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  It didn’t feel like much, he had to admit.

  “Are you involved in this plot, in any way, Liam Frankenstein?”

  He blinked. The effect didn’t feel like much, even with the vampire touching him. He answered though, his voice louder than normal. Almost as if he had real vocal cords, instead of them being grown into the sides of his throat. Several of the others looked surprised at it, though Oaks nodded in the background, just a bit. As if to say he understood why it was taking place.

  “Only in trying to uncover and stop it. Even at that, it’s mainly academic for me. If there had been no attack, I wouldn’t be involved in this at all. It isn’t that important to me.” It was all true, though even he could understand that it would sound a bit cold to the others. Those who were being hunted for being undead or who’s coworkers had been murdered. Really, he hadn’t understood fully that he felt that way.

  Instead of being upset, the vampire lady squeezed his arm a bit, then held her hand out, toward Oaks. The giant, instead of slapping her down, grinned and put his own large hand out.

  When he spoke, it was a deep an almost growling thing. It made parts of the room rumble in response to it.

  “I have worked to uncover this for several years. Brought in to find it by Mitchel Warner, leader of the alternate community. I am not involved otherwise.” The words were precise and while commanding, they held a feeling of simple truth.

  Lisette, on her turn, simply said no. There was no explanation or anything. Just a simple one-word answer. Sondra didn’t dig for more, either.

  Interestingly, Darryl and then a rather surly seeming Nicodemus went next, with Sondra going last, Nic doing the compulsion on her. They all proved not to be trying to sell out or destroy the vampires. Their questioning was harsher in a way, since each was asked to go into greater depth about their lives and contacts with people that might be involved in things.

  When that was finished and Sondra was released, she smiled and moved across the room, to touch Liam on the arm again.

  “Now, I need to prepare and find some allies for this task. We will begin your plan in… Three nights? If that serves you well enough, of course. We should bring in the other communities. Not only those local to us, but in the entire nation. If we are under attack by the humans in their thousands, it will be the only chance we have to survive. Working together.”

  Everyone nodded. At the same time, no one seemed to think it would really work very well. There were, in many ways, too much past for them all to deal with, as groups. The werewolves had warred with vampires too many times. Both groups had been involved in battles with the elves. Some, like the Serrena were seen as inferior, since no one wanted to have their dead eaten by the ghouls. Even if it seemed a sensible way to get rid of their bodies.

  Liam agreed though, not smiling at the moment.

  “Would you be available to check my mother and Agent Brenner first? I can’t see either of them being involved, but…”

  The woman closed her eyes then and nodded.

  “I understand. You cannot see it… So we must check, since that might be your blind spot. We can do that now, if you wish? Do we know where they are?”

  That was, as it turned out, back at Brenner’s house. The trip wouldn’t take that long, going by car. They would go and clear them, he decided and then…

  Then they would work out who to go after next. It made sense to do the unit there first. If they could, at all. They were diminished in numbers suddenly, so that part would be easier. Then, if they found who was guilty, they’d move upward, as best they could.

  The others could, hopefully, be brought in on the plan to stop the war that was, otherwise, very likely to come.

  He spoke then, trying to recapture what he had done before, while compelled. It didn’t work perfectly, but, for the first time in his life, on purpose, he spoke with an almost normal voice. It was too high pitched and a bit strange, but it was more commanding than whispering was.

  “Let’s get to that. Then we’ll start the real work”.

  Interestingly, even if it was just him saying the words, everyone stood up and moved with him. Following his lead. It was, nearly, as if they’d all forgotten he was still a child.

  Liam didn’t bring it up, since they didn’t have time for him to be a boy any longer.

  Afterword:

  Are you wondering what lies in store for Liam and his friends next? Find out right now. This entire trilogy was released on the same day, for your reading enjoyment. Don’t wait! This is an amazing thing, done just for you.

  Also, if you have the time, putting in a review for this and the first book would be great! People want to know what you think!

  Thanks in advance.