Adams hands looked like raw hamburger, but at least they didnt look like burnt hamburgerand one of them reached over and closed over my fingers. I tried to let go of him, but he opened his eyes and held on to me.
Okay, thats it, Samuel said, and he stepped back from Ben. Sit him down on the stool and leave him alone a bit.
I brought an ice chest filled with beef roasts, Warren said. Its out in the truck, so we can feed them.
Samuel jerked his head up. Your Alpha was in trouble, and you stopped and went grocery shopping?
Warren smiled with cool eyes while blood dripped to the floor from the arm Ben had gnawed on. Nope.
Samuel stared at himand Warren gazed at the wall beyond him without backing down a bit. He might like Samuel, but Samuel wasnt his Alpha. He wouldnt cede the lone wolf the right to question his actions.
I sighed. Warren. Why do you have an ice chest filled with roast on hand?
The cowboy turned to me and gave me a wide smile. Kyles idea of a joke. Dont ask. A light blush bloomed on his cheekbones. The freezer and the fridge are already full at Kyles house. We put them in the ice chest out in the garage to take back to my apartment, where I have an empty freezer, but I hadnt gotten around to it yet. He looked toward Samuel. Bit snappy, arent you?
Hes waiting for Mercy to start in on him, said Adam. His voice was faint, but, hey, we all had good hearing. And Mercy is wondering if she should do it with all of us listening in or not.
Whats Mercy got on you? asked Warren. When it was obvious Samuel wasnt going to answer, Warren looked at me.
I was watching Samuel.
I just cant do it any longer, he said, finally. Its better to go now, before I hurt someone.
I was too tired to put up with his garbage. The hell you cant. Do not go gentle into that good night, Samuel. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Hed helped me memorize that poem when I was in high school. I knew hed remember.
Lifes but a walking shadow, Mercy, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more.He countered my Dylan Thomas with Shakespeare, spoken with as much weary bleakness as any stage actor ever managed.It is a tale. Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying . . .nothing .He said the last word with a bite of bitterness.
I was so angry I could have hit him. Instead, I clapped my hands in mock appreciation.
Very moving, I said. And stupid. Macbeth killed his overlord and followed his ambition, bringing misery and death to everyone involved. Your life is worth more, I think, than his was. More to meand to every patient who crosses your path. Tonight, it was Adam and Ben.
Count me in on that, said Warren. He might not have been in on the cause of the conversation, but any wolf would have caught the gist of what we were talking about. If you hadnt been here when that demon got ahold of me not so long ago, Id be dead.
Samuels reaction was not what I expected. He ducked his head and snarled at Warren, I am not responsible for you.
Yes, you are, said Adam, opening his eyes.
That chap your hide? suggested Warren gently. He shrugged. People die. I know that; you know that. Even wolves like us die. Fewer people die when you are around. Those are the facts. Being upset about them dont make them false.
Samuel stalked away from us all. There wasnt much room to get away, though, and he stopped with his head down. I was hoping this could be easier, Mercy. But I forgotyou dont do easy. He turned around and met my eyes. When he spoke again, it was in that gentle patronizing tone I thought Id cured him of a long time ago. You cant save me, Mercy. Not when I dont want to be saved.
Samuel, said Adam in a demanding tone, much stronger than his condition allowed. He raised himself up on his elbows and stared at the other wolf.
Samuel met Adams eyes . . . and I saw shock in his face for just an instant before he began to shift to wolf. It was a dirty trick, something Alphasstrong Alphascould do, forcing the change on another wolf. I suspected that if Adam hadnt caught Samuel by surprise, it would never have worked. Adam held Samuels gaze while we waited with bated breath. Fifteen minutes is a long time to hold still. And at the end of it, Samuel was gone, leaving the white-eyed wolf in his place. The wolf smiled at Adam.
Might not be able to save you, old son, Adam said, lying back again and closing his eyes. But I can buy us a little time to kick you in the butt hard enough you stop thinking about tomorrow and tomorrow and start thinking about how much your butt hurts.
Sometimes, said Warren, its real easy to see you were in the military, boss.
