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Marcus looked around, then moved in closer to Lottie. “Is that why the Jovial are here?”
Lottie nodded once but didn’t elaborate.
Shaking his head, Marcus laid his hand on Lottie’s arm. “Go find her. You know what will happen if you don’t. Here,” he handed her a dark green stone. “This will protect you both but only the two of you, understand?”
Lottie looked into his eyes and nodded. She had to find Nova and she had to find her now.
Before she could devise a plan, Lottie’s phone buzzed. It was a text from her Uncle Wild.
Wild: Dearest, it’s time.
Lottie: I need to speak with Nova Bryant. Can you give me 30 minutes?
Wild: No.
Lottie frowned at her phone. She was out of time and Nova hadn’t answered her. Maybe Vance was wrong, maybe Novawasin on it with Cain and Beau. That didn’t mean she was ready to let go though. Lottie looked at Marcus as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
“If you see Nova, please tell her to call me immediately.” She grabbed his arm. “This is life or death.”
Marcus nodded but didn’t speak as Lottie walked back through the lobby doors.
The Jovial had set up in one of the other conference rooms. There were tables set up in the far back corner with food and drinks. Lottie never understood this, as the Jovial was made up entirely of vampires and no single human had ever been allowed in a convergence or board meeting. Several people were still roaming around the room and not all of the seats were filled yet. Lottie spotted Wilder and Sein, but Atlas wasn’t in his seat or in the room, that she could see. She stayed close to the wall, trying to make herself smaller.
“Lottie!” Hela waved from her spot on Wilder’s right. “Come sit, sweetheart.”
Walking towards the tables, Lottie noticed there were assigned seats. Hers was in the middle of the table opposite her uncles and mother. There were other names assigned to seats, but she didn’t know any of them. None of the seats were for any of the Bryant’s.
“Ten more minutes and we’ll get started. I know some went out hunting this morning.”
“Lottie, do you know if any of those pop-up clubs are around?” Hela asked.
Shaking her head, Lottie took her seat. Not that I know of right now.”
Sein cocked his head to the side, flashing a grin at her. “But you wouldn’t really know right now, would you?”
Narrowing her eyes, she responded. “Have you seen Eve yet, Uncle?”
His grin widened, “Touché.”
Atlas arrived then, clearing his throat as he entered the room, bringing everyone to attention.
“Let’s begin, shall we?”
Lottie nodded in his direction. She felt slightly uneasy; not sure what to expect from this convergence.
“Thank you all for traveling so far for this unique incident. As you all know, Liselotte McNamara is our niece.” Atlas began. Hela beamed at her daughter as Atlas continued. “Beau Bryant and his cohorts have long been an issue for The Jovial and our entire society. We cannot allow him to continue to walk around disparaging our good reputation. We have peacefully co-existed with the living for thousands of years. How we sustain ourselves is a personal choice and we cannot allow the Bryant’s to put our very existence in danger for political gain.” Lottie watched as the members seats around the tables nodded in agreement. She wondered if any of them ever disagreed with the McNamara.
“To shorten our time and cut Atlas’s speech short,” Wilder stood. “I’d like to propose a vote. We all know the Bryant’s many transgressions. The newest one being a plot to use our niece, your Empress, as a pawn in Beau’s campaign to not only try to weasel his way into the United States Senate but also to try and push one of us,” he gestured around the room. “Out of our Jovial seats.”
Sein stood then, clearing his throat. “That’s enough. I call a vote. All those in favor of eliminating the Bryant’s, please stand.”
Lottie panicked but stayed seated as everyone else in the room stood. Hela raised her eyebrows toward her daughter, motioning for her to stand.
“Lottie?” Sein questioned.
“I mean no disrespect and for the most part I do agree but I have a…conflict”
“The girl?” Wilder asked.
