More? I suggested. Smart, well-bred?
Not a half-breed coyote, she snapped. Her wolf was in her eyes, and her voice was raw. Not a stupid mechanic or a freaking fireman. There isnt even a proper word for what I am. Fireman. He needs someone soft, someone feminine.
He deserves so much, I said slowly. I had her, even though it made me sick. Coyotes arent cats; we dont play with our prey. I think he deserves a pack who has his back.
I have his back, she said. I couldnt see her hands. Through all this shed held to parade rest, and her hands were hidden behind her back. From the flex of her biceps I would bet that they were clenched in fists, and her voice wasnt as hard and certain as she meant it to be. But her words told me what Id been watching for, told me that she hadnt wanted him dead. That made the rest of this both harder and easier. Harder because she was going to be hurting even more before this was overeasier because she would survive it.
You have his back, do you? I kept my voice soft, my body relaxed. Funny, I could have sworn that you just set him up to be killed.
I got him out, she said. I ran in after him with Darryl and pulled him out.
Not soon enough, Mary Jo, I said. He could have easily died in there. I had to take a breath so I could maintain my relaxed posture. He could have died. But I had to keep up the momentum, make her listen to me, make her listen to herself.
Who was it that was out there with you? I asked coolly. Ben says whoever it was, he has to be more dominant than you. It wasnt Warren or Darryl. Ben would have noticed if Darryl hadnt been at the meeting. Hed have said something to me because if it was Darryl who was running the show, it would have been too dangerous to hold his tongue. The same was true of Auriele.
How does the pack run from there? I watched her sweat. Ben was right that it was someone higher up. She was expecting me to name him soon, so not too far down the pack hierarchy. Auriele. It wasnt her either, was it? She likes Adam. Shed never send him into a burning building to rescue someone who wasnt there.
She stiffened at the dig.
Then there is Paul. That got herwasnt that interesting? But I knew better. It wasnt him, though. Adam doesnt trust Paul at his back. Hed have kept him right here through the whole pack meeting. Paul had been my pick for the jerk whod influenced me at the bowling alley before Id understood how angry Mary Jo was. Hed probably been Adams pick, too. Paul was still angry about losing a fight to Warren, and hed put the blame on Adam for that. Like Ben, Paul was a bitter and difficult person who didnt like many people. Mary Jo was one he did like, her and her boyfriend, Henry.
I watched her face closely. She was worried Id guess. Not Paul, then who? Further down the ranks things could get murky to an outsider as I had been and really still was. I ran the wolves I knew well through my head, then stopped. Henry? He was a nice guy. Smart and quick. A banker, I thought, but I wasnt sure, something with finances. He would neverHmm. Never was an awfully strong word.
I wondered how Henry felt about Mary Jos crush on Adam.
Henry, I said experimentally and watched her face whiten. Maybe she didnt know how much she was telling me without opening her mouth at all. Henry was out with you last night. Henry told you to leave the fae alone when they set my house on fire.
Jesses door opened, and Adam came in and shut it gently behind him. He was obviously stiff, and, from the set of his jaw and the tightness of the skin around his eyes, he was in pain as well. If I could see it, he was hurting a lot more than he showed. And the Alpha didnt show weakness if he could help it.
He was dressed only in a pair of gi bottoms that ended mid-calf, leaving the weepy wounds on his feet clearly visible. Oh, there were other bits in rough shape, but next to his feet, nothing looked all that bad.
I heard your voice, he told me, pulling my eyes away from his feet and up to his face. So I pressed my ear to the door, and even with the noise my daughter calls music blaring, I overheard what you said, Mercy. He looked at Mary Jo, who had turned around to face him and lost her formal parade-rest stance. She just stood there, looking vulnerable.
Had it been Samuel standing there, Id have worried that he would be too soft on her. But Adam didnt really see women as the weaker sex, and he knew how to organize and how to recognize organization when he saw it.
His unreadable face was focused on Mary Jo. So Henry was there when the fae set Mercys house on fire. And here I thought you were out there alone. Because I knew Henry was in the house when I had plainly told him to back you up last night. Doubtless if I asked him, hed tell me that he thought I only meant for him to be there while the meeting was going on . . . or hed come up with some other explanation.