Butt kicking being part and parcel of the service, both on the giving and receiving end, agreed Adam, without opening his eyes.
Mary Jo had been staring at Sam. His wolf is in control, she said, horrified.
Has been for a couple of days, agreed Adam. No bodies yet.
He didnt know about the fae at the bookstore . . . but I wasnt sure the fae counted. It had been a defensive killing rather than an uncontrolled killing spree, though Sam had nearly taken me as dessert afterward.
Sam met my eyes thoughtfully, and I realized that he seemed . . . different, more expressive, than he had in Phins bookstorejust as I was used to seeing Samuels wolf. Id thought he was getting more aggressive earlier, but I could see that hed also been becoming . . . less Samuel, even less Sam. Our little disaster might have bought us a little more time.
Ah take it that the Marrok does not know about Samuel? Warren broke the silence, sounding very cowboy, very laid-backwhich was usually a sign that he wasnt.
Sort of, I said. I told him he didnt want to know yet, and he believed me. But only on the condition that Id talk to Charles. According to Charles, the good news is that if Samuels wolf was more independent of him, hed have started causing mayhem right away. Bad news is that if we dont get Samuel out of his funk soon, his wolf is going to fade, too. As he had been doing. And well be left with a dead Samuel anyway, but only after a bonus of lots of other dead bodies.
A regular Vikin funeral, commented Warren.
Mary Jo gave him a sharp look, which he returned.
Ah can read, as long as theys lotsa good pictures, he said, speaking even slower than usual and using a lot more Texas-cowboy grammar.
Thats my line, I told Warren. I resent your stealing it.
Ben laughed. But then asked, How is fading different from just having the wolf in control?
Wolves are blunt creatures, mostly impatient with the softpedaling that the rest of the world considers politeness.
I gather Sam will turn all fang and no brain and will eventually just fall over dead, I told them. Probably less damage than what normally happens when the wolf is in charge. Especially since the wolf doesnt stop until someone stops him. But not good.
Hell be easier to kill if it comes to it, said Warren, recognizing the advantages. Samuel was old, powerful, and cleverif his wolf was half as smart, it would take Bran or Charles to take him. This way, any of us with a silver-loaded gun could do it.
Sam didnt seem bothered by the conversation. He half closed his eyes and snapped his teeth at Warren with mock fierceness. His ears were up, showing that he was only playing.
They hurt my heart with their fierce full-on acceptance of reality.
Pack up, kids, said Adam, with his eyes still closed. Its time to take this party home.
Home.
I glanced worriedly at Warren. Adam would be up and functional in a day or twothanks to nifty werewolf superpowers of healing. But the pack was still a mess.
Right, boss. Warren nodded at me and continued to talk to Adam. I reckon Ill stick by you for a bit, though, if you dont mind. Darryl will be there, too.
* * *
WE PACKED ADAM INTO THE BACK OF WARRENS TRUCK on top of a thick camping pad and underneath a sleeping bag. Werewolves are pretty immune to the coldespecially the kind of cold the Tri-Cities could manage most winters. But we werent taking any chances with him. He accepted our fussing with a sort of royal amusement that managed to be appreciative, too, though he didnt say a word.
Camping? I murmured to Warren under my breath after wed gotten Adam settled. You actually got Kyle to go out camping? Kyle was very happy with the comforts of civilization. I couldnt see him spending a weekend in the woods voluntarily.
Nah, he muttered. Not overnight anyhow. But Im hopeful for next spring.
But you had sleeping bags and camp pads in your truck. I couldnt help the smile that grew on my face. Does this have anything to do with the ice chest full of meat?
He ducked his head, but he was grinning. You dont ask me what you dont want to know, Mercy.
Mary Jo rode in the back of the truck with Adam while I drove my car with Ben beside me and Sam in the back. Ben had offered to drive the Rabbit so I could ride with Adam, but his hands were raw and painful. Mary Jo wasnt going to do anything to hurt Adam; whatever resentment or hatred she felt for me didnt interfere with her desire to keep him safe.
