by Robin Roseau
"My life would be at risk?"
"If you were caught, yes. But no one would be expecting you."
"Are you asking me to do something that I will find morally questionable?"
"I am asking you to help save someone's life."
I leaned back.
"Will you tell me the species of the person I would be saving?"
She thought about it before answering. "If you agree to help, I will, of course, tell you anything you need to know. For now, I am going to remain cryptic. It is not a vampire or werewolf."
"Do you believe I will need to kill anyone?"
"No, but the possibility exists."
"There are groups I will not act against," I said. "I have never killed a human and do not want to be in a position where the need is likely. I will not act against my own pack, of course, or the Boulder pack. Nor will I act against any group currently under the protection of Lima Consulting."
"I will not ask you to do so," she replied. "I am familiar with Lima and do not believe they are involved, but I would give you the opportunity to verify that information if we come to an agreement otherwise."
"Why would I help you?"
"Future favors."
"I've never heard of you," I said. "Please do not be insulted, but I do not know that future favors have value to me."
She paused before responding. "I will be able to convince you of their value."
"Will you be asking me to trespass on another pack's territory?"
"Yes."
"With or without permission?"
"I would ask you to use misdirection when requesting permission of the pack in question."
"There's not a wolf alive that will believe my alpha would allow me to travel without my security detail."
She smiled. "I know."
"The likelihood my alpha will agree to allow me to risk my life for your needs is exceedingly low, regardless of any inducement you offer. She is exceedingly protective of me."
"Are you turning me down?"
"Not yet," I replied. I sipped my tea. "But I do not know how you are going to secure her agreement without a very large threat involved, and you agreed there would be no threats."
"I agreed I wouldn't make threats to secure your cooperation. I did not agree there would be no threats if required to secure your mate's."
I narrowed my eyes, not liking the turn the conversation took.
"Ms. Burns," she said, "If you choose to decline my request, you will be returned home, and no one from Wisconsin will suffer for it. But if you agree to help me, then I will secure the cooperation of your mate. I do not choose to tell you how at this time."
"You play word games with me."
"I will offer another assurance. I will not threaten your children. They are safe from me, as long as you do not betray me."
"Will you be able to tell the difference between failure and betrayal?"
"Yes."
I watched her. It was unnerving; she never blinked and could become utterly still, making absolutely no noise. I had never met anyone who could be as quiet as her.
"My skills are not sufficient for dealing with vampires," I observed.
"That should not pose a difficulty."
"I am not yet saying 'no'," I said, "nor am I saying yes."
"I am willing to tell you everything, but the more I tell you, the more of your memories I must erase if you decline my request."
"If you told me everything, how much would I lose later?"
"Probably a day or two."
I thought about it. "I think I need to know the rest, but I would like to talk to my head enforcer first."
She held out the phone. "Same rules. Do nothing to incite war."
I nodded and called Elisabeth's phone.
"It's Michaela."
"How are you doing?"
"Fine," I said. "Elisabeth, I have been asked to take a small risk. The lure is of future favors. The risk is small. I would like your advice."
"Can you tell me who you are dealing with?"
"Not at this time." I looked at the vampire and asked, "Will you allow me to tell them before we come to a final agreement?"
She nodded her head.
"Elisabeth, I am told you will have much more information before coming to a final agreement. Right now we are negotiating how much more I am to be told. Is there any likelihood future favors would hold value with the pack."
"You know Lara's answer, Michaela."
"The immediate risk is inconsequential. Future risk is perhaps real, but sounds manageable."
"Depending upon who the vampire is, having him or her beholden to us could be very valuable."
"You heard that?" I asked her, and she nodded.
"Elisabeth, I am going to ask for the remaining details. I am told the vampire can erase my memories if I do not choose to offer my assistance, but there is risk I will lose a few days of memories in the process. I am assured the loss would be minimal. Do we need to discuss the issue from earlier this evening before I hang up?"
"We will be discussing it, regardless of what you remember when you get home."
I looked at the vampire. "Will I know I have lost memories?"
She shook her head.
"Elisabeth, I won't know my memories have been removed. I suspect I will find myself waking up in Lara's arms with no idea I'd been away." The vampire nodded to me. "I suspect the only way I'm going to remember the vampire sitting in front of me is if I agree to this request."
And she nodded.
"I understand, Alpha," Elisabeth said, telling me at the same time she was trusting my judgment. "We'll take care of you. You know that."
I looked at the vampire. "Can I promise another phone call?" She nodded. "Elisabeth, I'm sorry to keep everyone awake. I'll call back."
"Be smart, Michaela. Come home."
"I'm trying, Elisabeth. Kiss the babies for me."
"Of course."
We hung up and I returned the phone to the vampire.
I took a breath and held it for a moment, thinking.
