Lucas tapped his foot impatiently, eyes locked on the ceiling above him. He was doing his best to ignore the hustle and bustle going on around him. He hadn’t really doubted that Nic was capable of getting them through the door of the news studio, but it was something else entirely to be there in the flesh. All it had taken was one call, and they were on the road within hours to make their appointment.

Nic had been the one to handle all the talking once they showed up. He’d disappeared into an enclosed room with all the studio big wigs, including the woman who was responsible for interviewing him on TV if he indeed had something worth showing off. Shaun waited anxiously outside with Lucas as the meeting took place. They didn’t know for sure what Nic had said, or done, but they could guess quite a bit from the pale faces that emerged only a half hour later.

“Ya ever seen Charlotte look like that before?” Shaun asked, watching the woman in a power suit preparing for the live interview.

Lucas shook his head, smiling at Shaun’s casual use of the journalist’s first name. Then again, Charlotte Freese was the face and voice of the news to most of the country, hell, even the world. She was infamous for her unflappable demeanor in the face of anything. She was equal parts determined to get the story, and compassionate in the face of disaster and suffering. The woman had made a name for herself over the years for bringing reports from the heart of disaster zones, being the trusted face at ground zero, and for interviewing the big names in the news before anyone else could get their hands on them. She was exactly what they needed to make their worldwide statement.

“She looks like she’s seen a ghost,” Shaun continued, sounding concerned.

Lucas’ eyes fell on Nic, who stood apart from everyone to keep a close eye on the proceedings. “Or a werefox.”

“Ya think he turned in front of ‘em too, huh?” Shaun asked.

Lucas nodded, thinking that was exactly what the kitsune had done to get the interview. Nic could have talked to everyone in that room till he was blue in the face and gained nothing. That private meeting had been their only real chance to get this interview, and it had to count. Subtlety and manipulation were the standard tools of Nic’s trade, but there was a pragmatic streak a mile wide in him, too. He knew just when it was time to cast off the shadows and make a bold statement, and Lucas would bet his favorite knife that Nic had shown those people just what he really was under the human guise.

“I can’t tell if I wanna be excited or throw up,” Shaun admitted quietly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Lucas chuckled. “I’m trying not to feel anything at the moment, otherwise I might end up doing both.”

“God, do you think he’s gonna have us talk on TV?” Shaun asked, sounding horrified at the prospect.

Lucas eyed their friend and lover carefully. “If he thinks it will drive his point home, you can bet he will. Here’s hoping it’s you he wants up there.”

Shaun looked at him in surprise. “Me? Why?”

Lucas smiled. “Because you are far more likable than I am. If they get me up there, the whole world will think hunters are a bunch of cold fish. Doesn’t exactly fit the ‘we want to make this world change in a good way’ goal we’ve got going here.”

“At least ya could manage to talk. Pretty sure if they got me up there, they’d just see me stutter a bunch and throw up in her lap,” Shaun said, looking a little green.

Lucas wanted to help him, but he found he didn’t have anything he could think of that would even come close to being comforting. It didn’t help that the studio was beginning to thin out, and Charlotte was taking her customary seat in the armchair she used for her hard-hitting and emotional interviews. The lights shifted around them, signifying the interview was ready to start. It was then he noticed they hadn’t kept just one chair opposite of her, but a full-length couch.

“Oh hell,” Lucas muttered, realizing they were going to end up on national TV.

Shaun looked up. “What?”

Lucas glanced at the people headed in their direction with cases of what he assumed was makeup. “Ready to get pretty for the country?”

Shaun’s face drained of color when he saw the employees headed their way, looks of determination on their faces as they swooped down on them. They were absolutely silent, and worked with small lights that allowed them to see what they were doing close up without affecting the lights in the studio. As the first brush swept across his face, he heard the dramatic tones of the musical introduction for Charlotte’s interview segment.

When the music stopped, he could clearly hear the educated voice of Charlotte. “Good Afternoon, America. This is Charlotte Freese, bringing you breaking news as it happens. Together, you and I have been through a lot, from hurricanes, mass shootings, bombings, all the way to murders and scandals in the White House. But today, we have something else entirely, something I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen it for myself only moments ago. I have with me today a young man, Nic Proudemoore. Hello, Nic.”

