Demigod Down (18 page)

“What?” I growled.

“Get up and get downstairs NOW!” Grams
ordered me.

I groaned. “What happened?” I asked throwing
myself out of bed, stumbling around for my duffle bag I had brought
into Blake’s room after our make up sex.

“That fucking bitch Lorraine scheduled the
arbitration meeting without checking with us first. Thank all the
Gods that Kass found out,” Grams stated, more irritated than I
could remember.

“I should kill her.” I huffed, throwing jeans
and a white shirt on under my leather jacket.

“I’ll be down in 2.” I told her, hanging up
turning to Blake who was awake watching me.

“I gotta go, Lorraine, shifters, bullshit.” I
said to his sleepy nod.

Heading out, I was pulling on my boot in the
hallway when he called out, “I love you.”

Instant heat warmed my body waking me up more
than a cold shower as I rushed back in leaping on top of him in
bed. Unprepared for my affections, he huffed a breath out as I
kissed him hurriedly and said, “I love you too.” Grinning like the
fool I was. “See you tonight.” I promised, kissing him again before
I ran down the stairs and out the door.

Thank goodness Jerry was waiting.

Throwing myself into the car, I stowed my
keys and phone and took the coffee Jerry gave me.

“You smell,” he commented wrinkling his
nose.

I shrugged, rummaging in the paper bag he
passed me. “No shower, hot sex, this is this stinky result.”

Finding a donut, I stuffed it in my mouth as
he shook his head smiling, “You are lucky I have deodorant on
me.”

Holding out my powered donut, I shook my head
disagreeing with my mouth full, “Everyone else is lucky,” I
informed him.

He dipped his head laughing, “So very
true.”

“How did you end up driving me?” I asked,
licking the powdered sugar of my fingers.

“Mark dashed out the door in an unfinished
conversation so I was on my way to the meeting when Grams called
panicked,” he informed me a trace of sadness in his voice.

“Everything okay?” I asked softly, slowing
down as I pulled out another donut.

He shrugged, “I think so,” he answered,
preoccupied with his thoughts.

I left him alone after that, he needed to
think and focus on driving like a maniac to get us to the meeting
on time.

Fifteen minutes later, I groaned when I
realized it was nine a.m. and I had only slept for a few hours
having been too preoccupied with Blake and his fantastic body.

Jerry pulled me to his trunk spraying perfume
at me, making me use his deodorant, which actually smelled great,
and applying mascara and lipstick.

Slamming the trunk, we took off at a run
through the parking lot. “That’s all I have time for.” he informed
me.

“More than I do,” I told him smiling as we
dodged around a family. The parking lot was packed I realized
looking around belatedly “There are so many people here.” I
commented, skidding to a stop as we entered the air-conditioned
building.

“All here to see the legendary Executioner,”
Jerry informed me as Kass rushed us.

“Let’s get you on stage,” she hurried me
along as Jerry and I both followed her.

Unlike the small private conference room of
the Council’s meeting chambers, the damn shifters met fucking town
hall style. Pack animals, I thought, shaking my head as I sat next
to Logan under the intense stares from behind the folding table on
the slightly raised platform.

Tapping my pen against my paper, I looked up
at Alec who would announce each party over to my right leaning
against a podium smooth talking an adorable shifter in a red
skintight dress. I couldn’t help but watch their interaction,
nudging Logan when he was too busy with his phone.

“What?” he growled at me not looking up.

“You should pay attention. Alec has skills,”
I informed him in a whisper.

“Implying I do not?” he asked in a soft
rumble setting his phone down, looking at me with a raised caramel
eyebrow.

My grin grew wider. “If you consider snagging
Lorraine a victory, than no you do not.”

He scoffed, trying hard not to smile at my
well placed dig. It probably didn’t help matters at all that she
was sitting in the front row glaring daggers at us. Was it wrong I
really wanted to keep Logan smiling and laughing just to piss her
off? Probably, but did I care? Nope.

Besides after last night, not even Lorraine’s
underhanded tactics could put me in a foul mood.

