We spent an hour or so just talking about relationships, love, and getting to know Salem better as she got to know us better as well. We also helped Daenyss and Salem to make their sahir kien. Daenyss had been meaning to ask Salem earlier, but hadn’t wanted to spring it on her so quickly after returning to the real world from the game, especially with everything that had been happening since then. We had all been through a lot and it was a lot to process, and Daenyss had been worried that Salem still might not be over the loss of her fiancée.

“I still think about Lexi sometimes,” the tiny Liyun’shael admitted as she and Daenyss secured the lovers’ braids around one another’s’ right wrists, “but she died almost two years ago. She would have wanted me to be happy and live a fulfilling life. I wasn’t doing that though, I was just going through the motions and losing myself in worlds that didn’t hurt as much, where I could be anyone except myself. I let myself think that she would be the only girl I would ever love and that I couldn’t be happy without her. I didn’t think that I deserved to be happy.”

“Hanging around with those jackasses in the game probably wasn’t helping,” Rei suggested with a sad shake of her head. “Nobody deserves to be treated the way that they treated you. Everyone deserves happiness, unless they’re getting it by hurting somebody else.”

Salem smiled and leaned over to kiss the Kitsune in response. “Yeah, I know that now. Becoming a Liyun’shael was the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m happy now. I have this wonderful connection with nature, I can walk again, I have Vivian and Lucy in my life, my Mahair, but most of all, I have all of you. I was broken, and all of you helped me to put myself back together and become happy with who I am. You three and the others made me realize that I had value and that I could still care about and feel connected to other people, and you’re not afraid to show that you care about me too.”

It was from there that things between the four of us began to progress beyond talking into kissing and caressing, and then things started to become heated as we all showed Salem just how much we cared for her. We teased and pleasured her through a cascade of orgasms and now that she could think and move normally once more, she was helping Rei and Daenyss to bring me to those same heights. As (bad) luck would have it, that was when I heard gunshots from the hall outside our suite.

I jumped out of the bed with a muttered apology to my bedmates and grumbled about clam-jamming government agents as I made my way out of the bedroom and to the suite’s door. I sensed the bullet striking the barrier spell that I had placed over the suite’s large window as I passed and let out a sigh as the barrier flashed brightly for an instant. I had expected an attack once we showed up publicly and sometimes I hated being right.

While I walked I cast my Energy Sheath and Magick Armor spells and once at the suite’s door, I threw it open, not caring that I wasn’t wearing a stitch. With the door opened I saw seven men in black suits on the floor near the elevator at the end of the hallway groaning in pain while Nishalle stood over them in her armor. Near the door I was currently standing in, Lilith had her flexible tail wrapped around the throat of an eighth man, the spaded and spear-like tip caressing his cheek threateningly.

“What’s going on, Lilith?” I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea.

“Nishalle just relieved me on guard duty and I was about to go to sleep when I heard noise in the hallway, my Goddess. She could probably explain better than I could, but when I came out here, this loathesome man was making a run for your suite with a gun in hand. He shot at me as soon as I stepped out of our suite and I subdued him,” the Succubus explained with an expression that would have probably scared me if it hadn’t been directed at the man in her grip. “Worry not, my Goddess, I have placed a sleep spell upon the other residents of this floor so we will not be disturbed.”

“Good work, Lilith. Please have one of your girls pick up the sniper across the street. He’ll be the blind man on the roof with a sniper rifle.”

“Hmmph, an assassination attempt by our friends in the DCA,” Nishalle grumped as she approached. When she saw me looking at the men on the floor just down the hall, she shook her head. “Don’t worry, Sis, they’re just unconscious. For now, anyway.”

“Is that what this was? An attempt on my life and those of my companions?” I asked, my gaze now focused on Lilith’s captive.

The man didn’t reply. My answer came as one of Lilith’s girls teleported into the hallway to unceremoniously drop a man who was clawing desperately at his eyes beside her matriarch. He was screaming about being blind until Nishalle knocked him unconscious and placed a hand on his head. I felt something strange in the flow of mana but ignored it for the moment to focus on Lilith’s captive as he sputtered, “Wha…” before firmly closing his mouth.

“I believe that man belongs to you. Don’t worry, the blindness is temporary, in one eye at least. I can’t say the same for the one that was looking down the scope at the time. The light effect is mostly harmless unless you look at it too closely and too intently,” I told him with a shrug. “Now the answer is fairly obvious here, but I’m going to ask you again. Was this an assassination attempt?”

