by Robin Roseau
"Yes, ma'am," she said.
I shook my head. "Anna."
"Yes, Anna."
"I imagine all of you are deeply aware of the petite nature of your alpha." At that there were numerous heads nodding around the room. "I wouldn't see any of you the same way. I don't spend much time with the wolves in Louisiana. As Lara said, wolves and cats don't typically get along." I paused, not sure of the diplomacy involved, but then I decided to go ahead. "I suspect you will find my size intimidating. At the same time, you have numbers." I turned to Lara and Michaela. "Alphas, there are elephants in this room."
It was Lara that spoke. "This pack does not hide from elephants."
And so I nodded then turned back to Cassie. "A cat pays little attention to wolf politics, but I suspect inviting Carissa to visit was a difficult decision. Allowing me in your territory is also difficult, especially as I do not belong to Carissa the way one of the wolves might."
"Why did you come then?"
"Because Carissa asked me," I said.
The girl glanced at the vampire then back to me. "You mean she ordered you."
"No. Carissa doesn't order me. Carissa makes a rare request of me, and when she does, I grant her wish. For this weekend, she invited me, and I was happy to accept. But if I had told her I wasn't comfortable, she would have accepted that."
I actually wasn't sure she would have, but I was glad we hadn't a need to test how hard she would have pushed me.
The room was silent for a moment, and then Portia said, "If we're discussing elephants, should we discuss them all?"
"Perhaps so," Lara said. "Which elephant interests you, Portia?"
"Why you, Anna? Why didn't she bring a wolf or two?"
"Carissa's reasons aren't always obvious," I replied. "Do you want me to offer my guess, or do you wish to see what the vampire will answer?"
"Start with your guesses," Carissa said before Portia could reply. There were a few snickers at that.
"I was a better choice," I explained. "For several reasons. First, we spent a day together when some of you were in Louisiana. We became friends, or at least tentative friends. Carissa kept the wolves away from you, and so I was the obvious choice for that reason alone. But I also do not represent a threat."
"At twice our size?" Portia asked.
"Like wolves, cats are territorial. We don't share well. We are not the social creatures wolves are. I would never seek to challenge your alpha for leadership of this pack. Only a submissive wolf would say the same, but if Carissa were going to bring a submissive wolf, she may as well have brought no wolf at all."
I opened my arms, palms up, a gesture of friendship. "I am, in a way, harmless."
"Not so harmless," Lara said.
"No. If my fierce nature is required, it is at hand. But Carissa does not require protection from the Madison wolves, and the Madison wolves require no protection from her. If my fierce nature is required, it would be alongside you and your enforcers, Lara. And I think you know that."
She inclined her head. I turned back to Portia. "You could ask Carissa if there were other reasons."
"There are two others," Carissa said. "I enjoy Anna's company. I wish honest friendship between us, and Anna can help while securing her own, distinct friendship. There is only one other in my domain who would serve better, and she could not tolerate a Wisconsin winter."
"Perhaps she'll come during our warmer months," Michaela suggested.
"I believe that is her hope," Carissa said. "She can't come alone, however."
And every pair of eyes in the room turned to me.
"Ah," Carissa added. "My final reason."
"We would keep her safe," Lara said. I wondered if she were insulted.
"Yes," Carissa said. "But would you turn down Anna's assistance in that regard? After all, it is not your enemies I fear, but my own."
"No," Lara said. "Anna is always welcome."
I inclined my head. "Thank you, Alpha."
* * * *
After that, we chatted as a group for a while longer, eventually breaking up into smaller conversations. I could tell some of the teenagers were interested in talking to me, but Elisabeth intervened and pulled me to the side.
"Do we need to worry?"
"This weekend?" I asked. "Unlikely."
"If there were an emergency, can I count on you?"
"Of course," I said. "But I do not fight well as part of a team."
"I don't even know how to respond to that."
"Carissa won't need my protection," I explained. "You can assume, if there is that sort of emergency, she and I would both fight independently."
"What are your orders?"
"Friendship, Elisabeth. Carissa doesn't expect any problems of this nature. We haven't talked about any of this."
"So you don't have orders to protect her?" I scoffed. "Or the humans?"
"Elisabeth, you are the head enforcer here, and we are your guests. We both know this conversation isn't necessary, but in case we are both wrong, what would you want me to do? Before you answer, will you listen to my advice?"
She inclined her head, so I continued. "Don't pin me down. I am not a bodyguard. If I were in your position, I would shove the humans in with the fox-"
"The fox won't listen to my orders and will fight."
"Beside her mate?"
"She has a unique style," Elisabeth said. "I'll have to talk to the alphas, but if there is trouble, we'll shove the humans with the pups."
"Then I am best along the edges," I explained. "One on one, I can handle anything that could come after us short of another master vampire. But you are better asking me to use my judgment than asking me to fill a particular role."
"And if Deirdre were here?"
"Then I would directly protect Deidre and trust she would also protect me at the same time. But Deirdre is not here."
"You do not offer to protect the humans?"
"The humans are worthless in a fight. Deirdre is not."
"No," Elisabeth said. "She is decidedly not worthless."
