Vespertine

“Come in,” Astor said in response to a polite knock on the door, without looking up from the book he was reading. He smiled warmly as Scarlett opened the door and leaned casually against the doorframe.

“Did you need something?”

He beckoned her to come closer, and then handed her a flashdrive. “Your newest assignment.”

She raised an eyebrow, but accepted it nonetheless. “That’s mysterious. What happened to the usual folder?”

“This one requires a little bit more information.”

“Such as?”

“I want you to infiltrate the V’s.”

The eyebrow arched higher. “No offense, but hasn’t the government been searching for the V’s for years now? What makes you think I can find them?”

“You can’t, obviously. You’re a sorcerer. But Marissa Queens, a smart mortal who has government contacts? She would be a valuable asset to their organization.”

“So, double identity, huh?”

“Precisely. You’ve always exercised an extraordinary amount of control—any other sorcerer might accidentally slip up and reveal their powers, but I have faith in your abilities.”

Scarlett smiled wryly. “Control is my forte.”

“You’re a hard lot to find, you know?” Scarlett said, crossing her legs and her arms as she leaned back in her seat. She studied the two people in front of her, but reluctantly concluded that there was nothing especially discernible about them. If they weren’t wearing the masks, she wouldn’t be able to pick them out in a crowd.

The girl smiled at her, but under the white V mask it just looked menacing. Her black hair was wound in a bun, so Scarlett couldn’t tell how long it really was.

The man, a tall, but not necessarily imposing person, had tan skin and close-cropped brown hair, but so did every other guy out there. He was looking at her thoughtfully.

She had answered all their questions already; the only thing that remained was for them to make their decision. They had been staring for about four minutes, and she had only spoken to break the silence.

“That we are,” he finally responded. “Leave us a number. We’ll contact you within a couple of days if we decide to take you. If not, you won’t hear from us.”

Scarlett had anticipated this might happen, and nodded curtly. She pulled out a business card from her jacket pocket, one that had been made especially for Marissa Queens. The number on the card belonged to a special phone that she would use for this assignment only.

The girl accepted the card and then waved her towards the door. “Close it after you.”

Scarlett rose and walked to the door, pulling it shut behind her. Outside, the library was warm and inviting, so unlike the dark room she had just been in. She checked the time; ten minutes had passed, almost half of which they had spent deliberating. The V’s were efficient, if nothing else. She stretched, realizing that meant she essentially had the afternoon off.

She grinned, realizing how jealous Caiden would be that she was in the library, and then the smile disappeared as she remembered Astor’s last words. “Don’t tell Caiden.”

Scarlett shrugged and headed towards the nearest bookshelf. I’ll just get him a couple books and say I stopped by…

Back in the room, Riana removed her mask and raised her eyebrow at Salvatore. “I like her.”

“Me too,” he answered, pulling off his own mask and yawning. Riana felt a pang—Sal hadn’t gotten much sleep since his parents had died, half a year ago.

“But do you trust her?”

“Hell no,” he replied. “But I think it’s worth the risk to take her, for now. We’ll let her prove her loyalty over time.”

Riana nodded, and then grinned. “So, that didn’t take as long as we had thought it would.”

He smirked. “You’re right. What should we do with our free time?”

Riana laughed and pulled him in close, eyes sparkling mirthfully. “I have a couple ideas.”

“I happen to be very fond of your ideas.”