“What about your skills?” he asked, looking
back down at his phone.

“Legendary,” I answered easily, my confidence
boosted after last night and this morning.

He barked a short burst of laughter before he
remembered himself. “Not at all cocky are you?”

“Nope, I deal in facts and facts alone.” I
answered him as Alec sent red hot away with a smile and a promise
to call later.

Logan shook his head still sporting a small
smile as Alec sauntered over, his ego boosted by the female
attraction.

“Hey lady killer,” I teased as he puffed his
chest out, polishing his nails on his navy button down shirt.

“Don’t worry, Olie, there is plenty to go
around,” he teased, flexing his bicep as he examined his nails.

I laughed, leaning forward, running my eyes
over his highly desirable body, “Guess I’ll just have to take a
number,” I said, sighing batting my lashes up at him teasingly.

Alec snapped approvingly, “Now that’s a great
idea on organizing them all.”

Logan and I both laughed as Alec kept
grinning like a fool. “You killers ready?”

I groaned, nodding feeling Logan’s good mood
shutting down.

Alec watched the change but said nothing as
he strolled back to his podium.

“Hello and welcome everyone to arbitration.
Before we begin I would like to remind everyone to adhere to the
posted rules out front.” Alec stated, taking a pause and meeting a
few of the glares he was receiving with equal force until they
submitted to him looking away.

“I didn’t have time to read the rules,” I
whispered to Logan a little worried.

He turned to me, ducking his head down as we
talked. “Don’t be an asshole,” he summarized as I laughed quietly.
“For you, we can add don’t kill anyone.”

I laughed harder and Alec raised a
questioning eyebrow at us as Logan cracked a rare smile, waving him
on. Taken off guard by Logan’s sudden change, Alec took a moment to
gather his thoughts before returning to the crowd.

“First case, Matt and Anthony please come
forward,” Alec called out.

Matt and Anthony were not far from the stage
stepping forward to the two separate tables with what appeared to
be lawyers and their significant others, Matt’s daughter was also
in tow looking miserable. I could relate.

Logan scented the air and I raised a
questioning eyebrow, knowing his shifter senses would pick up more
than my own did. He shook his head not meeting my questioning
gaze.

With a sigh, I turned back to the lawyers.
Whose bright idea was it to bring these asshole into the
discussions? I already didn’t like this case.

Attempting to channel Grams as best I could,
I put on a neutral, hopefully pleasant expression as Matt’s
attorney took the floor.

“Thank you for seeing us Logan and Olivia. I
am David Acker council for Matt and his family,” announced the tall
dark haired shifter as he began pulling papers from his
briefcase.

“Why do you allow lawyers?” I asked in a low
voice, certain it carried as David’s movements slowed slightly.

He shrugged and said, “It provides comfort to
some people have representation.”

I wanted to tell him that having an attorney
or not did not change nor influence how I was going to view or
decide the situation and that everyone should put their funds to a
far better purpose. Amazingly, I kept my mouth shut.

David launched into colorful, manipulative,
double speak and I struggled to pay attention. I was going to need
more coffee. The one thing I was able to discern from all the jumbo
was contract dates and I jotted those down.

Logan seemed to keep up with what was
happening easier than I did and his detailed notes confirmed it. I
sunk lower, feeling inadequate and unintelligent, the shifter
nation had put their trust in me to be able to help guide them and
I couldn’t understand one attorney.

Blowing out a breath, I pushed that fear down
deep. I could do this. Before Grams had taken over the reins on day
to day basics of the Council, I had run it. I could do so
again.

Okay so the basics were Matt had land that
Anthony wanted, Anthony was behind in payments, the land value had
increased therefore payments had increased.

One of the most valuable tools I had learned
from the Council was the importance of listening. I had a much
higher chance of my, or rather our judgments being accepted if the
parties involved felt we had actually heard them clearly.

It was exhausting trying to pay attention,
especially running on limited sleep.

David eventually finished leaving Anthony’s
council to stand forward. “As David said previously thank you both
for seeing us, my name is Ron Thomas council for Anthony and his
family.” Ron began to dismiss points from David and I felt a
headache beginning in my temples.