"If there is a need for this conversation, you need more from me than a last line of defense, and I'd make everyone nervous if that's where you put me. It's too close to the pups."
At that she nodded. "In a fight, would you follow my orders?"
"In a fight, will you have a voice to give them?"
"If I do?"
"I will listen to Carissa, you, and the alphas. No others. But I do not have the same sort of blind discipline a wolf might have."
She snorted. "You haven't been around many wolves. But I understand your point."
"You need to know this, Elisabeth: if necessary, I would do what was necessary to protect Michaela and her family."
"Why would you say that?"
"There are simple reasons. First, because Carissa asked me to. Second, because I like Deirdre, too, and I heard what Michaela did. And third, because foxes are rare, and I could not stand by and watch them become more rare." Elisabeth nodded at that. "We are on the same side, Elisabeth."
She nodded again then took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. "There are days I wish a return to simpler times."
"Were they ever simple?"
"They seemed simpler to me."
"I wouldn't want your job, Elisabeth," I said. "I'm sorry I can't give you simple answers."
"Well, none of this is necessary, and you gave me one simple answer. Trust you. That I can do."
"Good."
"The teenagers are hovering. Do you mind?"
I smiled. "No. I imagine they're curious. To be honest, they impress me."
"Why is that?"
"They seem somewhat calmer than I might expect."
"They're the cream of our pack," Elisabeth explained. "And Michaela's students. She only takes the best and brightest."
"Monique seems..." I thought for a moment before finishing with, "Mature and earnest."
Elisabeth smiled at that, the nicest
smile I'd ever seen from her. "It was Angel first, but that was sort of a given."
"I don't understand."
"Angel is my cousin," she explained. "I wasn't surprised when she approached me to become an enforcer. I can't tell you how pleased I am to have added her mate."
"Scarlett. I thought she was an architect."
"Part time enforcer as needed," Elisabeth explained. "It just sort of happened. But Monique." Elisabeth's smile returned. "Michaela found her. She's the little sister of one of Michaela's earliest students. She's young, but she's going to be an amazing enforcer, the sort we can trust completely. We have other student enforcers, but the alpha likes Monique, so that makes it a lot easier."
"Lara doesn't care for the others?"
"I meant Michaela. And it's not that, but she doesn't look at them the same way. And they don't look at her the same way, either. Oh, we all love both alphas, but Monique loves her for more reasons, if that makes sense."
"I suppose it does."
"Oh, oh," Elisabeth said. "You're losing their interest."
I turned to look. Two of the girls had peeled away from the group clearly waiting for Elisabeth to release me. They had the human's arm -- Portia's mate. My eyes searched for Portia. She glanced at the girls with her mate but then turned back to her conversation.
"What are they doing?"
"Taking Zoe for a ride."
"A ride?"
"You might find this interesting. Are you afraid of stepping outside?"
"Not at all."
It turned into a half exodus. The two girls took the human outside; she didn't seem to be fighting them. Elisabeth and I followed, and then my admirers followed us. But then, as we watched, the two wolves began running, the human between them. It took no time for them to disappear into the trees.
"What are they doing?"
"Taking her for a run," Elisabeth explained. "Zoe is our pet human."
"She can't be the only human pack member."
"She's not. She's one of two living on our compound, but she's the only one who has a real relationship with the teenagers, and she's the only one who tries to actually play with us."
"That sounds... dangerous?"
"She gets hurt sometimes, but so far, nothing broken."
Then I heard a scream, clearly coming from a human voice deep in the woods. I startled and was about to run to investigate, but Elisabeth put a hand on my arm. "That was Zoe."
"She got hurt?"
"Maybe bruises," Elisabeth said. "They're scaring her."
"Excuse me?"
Elisabeth looked over her shoulder at the teenagers. They were watching us, but Elisabeth was the head enforcer, and so they were being polite. "Do you girls want to explain about roller coaster rides?"
"Sure." One of the girls stepped forward, the rest following. "I'm Ember. Zoe is my mom."
"I remember," I said. "Roller coaster rides?"
She came to a stop at my side. "That's what Zoe started calling them. Two of us help her run fast. She loves it. But then Iris and Lindsey figured out we could scare her without hurting her, like a really good ride at an amusement park. She loves it. We ask her what level she wants."
There was another scream, a good, long one. Ember just grinned. "It sounds like she asked for a 9."
"A nine?"
"On a scale of 1 to 10. They just dropped her off a cliff."
"What?"
"Don't worry. Monique caught her."
"Monique wasn't with them." But I looked around, and she wasn't with us, either. "She went out first."
"Zoe-mom is a little predictable." Ember grinned. "Portia-mom and I give her rides, too, but we don't scare her. Cassie and I can take her out, but we keep it pretty tame, too. Mrs. Lassiter lets us take her sometimes, but not very often." Then she looked over her shoulder back towards the lodge. "Do you think Carissa's humans would like a ride?" She paused. "I suppose if they wanted to go fast, Carissa could do it."
"I doubt it would even occur to her, and it definitely wouldn't occur to someone to ask Carissa for a ride."
"Oh," said Ember. "I suppose not. I think of her like your alpha, but she's not."