Henry was the one to tell you my house was on fire, wasnt he? I said. Like Adam, I was watching Mary Jo. I couldnt see her face, but her shoulders tightened. A friend of mine from college, a drama major, told me that the shoulders are the most expressive part of the body. I had to agree with him. She was almost to the point of seeing the big picture, because she expected Adam to say yes.
I see youve followed this to its logical conclusion, Mercy, he told me, but his eyes were on Mary Jo. I wonder if shes seen it yetor if shes part of it.
Henry ran in and got you out to the trailer before anyone else came out of the house? Mary Jos voice was stark, but she wasnt arguing.
Thats right, Adam agreed. More or less. He wandered into the kitchen. Before I could ask him why he wasnt out watching Mercy, he looked out the window, and said, Whats that? Is that a fire? My God, the house is on fire.
He knew, Mary Jo said uncertainly. He saw them start it. He wouldnt let me confront them because he was afraid Id get hurt. He said Mercy and Sam were gone, what was the harm if the upstart coyotes house went up in flames? She deserved a little hurt because of all the pain shed caused.
Mary Jo looked at Adam. He meant to me. He was really angry about how the vampires had attacked us . . . how I was hurt because they were trying to get to Mercy. He wanted to get back at Mercy.
He could care less about me, I told her. His girlfriend didnt like me better than she liked him. Henry was interested in Adam. He saw an opportunity to get back at Adam, and he jumped at it. I looked at Adam. The next time you leap into a burning building after me, youd better make damned sure Im in there. And wear your shoes, damn it. I looked at his feet again. Youre leaking nasty burn ooze on the carpet.
He smiled. I love you, too, sweetheart. And thanks to the time you bled all over it, I now know a place that can clean almost anything off the carpet.
He wanted Adam hurt, I told Mary Jo. Because if hes hurt, then hes vulnerable. An Alpha can be challenged at any time. Since Adam is hurt, usually he could put it off without anyone complaining, especially since the Marrok doesnt allow fights for an Alpha position without his consent. But the pack is I looked at Adam. Sorry, I know its my fault. But the pack is broken. Adam cant put this offnot when the pack is in this much turmoil. If he does, hes liable to have worse than a formal fight on his handshell have a rebellion.
See, I grew up in a werewolf pack. I know the dangers. Not even fear of the Marrok can completely control the nature of the pack. Thats why an Alpha will do anything in his power to hide his weakness in front of the pack.
Henry challenged you? Mary Jos voice was shocked. The Marrok will kill him, if you dont manage it first.
Almost right, said Adam. Paul is actually the one who challenged me. Climbed in the window of the bedroom about four minutes ago and challenged me in front of Ben, Alec, and Henry. Henry having volunteered to drive Ben to pick up some clothes for Mercy because Bens hands are still too sore for him to drive easily and suggested Alec tag along.
He paused, and said heavily, Henry is helpful like that.
Mary Jo nodded. And Alec is known as a neutral party. Not one of your biggest fans, but not one of the hotheads either.
Adam continued in a gentler voice. They must have had some signal so that he and Paul appeared in my bedroom at virtually the same moment when neither Warren nor Darryl was there to interfere. Ben and Henry witnessed the challenge. Henry was appalled that Paul would challenge me when I was hurt.
They set you up, said Mary Jo numbly. They used me to set you up.
Thats what I was trying to tell you, I said, then added a question casually. Was it just you and Henry at the bowling alley, or did Paul help, too?
She nodded, not even noticing all the assumptions Id made because she was too distracted by the realization that things might not have been as shed thought they were. Paul, Henry, and I. Paul suggested it to me. Cant have a coyote second in rank in a respectable pack.Mary Jo looked at Adam. He said she wasnt good enough for youand I agreed. Henry was pretty reluctant. I had to talk him into it. He set me up, didnt he? Both of them set me up.
I felt sorry for her. But Id felt more sorry for her before Id found out that the wolf whod challenged Adam was Paul. Henry was a good fighterId seen him play fight a time or twobut he wasnt a tithe on Paul. Paul . . . Normally I wouldnt worry about Paul taking Adam either, but normally Adams feet werent oozing goo on the carpet, and his hands werent swollen and raw.
