Free Unforgettable (Talented Saga #6) by Sophie Davis Page B

are
good.”
    The sharp bite that was Victoria’s
usual tone was gone. Now she just sounded tired and
edgy.
    “ What does all this have to
do with me?” Erik asked, his brows drawn together in
confusion.
    “ The time has come for
UNITED to take more drastic measures. We cannot allow these attacks
to continue. The Joint Nations committee is debating whether to
assemble a taskforce of their own to locate and deal with the
Created. There is no telling what will come of those individuals if
that happens, but it will certainly be much worse than
containment.
    “ We need to persuade the
public to let us clean up our own mess. We also need to persuade
them that all Created are not dangerous. To do that, we need a
Created spokesperson who is both likeable and
compelling.”
    My stomach churned uncomfortably. Did
Victoria want Erik to perform mass manipulation? Because that was
nuts. If anyone found out, the tactic would further cement the
notion that the Created, and by extension the Talented, were evil
creatures who couldn’t be trusted.
    Erik’s jaw had come unhinged, though
the rest of his muscles were rigid. Shock temporarily staved off
the fury that was sure to follow. The temperature in the room
plummeted below freezing.
    “ Before you climb to moral
high ground,” Victoria began, holding up her hands palms out and
creating a physical barrier between her and us, “please, hear me
out. Erik is young, charismatic, and charming.” She ticked off the
adjectives on her fingers as she spoke. “People are distinctly
drawn to him. They will want to listen to what he has to
say.”
    “ Let me get this straight,”
Erik said, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was
hearing. That made two of us. “Are you or are you not asking me to
manipulate the public?”
    Victoria drew in a deep breath,
stalling for time. She leveled her golden gaze first on Erik, and
then on me.
    “ No. Not at this time. Your
natural charm should be sufficient. Should that prove insufficient,
the council will revisit the idea of taking more drastic measures
at a later time.”
    “ Are you crazy?” I blurted
out.
    “ I won’t do it,” Erik
chimed in.
    “ Calm down, both of you.
Mass manipulation is an extreme action that is reserved as a last
resort. At this time, all UNITED is asking of you, Erik, is to act
as a global ambassador. You have demonstrated impressive mastery of
your Created Talents, your temper, and emotions. People will see
you and think, ‘This is what the Created are really like.’ They
will understand that the news only reports the dangerous acts of a
minority. It could even be enough to sway the vote.”
    “ Do I have an option?” Erik
asked evenly, demonstrating that impressive control Victoria
mentioned.
    “ There are always options,
Erik. No one will force you. I have a short list of other
candidates in mind. You are merely my first choice.”
    “ Right,” I scoffed. “His
options are what, exactly? Doing your dirty work or being shipped
off to Vault?”
    Victoria sniffed and focused her
attention on Erik.
    “ No. Should you decide not
to represent UNITED in this matter, there will be no
repercussions.” She sighed warily, then included me in her gaze. “I
made you both a promise when you came to work for UNITED. I
promised that as long as you submitted for regular physicals, you
performed your jobs, and you remained in control, containment would
not be an issue. Do you recall that?”
    I nodded reluctantly.
    “ I know you don’t trust me,
Talia. And I don’t blame you for that. Those you have known in
authority abused their power, used threats and fear to lead.
Danbury broke more promises and told more lies than I can count.
But I am not like that. I will honor my word. You will both remain
free under the terms of our original agreement.” A small smile
flitted across Victoria’s mouth. “If disagreeing with me and
questioning my policies was enough for me to ship you to Vault,
Talia, you