Pauls hands clenched, and both fists came down in an instant replay of the attack hed used on Mary Jo. Adam was bent at the waist, failed kick still extended, his back exposed to Pauls descending fists. And then he did one of those kung-fu movie moves, spinning horizontally. I wasnt the only one who gasped.
The kick hadnt missed; it was the start of something beautiful and dangerous. Adams left leg hit Pauls shoulder with such force that Pauls blow went wide, flailing at empty space, as he spun in midair before crashing to the mats.
Paul hit like a pine tree falling, and the sound of his arm breaking was loud enough for everyone to hear. Adam landed on his stomach, one leg trapped under Pauls body, which was perpendicular to Adams. Unlike Paul, Adams landing was deliberate and controlled. Before Paul could react, Adam twisted his body and drove the shin of his free leg into Pauls chest.
In karate movies, they break celery to mimic the sound of breaking bones. Trust me, my hearing is acute, and I know these things: Pauls ribs didnt sound anything like celery. A human might have died from that blow; he certainly would have needed CPR. Werewolves are tougher than that.
Pauls hand slammed the mat.
He yields, said Adam.
Adam wins, announced Darryl. Do you accept Pauls yield, Alpha?
I do, replied Adam.
This fight is over, said Darryl.
Adam leaned down to Paul. That edge you lost in your fight with Mary Jo is what allowed me to take the time to find something that would hurt youinstead of kill you. You can thank her for your life.
Paul moved his head, exposing his throat to Adam. I will, Alpha.
Adam smiled. Id give you a hand upbut wed better have Warren look at your ribs first. One punctured lung is enough.
Id been keeping an eye on Henry throughout the fight. I glanced at him just as he stepped onto the mat.
Alpha, he called. I chal
He never got the whole word outbecause I drew my foster fathers SIG and shot him in the throat before he could.
For a split second everyone stared at him, as if they couldnt figure out where all that blood had come from.
Stop the bleeding, I said. Though I made no move to do it myself. The rat could die for all I cared. That was a lead bullet. Hell be fine. Though he wouldnt be talkingor challenging Adamfor a while. When hes stable, put him in the holding cell, where he cant do any more harm.
Adam looked at me. Trust you to bring a gun to a fistfight, he said with every evidence of admiration. Then he looked at his pack. Our pack. What she said, he told them.
Chapter 12
WHEN THE PACK ESCORTED ADAM IN A TRIUMPHANT procession into the house, I hung back with Jesse and Samboth of whom looked pretty wrung out.
Paul had left the dojo the same way Mary Jo had, in the stretcherand he should be resting beside her in one of the downstairs bedrooms that were considered pack property rather than Adams. Any member of the pack could and did claim one for sleeping or reading or whatever they needed. With Adam in the house, neither Paul nor Mary Jo would have a problem with control while they healedtheir wolves knew their Alpha was in residence to keep them safe.
There were some awful things about being a werewolf. Lots of them. But there were some okay parts, tooand some that were nice. One of those was knowing that as long as the Alpha was around, you had a safe place to be.
Henry hadnt died from the blood loss, so far as I knew, and had probably already healed. A bullet is a small thing, and the hole it cuts is clean if it doesnt hit anything hard on the way throughlike bone. Hed be up before either Mary Jo or Paul. Of course, what happened to him after that was in question. I suppose it would be Adams decision.
Warren hung back until everyone else except for me, Sam, and Jesse were gone. And then he shut the door.
Adam will miss you in about five minutes, he told me. And in six minutes youre going to need to get him upstairs and in bed without letting the whole pack know that in ten minutes that man is going to be unconscious on the floor.
I know, I told him.
The big cowboy smiled tiredly, though, like me, all hed done was watch the challenge. That was a nice bit of fighting. I suspect he could have taken Paul without Mary Jo stepping in.
I nodded. But now Paul is back in the pack again, happier than before. And I dont think that could have happened without Mary Jo.
I hate this part, said Jesse shakily.
The part where everyone is safe, and you want to find a quiet corner and bawl like a newborn? Warren glanced at me. I reckon its better than when people arent safebut its not my favorite, either. He wrapped his arm around Adams daughters shoulder and she snuggled into him.