That was why I wasnt sorry enough for Mary Jo that Id let her escape blame by pointing her finger at the other two.
The bowling alley was you, I said. Oh, Paul wouldnt cry if Adam and I broke upbut he wants to get rid of Adam more than he wants to get rid of me. Henry . . . Maybe that was the straw that broke the camels back for Henryyoud know better than I. Was that the first time he realized how much you wanted Adam?
Adam jerked his head toward me. I guess he hadnt noticed how Mary Jo felt.
Paul, began Mary Jo. Then she stopped. Closed her eyes and shook her head. Not Paul. She gave Adam a wry smile. Paul is tough, and hes not stupidbut hes not a planner. Hed never have figured out how to force you to accept a challenge before you were ready. Shes right. Its Henry. What can I do?
Not a darn thing, he said. Just be smarter next time.
Whens the fight? I asked, trying to be cool, trying to be a good coyote who lets her mate go out and fight a duel to the death when it hurts him to walk. I had to do it, because sobbing and fussing wouldnt change anything except make his job harder. If he refused the challenge, Paul would be Alphaand if I knew Paul, his first act would be to kill Adam. Henry was hoping so, anyway.
And the reason it was Paul who challenged and not Henry was because as soon as the Marrok heard about thisPaul was a dead man. And that would leave Darryl in charge of the pack with Warren as his second. The pack would not tolerate having a gay man in the second position because if something happened to Darryl, Warren would run the pack. So Warren would be killed or be moved by Branleaving Henry as the second in the pack.
Of course, Adam would have to lose to Paul for that to happen. I felt sick.
Adam looked at Jesses clock, which read 9:15. Fifteen minutes from now in the dojo, he said. Would you go down and let Darryl and Warren know theyll be wanted for witnesses? I think Ill go lie down for another ten minutes. He was in the hallway when he said, If I survive, Mary Jo, well have to come up with a suitable reparation for the bowling alley. You ruined a very promising evening, and I wont forget about it.
* * *
YOUR FOOD IS COLD, GROWLED DARRYL, AS I ENTERED the kitchen. I hope your business was important.
Jesse was still there, drying, while Auriele washed. There was no saving this, not if Paul specified the fight be hereno chance of talking Jesse into waiting this one out somewhere safe; she was too much her fathers daughter.
Pauls challenged Adam, I told them. Fifteen minutes from now in the dojo in the garage.
Darryl whirled around with a growl, and Auriele stepped between him and Jesse, though I dont think Jesse realized it because she was staring at me.
How did he get to Adam? said Auriele. Who was supposed to be watching him?
Me, I said after a stunned moment. I guess that would be me.
No, said Auriele. That would have been Samuel. Ben said he left Adam with Samuel and you.
Samuels not pack, growled Darryl, eyes light gold in the darkness of his face.
Sam wasnt Samuel, I thought. In the normal course of things Samuel would have kept that challenge from happening. I wondered if Paul or Henry had realized that. Probably not.
My fault, I said.
No. Id left Mary Jo in Jesses room, but she must have followed me down. Not your fault, Mary Jo said. Maybe Warren or Darryl could have stopped Paul, but Henry was very careful to make sure they werent there. She gave me an inscrutable look that would have done credit to Darryl, inscrutable but not overtly hostile. They wouldnt have thought Samuel would interfere. They think of him as a lone wolf, not as Adams friend.
The look, I realized, was to let me know that she wouldnt tell them about Samuel unless I did.
Henry? Darryl was shocked into dropping his anger. Henry?
Mary Jo lifted her chin. He planned it. She looked at me, then away. He wants Adam dead and is using Paul . . . used me, too, in order to accomplish it.
Is that what they told you? Henry himself came into the kitchen. He was a compact man, a little taller than me, with a quick smile and hazel eyes that could look either gray or gold rather than the more usual brown and green. He wore his hair in a conservative cut and almost certainly shaved with a regular razor rather than an electric because an electric never produces quite the same well-groomed look. Mary Jo
Inconvenient, I murmured. Not being able to lie to another werewolf.
