brother-sister were pair asked with a light accent.
“Yes, Darina, I have heard the same thing, although I know that Chris is working with Stacia Reynolds to lobby Congress to pass an immediate law. We’ll see what happens. But Katrina’s point about danger is very, very real. It’s the reason we haven’t seen many more supernaturals coming out. The leaders are all waiting to see what, if any, protections can be passed. Currently, any new weres or Darkkin are immediately hounded by the media. Only those in an organization like the Demidova Corp, the bigger packs, the Coven, or Oracle are protected. Did you notice the final blog post? It’s by Brystol Chatterjee and in the article, she wonders about everything from ghosts and goblins to witches and zombies. So the rest of you are very much at risk as well.”
“I should very much like to see a human attack me or Darina,” the were brother said, his accent very European but hard to judge exactly where.
“I would suggest caution, Janek. The first time a were of any species kills a human, even in self-defense, there will be an uproar. The public’s fear is very real. There’s a reason why the current poster child for weres is a petite female,” Gina said.
“I thought it was because she happened to be part of Chris’s team,” Jetta commented.
“Yes, but the Alphas are comfortable letting her keep the role. Stacia’s been plastered all over the media and the public is getting… if not comfortable, at least acclimated to her,” Gina said.
“Doesn’t hurt that she’s frigging hot,” Delwood rumbled. Most of the males in the room nodded.
“Yes, being attractive is very helpful in this instance. People are drawn to beautiful people and tend to overlook all kinds of things because of it. Here, this is a good time to segue to this group of photos,” Gina said, clicking her remote.
The monitor showed a Google Images page of Stacia Reynolds thumbnails.
“Notice how many times she’s pictured with children or families,” Gina pointed out.
“I thought she was just nice, but you’re telling me it’s all fake?” Paige asked.
“No, she is nice. Right, Caeco? Declan?”
“Yes, tougher than she looks, though,” Caeco commented.
“She certainly took good care of Toni in New Hampshire,” I said, still looking at the photos. Gina froze and it occurred to me that I might have a big mouth.
“Did she?” she asked, trying for clinical, but I doubt anyone was fooled.
The whole class was looking our way and I just knew Caeco wasn’t going to be the one to tell this story.
“Ah, yeah. Toni rode Awasos out of the complex and Stacia ran right alongside her the whole way. Then she got her a blanket and water and wrapped her all up. I think everyone else was too scared to go near Awasos. He’s like super protective of your daughter, but she just worked around him like he was a puppy or something. Then she got Toni all buckled into the chopper and sat with her, holding her hand. ‘Sos was in wolf form and curled around both their feet.”
“Thank you, Declan. I didn’t know all those details,” she said, turning away for a moment like she was studying the monitor and surreptitiously wiping one eye. When she looked back at us, she seemed pretty much back to normal.
“Stacia has a unique relationship with Awasos, kind of like she’s his de facto big sister. She has been in his life since shortly after his birth.”
“Not what I would have expected for a female werewolf,” Ashley said. “I mean, I could see someone like P!nk as one. She seems really kind of fierce on stage.”
“Or Michelle Rodriguez, from The Fast and Furious. She’s pretty badass,” T.J. added.
“Yeah, and she’s hot, too. I like that brown hair, brown eyes Hispanic look,” Delwood said, looking toward Caeco. I leaned forward just a bit, blocking his view.
“So you see, your own expectations are probably not all that dissimilar to the general public’s and frankly, some of the were women I’ve met fit that image exactly. But when you’re trying to mold a positive opinion, using a girl who looks more like a model downplays how dangerous she is. Chris tells me that posters of Stacia are selling like crazy.”
“I bet his posters don’t do to bad, either,” Erika muttered.
“He won’t admit it, but I have my sources, and you’re completely correct,” Gina answered. “Again, by directing the image into that of role models, it increases their ability to influence