She hissed. When I have that which is silver borne, I shall have no need to fear. Not wolves, not Gray Lords. The only thing that saves you at this moment is that it might take some time after you die for it to reveal itself. If you make this too difficult for me, I will risk it.
What did you want me to do? I asked her.
Tell me you wont tell any of the werewolves about me, about what you have, and that Gabriel is in any kind of distress or danger.
Okay, I said reluctantly. I wont tell any of the wolves about you, about the thing I have that was Phins, or about Gabriels current danger.
You will not tell any of the fae. Not the Gray Lords, not the old fae who was at your place of work this morning.
I looked at Darryl, and he nodded grimly. Hed tell Zee for me.
I will not tell any fae I know about you, about the thing I have that was Phins, or about Gabriels current danger.
I cant force you to adhere to that agreement, she told me. That magic is no longer mine. But I will know the instant you break your wordand our deal will be off. This young and beautiful man will be mine, and you will die.
Jesses cold hand gripped mine. She and Gabriel had been sort of dating for a while. Sort of because he was concentrating on school since he needed scholarships for college.
All right, I told the fae.
Second. You will bring this thing to the bookstore and give it to my knight of the water.
Fishy Boy, I thought. Though Knight of the Water didnt ring any bells. Maybe it was a title rather than a type of fae.
Nope. Im not bringing it to the bookstore to your knight. One of her people could kill us all, and leave her not foresworn. We needed to deal only with her.
You will
Not trust you unless it is a full exchange. You bring Gabriel, and I get him safe and unharmed in exchange for this thing I will bring you.
I cannot bring you Gabriel unharmed, she said, sounding amused.
Mary Jo gave a very soft rumbling growl, and I poked her to stop it. Maybe the fae wasnt paying attention. Shed heard the earlier sound Jesse had made, but as Bran liked to tell me, you can have the best senses in the world, but if you forget to use them, they can do you no good.
No more harmed than now, I said. Himself, in his own mind, his body no more bruised than it is at this instant.
That I can manage, she said, still sounding amused.
I would consider death as further damage.
She laughed. The sound was beginning to get on my nerves. So distrustful, Mercedes. Dont you read your fairy tales? It is the humans who betray their bargains. Get a good nights sleep . . . Whoops, too late. Rest, then. Ill call you at this number sometime tomorrow when I have a chance to organize a safe meeting place.
I wracked my brain because she was too happy, like she knew something we didnt.
Gabriel is the only human you have, I said, suddenly worried that she had more hostages.
She laughed again. You dont really think Ill answer that, do you?
And she hung up.
Does anyone know what area code 333 belongs to? I asked.
There isnt one, said Ben. No 333, no 666. Phone company doesnt officially believe in numerology, but they have a lot of customers who do.
You want me to call Zee right now? rumbled Darryl. Or does he get grumpy when you wake him up?
I looked at him. I cant answer your first question. And Zee is almost always grumpy. Dont let it bother you.
Ill call him, said Auriele.
Wait before . . . I hesitated to say anything about her calling Zee, not knowing just how far I could go without triggering the faes spell. But Auriele understood and sat back down.
Did anyone hear anything that might pinpoint where she was calling from? asked Jessewho watched several forensic police procedural TV shows regularly.
No trains, Mary Jo said dryly. She pushed the table so she wasnt pinned anymore. No water noises. No highway or car sounds. No airplanes. No distinctive church chimes. No dolphins playing in the background.
Which eliminates a lot of places, said Auriele. Im pretty sure it was indoors. I heard a hum that might have been a fluorescent light fixture.
I heard echoes, like she was in a room with hard sides, said Darryl. Not a huge room, though. It didnt sound hollow.
When I couldnt say she hit him, because Id promised not to talk about the fairy queen or Gabriels danger to the werewolves. When Mary Jo heard something, there was a slight scuffing sound, I said. Like a chair sliding on cement. I closed my eyes and thought about the feel of the background sounds.
The lack of outdoor noises might mean that she was in a basement instead of just indoors, said Darryl. If shes not from around here, shed need to acquire someplace securenot a hotel. Rentals are hard to find in the area right nowone of my coworkers was complaining about it. If Phin is dead, maybe the fae is using his house.