“Answer Her, human. It is only by the grace and mercy of my Goddess that you yet live,” Lilith half-growled at the man in her grip.

“She’s not a goddess any more than I am. She’s some pointy-eared nutcase with delusions of grandeur. She’s a freak, you’re all just freaks, and we need to stop you before you take over our world,” the man said with a sneer and a false sense of bravado. He was shaking though, and his eyes were very focused on the razor-sharp spaded tip of Lilith’s tail rubbing against his cheek. I noticed something else as well, something that made me smile.

“Nobody chooses what they are born to be, did you choose to be white and male? You would think,” I offered conversationally, “that someone like you would be more understanding of those being persecuted for something that isn’t their fault, or their choice.”

“Someone like me?” There was confusion written all over his face as the question slipped from between his lips.

“You’re right about one thing, I’m not a Goddess. I’m a Demigoddess, and one of my aspects is Sex. Lilith here is the same. You’re here with both of us, close enough to touch, and I’m standing here naked. Yet you are thinking clearly and there is no sign of any desire whatsoever,” I said as I looked pointedly down at his crotch. “Our auras affect all mortals who have even the slightest attraction toward women. Now, you might try to convince us that your determination and willpower are keeping you from being affected but I assure you, there are no exceptions. Which means that you are not attracted to women.”

“Your witchcraft won’t affect me!” he snapped angrily. I could see the uncertainty, horror, and fear in his eyes though as he attempted to deny the truth. “I’m a patriot! I’m doing this for our people and way of life!”

“Damn this guy is deep in the closet. Maybe he can tell us how the weather is in Narnia this time of year,” Nishalle offered wryly as she smirked at the agent in Lilith’s grip. Then her expression and her tone turned cold enough to freeze several hells over as she scoffed, “Assassination to protect you against someone who has only helped to save lives? You people can justify anything that way. Maybe that’s why you have such a dark soul, all those things that you’ve done ‘for your country’. Your friends over there, their souls are just as dark. Tell me, Agent, where do you think that dark soul of yours is going when you die?”

My sister reached out to caress his other cheek and the man shivered in Lilith’s grip. I again felt a faint and strange sensation in the flow of mana that I couldn’t quite identify. Whatever it was, it caused the man’s eyes to widen, and his heartrate to race with the terror that was suddenly etched on his face. “W-what did you just do to me?”

A gasp sounded from behind me and I turned to see Daenyss, Salem, and Rei crowding the door behind me, still as naked as I was. The gasp had come from Rei, who was staring at my sister and the agent as she whispered, “I know what she did, and where his soul will be going.”

“Oh yes, she knows,” Nishalle said with a savage and self-satisfied smile at the agent. “Rei there is a Spirit Shepherd, so she can see your black soul as well as I can, as well as the claim that I’ve made on it, the soul of your sniper, and those of your friends down the hall.”

“Claim?” the man nearly gasped in uncertainty and I could smell the terror coming off of him.

“I’m a Demigoddess of Death. And you and your buddies there made things very personal when you came here to try to kill my sister, me, and those we care about. So, I’ve claimed your souls as my playthings,” my sister informed him, leaning into the whole dark Goddess shtick in a way that made even me shiver. “When you die, your souls will be taken to the underworld, but not just any underworld. MY underworld, where my very bored lackeys will delight in finding ways to torment you for all eternity. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you now, my sister wouldn’t approve and I want you to live a very long life, knowing just what awaits you when your death finally does come calling.”

Her ominous words carried in the silence that had fallen upon the hallway. A gasp carried down the hallway from the elevator, lodged open by one of the agents’ unconscious forms. Humans might not have heard it but most of us had some form of heightened senses and we all turned toward the sound even as Nishalle disappeared into Lilith’s shadow. A terrified squeal erupted from the elevator seconds later and then she emerged, half-shoving the weasel-faced bellhop who had been watching us earlier with such blind hatred.

“This little shit brought those assholes to our floor and was watching from the elevator the whole time,” she stated with glacier levels of ice in her voice as she pushed him toward us. “What should we do with him, Your Majesty? His soul isn’t as dark as these guys, but it’s tainted by his hate and intolerance.”