There you go, he said. You go ahead and cry, baby. Aint no one going to say you dont have the right. Get it over with and cry some for mecause if Kyle catches me crying, hes gonna think I turned into one of those sissy boys.
Jesse laughed, but left her head where it was.
Warren looked at me. You go on. You got someone elses shoulder to cry on. You tell him I got Jesses back. And, Samuel, you stay with me, too. We dont need any more drama, and I doubt that Adam is up to showing his weakness to someone who could be his rival until the adrenaline eases a bit.
Sam stretched, yawned, and lay down.
Thanks, Warren, I said.
He smiled and tipped the front of his imaginary cowboy hat. Shucks, maam, Im only doin my job. Darryls gonna feed the masses again, and Im riding herd on the stragglers.
Jesse pulled back and wiped her eyes, a smile on her face. Have I ever told you that youre my favorite cowboy?
Of course I am, he said smugly.
Youre the only cowboy she knows, I informed him.
He glanced at his watch. You got about two minutes left.
Mercy? Jesse asked, catching my arm before I could go. What about Gabriel?
Well find him, Warren said, before I could respond. He smiled at me. I have good hearing, and the house was plenty quiet enough last night to hear a phone call in the kitchen. He bent down so he could look Jesse in the eye. Running around when we dont know anything wont help him. Zees looking into it, and waiting for him is our best option at the moment.
If Zee couldnt help us, hed have told us by now, I said, looking only at Jesse. I wasnt talking to Warren; I was talking to Jesse. No oath breaking here. Well get Gabriel out of this.
Maybe well sic Sylvia on them, said Warren.
You heard? Of course he had. News travels fast in the pack.
Heard what? Jesse was coming back online, I thought. Warrens hug had been exactly what she needed.
Sylvia threatened to set the police on me if I darkened their doorstep again. Gabriel isnt working for me anymore. I frowned. I hadnt thought about it, but it might affect Jesse, too. I dont know if youre considered one of the prohibited peoplebut since she got mad because I didnt warn her that Sam was a werewolf before Maia adopted him as her new pony, I expect that werewolves of any kind are going to be a hot button for a little while. Once we get him home, you need to talk it over with Gabriel.
She nodded. If we get him home, Ill be happy to fight with Sylvia about my right to hang out with Gabriel.
Good for you, said Warren.
She stepped back from him and almost fell over Sam. Hey, she said to him. How come you let Warren and Dad take care of Mary Jo?
Hes not himself, I said. It wouldnt have been a good idea.
Sam gave me a look full of guilt and turned his head away.
I thought about that guilty look all the way in the house and into the living room where the pack was scattered all over the furniture and the floor. There were more wolveslatecomers receiving the blow-by-blow account of the fight. And I hadnt seen Adams pack this relaxed since . . . ever. I hadnt hung out with the werewolves much until this last yearand it hadnt been a peaceful one for the pack.
Honey caught me on my way to get Adam, who was sitting on one end of the leather couch. I hadnt noticed her in the garageand I would have because Honey doesnt go unnoticed, partly because she is very dominant and partly because she is very beautifulso she must have been one of the latecomers.
Mary Jo was recognized as more dominant than Alec? she asked. She didnt sound happy, which was odd. Because her mate, Peter, was a submissive wolf, Honey was considered the lowest member of the pack except for Mary Jo, though by personality and fighting power she was actually closer to the top. Maybe the idea that they might rank her where she belonged offended her idea of what a lady should be. Maybe she worried it would cause trouble in the pack, or between her and her mate. Maybe she was afraid that she was going to get targeted in the dominance fights. Whatever it was, her trouble ranked way down in my priorities at the momentAdam was listing to the right. In a few moments, someone else was bound to notice.
Yes, I said, sliding by her and stepping over someone who was lying on their side on the floor. Dont ask me what it means long-term; I dont think anyone knows. Adam?
He looked up, and I wondered if Warren should have knocked a minute off his countdown to the crash; he looked that bad.