He lived in an apartment, one of the newer ones in West Pascoand he has nosy neighbors. I got up and got a dishcloth and wet it down so I could clean up the cocoa.
The bookstore, then, said Auriele. She took the cloth and tossed it to Mary Jo. Your mess, you clean it up.
Mary Jos shoulders were tight, but she started to clean up without protest.
Sam and I were in the bookstores basement tonight, I said. But the lighting there is incandescentno buzzing. Beyond that, the sound was wrong. There were a lot of books down there, so it wasnt as echo-y. The room in the phone call sounded emptier.
You were at the bookstore? Did you catch a scent? Ben had been dozing, I thought. Even after he spoke, his eyes were closed. The stress of his wounds and the full belly from Warrens mysterious ice chest of roasts would work like a narcotic.
Do you need to go downstairs and sleep? I asked.
No, Im fine. Did you find out anything?
We picked up Phins scentand four other fae who had been in there. One of them, some kind of forest fae, came back, and Sam killed it. There was another forest fae, a female we didnt meet. She was the same kind as the one Sam killedIm pretty sure of it. And then there was one who smelled of swamps and wet things who hopefully is her knight of the water. The fewer allies she has, the happier I am. I met the fourth, who left traces in the bookstore earlier today . . . I guess thats yesterday now. She looked like a happy-grandmother type. I couldnt tell what she was.
Was it her? asked Ben, and nodded at the phone.
I cant answer that, I told him.
But you can answer me, said Jesse. Was the old woman the one who took Gabriel?
I dont know, I said. I closed my eyes and thought about what had happened and when. No. She was looking through Phins records, trying to find out who Phin gave something to. The bad guys had already tried to kill me onceif you didnt pick up on it, the incident at my garage yesterday morning was aimed at me. They knew where they were looking. Maybe if I could have talked to her, wed know more about what it was that the fairy queen wanted.
Shes not smart, this fairy queen, said Ben. If she were, shed have known that you werent human.
I dont exactly advertise, I told him. And, other than my connection to Adam and the Marrok, Im not important. Theres no reason that she should know. Especially since shes been producing shows in California.
She makes assumptions, Darryl said. Most people look at you, Mercy, and wonder if you are fae or wolf and just hiding it, because youre mated to a wolf and working with a fae. He stopped and raised a speculative eyebrow. Or she thinks you are one or the other and might react and tell her which one if she kept taunting you with being human.
That sounds about right, I said.
Why not just give them whatever she wants and get Gabriel back, Mary Jo said. Its not yours, and it sounds like the rightful owner is dead anyway.
Ben snorted. You arent usually this dumb. You want to hand a woman like this fairy queen an object of power that she believes can protect her from us?
Darryl tilted his head and looked at Mary Jo. She flushed and dropped her gaze. Dont think I dont remember that you disobeyed Adam, he said. You have no standing here, and you will not leave this house until your punishment. He waited, then answered her question. Bens right. Besides, you really think shes going to let anyone live who knows what she has? I dont know a damn thing about what she wants. If the Gray Lords are willing to kill Mercy just because she knows about itMercy who has their favor and is beloved by our Alphadont you think theyd kill one of those under their power, who has no such protections? If I can figure that out from one phone conversation, this Daphne, she knows it, too. She has no intention of letting anyone go. Shed make the exchange, then kill both Mercy and the boy.
Or keep the boy and kill Mercy, added Jesse, who had her dads clear eye for strategy. Gabriel would rather be dead. She was still a teenager with a streak of drama, though. I wasnt so sure Gabriel would rather be dead than serve the fairy queenfrom all accounts it was fairly pleasant from the victims side because they had no willpower to object.
Id rather be dead. Maybe she was right.
Mercy, grumbled Darryl, she was right about one thing: you need some sleep. Go to bed. His voice softened. You, too, Jesse. We can all help your boy better on a full nights sleep.
He was right. I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.
I yawned and hooked my arm through Jesses. Okay.
