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The old friends stayed up talking late into the night, and the panthers listened in amazement. They watched Maerlin as if they couldn’t believe she was there. The power blazing within her was undeniable, and it had been difficult to move or breathe until she’d cloaked it again.
The panthers relaxed as the evening wore on. They all took turns telling stories, with Maerlin sharing the fall of Atlantis and Melinda explaining how they’d adopted Dani. They caught up on the major happenings of the past two decades while exploring Maerlin’s more impressive exploits.
Falling back into their old habits felt effortless, and a lost, lonely part of Maerlin retreated as she found a place to belong. Here, she was accepted and understood as the primordial force she was rather than the human woman she appeared to be. She didn’t mind waiting a few days to meet Ash when it felt so wonderful to be around old friends. These people felt like home.
CHAPTER TEN
United Nations Courtyard, Thursday, January 17, 2013, Afternoon
Luca sat calmly in front of the microphone on the table at center stage as people scurried around him, preparing for the press conference. Many officials grumbled about holding an announcement event outside in January, but Luca had been adamant about the necessity for the outdoor venue, and they’d eventually capitulated. It wasn’t every day that an ancient sovereign nation would appear out of thin air.
Despite his serene appearance, Luca couldn’t deny the trepidation that threatened to consume him. What he was about to do went against eons of Therian tradition, but the secret was already out, and this was damage control. If there was ever to be any hope of peace with and acceptance by the humans, it had to start with truth. He risked a lot by exposing hidden corners of the world, but Luca believed they risked more by not confronting the problem head-on.
Luca pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Remy.
I'm checking to ensure the website is ready for all the traffic it’s about to get.
Remy’s response was instant.
Certainly, Sire. That new vampire Amaris worked wonders with the design. The infrastructure is in place. The site won’t crash.
Luca sighed in relief. He should have known Remy had handled it. The man didn’t miss anything.
Thank you. It’s almost time. Wish me luck.
Good luck, Sire.
Luca slipped the phone back into his pocket and continued his mental preparations. He’d spent the time since his coronation negotiating favored nation status with Russia and arranging a thousand-year lease on the peninsula to make the Therian empire’s entrance into the human world official. The Kamchatka Peninsula would become a haven for Therians, and Ash would locate the vampire seat of power there. They both wanted to set their territory up as a neutral zone where the human and supernatural worlds could seamlessly blend as an example for the rest of the planet.
Ivanna and her team were never more than a few steps from Luca, and he was grateful that they were watching his back. Determined to diversify beyond dragons, she had brought half a dozen other Therian species onto the security team. She’d selected her team based on their loyalty and ability, but their impressive Therian shapes were also a consideration. Luca knew better than to argue with her and had agreed to open the King’s Guard to all Therians. His people had jumped at the chance to protect their king. That had further united the empire and ensured that attacks were thwarted long before they came to fruition.
If things went well with his shift and the resulting uproar, Ivanna and her team would also shift in turns. Luca thought it was a brilliant idea. He thanked the team for their support and told them how grateful he was for a chance to showcase the variations among their people.
“Good afternoon. Thank you for joining me here today.” Luca smiled at the gathered officials, making sure the cameras caught it. He was handsome, charming, and charismatic, and he put people at ease. He wore an expertly tailored dark blue suit that accentuated his frame with a pale blue shirt that set off his eyes, and he moved confidently.
“My name is Lucaindrion Nablyudatel. I am the king of the Therians, one of the three rulers of the Gaia Trianon, representing the citizens of the magical world. I and my people are shapeshifters who can take an animal form. We have lived among you throughout history, evolving alongside humanity. Shapeshifters represent Gaia Theria. The vampires are the citizens of Gaia Vampira, and the witches comprise Gaia Magika.”
He paused, waiting for the roar of the world leaders’ multilingual outburst to die. When they realized he couldn’t answer their shouted questions until they stopped talking, the crowd got quiet, and he continued.
“Recent events exposed humanity to the supernatural, and rather than pretending it was a hoax and continuing to hide, the leaders of the hidden world’s ruling factions are proposing a cooperative alliance with humanity.
“Many of you rightly fear the vampires’ terrifying image, but Nadya, their former queen, is dead, and the new monarch has no interest in subjugating or preying on humanity. Those were the actions of a madwoman who can no longer hurt anyone. In addition to shapeshifters and vampires, the hidden world has several powerful witch families. We have always lived among you in peace, and we wish to continue to do so.”
Luca paused, giving his listeners time to absorb his words and converse before he resumed speaking. “We can move into a new era. Therians, vampires, and witches can offer the human world magical and technological advancements, and our records of human history are unmatched and complete.
“We don’t want anything from you other than to continue living in peace. Collectively, we can move into the next stage of life on this planet, where the innate magic of the world is integrated into daily life. We can choose to rise above the things that make us different and focus on what we share. For too long, we were separated by secrecy. Humans deserve to know the truth of the world they live in and meet the stewards they share it with.
“We are willing to cooperate with and integrate into human society, but there will be no shifter registries or segregation, and vampire and witch hunters will be dealt with. We want peace and will not initiate conflict, but we can and will defend ourselves if attacked.”
That brought another round of shouts, and it was several minutes before things quieted down enough for him to continue.
“I’ve presented a lot of information, so while you absorb that, I’ll cut straight to the part that makes all this matter. I will shift on camera and prove that what I’ve said is true. I am a dragon. I will remove all my clothing and change, so if nudity offends you, look away.
“I will not attack, nor will I make any aggressive moves. I will retain my shape for ten minutes to give your cameras ample time to gather evidence from every angle, and then I will shift back to my human shape. If everyone remains calm, I will take questions at that point. If things continue to be civil, the members of my King’s Guard have agreed to shift and show their Therian forms.”
Without waiting for a response, Luca moved to the large area of snow-covered lawn that he had requested be left clear. He moved slowly so the cameras had time to add censorship bars as he stripped. When he stood naked, Luca called the magic that fueled his change, willing it to go slowly so everyone watching would know that he and his change were real.
Blue lightning crackled over his skin, arcing over the dark markings that spanned his body from shoulder to thigh. Luca’s eyes glowed, and the air around him swirled with focused magic. He let the power move through him, reshaping him from a two hundred-and-thirty-pound man into a seventy-foot-long dragon that weighed two tons. His body was covered with cobalt-blue scales that shimmered in the winter sunlight. The blue darkened to black, and each scale was edged with silver. Silver and black horns protruded from his head, and his long tail had a cluster of sharp spikes.
