Bran quietly sat up and looked around the room. Excepting Adam, who opened one eye to glance up at him from his position curled up on the floor, the others were sleeping. But Bran could not sleep. Could not rest at all, thinking about Mercy in Prague, having to beg the old coot for help and protection. There was a good chance Libor would refuse just to repay his old debt to Bran. Bran felt rage and fear boil to the surface. He could not – would not – sit here and do nothing while Mercy walked unprepared and without protection into the old alpha's clutches.

Bran silently stood up and headed to the door. At Adam's wolf's questioning stare, Bran opened the door and mimicked making a phone call. Adam looked doubtful but, knowing his place, said nothing. Bran stepped into the hallway and slowly closed the door behind him. It was still daylight so he was not overly concerned with running into (another) wandering vampire. How many could possibly have the power to roam during the day? He walked down the hallway until he found an out-of-the-way quiet spot where he was relatively sure he would not be overheard. If he was, what would they hear, really?

He answered on the fourth ring. Bran wondered it that was a sign of mild defiance but doubted it. Zach was a submissive wolf and they tended to not need such games. Silence greeted him on the other end of the phone. Zach might have felt compelled to answer but he was not going to pretend he liked it.

"I have called to request a . . . service (he was careful not to use the word 'favor,' knowing Zach would hang up on him) . . . from you."

More silence . . .

Bran sighed, "Zachary . . . Radim . . ."

He heard Zachary's quiet growl, "Do not call me that, Old Man."

Yep, Zach still hated him. No one holds a grudge like a wolf. Bran felt his temper rise quick and fierce and had to work to stamp it down.

He started again, "Did you know our little coyote is in Prague?" He heard Zach inhale a deep, quick breath of alarm. "She managed to free herself from Italy and somehow caught a bus all the way into the territory of an old acquaintance of ours."

He could sense Zach's alarm through the phone. "So you understand the situation. You and I both know how that old coot can hold a grudge. I doubt his anger has dissipated with the passage of time. When our friend shows up on his doorstep, he will take great glee in casting her away – or worse, he may take decide to harm her."

Zach sounded tired and defeated, "What do you want?"

"A phone call from you might make all the difference."

"You want me to call him, after all this time, and ask him for a favor?"

Bran could hear the incredulity in Zach's voice, and he didn't blame him. To owe such a one a favor was imprudent. The old Alpha was brutish and vindictive.

"Don't word it as a favor – to you or anyone else. Paint it as a way to make me look bad – the wolf who did not protect what was precious to him. And play up your shared animosity towards me – "

"That will not be hard," snarked Zach.

Bran continued, "and a way of showing strength against the forces in Italy."

The phone went silent as Zach thought over Bran's suggestion. Bran held his breath as he waited for Zach's decision. A phone call from Zach may not be necessary. Mercy had managed to keep herself relatively safe on her own. But Bran and his wolf felt restless from the effort of doing nothing, so he needed to try.

"I will call my father," Zach declared. "But not for you – no favor or request for you. She is pack, my alpha's mate, and most importantly, my friend. I call for her and her alone."

Bran let out a sigh of relief. "I thank you. Sincerely."

"I don't think it will help at all. It may even make him more belligerent and stubborn. We have not talked for several years and those phone calls did not go well . . . but for her, I will try."

And without waiting for a reply, Zach hung up the phone. Bran stared at his now silent cell phone in wonder. Radim had changed quite a bit from the terrified and beat down submissive he had kidnapped from Libor all those lifetimes ago. Being a member of Adam's pack was obviously good for him.

Bran tucked the cell phone back into his pocket and quietly made his way back to the shared room. Austin Harris opened the door before Bran was fully standing in front of it, his face curious and alarmed.

"I noticed you were missing but when I made a move to go look for you, this one," Austin said, gesturing towards Adam, "growled at me and blocked the door. I assume you were on some super-secret werewolf business." Austin's voice was full of humor so he had obviously not taken any offense.

Bran put on his blandest, most confused expression and said, "I just had to make a phone call to back home."

Austin smirked, "sure, sure. Need-to-know. I get it. Now that the excitements over, I'm going back to sleep."

Bran nodded in agreement and the two of them settled back down onto their respective couches. As Bran rested his head on the pillow and prepared to close his eyes, he caught a pair of suspicious wolf eyes intensely staring at him. Bran couldn't help himself. He winked. And chuckled at the startled expression on Adam's face. Let the young wolf wonder. Bran had done what he could to help Mercy.