* * *
AFTER DROPPING JESSE OFF AT HER ROOM, I OPENED the door to Adams as quietly as I could. Someone had stripped the comforter and thrown it on the floor. Adam was sprawled naked on top of the sheetand he looked horrible. A mass of dark red scabs covered most of his extremities as well as here and there on the rest of his body.
Warren had taken off his boots and was lying on the near side of the bed on his side, facing the doorway. Sam was curled up between them at the foot of the bed.
Id worried a little about leaving him with a wounded Alpha, but apparently he was still behaving atypically for an uncontrolled werewolf. While I closed the door, he rolled flat on his side and half looked at me. He wiggled a bit and let out a satisfied oof as he pushed Warrens feet over a few inches. I noticed that he didnt touch Adam.
Warren was awakeeven if he looked like he was deeply asleep. I crawled over him and the corners of his mouth tipped up. I settled in between him and Adam, curling my legs up so I didnt kick Sam.
I tried not to touch Adam, but he rolled over and threw an arm over my hip. It felt warm and safe and goodand probably hurt him. His eyes opened a slit, then closed.
I lay there a while in simple appreciation that hed survived the fire. The door opened just as I was drifting off to sleep.
Is there room for one more? asked Ben. I lifted up my head to see him standing in the doorway in a pair of baggy sweats. His hair was ruffled on one side as if hed been lying down before he came up. If not, I can go
Come on in, rumbled Warren. Ill go take the upstairs guest room.
Warren rolled off the bed, and Ben crawled on. He put one foot on mine, then let out a sigh and collapsed like a puppy whod been playing for too long. Pack is for comfort when you hurt, I thought, putting my head back down. And for the first time in a long time, maybe the first time ever, I appreciated being a part of one.
* * *
I WOKE UP BECAUSE THE TOP OF MY HEAD WAS TOO warm. The sensation was vaguely familiar so I started to go back to sleep when sharp, pokey things started digging into my scalp. And then I remembered why there shouldnt be a cat sleeping on my head.
I sat up and stared into the cool gaze of the slightly singed calico Manx who expressed her irritation with my abrupt change of position with an irritated meow. She smelled of smoke, and there was a raw spot on the top of her back, but otherwise she seemed to be fine.
Adam didnt move, but Ben rolled over and opened his eyes.
Hey, cat, I said, tearing up, as she adjusted to my new position and maneuvered herself so she was within easy petting distance of both Ben and me. I thought you were toast.
She pushed her head under my hand and rolled so my hand slid through her coat. Ben started to reach out, but stopped as soon as he moved his fingers. They looked better than they had beforethough they still looked like something that might appear in a horror movie.
I didnt realize you didnt know, Ben said, his voice still rough. I should have told you. Adam went to your room. I went to Sams and found her under the bed.
I wiped my eyes and nose on my shoulder (both hands being occupied with cat and covered with cat hair anyway). Then I leaned forward and kissed Bens nose.
Thanks, I said. Id have missed her a lot.
Yeah. He stretched out on his back, hands carefully laid across his belly. Wed have missed her, too. Only cat Ive ever seen who tolerates werewolves. He sounded oddly vulnerable. I dont think he was used to being the hero.
Dont feel too flattered, said Adam dryly. Medea likes vampires, too.
Adam? I said.
But he was asleep again. And I could feel him in my head, just as he should be.
Chapter 10
I WOKE UP, AND MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS SURPRISE that I was so sore. Then I remembered the huge fae whod knocked me silly. In the wake of my home burning down and Adam getting hurt, the encounter with the fae in the bookstore had become incidental. There was a goose-egg-sized knot on the back of my head, nothing wanted to move very much, and my anklesboth of themached.
Sam was snoring, something he actually didnt do very often. He was stretched out across my feet, which couldnt have been very comfortable for him, though he seemed happy enough. He must have felt my attention because he rolled onto his back and stretchedan instant of half wakefulness that ended with him going back to snoring.
Adam was still sleeping like the dead, as he had for most of the nightexcept when he woke up coughing blood tinged gray with smoke particles. Sometime during the night, hed rolled away from me, and now he slept on his side. I ran a hand over his shoulder blade and he moved into my touch without waking up.