"It's Anita Blake. Do you know who I am?" When trying to be threatening, less is more. Me and Clint Eastwood.
He was quiet for nearly thirty seconds, and I let the silence build. His breath had sped up. I could almost feel his pulse quickening over the phone.
He answered like he was used to strange phone calls and pack business. "You're our lupa."
"Very good, Kevin, very good." Condescending is also good.
He coughed to clear his throat. "What do you want?"
"I want you to come down to St. Louis University Hospital. Stephen and Nathaniel have been hurt. I want you to guard them for me."
"Nathaniel, he's one of the wereleopards."
"That's right."
"Sylvie's forbidden us to help the wereleopards."
"Is Sylvie your lupa?" Questions are great, but only if you know the answers. If you ask questions and the answers surprise you, you look silly. Hard to be threatening when you look ill-informed.
He was quiet for a second. "No."
"Who is?"
I heard him swallow. "You are."
"Do I outrank her?"
"You know you do."
"Then get your butt down here, and do what I ask."
"Sylvie will hurt me, lupa. She really will."
"I'll see that she doesn't."
"You're just Richard's human girlfriend. You can't fight Sylvie, not and live."
"You're right, Kevin. I can't fight Sylvie, but I can kill her."
"What do you mean?"
"If she hurts you for helping me, I'll kill her."
"You can't mean that."
I sighed. "Look, Kevin, I've met Sylvie. Trust me when I say that I could point a gun at her head and pull the trigger. I can and will kill Sylvie if she forces me to. No jokes, no bluffs, no games." I listened to my voice as I said it. I sounded tired, almost bored, and so serious it was almost frightening.
"All right, I'll do it, but if you let me down she may kill me."
"You have my protection, Kevin, and I know what that means in the pack."
"It means I have to acknowledge you as dominant to me," he said.
"It also means that if anyone challenges you, I can help you fight your battles. Seems like a fair trade."
Silence filled the phone lines again. His breathing had slowed, deepened. "Promise me you won't get me killed."
"I can't promise that, Kevin, but I can promise that if Sylvie kills you, I'll kill her for you."