A fucking mess was the only way to describe this situation.
“It’s not really an initiation anymore, though. It’s a rescue,” Maya said. Natalya narrowed her eyes.
“Elaborate.”
“Jackie is obviously taking Kieran’s side. She doesn’t have as many enemies as the Chains, so she can bend the rules more, with fewer consequences. And she seemed perfectly okay with Kieran taking Harper by force.”
Natalya stopped walking. “She said she would hold off on that until the Chains were gone.”
“Well, she lied. Why else would she make sure that there would be no Chains wolves in St. Louis? Without Diana there, she can have her pack stalk the Lucky Penny at all hours, and no one would know about it.”
When Natalya kept her eyes narrowed, Maya had to stop herself from fidgeting. How the hell did people keep prolonged eye contact with Natalya?
“You disagree?” Maya said.
“No. I’m merely being reminded that I need to keep my assumptions in check. You noticed more than most would have done.”
Maya’s hand went to her ribs, grabbing the fabric of her t-shirt. “I’m just good with people. It’s one of the only things I’m good at.”
It had been her downfall, too. Making conversation was her one consistent talent. She loved people with stories to tell, seeking out whoever looked like they had the most interesting ones.
That had led her right into imprisonment. A year and a half ago, she had struck up a conversation with a stranger at a bar sheworked at. A man who had been scouting the place for potential prey. The following evening, she’d woken up in a concrete cell with blood running down her neck and four lines of text tattooed on her ribs.
MAYA N. – B-POS – LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, SPANISH – SPECIAL SKILLS: SOCIALIZING
A brand of ownership, doubling as a glorified menu card. One she shouldn’t even have, since they ought to have killed her outright. She wasn’t anything special. Didn’t have particularly tasty blood or skills a brood of vampires might appreciate.
But she’d been easy to talk to. And the Night Duke, who had filled her tip jar all evening, wanted to have that forever.
When Maya’s hand stayed on her ribs, Natalya’s shoulders went taut. She pointed her eyes forward and started walking again.
“For your sake, I hope you’re talking down your abilities. This situation requires finesse, and I don’t know if you possess enough of it to handle something of this magnitude.”
Natalya’s eyes shimmered back towards scarlet. “We can’t tell the three of them what’s going on without going through lengthy protocol. But I’m not letting them spend months in a city filled with shifters who can bend the laws with far less consequence than I. So, Maya, I need you to use those charms of yours, get in their good graces, and convince them to go to Chicago.”
Maya stared at her, half expecting a reveal that she was joking. When it became clear that wouldn’t happen, Maya let out a startled, “What?”
“Interpreting this as a rescue is wise. If an uninitiated human is in danger from supernatural forces—such as a carnivorous wolf pack—they can be warned about it. But a Court can only do so for humans inside its territory. If Harper and theothers go to Chicago of their own free will, them being targeted means we can tell them whatever we want.”
“I don’t mean to offend, but that sounds like a stretch.”
“It sounds like politics. Everything’s a stretch. We’re just competing to see who can go furthest before something breaks.” She looked Maya up and down. “But it won’t. Not with your gory reputation.”
Maya frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Your reputation might be based mostly on falsehoods, but its effects aren’t. Right now, those wolves don’t know anything about you except the rumors they’ve heard. They just saw you moving around in broad daylight, something that’s supposed to be impossible, and that makes it much harder to dismiss all the other things people are whispering about you.”
Maya stopped in place, making Natalya do the same.
The rumors that surrounded her had become curses. Her life was forever changed because of them. Filled with nothing but fear and awful solitude, born from stories painting her as a terrifying, impossible monster.
That was why Natalya had brought her along. Why this meeting had been set in the day hours. Why Natalya hadn’t told her to stand down when she was seconds away from ripping Kieran’s face off.
“Youwantedthem to be scared of me,” Maya said. Natalya’s mouth tensed, and Maya only realized it had been a smile once it was gone.
“I succeeded, too. You must have sensed it as well as I did.” Natalya’s gaze hardened. “I know you didn’t choose this life, but if it weren’t for that vampiric nature you clearly detest, this meeting would have been a far more serious affair. Harper is Evie’s family. I am trusting you to get her home safely. Can you do that?”
Natalya’s voice was as stern as was demanded of a Regent of monsters. She didn’t have any other options than the unideal one Maya presented. This situation was forcing her hand, and Natalya didn’t seem the type who liked being forced.