I sighed as they came toward us and into the range of my aura, and the young man began to show signs of desire as he stared unabashedly at my naked form. He was trying to fight it, but just couldn’t take his eyes off of me. Still, If he wasn’t too far gone toward the darkness then maybe he could learn to be accepting.

“Well, I suppose that we do need a messenger, it is traditional after all. Somebody has to tell people not to fuck with the Fae,” I announced with a shrug as I approached and read the young man’s nametag. “Preston, I believe in second chances. This is a chance to think about the type of person that you want to be. Should you cross us again, you will earn the wrath of the Fae, and that is not something that you want. Just so you realize the enormity of that, my sister was feeling generous when she condemned these men to an eternity in hell. For those who treat us with dignity and respect, things can be so much more friendly.”

I smiled and ran a fingertip along his jawline as I said the last, and Preston shivered under my touch. I felt a bit dirty using my aura like that, but I felt that it was probably best to go with the carrot and the stick in this situation. I turned to my High Priestess and suggested, “Let’s make a hole for him in our auras so the poor boy can think clearly, Lilith.”

“Of course, my Goddess,” the Succubus conceded, though she kept the agent in her grip for now. I focused on doing as I had asked and after a moment, Preston’s lust had declined somewhat and he wasn’t quite as distracted.

“Now, Preston, here’s how this is going to work,” I offered conversationally with a pleasant smile. “We are going to let you all go. No harm, no foul. When we do so, you will likely do one of two things. You will either learn to be more accepting of people who are different and live a good life, or you will try to cross us again. I would not suggest the latter. My people only want to make peace with Humanity, but attempted regicide like what happened here will have them wanting vengeance. Fae vengeance can be extremely creative, unpleasant, and last for a very long time. Do you understand this?”

A frightened squeak left his throat in place of an audible answer so he nodded. Daenyss chose that moment to intervene. “Keep in mind that Mistress could have very easily magically compelled you to do what she wished, but she feels that people should be free to make their own decisions.”

“Or dig their own graves,” Salem added far too casually. “If the people of Varüus’kiel knew what happened here, they would want you all to face the Wild Hunt for your actions. You would endure the hunt, followed by whatever long and tortuous punishment that Her Majesty devised for the rest of your natural lives. Then, instead of the sweet release of death, those of you that Nishalle claimed would spend an eternity in the underworld as well.”

“Much better for everyone if none of this ever happened and you all go home and rethink your lives,” Nishalle said, her glowing red eyes looking like they were ready to burn holes in Lilith’s captive agent. “Who knows, if you’re good boys and don’t screw with us anymore while we’re here, I might just release my claim on your souls. Imp and my other lackeys in the underworld are pretty bored though, so I wouldn’t count on it. She is giving you a chance here, but if you come after us again then all bets are off and whatever punishment Her Majesty comes up with for you will make you wish for an eternity of torture in my underworld.”

The man in Lilith’s grip paled and began nodding vigorously along with Preston the bellhop. “Good, I’m glad that we all understand one another,” I told them with a smile as I patted Preston’s cheek. “Now what was the valuable lesson that we all learned here today?”

“D-don’t f-fuck with the Fae?” the bellhop asked in uncertain dread as he looked from my sister to me.

“Well, yes, that too,” I conceded with a smile. “I was thinking more along the lines that the world would be a much nicer place if we could all just get along. Now you can wake up your buddies so you can tell them what we have agreed to, and then you can all be on your way. You interrupted something very important and I am not pleased, so do not expect me to be so generous should we meet again under similar circumstances. This is your only warning.”

“This is your lucky day, boys,” Nishalle said, pausing to lick her lips and give the pair a predatory smile. “You’re getting to live through this with a warning, and Lissany and Harley weren’t awake for this so you’re not going to end up in traction. They take protecting our Empress very seriously and you do not want to know what they would have done to you.”

“Take this warning seriously, there will not be another,” I warned them again before turning to the agent in Lilith’s grip. “And you, tell whoever you got your orders from that the man at the top has pissed off the wrong people. We’re coming for him, and he won’t get any warnings. Preston, be a dear and escort these men to the lobby once they’re all conscious again.”

With that, I turned on my heel and headed back into our suite with Rei, Daenyss, and Salem to return to bed. I was confident that Nishalle and Lilith could handle things from there. As I closed the door I heard Nishalle cheerfully tell them, “You are so lucky that she needed messengers. Don’t you feel lucky?”