Lucas blinked at the last name Nic had given for the interview, but watched as Nic smiled almost shyly. “Hello Charlotte, thank you for taking the time to have me on your show.”

Charlotte chuckled good-naturedly, losing the nervousness she’d had before the cameras started rolling. “Hard not to. You dropped quite the bombshell on the executives and me. We had an entire segment prepared before you showed up.”

Nic chuckled. “Well, I apologize for that, and for surprising all of you like I did. I’m sure you can understand the necessity for it though, I had to make my point and make it fast.”

She nodded in understanding. “And in that, you succeeded spectacularly. Now, let’s get right to it, you’re here because you have an announcement for the country, the world even.”

Nic nodded gravely. “I won’t mince words with you Charlotte, so I’ll just come right out and say it. The supernatural exists. Everything you’ve ever heard, all the movies you’ve seen, books you’ve read, the stories you might have heard or told yourself about the supernatural, are all based in reality. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and then some; they all exist.”

Lucas closed his eyes as he felt the makeup pad against his face freeze, the professional focus of the makeup artist working on him faltering. The words had been said, in front of cameras that were broadcasting every word and image to millions of TVs. This show reached internationally, and there were people all over the world watching Nic casually speak the words no one had dared to say so openly before. Both the supernatural and hunters had kept this secret for centuries, and now it was finally being said to the world at large.

Charlotte didn’t miss a beat. “A bold claim to make, especially in this day and age where science tells us the complete opposite.”

Nic shrugged. “When you live in the shadows of society like the supernatural have to, you become adjusted to it, even begin to rely on it. The modern mindset toward reliance on logic and science has worked to the benefit of the secrecy of the supernatural world. So long as your everyday human firmly believed that things like ghosts and vampires wasn’t possible, ghosts and vampires could exist without risk of being noticed.”

“I’ll admit, I was skeptical of your claim when you first made it to me just under an hour ago, but you made a believer out of me very quickly. Are you prepared to show our viewers what you showed me earlier?” Charlotte asked, an excitement she couldn’t contain shining in her eyes.

“If you think we should get it out of the way now, then by all means,” Nic said, gesturing to himself.

Charlotte nodded. “Ladies and Gentlemen, my trusted and loyal viewers, I address you directly. What you are about to see shook me to the core. I also promise you that we did everything we could to guarantee that what you are about to see is the genuine article. There is no trick here. What you’re about to see is evidence to support Nic’s bold and shocking claim. Nic, if you would?”

Shaun reached out and grabbed hold of Lucas’ wrist in a sudden grip as Nic closed his eyes. Together, they watched as Nic’s skin shifted subtly, fur beginning to sprout along his upper arms. His nails thickened, growing out to sharp points Lucas had seen the kitsune use with lethal efficiency. His eyes flashed open, pupils no longer black circles but stretched to the vertical slit of a cat’s eyes. As the dark brown disappeared under the golden glow they took on when he transformed, his mouth opened, showcasing the elongating canines.

The faint background hum of the studio died, and there wasn’t a single pair of eyes around them that weren’t staring at Nic. There was shock on every face, some tinged with wonder, some tinged with fear. Despite having already seen the spectacle once before, Charlotte sat across from Nic, staring intently. She was the only one in the studio who managed to appear in control, though anyone could have seen that she was still amazed at what she was witnessing.

The silence was broken when she cleared her throat, adjusting her position in the chair so she was leaning closer to Nic. “I know this will be a great shock to everyone seeing this, but I want my viewers to take a moment to understand exactly what it is they’re seeing here. Nic, you’re capable of speaking like this. Correct?”

Nic’s eyes seemed to glow brighter as he nodded. “I’m not transformed completely, so I am able to speak clearly.”

“Now, have you always been like this or is this a case of having been transformed by a bite, since that’s one version of events told in werewolf stories?” she asked out of professional curiosity.

Nic shook his head. “First off, I’m not a werewolf, though those do exist. There are multiple kinds of changing breeds, or shifters if you prefer. I’m a werefox, or a kitsune if you want to use the old term. And all changing breeds are born that way, you can’t change someone into a were-anything, I pose no risk of changing a human.”