As soon as I started driving, Ben said, You need to find out who the second man on watch was.
What?
The other wolf Adam had watching with Mary Jo. She doesnt want to tell, and shes higher rank than I am, so I cant ask her. If Warren asked . . . Shes one of the crowd that thinks he shouldnt be pack.
What? Id thought the homophobic elements in the pack were all men.
Ben nodded. Shes quieter about it than most, but shes also more stubborn. If Warren gave her an order she didnt want to comply withlike one that would make her narc on someone she cares aboutshes likely to defy him. Hed have to hurt her, and that would hurt him more because he likes herand doesnt have any idea that shes one of the stupid people.
Id always thought Ben was one of the stupid people, too. I guess that must have shown in my face because he laughed.
I was bitter when I first came here. Eastern Washington is a big comedown from London. He didnt say anything for a while, but about the time I turned onto the highway he continued in a soft voice. Warrens okay. He cares about the pack, and thats not as common in the upper echelon as youd think. Took me a while to appreciateand thats on me.
I patted his arm. Took us a while to warm up to you, too, I said. Must be your charming personality.
He laughed again, and this time it was with genuine humor. Yes. No doubt. Youre a right bitch sometimes, you know?
The response was elementary-school automatic. Takes one to know one, I said. You think there was someone else who watched Adam jump into a burning building to save me and didnt do anything to stop him?
I think that Adam sends us out in pairs. One man on point, the second as backup. Always. Mary Jo wasnt out there alone when you and Samuel left. She wasnt the only one who watched whoever set fire to your house.
He paused. I think I know who it is, but Im prejudiced, so Ill keep my mouth shut. Just remember: Mary Jo . . . shes good folk when it comes down to it. Shes been a firefighter since they allowed women to be on the teams. She may not like you that much, but shes got no bone to pick with Samuel. I dont think shed have stood by and watched arson taking place without someone stepping in and influencing her. There arent many of the pack who could override her good sense like that.
You think someone else made the decision to disobey orders.
Ben nodded slowly. I do. Yes.
Someone Adam trusted enough that he didnt insist on their attending the meeting he held at his house.
Yes.
Damn it.
Chapter 9
AT THREE IN THE MORNING, I FOUND MYSELF DRINKing hot chocolate at the kitchen table in Adams house with Jesse, Darryl, Auriele, and Mary Jo. Given my druthers, Id have had a couple of people between Mary Jo and mebecause I dont believe in throwing water on boiling oilbut by the time Id finished pouring cocoa, the seat between Jesse and her was the only one open.
The one good thing was that most of the wolves had returned to their homes, and Adam was still safe. Sam and Warren were in Adams room, doing guard duty, while the rest of us tried to decide how to proceed until Adam was up and about. All the other wolves whod shown up had been sent away.
I planned on joining Adam as soon as we were done here, but I knew he was all right without me. Hed eaten about ten pounds of meat and lapsed into a sleep so deep it resembled a coma. Warren was a big enough wolf to take on any two of the rest of the pack as long as the group didnt contain Darryl, who outranked him. Mostly.
Sam was a little unpredictable, but in his current state I was pretty sure he would be on our team. When a wolf is hurt, he is vulnerable. In the best scenario, an injured wolf will be protected by his pack matesbut when the pack is uneasy, as Adams was just then, it is best to keep trustworthy guards around.
Between the two of them, Warren and Sam, theyd see to it that no harm came to Adam.
Ben trudged in, towing one of the dining-room chairs. He slid it between Jesse and Auriele, painfully pulled his gory fingers off the chair back, and dropped to the seat. Jesse slid a cup of hot cocoa in front of him, then reached across with the can of nondairy whipped cream and squirted a bunch of sweet artificial white goo on top. Jesses curly hair had grown out a little, and shed dyed it pink.
Thanks, darling, Ben told her in a suggestive voice, and she scooted her chair away from him. He tipped his head so she couldnt see his face and smiled until he realized I was watching him. I narrowed my eyes, and he cleared his throat. E-mails out to the list, detailing what happened and that Adamll be up and about in a day or two.