"In a way, she is, but she holds herself somewhat more aloof than a wolf alpha," I explained. "You could explain these rides and offer." Just then there was another good scream, although shorter than the last one. "But perhaps without the screaming the first time."
"Would Carissa get mad?"
"If the human screamed?" I clarified.
"You may offer them a one, Ember," Elisabeth said before Ember could answer. "Nothing above that. If they come for another visit, perhaps a four." She turned to me. "Zoe will come back from this ride with bruises. We would not want Carissa to believe we mistreated her humans."
There was another scream, much closer than the previous ones.
"Your mother asks for this?"
"She loves it," Ember said. "Watch her face when they get back. They're almost here."
Ember was true to her word. It was perhaps fifteen seconds before four people appeared from the trees, moving very quickly. There were three teenage wolves and one human. Two of the wolves each had an arm, and Monique was in back. Together, they held her high in the air, Monique clasping the human by her knees.
They ran in unison. I expected them to come straight to us, but they veered towards the parking lot, running straight for one of the cars. I expected them to veer off, but as a unit they leapt, clearing the car.
I expected the human to scream, but she barely grunted, and that was on the landing. If she didn't scream from that, I wondered what they'd been doing to her out in the woods.
The wolves ran away with her but then circled back, again running for the car. This time they didn't jump with her. They threw her. And this time, Zoe screamed.
Oh, they caught her of course, splitting up to run around the car and barely snagging her, but letting her fall nearly all the way to the ground, her face nearly -- but not quite -- plowing into the ground. She let out another small scream.
But she didn't fight them.
The four ran around all of us once then deposited Zoe on her feet immediately in front of Elisabeth. All four of them were panting heavily, and the human was deeply flushed. She bent down, her hands on her knees, gasping for air.
"Oh. My. God." She finally said. Then she straightened and hugged the wolves in turn. "I can't believe I asked for a nine."
Everyone chuckled. "Yeah, right, Mom," said Ember. "You always ask for a nine."
Zoe was still panting -- and grinning -- when she turned to me. "Did they explain?"
"They did," I replied. "Are you hurt?"
"Bruises," she said, rubbing her arms and chest. "Portia won't let them do anything above a four now until they heal." She sighed dramatically. "They dropped me from a cliff!"
"It's not a nine if you don't think you're going to die," one of the girls said.
"There wasn't anyone to catch me!"
"I caught you," Monique said.
"I didn't know you were waiting."
"Well, duh," said Monique.
Zoe thanked the three girls again but said, "I'm getting cold." We all filed back inside, and I let the teenagers surround me, but I watched Zoe. She made her way to her mate, Ember under her arm. The human came to a stop in front of Portia, who looked down at her. The wolf was clearly upset; her brow was furrowed and her back tight. But the human walked into her and set her head against the wolf's chest. Portia wrapped arms around her and held her for a minute.
"She's fine." I turned to my right. Cassie was watching me. "Zoe. She's fine."
"Ah, but does Portia believe that?"
Cassie glanced over. "Probably not. Could I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Do you ever feed her?"
I should have anticipated the question. The other nearby teenagers had been acting a little nonchalant, but I thought perhaps they were listening intently. "Carissa?" As if she could mean anyone els
e.
"Yes."
"Every supernatural creature living in her domain donates to her," I said.
"Is it like they show in the movies?"
"You skipped a question."
"What question did I skip?"
"You didn't ask what it means to donate."
"Oh."
"Carissa is the queen. When she feeds, there is a moment of pain, but that is quickly smothered."
"By pleasure."
"Yes," I said.
"So it is like they show in the movies."
"Well, that depends on which movie," I said.
"I suppose," she said. "You said I should have asked what it means to donate."
"Carissa is the queen, and she drinks directly from her donors."
"I don't understand."
"For the other vampires, we donate blood, just like going to a blood bank."
"So how often do you have to feed Carissa?"
"First, it's not that we have to. It's an honor, one we perform once every year or so."
"That's all?"
"There are a lot of weres living in her territory," I pointed out. "Her immediate household feeds her far more often than that. She relies on the rest of us so she doesn't drain the people who live with her."
"Oh. I understand."
"She won't have to feed from anyone from your pack, Cassie," I said.
"Because she has you and the two humans here?"
"Right."
The other kids had questions, some about Carissa, some about me, some about New Orleans. I'd been talking to them for a while before a female adult wolf stepped up to my side. The teenagers all stopped talking and turned to the newcomer.
I turned as well. I didn't remember her name, but based on the behavior of the kids, I thought she was someone important.
"Anna," she said. "I realized I didn't inquire as to your dining preferences. I assumed you would eat the same foods as the wolves, but I should have asked."
"I am quite flexible," I said.
“Anna,” said Elisabeth. “This is my Aunt Francesca. In a way, she’s Aunt to the entire pack. She is both teacher and principal at our school and, well, in an earlier time, she might have been called the chatelaine for the alphas’ home.”
“Ah, of course,” I said. We nodded to each other. “You wear many hats. I can happily eat meat of all forms, however it is prepared. Are you familiar with Cajun cooking?”