all got poly questions now, but apparently Ethan had heard Micah answer the question a lot, because Micah was the one most likely to have to answer on camera while he was trying to save lives or help lycanthropes—sorry, Therianthropes—get a more positive public image.
“Are you a member of her poly group?” Leduc asked.
Ethan shook his head. “I’m happily monogamous with my girlfriend back home in St. Louis.” A look of nearly shining happiness crossed his face. Ethan had loved Nilda enough to go to couples counseling when they’d barely been dating.
The offer to help pay for therapy for any of our employees who wanted it was one of the best new policies of the last few years. As people had success and showed improvement, they encouraged others to go work out their issues and get healthier. I saw the policy as the same as dental or vision riders to health insurance, just another part of our bodies that needed care and attention.
“Then how do you know all that?” Leduc asked.
“I work with a lot of people that are poly, including my boss . . . bosses.” Ethan smiled at him.
Leduc looked suspiciously at his pleasant smiling face. Ethan was handsome but not in a traditional way. I think it was the mixed hair color. Leduc probably thought it was some rebellious statement. At least Ethan’s eyes were solid gray and not some of the more exotic colors that the rest of the clan tigers had. Unless you knew what tiger eyes looked like, most people’s minds just saw human eyes in Ethan’s face, because it was what they expected to see.
Angel came over to us and tried to help by touching the sheriff’s arm lightly, enough to make most men debate on if you were flirting or just a touchy-feely kind of person.
He shook his head and patted her hand where it lay on his arm. “I appreciate the attention from a lovely young woman, Ms. Devereaux, but it’s not going to get you in to see the prisoner.”
“What will? And a minute ago you were calling me Miss Angel. I liked it,” she said, smiling one of her smiles that wasn’t real, but I’d seen her use it to make men back in St. Louis trip over their own feet. It was like she and her twin brother had come into the world knowing how to flirt.
Leduc patted her hand again and stepped out of reach. “Well, then, Miss Angel, I need proof that you can help and that you’re not just here to screw up the warrant of execution. I read up on your Coalition. You do as much politics for supernatural rights as you do for attack survivors and their families. I don’t want Ray’s death turned into political sound bites.”
“Let us take them back so they can meet Bobby, and we’ll go from there,” I said.
“Come on, Duke, what can it hurt just to introduce them?” Newman asked.
“I promise not to flirt if you’ll just let us talk to him,” Angel said, face solemn with her eyes very wide, like she was trying to look innocent and sincere. She failed, but it was cute as hell.
Leduc laughed, looking at the ground and shaking his head. “Damn, all right. Talking doesn’t hurt.”
He knocked on the door, and I heard Deputy Frankie unlock it. They hadn’t locked it the entire time I’d been here, or I didn’t think they had. Apparently, this many lycanthropes in the police station required more security. Whatever made them feel better. I decided not to point out that the door wouldn’t have held against any of the Coalition shapeshifters. Hell, I wasn’t sure it would have held against me if I wanted in badly enough. If it had been locked when Newman had kicked it in to stop Troy from killing Bobby, they’d have needed a new lock or a new door.
I’d never tried to get through a security door outside a cellblock before. I looked at the door sort of speculatively as we followed Leduc through it. I still wasn’t used to being more than human strong. I still didn’t know everything I could do without injuring myself. It was like being a new superhero. You never knew what you could do until you did it.
51
DEPUTY FRANKIE UNLOCKED the door for us, but we couldn’t all fit into the area in front of the cells, so I introduced everyone a couple at a time while Leduc watched from the door and