Page 77 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Onegus leaned back in his chair. "Jade has one deputy, Kagra. It was enough when all she needed was to police her tribe, but now she has a whole community, and she's not set up for that. She needs to deputize more people."

Kian smiled. "You are welcome to suggest that to her."

"I will. Looking forward, we could expand our rescue operations once they graduate, which will not take them as long as it takes our people. Shoring up our defenses is also a huge benefit."

"I agree. What about the pay? Do we pay them the same as our people?"

Onegus sighed. "That's somewhat complicated. While in training, they should get paid the same as our trainees, but once they graduate, we might want to introduce a new pay structure that rewards seniority and the types of positions people hold. We don't want to upset our people who have been serving for years, and we don't want to appear as if we are discriminating against the newcomers. There needs to be a balance."

"I will leave it up to you to figure this out. When you have the pay structure ready, bring it to me for review."

"Of course." Onegus rose to his feet. "I'll let you know what William's crew finds out about the shutters."

"Thank you, Onegus."

After the chief left, Kian swiveled his chair toward the window and looked at the peaceful scene outside. The village green was bathed in sunlight, with immortals, Kra-ell, and humans alike passing by.

Who was the culprit?

Immortals showing their displeasure about the changing nature of their village? The Kra-ell fertility rate was higher than the immortals', and there were whispers about them one day taking over.

It was a valid concern, and even though they seemed to coexist peacefully with their hosts, they weren't really integrating. The two groups kept to themselves, with Jade, Phinas, Vanessa, and Mo-red being the exception, not the rule.

Had he made a mistake by inviting the Kra-ell to join their community?

The surveillance cameras and the Guardian training program were all just stopgap measures, temporary solutions to a deeper problem. The real challenge lay in bridging the divide between their peoples and finding a way to coexist while maintaining the balance of power.

After all, the village belonged first and foremost to the clan. It was not fair to expect them to share it, or worse, fear that they would be outnumbered and driven out of their homes one day.

No one had said that, not to him anyway, but if he was thinking that, others were too.

57

MARINA

When the morning rush had finally subsided, leaving behind a welcome lull in the constant bustle of the café, Marina wiped down the tables and the counters and then poured herself a much-needed cup of coffee.

Leaning against the counter, she listened to Wonder as she was humming while rearranging the pastry tray so it wouldn't look so depleted. "I hope the delivery from Jackson arrives before the afternoon gets busy."

"Is it ever late?" Marina asked.

Wonder snorted. "It's Los Angeles. Traffic is unpredictable, and the delivery is done in a roundabout way."

"I was wondering about that. Who brings stuff to the village?"

"Everything is delivered to our downtown location, and one of ours brings it from there. Up until not too long ago, Jackson restocked the café himself, but he got too busy and hired help." She chuckled. "His friend Gordon recently graduated from Oxford with a degree in philosophy, but he makes a living delivering pastries and sandwiches to the village." She smiled. "It's just temporary. He wants to continue his studies."

Marina frowned. "Peter told me that clan members don't need to work if they don't want to and that they get a monthly allowance."

"They do." Wonder pushed to her feet. "I guess Gordon likes to be busy, or he just wants to help out his friend." She glanced at the back of their shop, where Aliya was doing the dishes. "I'm going to help her out."

"I'll do it." Marina put her coffee cup down.

Wonder stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "You need a break. Rest, drink your coffee, and eat something."

"Thank you." Marina smiled at her gratefully.

She was used to working hard but couldn't compare with the immortals and the Kra-ell. They were machines. Still, despite how crazy it sometimes got, she loved it at the café. The people were so friendly and welcoming, especially the Guardians, who stopped by and chatted with her and Wonder as if they were part of the gang because their mates were on the force.