That there was a mailing list had been news to me. I wasnt on it, probably so they could all complain about me without hurting my feelings. Given the state of Bens hands, Auriele had offered to send out the report, but hed said that computer work was his duty, and as he still had ten fingers, he figured he could complete it.
He leaned forward and sipped his cocoa without touching the hot cup.
Its instant, I apologized. My stash of spicy real stuff went up with the house. I wished I hadnt said it as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I had been doing just fine at forgetting that out in the darkness beyond the kitchen windows, my house was a pile of black scraps.
Its chocolate, Ben said. At this point, that is sufficient.
Silence fell, and I remembered that I was supposed to be running this. It reminded me in an odd way of the time Id had to take over my sisters Girl Scout troop when my mother had been sick. Fourteen preteen girls, a tableful of werewolvesthere were certain monstrous similarities.
I ran my hands over my face. So what else needs to be dealt with before we can go to bed?
Darryl folded his big hands on the table. The fire marshal hasnt made it out yetbut the firemen seemed pretty convinced it was the wiring. The fire started near the fuse box in the hall. Apparently, the old manufactured homes sometimes go up like that, especially the first few weeks the heating system kicks in in the winter. He glanced at me. Do we accept that, or have you been riling people up again?
He might owe his ebony skin and his size to his African father, but he could do Chinese inscrutable better than anyone Id ever met who was wholly Chinese instead of just half. It was hard to tell whether he meant the last sentence as a joke or a justifiable criticism.
It was the fae, I said with a sigh, bumping the nearest table leg halfheartedly with my ankle.
Whatall of them? asked Ben humorously. I slid down in my chair so I could reach past Jesse and kicked his foot, which was more satisfying.
No, not all of them, I said, after he yipped with mock pain.
You just bring us one damned thing after another dont you, Mercy, said Mary Jo, looking out the window.
Bitch, said Ben. It seemed to be his word of the daywhich was better than the usual assortment. He hadnt actually sworn much around me that day, if I didnt include the time while Samuel was fixing his hands. And if the only words that counted were the ones that got movies an R rating. I wondered if it was coincidental, if he was trying to improve himselfor if I hadnt spent enough time with him.
Mary Jos lip curled. Suck-up.
You have some nerve throwing stones, he told her, when you just sat there and watched them set fire to Mercys house.
What? said Darryl in a very, very soft voice.
But Mary Jo wasnt listening to Darryl. Instead, she half rose to her feet and leaned on the table, threatening Ben. So what? You think I should have taken on a bunch of unknown fae for her?
Auriele stood up and gave the table a hard shove, pinning Mary Jo against the wall behind her with a bang that must have hurt. If someone didnt know her very well, I suppose it might be possible to underestimate Auriele. She was delicately built, as some Hispanic women are, and looked as though shed never gotten her beautifully manicured hands dirty.
Most of the pack would rather have Darryl mad at them than Auriele.
Darryls mates voice was frozen as she asked, You just watched a bunch of fae burn down the house of a pack member?
Id picked my cocoa up off the table when it moved and managed to save Jesses, too. With my hip, I altered the trajectory of the table just enough to make certain that it didnt hit Jesse. Darryl caught Bens cuphed finished his own. So it was only Mary Jos and Aurieles cocoa that spilled across the table and down on the floor.
Into the tense silence of that moment, the interruption of my ringing phone seemed decidedly welcome. I thumped the two mugs I held down onto the table and pulled the phone out of my pocket.
I didnt recognize either the number or the area code. Usually, I recognize the number of people who call me in the middle of the night.
Hello?
Mercedes Thompson, you have something that belongs to me. I have something that belongs to you. Shall we play?
I hit the speaker button and set the phone in the middle of the table. Of course, everyone except for Jesse could have overheard the call anywaybut with all of us listening full volume, maybe someone would hear something different. My cell was relatively new, and Id paid extra to get one with good sound quality.
Darryl pulled out his phoneone of those miniature computers with every gadget known to manhit the screen a couple of times, and set it next to mine. Recording, he mouthed.