You should come with me. We need to call the Marrok. Invoking the Marroks name should make it unlikely that anyone would follow us. I ensured that by adding, Hes not going to be happy about being left out of this. The sooner he hears, the better.
There was a twinkle in Adams eyes, though he kept the rest of his face stoic. Better be in my bedroom, if Im going to get chewed on. Give me a hand up, would you? Paul gave me a few good ones.
He held up one of his poor, sore hands, and I took it without wincing for the pain that closing his hand over mine must have given him. It was a show to reassure the pack he was as strong as ever. The twinkle left his eyes though his mouth turned up in a smile as he stood up easily, without pulling on my hand at all.
When we got to the moron who was sitting in the only path to the stairway, Adam caught my waist and lifted me over before stepping over the man himself.
Scott? Adam said as we headed upstairs.
Yeah?
Unless someone shoots you, skins you, and throws the results on the floor, I dont want to see you lying in the walkway again.
Yessir!
When we reached the top of the stairway, his hand was heavy on my shoulder, and he leaned harder on me all the way to the bedroom.
Someoneand I was betting it was Darrylhad left three huge roast beef sandwiches, a cup of hot coffee, and a glass of ice water on the table by the side of the bed. Medea was sleeping on the pillow in the middle of the bed. She looked up at us and, when I didnt make any move to oust her, closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Crumbs on the sheets, muttered Adam, watching the sandwiches intently as I pushed him down on the bed.
Bet there are clean sheets in this mausoleum somewhere, I told him. We can find them tonight and remake the bed. Presto, no more crumbs. I took half a sandwich and held it up to his face. Eat.
He smiled and bit my finger with a playfulness Id have thought beyond him, as beat as he was.
Eat, I said sternly. Food, then sleep. Rescue I bit my lip. Adam was a wolf. I couldnt talk to him about Gabriel, no matter how wrong that felt. Food, then sleep. Everything else can wait.
But it was too late. Hed never let that word go by without a challenge. He accepted the sandwich from me, took a bite, and swallowed it. Rescue?
I cant talk about it. Talk to Jesse or Darryl.
Mercy?
His voice wrapped around my head like a bracing winter wind, fresh and sweet to my taste. Here was a way I could communicate without speechif I could just figure out how. I stared at him intently.
Finally, he smiled. You cant talk about it. You promised . . . someone. I got that much. I keep a notebook in my briefcase in the closet. Why dont you get that and spend some time writing a letter to me about whatever it is you cant say.
I kissed his nose. Youve been hanging out with the fae again, havent you? Wolves are usually a little better about keeping the spirit as well as the letter of the law.
Good thing you arent a werewolf, then. His voice was gravelly with fatigue and smoke damage.
You really think so? I asked. When I was growing up, Id wanted to be a werewolf so I could really belong to the Marroks pack. Id always wondered whether, if I had been a werewolf instead of a coyote, my foster father would have reconsidered his decision to follow his mate in death. But when Adam said he was glad I wasnt a werewolf, it sounded like he meant it.
I wouldnt change a hair on your head, he told me. Now, go get the notebook and write it all down before I die of curiosity.
I will if you eat.
He obligingly took another bite, so I rummaged through his closet until I found the briefcase. He scooted over, making Medea protest until he scooped her into his lap so I could sit on the edge of the bed. While I sat beside him and wrote down everything I could think of, he finished all but half a sandwich (Yours, he said. Eat.) and fell asleep while I was still writing.
I finished. Adam?
He didnt move, but I noticed that his hands were looking better. His pack was behind him againfor the moment at least. Or maybe it was just the way his magic chose to work this time. People who try too hard to explain how magic works end up in funny farms.
I added Sweet Dreams at the bottom of the last page and left the notebook beside him. I slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door. I hadnt taken two steps before my phone rang. It was Zee.
Get somewhere you wont be overheard, he said.
I stepped through the open door of Jesses roomwhich was emptyshut the door, and turned on the music again. Adam was sleeping like the dead; it might last five minutes or several hours. No one else would hear anything.
Okay.
I know you cant talk to me about the woman who took our Gabriel, Zee said. So youll just have to hear me out.