“Lilith, please have one of the girls follow those agents when they leave. I want to know where they crawled out from in case we need to deal with them later,” I thought toward my High Priestess as I climbed back into bed with the others.

~Of course, my Goddess,~ was her immediate reply. ~Rest well.~

“You as well, Lilith,” I thought back as I got comfortable in the bed with my companions. Sadly, our little interruption had killed the mood from earlier and we found ourselves just snuggling together in the big bed until we fell asleep.

I awoke to sunshine peeking through the window. It was almost nine in the morning and I was the first of us to wake, but I figured that it wouldn’t be long before Salem and Daenyss joined me in consciousness. Rei probably wouldn’t wake until noon but I was considering ordering room service for the rest of us when I heard the noise of distant shouting and sirens that growing ever closer.

I made my way to the windows and pulled the curtains apart just wide enough to get a look outside. I was greeted by the sight of a large crowd on ground level outside the hotel. No, there were two crowds and they started to push each other violently until the police arrived and started to get between them and I cast a spell under my breath to get a closer look.

On the one side, there were people with signs saying things like “Freaks Go Home” and “There is only one God”, as well as various bible quotes twisted to suit their agenda of hate. There were several that mentioned Lilith in particular, and apparently, I was being equated with Satan. That was of course preposterous since I have neither cloven hooves nor horns. In fact, with the glow of my hair and my wings, I far more closely resembled an angel, and not a fallen one either.

On the other side were people with their own signs, bearing slogans such as “Sentient Rights not Human Rights”, “Freedom of Religion”, “You Don’t Need to be Human to be a Person”, “Stop the Black Sites”, and “I ♥ Taelya”. I had been expecting the possibility that we might have some issues after showing up very publicly, but I can honestly say that I never expected protestors and counter-protestors at one another’s throats.

I had been watching for a while and it seemed that the police were breaking up the two sides when Salem stepped up to put an arm around me and kiss me on the cheek. “What’s up, Tae? More trouble?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” I replied with a sigh before turning to kiss her back. I didn’t do so on the cheek though and when my lips finally retreated from hers I let out a far more contented sigh. “It’s not as serious as last night, and I probably should have expected it. The religious right is in a tiff because we exist. Most of their ire seems to be directed at me and Lilith, but the idea of non-humans, in general, is giving them some kind of existential wedgie. From the looks on their faces, it’s probably very uncomfortable.”

Salem snorted in amusement and quickly uttered the farseeing spell to get a closer look as well. “Damn, they really don’t like you and Lilith. At least it’s not just them. We have supporters down there too.”

“Yeah, that is a pleasant surprise,” I agreed. “It’s good to see people not afraid to stand up for those of us who aren’t human. It may mean that Robyn’s Changed Rights movement is gaining some traction. As for the religious folks, I probably should have expected something like this when we let the video of our first meeting with Lilith and her girls go wild on the internet. I’m supporting and being supported by someone that they’ve been indoctrinated to hate, and it probably doesn’t help that I’m openly declaring my status as a Demigoddess whenever we’re out and two of my major aspects are Sex and Magick.”

“They were going to hate you no matter what, Tae, unless you pretended to be some sort of angel, but you wouldn’t do that. You’re not going to lie, and really, what hurts them most is that you represent an unavoidable truth that they want to avoid at all costs. The world is changing and they just aren’t ready to accept the truth and change with it,” the tiny Moss Maiden told me. Then she began to lovingly kiss me and run her fingers deliciously over my flesh. Only when she had me moaning softly into her kiss did she allow our lips to part, though her hands continued to tease my right nipple and the delicate folds between my legs. “Cheer up, I think that maybe we should continue where we were interrupted last night. Daenyss and Rei can join us when they wake up.”

She was pulling me playfully back to the bedroom and the bed therein when the phone for the suite rang, startling us both. Salem frowned, placed a finger to my lips, and then moved to quickly snatch up the phone. “Hello… No, Her Imperial Majesty is unavailable at the moment… Yes, yes, and I’m sure that you have a bridge that you’d like to sell her as well… I can assure you that Her Majesty has no interest in your business venture, now or ever… Good morning, Sir, do not attempt to waste her time like this again.”

Salem’s frown had only deepened as the conversation went on and her tone was colder than Antarctica by the time she finally cut the person off and hung up on him. She was so decisive and confident and I found that really sexy on her. “Let me guess, the vultures are circling too?” I inquired.