Still I managed to pay attention enough to
confirm the dates David had given, and catch the main points. David
alleged the contract did not allow for changes in the payment and
that he had paid in full for the land.

I rubbed my neck and Ron stepped back, both
attorneys looking smug and it annoyed me.

I waited a breath for Logan to speak up,
before I began questioning them.

“Where is the original contract?” I asked,
tapping my pen against the paper.

The attorneys balked, but Ron was the first
to recover. “It was a verbal agreement.”

“Seriously? The humans have figured out one
thing: verbal contracts are idiotic,” I informed the room.

“Matt, step forward and succinctly tell me
what you understood the contact to be,” I warned, not needing any
additional lawyer double speak.

Matt stepped forward and a cold pit formed in
my stomach, my instincts screaming I didn’t like this guy. I
watched him closely looking for a reason why. He was well dressed
and well groomed, but something in his eyes unnerved me and gave me
a slimy feeling. Maybe I had just been playing with snakes too
often, but he made me uneasy as I shifted in my folding chair.

“Anthony was to make payments every two weeks
for a year for the property, if the property went up or down in
value it would be reflected in his payments,” Matt answered a smug
smile on his lips.

“Thank you. Anthony?” I called him forward,
“Same question.”

Anthony growled low and Logan raised an
eyebrow before he got himself under control. “I agree with
everything except the for the fluctuation in the payment schedule,”
he said.

I nodded, looking to Logan.

“What were the payment amounts or is there a
payment record?” Logan asked.

Good question, I swung my head back to the
men in front of us. Both men shifted uncomfortable, “The payments
were made on the first and fifteenth of every month,” Anthony
hesitated, throwing Matt a look of pure hated, “for ten thousand
dollars each.”

Logan and I both rocked forward, alarmed by
the amounts. “Where is the land at?” I asked shocked.

Matt began to fidget before he answered,
“That’s not important. What’s important is that he has not made the
payments for the increase in the land’s value.”

I laughed outright. “I don’t remember asking
for your opinion on what was important,” I informed him, needing to
take him down a few pegs.

His eyes glowed, jaw tense before his
attorney stepped forward. My eyes didn’t leave Matt’s in an open
challenge until his attorneys body blocked him from me.

“Where is the land?” Logan asked Anthony.

Anthony couldn’t look at us, looking down and
shaking his head, his composure breaking.

“We are missing something,” I said to Logan
loud enough to be heard by those in the back.

I took another look at those assembled in
front of us. Matt’s wife was a beauty complete with blond hair,
blue eyes, and a rocking body. She sat smugly near her husband, her
arm casually draped over her daughter’s shoulders.

Their daughter looked miserable, arms firmly
crossed under her chest, shoulders hunched, and her blonde hair
hiding her face. She looked up abruptly as her father growled
something to her, pure fear flashing in her eyes. The kind of fear
that gave off a scent, I inhaled deeply as Logan followed suit.

“Do you smell fear?” I asked, my eyes not
leaving the girl, whose hair looked mildly greasy in contrast to
her perfectly applied make up.

“No,” he muttered, “Something smells wrong.”
He offered.

“I have a hunch as to what we are missing,” I
said, standing up moving off the raised platform. Ignoring Matt, I
pushed him out of the way, bending down to his daughter. She
watched me, from eyes that had seen too much and had been strong
for too long. I recognized the look from my kids I rescued.

I reached out to her left eye, smearing her
make up, “Do not touch her!” Logan bellowed, coming to my side. I
turned to him, shocked at his outrage only to find Matt about to
land a painful blow to the back of my neck.

Logan used his body to push Matt away from
me, neither of their eyes leaving the other.

“Continue, Olivia,” Logan instructed.

Using my fingers, I rubbed the foundation off
revealing a sick purple bruise around her eye underneath. I sighed,
watching her bottom lip tremble.

“Stand up,” I asked, softly pulling gently on
her hands.

Her mother latched onto her. “No, you demon
bitch,” she hissed at me.