She looked surprised that I would even ask such a question. "Of course."
"But why?"
"Because I have always done what must be done to keep my people safe. And these spirits—as well as the people who opened the gates and released them—threaten that."
Her people. Not humanity. Not the rest of us. "But you've already said you have Cazadors who can hunt spirits, so why do you need me?"
"We have Cazadors who astral-travel, true, but if we had someone who could walk the fields at will and track down the location of our targets, it would make their job easier."
There was a ring of truth to her words, but that didn't mean I believed them. There was more to this. There were the gates, and the keys, and her desire to control them for the high council's benefit.
But to achieve any of that, she needed me on her team.
"The one thing you have to ask yourself, Risa," she said softly, "is just how desperately you want to find your mother's killer."
I didn't answer, simply because it was a pointless question. We both already knew the answer.
"Become an adviser to the council, and I will throw every available resource we have at tracking down those responsible." She paused, and that cold, cruel smile touched her lips again. "Refuse, and not only will the killer go free, but you will bear some responsibility for whatever destruction hell's escapees wreak."
That wasn't fair, and we both knew it. But she hadn't come up here to play fair. She'd come up here to get what she wanted.
And what she wanted was me.
It would be madness to accept. Sheer and utter madness. I knew it, but I did it anyway.
"You betray me, you play me or try to control me in any way, and I will destroy you, Hunter. Whether you believe I can or not."
"I will play as fair with you as you play with me." She held out her hand. "Deal?"