If Mary Jo hadnt stepped in front of me, hed have hit me. She took the hit for me and it knocked her into the center island. The granite top broke loose under the impact and slidJesse caught the granite slab before it overbalanced and fell on the floor, shoving it back on its base. If hed hit me that hard, I wouldnt have gotten up the way Mary Jo didand she was holding her ribs.
Auriele stepped in front of Henry when he would have gone to her. Her lips peeled back. ¡Hijo de perra! she said, her voice alive with anger.
Henry flushed, so the insult hit home. Calling someone a son of a dog is a good insult among werewolves.
Hijo de Chihuahua, said Mary Jo.
Auriele shook her head. Darryl kept saying that it couldnt be Paul behind the unrest weve been having for the last couple of years. No one would listen to Paul. We knew he was right, but no one else fit. I would have suspected Peter before I suspected you.
Peter was the lone submissive wolf in the pack. It was inconceivable that a submissive wolf would play power games. If Auriele was right, this had started long before the disastrous bowling-alley incident.
How long have you known that Mary Jo would have dropped you like a hot potato for Adam? I asked.
He snarled something rude.
You have no common sense whatsoever, said Auriele. I assume she was talking to me, so I answered her.
Hes not going to do anything with you between us, I told her. Hes smart enough to be afraid of you.
Since I was killed for certain, said Mary Jo, answering the question Id asked Henry. Isnt that right? The first time I regained consciousness. You kissed my forehead, and I called you by Adams name. But it sounds like you had a pretty good idea about it even earlier.
Get out of here, said Darryl, his voice low with anger. Get out of this house, Henry. When you come back to see this fight, you come in from the outside door. And youd better hope Adam wins this fight, or Ill wipe the ground with you so hard they wont need a box to bury you in. All theyll need is a mop.
Henry flushed, went white, then flushed again. He left the room without a word. The outside door opened and slammed shut.
Ben strolled in, looking grim, Sam right behind him.
Wheres Henry going in such a hurry? Darryl, goodI was looking for you. I just got through talking to Warren downstairs. Have you heard . . . ? His voice trailed off when he saw Jesse standing there. He took a good look at all of us. I see you have.
Darryl stiffened. Samuel? His voice was soft.
Hes been like this a couple of days, offered Ben. So far, so good. Its a long story, and you can hear it later: were due in the garage in five.
Chapter 11
THE ONLY REASON THE GARAGE WASNT PACKED WITH werewolves was that there hadnt been enough time for the word to go around.
Instead of thirty or so, we only had eighteen, not including Sam, who wasnt pack. But I had to keep looking around and counting because there seemed to be fewer people than my count showed. Most dominance fights, like boxing or wrestling matches, are full of jostling, cheering, jeering, and betting. This one was eerily silent, and only one person was moving.
Paul jogged in place on one side of the padded floor, stopping every ten or fifteen seconds to stretch or do a little shadowboxing. He was a tall man with blond hair and a short red beard. His skin was the kind that is usual for redheads, pale and freckled. The excitement of the impending fight left him flushed. Like Adam, he wore only a pair of gi pants.
There is no tradition that dictates dominance fights have to be done in human form. It is common, though, because it makes the challenge more about skill and strength. When you are armed with fangs and claws, a lucky hit can take out a more skilled opponent.
On the far side of the mats from Paul, Adam stood in horse stance, head bowed, eyes closed, and shoulders relaxed. All signs of pain were gone from his face, but he hadnt been able to eliminate the pain-caused stiffness in the time that hed walked from the house to the mat. Even if he had, only an idiot would look at the broken scabs on his feet and hands and not understand that he was in trouble.
As Alpha, even as badly hurt as he had been, he really should have been healing faster than this. Granted that werewolves, even the same werewolf, will heal wounds at different rates depending upon a number of things. He might have been hurt worse than hed shown us, or the trouble hed been having with his pack could be interfering with his ability to heal. I tried not to look worried.
Jesse and I had the equivalent of ringside seats at the edge of the mat on the side where Adam stoodtraditional for the family of the Alpha, but not smart when neither of us could reasonably defend ourselves if the fight rolled off the mats. Sam stood beside Jesse, and Warren stood between us, presumably to keep the combatants from hurting us.
