Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

down—which was pretty good for a human. Assuming that this was the new guard, I grabbed my pack and hid in the closet, the SIG back in my hand. The closet had a sliding door, but I left the side farthest from the door open, just as it had been.
    I could see Jesse jerk against her ropes as someone turned the bolt and threw open the outer door.
    â€œHey, pretty thing,” said the guard. I could smell the garlic he’d eaten recently, and something unhealthy and sour. He wasn’t a werewolf, but he wasn’t anyone I particularly wanted around Jesse either. “I’m here to take you to the bathroom. If you’re nice to me, I’ll even let you eat something. I bet you’re hungry by now.”
    He walked over to Jesse and I had a perfect shot at hisback. The temptation to take it was made stronger by the panic in Jesse’s eyes and the smell of fear that washed off her.
    Adam snarled, and the guard drew his gun and turned toward him. He pulled the trigger and Jesse made a horrible, disbelieving sound. I had my gun out and was tightening my own finger when I realized that the gun had made a soft pop rather than a bang—it was an air-powered tranq gun. If he’d had a werewolf’s hearing, I’d have had to shoot him anyway because I couldn’t help the gulp of air I’d taken when he shot Adam.
    â€œThat’ll keep you for a while,” he said, presumably to Adam. He holstered the gun and bent over to work on the knots at Jesse’s feet. If he’d turned around, he could have seen me—just as Jesse did.
    I shook my head at her and touched my eyes, then pointed at the guard. She got the point because she quit looking at me—staring fixedly at the ceiling instead.
    He didn’t seem to hear it, but someone was jogging up the stairs—possibly drawn by the sound of the gun’s discharge, soft as it had been. The door was hanging open so the second man came right in. This one was a werewolf. I couldn’t see him, but I could smell him just fine.
    â€œSmells like animals in here,” he said, in a voice that echoed in a bass so low that it sounded muffled.
    At first, I was sure he was talking about me.
    The guard I could see jerked around, obviously caught by surprise. If he’d shifted his eyes ten degrees, he’d have been staring right at me, but the second guard held his attention instead.
    â€œYou an animal, Jones?” the second man asked with a soft eagerness in his voice. “I am.”
    Jones backed up until the bed caught him behind the knees and he sat down, half on top of Jesse. I could have told him that was stupid. You don’t back away from predators—it gives them the wrong idea.
    When Jones didn’t say anything, the werewolf laughed. “I thought the boss told you he didn’t want you anywhere near this child. Am I right?”
    I don’t know what the werewolf was doing, but it must have been frightening because Jones was making small noises. The werewolf moved at last, a big redheaded man with a dark beard cut close to his face. He grabbed Jones, a hand on each shoulder of his shirt, and picked him up off the bed with a grunt of effort. He turned toward the door and tossed the lighter man across the room. I didn’t see Jones hit the floor, but I heard him gasp.
    â€œGo,” the werewolf said.
    I heard Jones scramble down the stairs, but I wasn’t certain that it was an improvement. The man who was left was far more dangerous. He’d made that remark about animals. Had he scented me? Or was he just taunting Jones?
    I stood motionless, except for a slight tremor I couldn’t control, and tried to think good thoughts. Fear is a strong scent, and while Jesse was scared enough for the both of us, I was hoping to stay unnoticed.
    â€œAll right, Angel, let’s get you untied,” the werewolf said to Jesse in a gentle voice that might have been more reassuring if I hadn’t been able to smell his lust. Jesse was unable to do so, and I saw her relax fractionally.
    His big hands made short work of the knots, and he helped her sit up like a gentleman, giving her time to work out the stiffness in her shoulders and back. She, smart girl that she was, positioned herself so that his gaze was away from the closet.
    He gave her a gentle boost so she could stand, then steadied her with light hands as she walked out of my view and out the door. I leaned against the wall, closed