Everything I have went up in flames last night, I told my unknown caller, and after I said it, the truth of that hit me again. Poor Medea. I set my jaw with determination that this personwho sounded female to me, though a female with a deep smokers voicewould never hear the pain shed caused me. Assuming that this was one of the fae who set the fire.
It wasnt there, she saidand I was growing more confident it was a she. Her next words made me certain that she was one of the fae, too. It would have revealed itself in fire or in death. We watched it burn, watched the fire eat your life, and what you took from Phineas Brewster wasnt in the coals or in the ashes.
Fae often say things that sound odd to human ears. Ive found myself spouting Zees sayings and having people stop to look at me.
In fire or in death, I said, repeating the phrase that had sounded like a quote of some kind.
It reveals itself when the one who holds it dies or if it burns, she clarified impatiently.
Your bounty hunter seemed like the kind of man who gets things done, I said. Why didnt you have him kill me instead of relying on backup? Growing up with werewolves has taught me several ways of controlling the situation without being too aggressive. Asking a question a little off topic is one way of doing itand if the question is hidden as another question, my chances of getting information are even better.
Kelly? she said, her voice incredulous. But she knew who I was talking about. She must be the fae whod created the incident that had almost gotten Maia hurt. Kelly would never hurt a woman. But the police wouldnt have believed it.
There was a tone to the womans voice that told me she knew Kelly Heart personallyand felt a veiled contempt for something in him that she thought was a weakness.
I take it I am speaking to the one who calls herself Daphne Rondo? Id remembered the missing producers name because she shared the first with Scooby Doos token cute girl and it had caught my attention. I phrased the question carefully because the fae cannot lieand it probably wasnt her real name. Mostly the fae dont give their true names to anyone.
Sometimes, she said, but she didnt like it that Id figured her out. She could have refused to answer, of course, but that would have been as good as an answer anyway. A fae who wasnt Kelly Hearts missing producer would take great pleasure in informing me I was mistaken.
Mr. Heart is worried about you, I told her. And then could have bitten my tongue. This woman did not deserve to know about his concernshed sent him here to die. If Adam had believed that Kelly had killed me, he would have personally seen to Hearts death. Anyone who knew I was dating the local Alpha would understand that muchit was why she had contrived to set the bounty hunter up. Hed feel differently if he knew what you planned for him.
If he knew what I was after, he would support me with his whole heart, she said with sudden passion that told me she had her doubts, and they bothered her. He is my soldier, and he follows my orders.
Id heard that kind of talk before and felt my lips curl in angeron behalf of a stranger whod mainly just ticked me off . . . but mostly for a friend of mine, Stefan, another soldier whod been used too hard and had finally broken.
You are overburdened with self-importance, I told her. But that is a common condition with the fae. I was tired, and it was hard to keep to the fine line that kept her from taking the upper hand without enraging her. Who did she have? Stefan? I hadnt seen the vampire for weeks. Zee? I hadnt called him as Id planned to before my house burned down.
You are overburdened with stupidity, she replied with icy contempt. Id pricked her about Kelly . . . not that shed hurt him, but that he might not do her bidding if hed known what she wanted. But that is a common problem with humans. Especially humans who involve themselves in matters that are none of their business. There was a pause as if she was weighing some matter. Then she said, You would be wise not to irk me when I hold something you value.
There were two distinct sounds right as she finished. The first was something striking flesh, the second a muffled cry. We all stilled, listening for a hint of identity.
Male, mouthed Darryl.
I nodded. Id caught that as well. The cry was followed by a third sound: someone who was gagged trying to talk. He was furious. There was something about the sound . . . not Stefan, not Zee.
Mary Jo caught my shoulder. Her face was pale and pinched. Gabriel, she mouthed.
That was it. Mary Jo had spent some time doing guard-Mercy-at-work duty this summer, working with me and Gabriel. She knew him, too.
I hadnt been listening for Gabrielbecause I thought he was safe. I closed my eyes in momentary despair. Stefan was a vampire; Zee was a fae other fae gave a good deal of respectful space to. Gabriel was a seventeen-year-old with no supernatural powers. He didnt stand a chance against one of the fae.
