Page 75 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

“They believe you have a history of buying cursed items and keeping your mouth shut,” Julian added. “They also think you are more loyal to profit than to any clan or council.”

I snorted. “That is adorable.”

“They like you,” he said. “They really do. But.”

“Of course there is a but,” Con muttered.

“But the screening algorithm is cautious,” Julian said. “You are tied to Dimitri’s purchasing history, but you do not have a long enough personal track record. Their system has you in the maybe pile.”

“The maybe pile does not get invitations,” Manu said.

Julian nodded. “Not without help.”

I laced my fingers together, resting my knuckles against my mouth as I thought.

“Can you tweak it?” I asked Julian. “Push me from maybe to approved?”

“If I do it wrong, they will know someone tampered with the list,” Julian said. “And they will shut everything down.”

“That is not an answer,” I said.

He glanced up at me, eyes bright. “Yes. I can work on it. But I need time. And a gentle touch.”

“We do not have gentle,” Con said. “We have necessary.”

Julian grinned. “Then let me adjust their definition of necessary.”

He took a breath, then focused on the screen again. Lines of code scrolled past. He explained as he worked, not for his own benefit, but so we understood how thin the ice was beneath us.

“They use a weighted system,” he said. “Reputation, references, risk. I cannot just assign you a green check mark. That would be traced. I have to assist their qualification process.”

“Assist how?” Manu asked.

“I feed the algorithm data it expects,” Julian replied. “A few more minor deals under your alias. Small transactions, nothing dramatic. Enough to increase your score without triggering manual review.”

He typed faster now, fingers flying.

“I also plant references from existing approved buyers,” he went on. “Names already in their network, flagged as reliable. Most of them will never know they vouched for you.”

“Most?” I asked.

“One or two might,” he said. “But by the time they do, the auction will be over.”

“And if they decide you are faking?” Con asked.

“Then they lock the system, erase the manifest, move the formula, and we lose this chance,” Julian said. “Which is why I do not make mistakes.”

I met his gaze. “You sure?”

He held my stare for a long moment, then nodded. “I’ve got this.”

The room felt tighter, charged with a new urgency. The fragment and the formula. Two fronts in the same war.

I blew out a slow breath. “Work your magic, then. Get me into that auction.”

Julian grinned, teeth white in the low light. “Oh, I will.”

I pointed at the laptop. “And Julian?”