then the King of the Realm."

"Give me five minutes," Jasper said, his eyebrows lifting.

"Lucas?" Bear asked.

Lucas cut Jasper a hard look. "This way. Break anything and I break you." They strode together toward the rec room and the hidden areas behind it.

Nessa nodded for her men to follow them.

Bear looked at his forces. "The fight is over for now. Get back to whatever you were doing, and we'll have a meeting later today to discuss updates . . . and options."



       
         
       
        

Nessa shivered. The shifters all went back inside. "Bear?"

"Hold on." He focused on the boys. "Garrett and Logan? Escort Uncle Boondock through the war room and into my private offices underground-Lucas will show you the way. Keep him there."

The boys nodded, all serious.

Boondock gave a little wave. "Let's grab a couple of coffees on the way," he said congenially, pausing at the door. "Nessa?"

"I'm fine, Uncle," she said. The last thing she needed was her uncle fighting with the boys. She'd hate to see either one of them get hurt. Oh, they were fine soldiers, but her uncle had been fighting for more than two thousand years. He had skills. "We'll chat later." The man had a lot of explaining to do.

He grinned at the boys. "Either one of you play chess?" They disappeared inside.

"Options?" Nessa asked, turning on Bear.

He towered over her, his face losing all expression. She'd seen the predator in him, and she'd seen the man. This was the first time he'd shown the cold soldier very few people knew he could be. "Your forces breached my territory and committed an act of war. Do you realize what this means?"