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“Wait, I was going to ask for more,” I admitted. “I want more people from your covens here. To guard warehouses.” I shot a worried look at Jaxon. “We were thinking like fifteen, but we can—I’m open to what people think is fair.”
“You are being way too generous,” Winston argued.
“We need the help.” I met his gaze and let him see how serious I was. “You need the help. I can give it. It doesn’t hurt us to give it. You’re not taking anything away from us. But we can’t save more and keep everyone safe unless we get more help. She’s not going to keep setting warehouses on fire. She’s going to get stronger like I did and fast. We need more in place.”
Everyone was quiet as they settled with that for a few minutes, Sebastian breaking the silence first. “Then give us one day of full raiding for every two helping you. You aren’t hurting for stuff as we are.”
“I agree,” Winston added. “At least for a few weeks. If there’s stuff your outposts need, then we take one of those days for you and raid in an area near them. That’s smarter than raiding near the humans and separating it all from there. The ships in St. Louis are great for us, but you have trucks going past on the road all of the time, and that’s wasted manpower.”
I opened my mouth but then slowly closed it.
“It’s also less targets for Keres to try and hit,” Kristof said quietly. “You’re right that she will get more powerful and become bolder. It’s always our people driving those trucks. Yes, in a caravan but normally shifters who will be no match for Erebus’s champion. She cannot be stupid and won’t hit trucks for other princesses.”
I hadn’t thought of that. That was a very, very good point.
“I didn’t think of that,” Jaxon admitted. “I think this improves on a very smart plan you thought up, my wife.”
“No one is criticizing you, Princess,” Winston said firmly. “You aren’t on the ground there as we are. This is—”
“I’m not offended,” I cut in, giving him an easy smile. “I’m exhausted. We’re spread too thin. I’ve got too much in the air. I appreciate the help and advice. I truly do.”
“To clarify, Princess, you don’t expect these guards to fight the champion of Erebus?” one noble carefully asked.
My eyes went wide. “No, not at all. If she shows herself even, I want people to run. We need early warning. Someone who will put out the next fire. That’s all.”
He nodded, thanking me for explaining. “If you could give us even two or three of the raiding days to target what we need, I believe my princess would give you more people for such an easy task. We are well fed and with amazing treatment in those nice hotels you give us. We have many young ones a few hundred years old who would gladly take such a job.”
Yeah, those young ones. Geez.
“I agree,” Sebastian said. “Even if it was a couple of weeks to be switched out. We have many single vampires that age that would. Nora would give you forty for a month easy while you install cameras and lights or whatever else I’m sure you’re plotting. They could watch monitors and alert us old guys to handle things fast.”
I bobbed my head as I listened to several more opinions and comments. “What is this specific raiding you guys need? Or is it different for everyone?”
“Appliances,” several of them answered.
I shared a look with my husbands before we burst out laughing.
Seriously?
2
“Sorry, sorry,” I gasped as I fanned my face. “It’s not funny you guys are in need.”
“You found something that would make this easier?” Sebastian surmised.
I nodded. “It’s a huge warehouse of one of the major appliance makers or they were shipped in—it’s huge. But it’s all together and pretty hidden out of the way. We’re leaving it there for our needs for the next—”
“Forever,” Kristof drawled. “It’s massive.”
I nodded. “But it’s also the bitching our people have been doing that the appliances are the hardest part of raiding every Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, and a few others. Yes, we can… Don’t you guys have other outlets and stuff? Can our appliances work with your electricity?”
“Yes, it’s a cord change that we can more than manage,” Winston told us. “All of our everything was fried and you graciously fixed those components. However, they weren’t used for six years, so now there are motors dying and compressors—heating elements that I don’t even want to get into.”
I waved him and the others off when they all looked ready to add to what he said. “We know. We had the same issues at the hotels we’ve put back online. The way some of it was explained to me, it’s like vehicles that aren’t started at least once per week and everything gets ick.”
“I don’t think that was what your engineers actually said, love,” Cerdic teased.
“Close enough,” I drawled, shaking my head thinking about how they tried to explain it all to me. They had been all excited that I was interested in their field, and I instantly regretted asking since they had gone on for like thirty minutes until my head was going to explode.
