Tobi chuckled, clearly amused by the whole situation. "Don't mind Kayja," he said to the room at large. "Her bark is worse than her bite... most of the time."
"Though her bite is nothing to scoff at," Tyr added with a grin.
Kayja preened at the attention, her wings - black-veined and red - rustling slightly behind her. "I could be very useful, you know," she purred. "I'm not bound by the same limitations as my dear brother's minions."
Harper watched as Jake's body tensed, his jaw clenching slightly. He seemed to flinch at Kayja's words, a flicker of unease crossing his features.
"Um, no," Jake said firmly, his voice steady despite the tension evident in his posture. "We're good with the vampires turning over any threats to the shifters. But, er, thank you?"
Kayja's lips curled into a pout, her swirling eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh, come now," she purred, her voice a silky caress that sent shivers down Harper's spine. "Surely you can see the benefits of having a demon on your side? I could offer protection that these... night dwellers… simply can't match."
Harper felt her fox instincts prickling, urging her to retreat from the predator in their midst. She fought the urge to shrink back in her chair, instead forcing herself to remain still and attentive.
Aleksei stepped forward, his movements fluid and purposeful. "Kayja," he said, his voice low and full of warning.
Kayja's eyes flashed, a swirl of blue and green that seemed to crackle with energy. For a moment, Harper thought she might argue further, but then the demoness shrugged, her wings rustling softly. "Very well," she said, her tone light but with an undercurrent of disappointment. "But don't say I didn't offer, when things get... messy."
From where he sat beside Jacinth, Remi audibly snickered.
Jake cleared his throat. "We'll keep that in mind," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "For now, we'll stick to the original plan."
Harper couldn't help but admire Jake's composure. Despite being faced with creatures straight out of myth and legend, he managed to hold his ground and speak for the shifter community.
Jacinth waved one hand, drawing everyone's attention. "Now that we've settled that," she said, her voice calm and authoritative, "let's return to the matter at hand. We need to finalize the patrol schedules and communication protocols between the vampires and our shifter security teams."
As the group refocused on the practical details of their protection plan, Harper found her gaze drawn back to Kayja. The demoness had retreated to the edge of the room, her form half-hidden in shadow. Despite her apparent acquiescence, there was something in her posture, in the way her eyes continued to flicker over the gathered group, that made Harper uneasy. Just then, however, Kayja's eyes caught Harper's, and she winked, merriment clear in her pointed face. Harper had to grin back at her, even Reyna poking her nose out to peer curiously at the demoness.
Fun, Reyna said, apparently not caring that it was some kind of demon from Hell. At least…weredemons from Hell? If she'd known demons were real, she'd have learned more about them, so she'd know how to react if one showed up. And this one was Damien's sister, and the vampires were their allies so… it was all good, right?
Harper glanced around the room, gauging the reactions of the others gathered. Katerina was eyeing the demoness thoughtfully, while Jake was busy typing like mad on his laptop. Jacinth, unsurprisingly, appeared unfazed… Harper supposed that little could shock a 900-year-old Djinn.
"So we'll need at least one shifter on night shift," Jake mused aloud, still typing… he must have been working on the schedule, and not suddenly researching demons like Harper first thought. He glanced up at Aleksei. "That shifter will be the contact point should anyone be apprehended by your people."
Harper listened intently as Aleksei nodded in agreement with Jake's suggestion.
Tyr leaned forward, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and seriousness. "The shifter security team won't likely ever see us, unless we're turning over a prisoner. But we'll be there, and that's a guarantee."
Aleksei nodded in agreement with Tyr. "We're experts at blending into the shadows. Our presence will be felt rather than seen. It's how we've survived for millennia."
Tobi grinned, his fangs just barely visible. "Think of us as your friendly neighborhood ghosts. Always watching, never seen."
Katerina cleared her throat, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. "And how exactly will our security team communicate with you if they can't see you?"
"If we apprehend someone to turn over to you, we'll call your on-call contact," Aleksei replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "As we will do if we encounter a larger threat and backup is needed."
Tyr nodded, putting aside his jesting facade, his voice serious. "We take our commitment to this alliance seriously. Lord Damien has made it clear that the safety of your community is a top priority."
Harper found herself curious about this mysterious Lord Damien. The picture that had been forming of him in her mind seemed incongruous, when set beside Alyssa, the charming, ebullient Djinn who was his Chosen. But before she could ask any questions, Aleksei stood up, signaling that the meeting was coming to an end.
"We'll begin our patrols tomorrow night," he announced. "You won't see us, but rest assured, we'll be watching. Any threats to your community will be dealt with swiftly and quietly."
As Aleksei finished speaking, Katerina turned to Harper, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. "Harper, I know you've been wanting to take on more responsibility within our group. I'd like you to be the team administrator. What do you think?"
Harper blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected offer. "Team administrator? What does that even mean?"
Katerina smiled, her golden eyes warm with encouragement. "Essentially, you'd be the glue holding our various efforts together. You'd be in charge of maintaining our lists and records, sending out notices to keep everyone informed, and generally ensuring that all our different teams and initiatives stay coordinated."
As Katerina explained, Harper felt a surge of excitement building within her. This was exactly the kind of expanded role she'd been hoping for – a chance to contribute more meaningfully to their cause.