Adam wasnt wearing a watch, but at exactly nine thirty by the clock on the wall, he raised his head, opened his eyes, and nodded at Darryl.
Wolves arent much given to long speech-making. Darryl strode from the sidelines to the center of the mat. Paul has chosen today to challenge our Alpha, he announced baldly. His lips twisted as he said, He eschewed the formality of running the challenge by the Marrok.
No one murmured or looked surprised. They all knew what Paul had done.
There was the bare chance that the Marrok would look at the mess the pack was in and allow that Paul had no choice but to challenge. The chance that the Marrok wouldnt kill Paul would have been slightly greater if Adam hadnt been hurt already. But Paul probably thought that he was in the right and that he could convince the Marrok of the same thing.
I suppose anything is possible. I dont think Paul understood just how unlikely that was. Hed never, to my knowledge, actually met the Marrok. Henry, who had, probably told Paul that it would be all right. People like Henry are good at getting others to believe them.
Darryl looked around the audience. My job is to see that you stay off the mats. I am willing to ensure that this is a fair fight with your life. Are we clear?
Excuse me, said Mary Jos voice.
She was just this side of five feet tall so I didnt see her until she stepped onto the mat in front of Darryl.
I call challenge on Paul, she said.
And then there was noise, a great howl of noise as the whole garage full of werewolves objectedwomen dont fight in challenge fights.
Darryl raised his hand and quiet spread reluctantly.
Im within three of his rank, she said. Her eyes were properly on Darryls feet, though her face was turned to him. It is within my right to challenge him for the right to fight the Alpha.
I stared at her. This was not something Id have expected of the Mary Jo who had allowed the fae to set fire to my house while she was supposed to be standing guard.
Youre not within three ranks, growled Darryl.
She held up her hand. Paul, she said. Then she held up one finger Henry. Another finger. George and me.
She was right. That was where Id have put her, too.
You are an unmated woman, Darryl said. That puts your rank at the bottom. Alec is after George.
Alec, she called, not taking her attention away from Darryl. Who is more dominant, you or me?
Alec stepped around the other wolves and looked from her to Paul. I could see the answer he wanted to make, and Darryl started to relax. Adam, I noticed, was watching Mary Jo with surprised respect.
Alec opened his mouth, then hesitated. You all could tell if I lied, he said. He raised up both his hands in a gesture of surrender. I hope you know what youre doing, Mary Jo. He looked Darryl in the eye, and said, Mary Jo outranks me.
And chaos reigned. Paul stuck his head in Darryls face and raved. He was one of the very few people in the pack tall enough to stand eye to eye with Darryl. If there hadnt been so much noise, Id have been able to hear what he saidbut I could guess. Paul liked Mary Jo. He didnt want to kill her.
Mary Jo stood there; like Adam, she was an island of quiet in the uproar. She was small, but every ounce of weight she had was muscle. She was tough as boot leather, quick, and agile. I wasnt as certain as Paul was that shed loseI wouldnt want to fight against her. If she won, she could yield to Adam. If she decided to fightand I didnt think she wouldshed be coming into the challenge tired and possibly hurt.
Then I remembered the way Henry had thrown her into the island in the kitchen. She had either broken or cracked her ribs when she hit. Though I couldnt see it in the way she was moving, there had not been enough time for her to heal. No one healed that fast unless they were an Alpha with a full moon outside.
Enough, roared Warren suddenly, his voice ringing out over the hubbub like a shot fired in a crowd.
Darryl turned to Mary Jo, and said, No.
Not your call to make, she informed him. Adam?
I have a problem, he said. Justice demands that I must step away from this determination because I am more than a little vested in the decision. In the name of justice, then, let it fall to the next three in rankMercy, Darryl, and Auriele.
He looked at me.
I know what I wanted to say. Auriele was likely to agree with Mary Joand wed already heard what Darryls viewpoint was. Even if Mary Jo lost, it would help Adam. I looked at the wolves and saw a lot of resentful facesthey had done the math as well, and they were very unhappy with me being a part of the decision.
Then I saw some wiggle room.
