MY HOME IS IN YOUR ARMS

Chapter 4

We got to the venue at the same time as our protection team, and were soon joined by every member of Pa's team. I wasn't expecting either Pa or Ma to attend the meeting as Ma was due any day for baby number four. Lily, Callum, Wallace, and Emma had stayed behind with Ma, Pa and the three little ones, both for protection and to help Ma and Pa with the children.

I quickly mind-linked Ma, asking her to let me know if she went into labor. When Pa is in the delivery room with Ma, I had to be available to handle any emergencies the king would normally have to handle. I told her I loved her, then closed the link.

After checking to ensure no one had yet entered the venue, I closed my eyes, called to the 'girls' and prepared to cast the protection spell. The seven Jades and Jada formed their circle, and leaned in to touch their foreheads. Their crescent moons glowed with a green shimmer, then intensified to the brilliant green that would radiate the power to place the spell. The light traveled down their arms and into mine, which I raised, allowing an explosion of light to surround the building and a radius of five hundred feet.

The girls lifted their heads and then all smiled at me. 'It's done, Ellie. The only one that can cast a spell within this area is you. No one who is currently under a spell of any kind will be able to enter the circle of protection. No one under the influence of a vampire fog will be able to gain entry."

"Thank you, girls. As always, you ladies rock?" I replied to them down the link.

I now focused on instructing the protection teams and the pack guards of the protocol I wanted to follow for this meeting.

First and foremost, each of the four McLeods would have a guard discreetly observing them, ready to move in at the first sign of trouble.

Second, any pack member that was unable to enter the circle of protection, would have a silver cuff placed on them, and be escorted to a secure facility where they would be isolated, and unable to communicate with anyone.

Third, three members of my protection detail would be front and center, standing guard for me and Gavin. And even though we are supernaturals with almost instant healing powers, I had insisted each protection team member wear a thin, full body, kevlar suit under their clothing. I had spelled the suits, so they became invisible once on the wearer, and zippered. Gavin and I also wore a kevlar suit when we were in meeting such as this.

Emma had designed the suits so that the zipper was locked in the zipped and closed position. The invisibility spell for the suit went into effect with the zippers locked in position. We had set up a small manufacturing facility here in the pack which employed only the most trusted pack members. We were in the process of having a suit made for Pa, Ma, their children, their protection team, Pa's equivalent of the alpha unit, my alpha unit, and every pack warrior, guard, and our town council members. Once those were made and distributed, we would make sure every pack member had access to a kevlar suit as well.

Even though we were living in a time of peace, I wanted to make sure that if we ever came under attack, our pack members would be as fully protected as possible.

Once everyone was in position, Gavin and I took our places at the center of the semicircular council table. There were twelve seats, so after we took our places, the ten council members filed in and seated themselves.

It didn't take long for the venue to fill up. I noted that the four McLeod family members had entered and taken their seats, sitting side-by-side, close to the center aisle. I received a mind-link from the head guard informing me that twenty pack members had been unable to enter the circle of protection. Each one had been silver cuffed, and taken to the secure holding facility.

So it looked like the McLeod family started recruiting people they could use for their own ends. But putting people under a spell like this is now against our pack law. We had devised a test that would reveal the identity of the spell caster. That test would be administered to each of the twenty people while the meeting was going on. Once the spell caster was revealed, the spelled person would be given an antidote that would immediately break the spell, thus freeing them from the spell caster's power. We would have the results before the end of the meeting, and would arrest the spell caster if they were present. And looking at the smug faces of the four McLeod witches, I was very sure all four would be in the cells before the night was over.

The meeting proceeded much like we thought it would. The human world's proposal was defeated with a resounding NO from all present, other than the four I expected to dissent. When they realized they were the only four who voted in favor of the human proposal, they started to look around the meeting area in confusion. The eldest, and most vocal of the four, stood up and scanned the room row by row, and seat by seat. Not finding who he was looking for in the seating area, he searched the faces of the standing room only area at the back.

With our wolfen hearing, I could hear him muttering. "Where the hell are they? They should be here by now. What's keeping them? They should have been causing the planned distraction."

Gavin and I exchanged looks as we had both been expecting something. Wanting a distraction could only mean they were planning an attack, but against who?. "Team, guards, be on the lookout for an attack of some kind." I sent down a group mind-link.

The more vocal McLeod turned to look at the council. His eyes found mine, and he sneered at me, then looked behind me. Seeing his eyes flicker, I turned quickly to face what I believed to be an attack from behind. I was right. Standing behind me, with his arm raised to strike, was the council member who had excused himself from the dias a few minutes ago. I raised my arm and, thanks to the kevlar suit, deflected the knife strike. Moving swiftly, I grabbed the councilor's arm, twisting it behind his back, and dislocating his shoulder. The knife dropped to the ground, and using my booted foot I kicked it in Gavin's direction.

The councilor was struggling to free himself, but I pushed him face down on the floor, put him in a choke hold, and squeezed until he lost consciousness. Two guards moved forward and roughly handcuffed him with silver cuffs, ensuring his supernatural being was also restrained.

I stood up and looked toward the four members of the McLeod family. The eldest was struggling and cursing up a storm. According to the words he was spewing, I was a horrible person, responsible for the unjust death of his brother and niece. He was soon silenced when the pack members present quickly defended me stating his brother and niece were traitors to the witch's coven, and all supernatural species. Not one word of agreement or sympathy was directed towards them.

During the melee, the head guard from the isolation facility entered the meeting and brought paperwork which revealed the identity of the spell casters, as well as what they knew of the spell casters' plan. Gavin motioned to the guard to take the now conscious councilor to stand with the four McLeod family members. You could see that anyone who had been in close proximity with those five people moved back and gave them a wide berth.

Dragon Jade giggled in my head. 'Oooh, me thinks they are expecting to see a fiery show very soon. Now why would they think that? We haven't fried anyone's butt in a long time.'

Laughter from the other Jades and Jada echoed in my head. But I could see Jada swirling a large ball of water. "Hmmm, I think she wants to work for the fire department, what with the way she's always trying to put out fires." I shot down the link, much to the amusement of my 'girls'.

Gavin, who by now had finished silently reading the reports, stepped up to the microphone. s**t was going down.