inside, wrapping them around Dian’s waist. “This dust of mine,” he said in a low voice, “can it ever be of benefit to good people, instead of just a tool for evil?”
“Staying here doesn’t mean you’re under any obligation to share your dust with anyone,” Dian growled.
“Mate, please.” Kee looked up. It was hard to see Dian’s eyes when he was wearing his mirrored aviator glasses, but the important thing was Dian could see his. “There has to be something positive about being a pixie and shedding this dust every time we’re enjoying ourselves. Can we help others, without bad guys finding out about us? Is there some way the dust can be used to help the town if they let us stay?”
Dian sighed, his big arms tightening across Kee’s back. “It should never be an obligation to stay, and if it is, then we leave. But there are some positives, I suppose. Doc would probably be grateful for some if you’re giving it away. Likewise, the Sherriff’s office, or even the local store. Mrs. Hooper couldn’t sell it over the counter, or she’d be a target too, but she seems to know most of what goes on in this town, and I can’t see her selling it on the black market.”
“What else am I meant to do with it? It’s not like we can leave it hanging around the bedroom. With our sex life, we’d be drowning in it within a fortnight.”
“Probably more like a week.”
Blushing, because they did have to clean up a lot of dust since the meeting with Cam and Eagle, Kee leaned into Dian’s chest, trying to block out the questions, and conversations still going on around the hall. One breath in, one breath out, one breath in, one breath…
“Okay, everyone, you have all had a chance to get this out of your system.” Ra’s voice interrupted Kee’s attempt at a Zen moment. “It’s time for you to vote on if Kee and Dian can stay. It’s a given, if they stay, their secrets will be protected, right?”
“What about the vampire?” Kee whispered urgently.
“If they accept us, the vampire won’t be an issue. If they don’t, we’ll get Eagle to track him down in his position as a council enforcer. Either way, you’ll be safe. You have my word.”
Chapter Fourteen
Dian wasn’t worried about the vote – it would go one of two ways, and regardless of which way it went, he had a plan in place to deal. If they were staying, Cam had already offered to sell him his house, which suited Dian perfectly. Cam had stayed off the council’s radar for years, and Dian intended on doing the same. Plan B – having to run – well, Dian had no intention of roughing it. He had enough contacts in place and knew enough people he could keep his mate safe. They’d just have to keep moving around.
It was getting off the council’s radar that could prove to be the problem, something Dian knew he was going to have to discuss with Kee when they had five minutes to themselves. Burton, his supervisor, had phoned Eagle that morning, and as Dian had been holed up with Kee trying to help him calm his nerves, the town hall was the first chance Eagle had to say anything.
Apparently, the council didn’t accept that Austin’s disappearance was permanent or family related, as he and Eagle had reported, and therefore, as far as the council was concerned, the partners were still on the case. Unfortunately, Austin’s insistence on keeping his private life to himself, combined with his ruthless attitude on the job, meant that most of the council didn’t believe Austin would consider taking a mate unless it was for political gain – something everyone would’ve already heard about.
So, Dian’s report, peppered with testimony from “reliable sources” about the probability Austin had taken a mate and the stuff left on his desk could be considered his resignation, wasn’t enough to get the council to back off. Dian wasn’t prepared to drag Cam into the council offices to give his testimony in person, so things were at a stalemate. Like Cam, Dian wasn’t prepared to tell the council he was mated either, especially to someone who had no forms of ID, which left him and Kee between a rock and a hard place. And if we disappear just like Austin did, then chances are someone will be sent to find us too.
“I got a few questions,” someone from the