The Lonely Wolf by Monica La Porta

shut off his phone and mentally prepared for his next round with the boy.
    “You must be thirsty.” With cautious movements, he deposited the can on the coffee table before Lupo. “I understand your reticence. I do. But if you don’t open your mouth to answer yes or no to my question, someone I love will go through an enormous deal of unnecessary trouble.”
    Lupo finally shifted on the sofa. “How much is this answer worth to you?”
    Ludwig inwardly smiled, happy that his ruse had worked. Blackmail was a language the boy would understand. He should have thought of making himself look vulnerable earlier on, but usually he didn’t have any need for it.
    Angels were proud and they seldom resorted to subterfuge to obtain what they thought they were entitled to. An angel only had to open his mouth to unleash his Wrath and kill or maim whomever was unlucky enough to be on his path. Even though Ludwig disagreed with his own race on their conceited opinions, he still was an angel and expected people to obey him. The years disguised as an immortal had been quite the eye opener for him. Something he was thankful for.
    “As I said, I need to know if that pin is yours.”
    “I answer and you let me go.”
    “You answer and I promise you’ll have a good lawyer representing you.”
    “I walk out or nothing.”
    “I wasn’t the only one who saw you in Castel Gandolfo. An eyewitness positively identified you on the premises, and I was there when you tried to kill a vampire. You do understand your predicament, don’t you?” Ludwig walked to the open window overlooking the Tiber and on the other side of the river the Immortal Council’s headquarters, Castel Sant’ Angelo.
    “I wasn’t there—” Lupo’s voice was higher than a moment ago.
    Turning, Ludwig opened his wings by the side. “Not sure you are aware that I am the Archangel.” He wondered if the boy knew what his office meant. “My word is sacred.”
    A derisive cough was followed by Lupo rolling his eyes heavenward.
    Crossing his arms over his chest, Ludwig couldn’t help a raised eyebrow, and his now cold expression must have made an impression because the werewolf visibly blanched. “And even if my word weren’t the law, the victim has already testified giving a description that matches the eyewitness’s one.” Waving his hand to the side, he extended his wings to their full span which reached the opposite walls. All the rooms in his apartment were large enough to accommodate his need to stretch once in a while. “But I have the power to make life easier for you if I am so inclined.”
    The cub didn’t need to know Ludwig would have helped him anyway.
    “So, for the last time—” Ludwig stopped the boy before he could utter yet another lie. “Think twice before your answer, because I won’t ask again.” He pointed his chin at the door. “The enforcer and the controller are waiting for me to release you in their care.”
    Without lowering his eyes, Lupo relaxed his stance and stretched his legs in front of him. “What’s going to happen to me?”
    Although Ludwig admired the kid’s boldness and disliked to play games, he knew he had to act cold until the truth finally came out. “It depends. If you finally decide to cooperate, I’ll make sure you are taken care of.”
    “And if I don’t?” Lupo’s blue eyes sparkled with rebellion.
    Quintilius would have loved this boy.
    The thought lingered in his mind longer than necessary, then Lupo frowned and brought one finger to his temple and Ludwig’s heart skipped a beat at the image that was too familiar. Quintilius used to frown in the same exact way.
    “What happens to me if I don’t give you what you want?” the werewolf asked once again, shaking Ludwig from the temporary spell he had fallen in.
    “You already know the answer. If convicted, and the Vampire Nation will make sure of that, you’ll go straight to Regina Coeli since you are not a minor anymore.” With a shrug, Ludwig