“Got it in one,” she replied with an exasperated look on her face.

“This is going to be a very long day,” I grumbled as I looked back at her dejectedly. “While you have that phone in hand you might as well order breakfast for all of us for ten o’clock. And a coffee service, I think we’re all going to need some coffee. I’ll go warn whoever is keeping watch that it’ll be coming and suggest that they should wake the others and come join us in our suite once it’s here.”

“Sure thing, Tae. I’ll tell them to block any further calls as well,” the Liyun’shael offered.

I didn’t wait to listen to what she might order for our breakfast, instead, I went to the door and peeked outside to see Lissany standing guard. “Good morning, Kiddo, Salem is ordering us some breakfast for ten o’clock, you should wake the others once it gets here and join us. Oh, and be extra careful, there are protesters outside who might want to cause us trouble.”

“You’ve got it, Your Majesty,” the Jaguar Beastkin offered with a crisp salute. “Nobody is going to get past me. So far I’ve only had some of the other people on this floor giving me strange looks, but I’ve been keeping my senses peeled for anything.”

“Good work, Liss. I’ll see you at breakfast,” I told her with a somewhat forced smile before ducking back into the suite.

Salem was just hanging up the phone and Daenyss was emerging from the bedroom while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was Salem who gave me an encouraging smile. “Tae, you look a bit stressed. That’s totally understandable what with the assassination attempt, the protestors, and everything else. You have a little more than half an hour before breakfast. Try to relax a bit.”

The words “Tae” and “stressed” in the same sentence were more than enough to get my Attendant’s complete and immediate attention. Salem knew it too, judging by the smirk on her face when Daenyss rushed to my side with a concerned expression. “Let’s get you in a nice relaxing bath and start getting you ready for the day, Mistress.”

The loyal and loving Nymph ushered me to the suite’s large bathroom, where she then did her very best to not only get me clean and presentable for the day but to also help me relax. She knew me, and my weak spots, far too well and soon her gentle and skilled hands conspired to turn me into a very relaxed puddle. I was feeling much better by the time she finished re-braiding my hair and we joined the others for a nice breakfast.

Given how things had gone since we had arrived at the hotel, I had Rei cast a purification prayer on the food, the orange juice, and the coffee service, just in case. Lissany and Harley had the best noses among us and they hadn’t smelled anything out of place, but we all felt that it was better to be safe than sorry since we had no idea who might be preparing the food. Daenyss would have preferred making our meals herself while we were here, but that just wasn’t feasible.

Still, the food was good and the coffee was more than welcome for most of us. We had arrived in the early hours of the morning and nobody but the Fae among us had enough sleep. If we weren’t able to complete our business and had to spend another night, we were all going to be hitting the sack early so my protectors could get enough rest.

We were just finishing our meal when there was a soft and tentative knock on the door. The others were instantly alert; Lissany and Harley were suddenly at my sides, Pete and Nishalle moved to either side of the door while Lilith answered it with her scales manifested to offer as much protection as possible. Lilith’s children had also noticed the protesters outside the hotel and their presence had made both them and their matriarch extremely concerned about my safety.

As soon as Lilith had opened the door I heard a startled squeak, followed by a familiar feminine voice. “I… sorry! There was nobody guarding outside and I just… wanted to make sure that you were all okay... I…”

I stood up and made my way to the door with my Guardians flanking me to either side and looked over Lilith’s shoulder at the slender young woman at the door. She was wearing a grey hoodie and jeans rather than her concierge uniform and her light blonde hair fell loose, no longer tightly tied back in a bun. She was breathing heavily and looked even more flustered than the first time that we had met. “Good morning, Megan. Since you’re not in uniform, I’m going to assume this is a social call. Lilith, our auras seem to be affecting her, let’s make it a bit easier for her.”

Once we had both done so, the young woman visibly relaxed for a brief moment before swallowing a lump in her throat as brown eyes locked onto me before her gaze meandered uncertainly downward. “I… ummm… heard Preston, one of the bellhops, on the phone last night, talking to some people. I was going home not long after you arrived. I… think he might have been talking about you and your people. I didn’t hear much, but I think that he was planning something. I was worried about it and couldn’t sleep when I got home. I got here and saw the people outside and I… had to come and warn you.”

