Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

the chair carefully. The brass thorns were gleaming black with his blood.
    Andre stepped forward and set Daniel’s too-thin body on the chair in Stefan’s place. Daniel pulled himself into a fetal position, tucking his hands protectively away from the arms of the chair, turning his shoulder when Stefan would have touched him.
    â€œAndre?” Stefan asked.
    Andre gave him a dirty look, but turned to Daniel. “Daniel, you will sit up and take your place in the Questioning Seat.”
    The young vampire began crying. With the speed of a crippled old man he straightened in the seat. He tried twice to lift his hands before Andre took them and impaled them on the thorns himself. Daniel began to shake.
    â€œHe’s too weak for this,” Andre told Stefan.
    â€œYou are his maker,” Marsilia’s voice was cold. “Fix it.”
    Andre’s mouth tightened, but put his wrist in front of Daniel’s mouth. “Feed,” he said.
    Daniel turned his head away.
    â€œDaniel, feed.”
    I’d never seen a vampire strike. The swift jerk of Daniel’s head made me press my hand over the bandages that covered Littleton’s fang marks on my neck. Andre grimaced as the other vampire bit down, but he didn’t pull away.
    It took a long time for Daniel to feed. During the whole while, none of the others moved except for the impatient tapping of Marsilia’s bright nails on the cushioned arms of her chair. No one shifted in their seat or moved their toes. I stepped back, closer to Warren, and he put his hand on my shoulder. I looked at Stefan, who normally vibrated like a puppy, but he seemed to be caught up in the same spell as everyone else.
    â€œStop.” Andre started to pull his arm away, but Daniel’s teeth were still embedded in his wrist. Daniel ripped his hands off the chair, tearing a gash in the hand I could see, and curled both hands around Andre’s forearm.
    â€œDaniel, stop.”
    The vampire whimpered, but he pulled his face away. His hands still held onto Andre. He was shaking as he stared at the blood welling from the fang marks with eyes that glistened like diamonds. Andre twisted his arm away and grabbed Daniel’s hands, slamming them back on the chair, impaling him again.
    â€œStay there,” Andre hissed.
    Daniel breathed in great gasps of air, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
    â€œAsk your questions, Stefan,” said Marsilia. “I tire of this show.”
    â€œDaniel,” Stefan said, “I want you to remember the night you believe you killed those people.”
    Stefan’s voice was gentle, but tears welled out of Daniel’s eyes again. I’d been taught that vampires can’t cry.
    â€œI don’t want to,” he said.
    â€œTruth,” said Wulfe.
    â€œI understand,” said Stefan. “Nonetheless, tell us the very last thing you remember before the bloodlust hit.”
    â€œNo,” the boy said.
    â€œWould you rather have Andre question you?”
    â€œParking at the hotel.” Daniel’s voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a long time.
    â€œThe one in Pasco where Cory Littleton, the vampire you were supposed to question, was staying.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBloodlust begins with a cause. Had you fed that night?”
    â€œYes,” Daniel nodded. “Andre gave me one of his sheep when I woke for the night.”
    I didn’t think he was talking about the kind of sheep with four hooves.
    â€œSo what caused you to hunger? Do you remember?”
    Daniel closed his eyes. “There was so much blood.” He sobbed once. “I knew it was wrong. Stefan, it was a baby. A crying baby…it smelled so good.”
    I glance around at the crowd in time to see the elderly vampire lick his lips. I quickly looked back at Daniel. I didn’t want to know how many of the vampires were made hungry by Daniel’s recount.
    â€œThe baby you killed in the orchard?” asked Stefan.
    Daniel nodded his head and whispered, “Yes.”
    â€œDaniel the orchard is outside of Benton City, a half-hour drive from Pasco. How did you get there?”
    Marsilia quit tapping her fingers. I remembered that Stefan had said that a vampire in the grips of bloodlust would never be able to drive a car. Apparently Marsilia agreed with him.
    â€œI must have driven the car. It was there when I…when I was myself again.”
    â€œWhy did you go to