It seems to me that there is another problem, I said. If we agree that Mary Jo can fight because she ranks within three people of Paul. I submit that Paul does not stand within three people of Adam. Like Mary Jo, I held up my hand. Adam, then me. I held up a finger. Darryland Auriele, then Warren.
Then Honey, said Warren with a little smile. Then Paul.
Paul snarled. He has already accepted my challenge. That presupposes I have the right.
I looked at Adam.
Nice try, he told me. But I agree with Paul.
And the official code of conduct, said Ben grumpily, which I had to damn well memorize before I was allowed in the pack, says challenge within quote three men unquote. The important word being men.
So Mary Jo cant fight, said Paul with a relieved grin. Shes not a man.
So Mary Jos claim is still valid, I pointed out. Shes within three men of your rank. Does the code of conduct say that the challenger has to be a man? Kyle told me that one of the secrets of being a lawyer was never to ask a witness a question you didnt know the answer to. I knew what it said, but it would sound better coming from someone else.
No, said Ben.
Id done all I could do. Adams silent urging pushing me, I looked at Mary Jo, and said, Like Adam, I have too much of a stake in this.
Mercy, whispered Jesse fiercely. What are you doing? I patted the hand shed locked on my wrist.
Darryl, Auriele, and Warren will decide this, then, said Adam.
Because my mate bond with Adam was sort of functioning again, I knew he believed that if Id been part of the decision, it would have just become another point of contention. Another stupid thing that allowing a coyote into a pack of wolves had accomplishedinstead of what it should be, a recognition of Mary Jos right to challenge regardless of her sex. I figured he was right.
There are only three females in this pack, said Darryl. I dont think he forgot about me so much as he really meant three women werewolves instead of females in general. That is typical for all packs. Most werewolves die before they have spent a decade as a wolf, but for women who are wolves, that life span is almost doubled because they do not fight men for dominance. And still they are so few. You are too precious to us to allow you to risk so much.
It took me a while to realize he wasnt talking to the whole pack, but to his mate.
Auriele crossed her arms. That makes sense in a species where women are important to survival. But we arent. We cannot have childrenand so are no more valuable to the pack than anyone else.
It had the ring of an old argument.
I vote no, said Darryl, snapping his teeth as he spoke.
I vote yes, responded Auriele coolly.
Damn it, said Warren. Yall are going to throw me in the middle of a marital spat on top of everything else?
Up to you, Auriele said grimly.
Hell, said Warren, if this aint a whole can of worms, I dont know what is. Mary Jo?
Yes?
You sure about this, darlin?
It felt as if the whole pack drew a breath.
This is my fault, she told him. That Adam got hurt, that the pack has been in an upheaval. I didnt cause it all, but I didnt stop it either. I think its time I make suitable reparations, dont you? Try to fix the damage?
Warren stared at her, and I saw the wolf come and go in his eye. All right. All right. You go fight him, Mary Joand you damn well better win. You hear me?
She nodded. Ill do my best.
You do better than that, he said grimly.
Mary Jo. Pauls voice was plaintive. I dont want to hurt you, woman.
She kicked off her shoes and started pulling off her socks. Do you yield? she asked him, while she stood on one foot.
He stared at her, his body tight with growing anger. I stuck my neck out for you, he said.
She nodded. Yes. And I was wrong to ask you to. She tossed her second sock aside and looked at him. But Henry used both of us to ruin our pack. Are you going to let him get away with it?
It was very quiet in the garage. Im not sure anyone was even breathing. Henrys name had been a shock. Heads turned toward Henry, who was leaning against the wall between the garage doors, as far as he could get from Adams side of the mat.
Paul looked at him, too. For a moment, I thought it was going to work.
Are you going to let some girl lead you around by your tail like I did? Henry said, sounding miserable. She wants Adam, and shes willing to throw both of us away to get him. It was a masterful performance, and Paul bought ithook, line, and sinker.
The hell with you, then, Paul said to her. The hell with you, Mary Jo. I accept your challenge. He looked at Adam. Youll have to wait. I guess Ill eat my dessert first.
And he strode to the far end of the mat, next to Henry. Mary Jo walked up to where Adam was standing.
Reparations accepted, he said. You remember he fights with his heart and not his head.