"The person whose life you want me to save. Would I like this person?"
"Yes." She paused. "She is the most gentle creature you will ever meet."
"Species?"
"If I answer any more questions, you are going to lose at least a day of memories if you turn me down."
"I understand. What species is she?"
"Fae."
I stared at the vampire. I had never met a fae.
Learning the Rest
"You have been careful so far. Why, if you could make me forget afterwards anyway?"
"Because I am not a monster," she said.
"The humans would call us both monsters. Your answer seems incomplete."
"When you first arrived, I could have faded your memories of tonight's events without damaging you too heavily. But the more I tell you, the more thorough I must be. You will lose more unrelated memories, and you do not deserve to have that risk forced upon you."
"Will I lose old memories?"
"No, I erase a period of time, but it is not necessarily precise. At this point, I have told you enough you will lose everything for at least the last twelve hours, and possibly as much as two days. If I tell you the rest, you can expect that estimate to double. You won't lose your treasured memories unless they are from the last few days."
"And you will later be able to convince me favors from you are worth more than the memories I could be about to lose?"
"Oh yes."
"Tell me the rest."
"Before I do, I must tell you. Your next phone call home will be very tightly controlled. You will not be allowed to share anything I am about to tell you. I offer you a choice. I will blur your memories and return you home, only marginally worse for the wear, and I apologize for that. But if I tell you the rest, and you betray my confidence, you and your family will suffer for it."
"I understand. Tell me the rest."
"Let us perhaps start with my n
ame. I am Carissa. I am the queen of New Orleans."
"Will you be able to prove that?"
"You are very cautious."
"I would not want to be taken in by an imposter."
"Lima Consulting will be able to verify my identity," she said. "Is that sufficient proof for you?"
"I thought you didn't want anyone else knowing your identity."
"Lima is discrete. You and I will come to an agreement before I share that information with your head enforcer."
"What do I call you now?"
"May I call you Michaela?" I nodded, and she said, "Then you shall call me Carissa."
"Very well, Carissa," I said. "I am listening."
"There is a member of my household. I will tell you everything about her if you agree to help me. She is fae, and as I said, an exceedingly gentle soul. She is young. Most fae are very, very old, but she is younger than you are, although still an adult by human laws."
I nodded understanding.
"She and I had a disagreement. She left, and she took with her something I had given her."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Wait before you judge," Carissa said. "It is only a necklace, but it once belonged to my daughter. It is of moderate value, and I would ask for its return, but I would much rather the wearer herself return with the necklace still around her neck."
"Your daughter?"
"Dust for centuries."
"I am sorry," I said.
"Thank you." She looked away for a moment, then turned back to me. "You are wondering where the saving of lives comes in."
"Yes."
"I have enemies."
"We all have enemies."
"My enemies are hunting my young friend. They have not yet found her. She has taken refuge. I wish you to go to her, beg her forgiveness, and ask her to return. If she accepts, I wish you to escort her back here."
"Why me? Why not go yourself?"
"She has taken refuge somewhere I cannot go."
"And I can?"
"I believe so."
"Why not one of the local werewolves?"
"Werewolves would be detected."
"And my security detail?"
"You will need to approach her without them."
"You know where she is?"
Carissa nodded. "The more I tell you, the more memories you are going to lose if you choose to not help me, Michaela."
"Tell me, Carissa."
She paused before answering. "She is in the home of a vampire living just outside Asheville, North Carolina."
"Why can't you pick up the phone and call her?"
"The vampire in question does not care for me and does not know who he shelters."
"Is he one of your enemies hunting for her?"
"No, but only because he doesn't know she exists. She passes for human."
I stared into my tea. Carissa let me think before speaking again.
"You will need to approach in fur. I can endow you with the ability to sense my friend's location."
"How?"
"That doesn't matter. It is harmless and is related to how I know where she is."
"All right."
"The accuracy improves as you draw closer. You will be able to walk straight to her. But from this far, I can only tell you she is near Asheville in an area that almost certainly means this other vampire's home."
"Will I be detected?"
"This vampire does not make pets of werewolves, and to a vampire while in fur, you appear like a standard fox."
"And your friend?"
"She may be able to tell you are more than a fox, but I do not believe she would give you away without more cause than that."
"So my risks?"
"Detection that I feel is unlikely; detection during the extraction; encountering my enemies during the escort home."
"My excuse for being in the area?"
"Hiking in the mountains. The local wolf pack accepts tourists for a significant fee. I will, of course, cover all your costs."
"If I agree to do this, how much of this will I be allowed to share with my alpha?"
"You may share whatever you deem necessary with the wolves who accompany you," she replied. "However, you will offer me a vow of secrecy, and you will extract a similar vow from your wolves. If you ever betray that vow, you will feel my wrath."
