“No. A discrete solution is in our favor. I won’t share this with anyone beyond this table.”
Maya stifled a smirk.Anyone, huh?
“You can leave the direct offense to us,” Maya said, turning to Jackie. “Your people can encircle the city, cutting off their method of retreat while the Chains and Winter’s storm deal with the city-bound forces. When they rout, which they will because they are too disorganized not to, you can be the hero who offers them sanctuary. It’ll make a far more attractive option than fighting us again. You’ll cut their numbers down without spilling a single drop of blood.”
Surprise filled Jackie’s eyes. For a moment, Róisín had a similar reaction before she got her face under control.
“You would do that?” Róisín asked. “It would put your forces at risk and strengthen Ms. Mayfield’s hold on the region. Is that in your interest?”
“It is if Jackie stops prodding the Chains. Such as by coaxing our members into her clutches.”
Jackie looked away, scratching the back of her neck. Maya continued.
“Kieran is also a more destructive foe than she is. The enemy of an enemy could be a temporary ally. With the aid of your winds and Jackie taking back the wolves she lost, we can crush this issue before dawn breaks.”
“You sound confident,” Róisín said.
She thought of the drills she’d seen. Of volunteer lycanthropes acting as practice dummies, so the Chains could learnhow best to fight them. The Courts being so divided meant they were uninformed about supernaturals outside their own home.
The Chains were diverse. It was their greatest strength.
“I am confident,” Maya said. “The Chains may not be popular, but we are an established Court. We believe in the sanctity of secrecy as much as anyone. Kieran and his warmongering put that at risk.”
“And what if I decide to add to that risk?” Jackie snarled. “You’d be outside your own borders. Vulnerable. What if I don’t feel like standing around on the sidelines and instead pick you apart while you’re distracted with Kieran’s people?”
Maya didn’t even blink. “Then we’ll kill you.”
She said it with no inflection. Róisín might need to be approached with the precision of a scalpel, but Jackie needed a hammer.
The words landed as they should. Both women stared at her. Jackie with her eyes wide and Róisín’s lips tensing in a hint of a smirk.
“It’ll come at a cost.” Róisín looked Maya up and down as though seeing her for the first time. “Taming a storm isn’t easy, and the Chains are… young. Before I lend them such a valuable tool, I need some assurance. A gift, if you will.”
The sídhe and their deals. Can’t help themselves.
“No,” Maya said. Róisín’s smirk came fully into view.
“You aren’t in a position to say no. This pack has had time to cement itself in the city. You need assistance to dislodge them. If you don’t accept it, that could have serious consequences.”
Jackie swallowed. Maya cocked her head.
“Couldhave? So, it isn’t the guarantee?”
Róisín’s smile tensed, eyes narrowing, but Maya continued before she could speak.
“Plenty of truths aren’t being addressed. You didn’t bring any guards. You invited anyone who’d listen, including the Chains, whom your faction despises. And I have a feeling that, before you’re willing to offer any kind of assistance, you’ll request the same level of discretion that Jackie did.”
Róisín sat very still. Thinking. Considering whether taking the bait would offer something valuable enough to be worth the sting of the hook.
She decided for. “And why do you think that?”
“Because you aren’t here in an official capacity. Your Court didn’t want this meeting at all.” Maya leaned in over the table. “Tell me. Does your mother even know you’re here, RóisínFrost?”
Róisín didn’t react. Her face remained poised, her posture perfectly straight. But outside, the wind picked up.
Maya didn’t know why Róisín was doing this. Just that she wanted it done quickly, quietly, and badly enough that she would work with the Chains. A Court that Winter had lost territory to, and which Róisín had every reason to detest.
She’d shown up with no guards. With no soldiers. And her honest tongue had promised not to share this withanyone. That included her own Queen.