“And is that true of the other…supernatural creatures you spoke of?” she asked.

“It depends on the creature in question. You turn into a ghost by dying with something holding you to this world. All shifters are born rather than turned; the same with the Fae, an old term for fairies or elves, if you prefer. Vampires are going to be the ones who are capable of turning people; it’s actually the only way they can expand their numbers,” Nic told her calmly.

She eased back into her seat. “And you say that despite the fact that the supernatural have hidden themselves for centuries, there are humans who are aware of their existence.”

Nic nodded. “There have been humans that have known for as long as humans and the supernatural have existed together. Some are humans who have an extra ability that allows them to sense things beyond the five basic senses: psychics, if you want to call them that. Others are humans who have been exposed to direct proof of the supernatural, such as you and everyone seeing this have just been.”

She glanced toward Shaun and Lucas. “And some of those humans involve themselves in the supernatural elements of the world after that exposure?”

“Some do. Others go into denial about what they saw and try to live a normal life. Some become occultists, obsessing over what they saw and trying to learn more. Others become…a sort of police force, a secret police force,” Nic explained.

“A secret police force? Does that mean there are humans who enforce some sort of hidden laws on the supernatural?” Charlotte asked.

Nic shook his head. “There aren’t really any laws, not in the way you’re thinking. But just like humans, there are supernatural creatures who are willing to do immoral things, whether for survival or simply because they’re morally bankrupt. There are humans that exist who know about this, and dedicate their lives to stopping these creatures from doing more harm.”

“And you have a couple of those very same types of people with you today?” She asked in an obvious attempt to segue seamlessly to Lucas and Shaun.

Lucas tensed as Nic nodded once more. “Yes, they’re very close friends of mine.”

She looked at Shaun and Lucas with interest. “Would you both be willing to come up here and share your story with me?”

There wasn’t really any saying no to that request and she damn well knew it. They were there to tell the world one of the biggest well-kept secrets, and he and Shaun weren’t going to run away now; they were going to get what they wanted. They were about to put their faces out to the world, and help Nic tell a secret that people had killed to keep. If they hadn’t had a target on their backs before, they were definitely going to have one now.

Lucas felt his body stand and he gave a stiff nod, sensing Shaun standing behind him as he walked up to the raised platform that served as her interview space. It seemed so much smaller up close, and absurdly bright. Nic was watching them, eyes searching their faces as he and Shaun mounted the platform, sitting themselves stiffly on the couch.

Charlotte smiled in welcome. “Now, we haven’t had a chance to speak yet. I’m afraid Nic took up a great deal of my prep time. So, what can I call you both?”

Lucas felt like he was on autopilot as he answered. “I’m Lucas, and this is Shaun.”

She nodded. “Well, welcome both of you. You came here with your friend Nic to tell the world the truth?”

Lucas nodded mechanically. “That’s correct.”

“And you’re part of this…secret police force he mentioned?” she asked, trying to lead him into answering in more than single syllable words.

He took a deep breath and let himself speak openly. “We refer to ourselves as hunters, since often the creatures we have to face require us to track them and utilize our collective knowledge to stop them. But yes, we could very easily be thought of as policing the immoral parts of the supernatural population.”

She cocked her head. “Now when you say that you ‘stop them,’ what do you mean by that?”

Lucas shifted on the couch. “There aren’t any laws for the supernatural, and because their existence has been secret, there aren’t any places we can properly detain them. Sure, you can lock a werewolf up, but it won’t hold them if they choose to turn and use their strength to break out of their cuffs, out of a cruiser, or even a poorly defended jail. There aren’t any means of legally enforcing the laws, so…we are often forced to resort to using lethal force.”

She eyed Nic. “And how do the supernatural creatures feel about this sort of enforcement?”

Nic chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, the ones who want to be monsters aren’t too fond of it, I can tell you that. But for the rest of us, who want to actually live a moral life, attain happiness, all the stuff your average human being wants, we think it’s just fine. We’re not always equipped to police our own kind, whether it’s because we aren’t inclined to, or because we just don’t have the numbers to do so. The hunters have provided that service to the world overall, and have done it quite well.”

Charlotte nodded, still looking privately excited. “And so the hunters keep the dangerous elements of the supernatural in line, then?”