"There is no way Lara is going to approve of this."
"You let me worry about that."
"Do you vow you have not underplayed the risks?"
"I am giving you the best information I am able," she said. "I believe you will be successful."
"What else do I need to know?"
"If you agree to help me, then I will give you the pieces we have glossed over. I believe at this point you require assurances of my identity, and you need an understanding of what it would mean for me to be in your debt. If you are going to turn me down, we shouldn't bother."
"Will Lima be able to attest as to your reputation?"
"Yes."
I refilled my tea, using the time to think.
"Is Lara going to be angry with me if I accept your request?"
"Yes."
"Angry enough to go to war with you?"
"If you are killed, yes."
I stared into the tea cup. "I guess you need to prove your identity," I said finally.
"Not one word," she said, then she used the phone she'd been giving me to place a call. It rang twice, and then it answered, but there was no one on the other end. "Carissa," she said. Then she rattled off a lengthy list of numbers." When she was finished, there was a brief pause, then two beeps. I heard some clicking, and then I heard Greg Freund's voice, a voice I haven't heard since my trial two years ago.
"I apologize for waking you," Carissa told him. "It's a small manner, but exceedingly time sensitive."
"What is it, Carissa?"
"I am going to put you on speaker. I want you to state who I am."
"That's all?"
"Yes. Thank you." She pulled the phone from her ear and punched a button. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," Greg said.
"Please will you state clearly what my name is and who I am?"
"You are Carissa, the vampire queen of New Orleans, which really means most of Louisiana and Mississippi."
"Of the North American vampires, where would you rank me in power and influence."
"Fourth or fifth."
"Of how many kings and queens."
"Twenty-two."
"Representing how many vampires total?" she asked.
"I don't have that information. Several thousand."
"And the number of vampires I command?"
"I do not have an exact number. Something over a hundred."
"I am powerful?"
"Exceedingly."
"Last question, Mr. Freund," she said. "Do you care to comment on my integrity?"
"Impeccable."
"Thank you, Mr. Freund. I presume you will keep this conversation private."
"Of course," he said.
"Mute it," I said very, very quietly.
"Mr. Freund, please hold for just one brief moment. I am going to mute you."
"Of course, Carissa."
She muted the call and looked at me. "Yes?"
"I want proof that is really Greg Freund. The next call is going to be to Elisabeth, and I believe you are going to tell her whom you are. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"So if he knows I'm here, that's not letting out any information Elisabeth isn't going to have anyway."
"All right," she said. "Do not anger me, and not a word until I give permission."
I nodded, and she unmuted the call. "Mr. Freund, I have someone here who wants to confirm your identity. I need your assurance you will keep this phone call between us."
"Of course, Carissa."
She looked at me. "Go ahead."
"Hello, Greg," I said. "Do you recognize my voice?"
He was quiet for a moment. "Yes."
>
"Do you remember the last time we saw each other?"
"Yes."
"I whispered something to you before we parted. Do you remember what it was?"
Again he didn't answer immediately. "We're talking the very last time we saw each other?"
"Yes."
"You didn't say anything to me," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I can't imagine I wouldn't have said goodbye."
"Have you forgiven us yet?"
I looked at the vampire. "May I clarify some of his answers to you?"
"Yes. Mr. Freund, I will interrupt if I do not want you to answer."
"Greg, I am about to make a very important decision based on the answers you gave to Carissa. Carissa, will you give him permission to answer this one question as if he were working for Lara?"
"Answer honestly, Mr. Freund," Carissa said.
"Greg, did you overplay this person's position?"
"If anything, I underplayed it," he said. "There are more powerful vampires in North America, but none I an willing to work with."
I looked back at the vampire. "Will you indulge me for a moment?" She inclined her head once. I looked at the phone. "Greg, why did you do it?"
"It was the only way to get you home, Michaela. I was operating in your best interests the entire time."
"It felt like betrayal."
"I know it did. You figured out there were politics involved. I don't know how much more I can say."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I'm still a little bitter, but I think I forgave you a long time ago. I should have told you."
"Wendy too?"
"And Brooke and Daniel. Can you wait a few weeks before you tell them?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Greg." I looked up. "I am convinced you are exactly who you said you are, Carissa."
"Thank you, Mr. Freund. I am sorry for waking you."
"Quite all right."
She terminated the call and looked at me.
"Did you need to think about it before we call your alpha?"
"We're calling Elisabeth. No, I do not need to think about it."
"You will call her, identify yourself, and then give me the phone. I will place the call on speaker. You will not answer any questions without my permission. You will not share any information I do not approve."
"I understand."
"But do you agree?"
"Yes, Carissa."
"You can tell me 'no'. You'll forget all this and wake up at home, safe and sound. I will not hold it against you."