Jesse made a little sound, then jerked her hands to her mouth, but the fae on the other end caught the noise.
Angry, child? she asked. She thought shed heard me. Do you know who we caught? Ill give you a hint. He was stealing a car from you. We almost disposed of himbut he belongs to you, doesnt he? We decided to bring him along and see if you would play the game.
Gabriel is welcome to drive anything I own, I told her in clear tonesand hoped that even Gabriels human ears could hear me. The Gray Lords are not going to be happy that you brought a human into fae matters.
She laughed. Her laughter caught me completely by surprise. Any woman with a voice as deep as hers usually has a complementary laugh. But hers was delicate and lightcompletely inhuman, like silver bells ringingand the sound of it told me what kind of fae she was, which only made my stomach clench harder. Gabriel was in more than one kind of danger.
There was a pad of paper next to the phone on the wall. I pointed at it, and Auriele got up soundlessly and brought it back to me.
So you figured out who we have, the fae woman said. Did his mommy call you? Hes awfully sweet-looking, dont you think? There was a wistfulness in her voice. If this were a different age, I would keep him for my own. I waited for the diatribe about how it was different in the old daysIve heard a lot of variations on that over the years. But there was only silence.
I wrote, Fairy queen. Travels with five to twenty fairy followers. Used to capture humans to use as servants/lovers. Takes them to her own realm, sort of like Underhill but different. Enchantment: humans perceive time passing oddly. Rip Van Winkle (100 years) or Thomas the Rhymer (seven days became seven years). I underlined Thomas the Rhymers name because it was history and Rip was a story by Irving that might or might not have been based on various legendsincluding Thomass. Her laughter like tinkling of silver bells. Also some sort of mesmerizing spells. Robs victims of free willmight have the same effect on her fae followers, too. Rule bound more than most fae, but powerful within those rules.
That book had taught me a lot more about the fae than Id known before. I hoped something would help us find Gabriel before the fairy queen decided to keep him.
You are patient, she said. That doesnt match what Ive heard of you.
Not so patient, I told her. I dont think Ill play your game by myself. I think the Gray Lords might as well take care of my problems for me. They wouldnt, of course, and I wasnt so stupid as to invite them in. But I wanted to hear what her reaction would be to it.
She laughed again. You do that. You just do that, Mercedes Thompson. And if they figure out what you haveand have any inkling that you might know what it isthey will kill you, werewolves or no. Theyd kill you to get it, tooand trust me, it is easier to kill you, human, than it is to bother looking for it wherever you have it stashed.
I didnt doubt that she was telling the truth about the Gray Lords. Fae always tell the truth. They usually respond to taunts, toowhich is why I added a smug tone to my voice as I said, Most especially because you dont know what it is, either.
The Silver Borne, she said.
She wasnt looking for the book. I had no idea what the silver borne was, but the book was made of leather and embossed with gold; there wasnt anything silver about it. I had nothing to bargain with for Gabriel. So wed have to find them and take him back in such a way that she never bothered us again. A lot of fairy tales ended and the evil fairy never bothered them from that day until this.
You dont know what it looks like, I said confidently. You think I have it because Phin is dead, and it didnt reveal itself to his killers as it would have if he were in possession of it. I told her as if I knew it to be fact.
Do you have it? she asked. Maybe he did give it to someone else. Though if you dont have it, I shall take this beautiful young man as consolation and continue looking for it.
I bit my lip. Phin was dead.
I have something of Phins, I said with obvious caution. In the morning, Id feel bad about the man whod stuck his neck out to help me in defiance of the Gray Lords, who loved books and old thingsand whod had a grandmother whod called him and worried about him. As things were, I needed to keep my wits. I was tired, and Adams pain and fatigue were starting to trickle through me as our bond chose this inconvenient time to begin to mend itself.
You will not tell the wolves, she said. That is the first step. I will know if you break your word. Then I will take the boy and redouble my efforts to see you dead.
I glanced at the wolves around the table. You didnt seem so anxious to kill me that you would risk my mates ire yesterday morning.