Nishalle snorted from behind the young woman, startling her. “They made their move already, and their little assassination attempt failed. They won’t cross us again if they know what’s good for them. We appreciate the warning, but why don’t you tell us what else brought you here? You’re way too nervous to be worried about that still when we’re all obviously fine. You were nervous when you first met us last night too, and I don’t think it was just my sister’s aura.”

Megan looked from Nishalle to me and she wasn’t just nervous she was desperate, she seemed to be having trouble holding back tears. “I… think I need help. I don’t know what to do. A few w-weeks ago I started changing… j-just after Christmas. It’s getting harder to hide it every day.”

I took the young woman gently by the hand and led her to the couch to ask, “Changing how, Megan?”

“I started losing weight and at first I was thrilled, I… I’ve always been overweight. I-it was nice; people were noticing and complimenting me. But there were other changes too, I’ve been h-hiding them with makeup and contacts, and I h-had to dye my hair and start w-wearing sunglasses outside because my eyes can’t handle the light.”

“Take deep calming breaths and show me, Megan. Nobody here is going to hurt you,” I promised. She nodded, pulled back her hood, and placed a finger to her eye but it was trembling too badly. I turned to Salem, “Could you help her, Salem? You’ve got steady hands and she’s just going to poke an eye out like that.”

The Moss Maiden nodded and smiled at Megan. “I’m going to help remove those contacts. You said that you’ve been dying your hair, I’m assuming that is your original color? What color is it now?” I smiled as Salem took charge and tried to keep Megan calm and distracted by asking questions.

Megan sucked in a deep breath, only releasing it once Salem had removed the first contact lens to reveal a fiery orange iris underneath. Only once they were both removed was Megan breathing steadily enough to answer the questions. “Y-yeah, I was a blonde but my hair is dark purple now and my s-skin…”

“It’s okay,” Salem assured her. “We all know what it’s like to change, you’re safe with us.” The diminutive Liyun’shael, rubbed a mossy fingertip across the young woman’s forehead, leaving a streak of blue through the flesh-toned makeup.

I leaned forward to move her hair to the side. It was barely noticeable, so subtle that we had missed it even with her hair tied back before, but her ears had a slight point to them. I looked toward Nishalle and sighed before turning back to Megan. “You’re part Fae, and you’re awakening Megan. Somewhere far back in your family line, you had an ancestor that was Tokh’dhraí, like Nishalle there. Now that magick has returned to the world, you are starting to show that heritage. Is anyone else in your family showing these changes?”

Megan quickly shook her head. “I don’t know… I grew up in foster homes, my parents died when I was eight.” She began to rock nervously back and forth in her seat as she started to panic. “Someone is gonna find out, what am I gonna do?”

“Enough, Megan!” I commanded. To my surprise, she did stop and looked at me nervously. “You need to remain calm. I can’t sense any magic sleeping inside you so your change isn’t going to be complete, but that leaves you with a problem. You’re going to have all the negatives of being Fae, but you probably won’t have any of the positives. You’ll need to make a choice, we can make you human again, but probably not your old self, your DNA would just cause you to partially awaken again. The other option is that we can help you to become a full Tokh’dhraí, or even some other race if that’s what you want. The process for either is going to take four or five days though. It will feel like weeks from your perspective.”

“I can’t leave for that long! This is a temp position and there’s no way they’ll keep me on if I do that, I need this job!” She was panicking again and Rei sat beside her to take her hands.

“Do you need this job? Or do you need a job?” the Kitsune asked pointedly.

For a moment, I wondered what my Consort was getting at and then it hit me. I had been talking to her about finding someone in town while we were here who knew the city, but I would probably be making other trips in the future as well. I would want someone familiar that I could trust when that time came rather than hiring some stranger in every city that we visited. Even if she wouldn’t know the cities well, that was why GPS was invented.

“Can you drive a car, Megan?” I asked. When she nodded, I gave her an encouraging smile. “Then I have a job offer for you. I’ll need a driver, and from what I saw last night, you try to be a professional when you’re working. You’ll be at my disposal, but room and board will be included and I’m sure that you’ll find the medical benefits and education options to be well worth it. If you do well, there will eventually be room for advancement as well. You would be starting immediately. What do you say, Megan?”

For a long moment, she just stared at me, looking uncertain whether she should believe me, or dare to hope. Finally, she took a deep breath as she looked around at my entourage and me. “I… I’m at your service, Your Majesty.”