“That’s what we try to do, and have tried to do. Some of us come into this…field later in life, while some like myself and Shaun come into it early. He’s from a family that have been hunters since before he was born. I was brought into the life at a young age,” Lucas explained, finding comfort in reciting plain facts.

“So, does every hunter view it as a service to the rest of the world? That they are helping the supernatural curb their dangerous elements while keeping humanity secretly safe?” She asked.

“Not all of ‘em,” Shaun said quietly

Charlotte looked at Shaun with interest. “What do you mean by that?”

Shaun looked intensely uncomfortable at having drawn attention to himself. “Not all hunters see it that way. Some of ‘em…just don’t like the supernatural. Can’t always blame ‘em, though. A lot of ‘em came into the life because they lost someone, or all of their loved ones, to a creature.”

She nodded slowly. “Is that a common story for hunters?”

Shaun shrugged. “Maybe. Can’t say because it’s not really all that polite to ask that sorta thing. It’s kinda personal.”

Charlotte looked between Lucas and Shaun. “Does this mean that the two of you belong to the group of hunters that view the supernatural so…harshly?”

Shaun cleared his throat. “Lucas never did, but I used to be.”

“What made you change your mind?” she asked.

Shaun’s discomfort grew as he fidgeted. “Nic did. There’s been other stuff that we’ve seen that’s helped change my mind, but he was the one that really changed my mind. He didn’t absolutely say it, but there’s a lot of creatures just like him. They just want to live their lives, not tryin’ to make any trouble, but it’s easy to miss that kinda thing when ya make your life about only findin’ the bad ones. They’re just people, people who aren’t human maybe, but just people. He helped me understand that.”

Lucas stared at Shaun, fighting the urge to throw his arms around the man and hold him tight. He never would have believed that Shaun would say anything resembling acceptance of the supernatural. Now he was on national TV, trying to convince a distant audience that the supernatural weren’t something to be feared. Lucas didn’t know how much effect it would have, but damned if he wasn’t proud of his partner.

Charlotte tapped a finger on the arm of her chair. “So, you came here to not only tell the world that the stories we all once thought were just stories, are real? And that these very same creatures are not to be feared?”

Lucas turned from Shaun to level his gaze with hers. “We’re not going to sit here and pretend that this news isn’t going to scare people. We’re sitting here telling you that every creature you were told was a monster is real. Which is why we’re trying to tell you that they’re not all monsters, most of them are just trying to live their life. Bringing things out into the open like this is bound to cause problems, and many people are going to fight it, both human and supernatural. But the world continues to get smaller and smaller, and the secret was bound to come out at some point. It’s better that we treat this revelation with the respect and gravity it deserves. With everything in the open, we can, as a collective society, find a way to make peace. We hope the world can find a way to make a place for the supernatural, so the secrecy that breeds so many problems, can finally be cast aside. Our hope is to start the process of making this world closer, and safer for everyone.”

Charlotte raised her brow, looking almost impressed. “That is…a very heartfelt speech from you, Lucas. You feel strongly about this. I can’t imagine this has been easy for you, for any of you. From what you have said, you’ve lived your lives so secretly that coming out in the open like this must be nerve-wracking.”

Shaun laughed shakily, “I’ve been ready to throw up since we got here, and bein’ on camera ain’t helpin’ much.”

She smiled at that. “Well, I will say the three of you have done quite well changing your habits so readily. Let’s say we take a break, give ourselves and our audience time to digest what we’ve discussed so far. Then we can come back and talk a little more. How’s that sound?”

Lucas sat up straight, his body tensing before his conscious mind realized something was wrong. Something crawled angrily at the back of his mind, and he scrambled to figure out what was wrong. It was disorienting, but he realized that the sensation was pouring in from somewhere in the building. There was seething anger and cold determination building from somewhere outside the studio, and he realized they were going to have company, and soon.

He forced a smile on his face. “That would be great.”

She turned her face to the nearby camera. “This is Charlotte Freese, bringing you breaking news as soon as it happens. We’ll be back with more coverage after we all take some much-needed time.”

Lucas waited until he saw the lights on the cameras die, signaling they were off before turning to Shaun. “We need to go. We’ve got company.”