Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

contractor, Peter Jorgenson. He was a wiry, homely, quiet man who did more work in an hour than most people did in their entire lives. Despite being a bimbo with no appreciation for anything except what she could see in a mirror, Honey loved her husband. Though when she said so, she always prefaced it with how she didn’t care that—unlike herself—he wasn’t a dominant wolf. Not that she ever talked to me: she didn’t like me any more than I liked her.
    â€œPeter follows my orders,” Adam told me.
    Adam was Alpha, so Peter followed his orders. Honey was Peter’s wife, so Peter gave her orders—which she followed. Male werewolves treat their mates like beloved slaves. The thought set my back up.
    It wasn’t Adam’s or Peter’s fault that werewolves had yet to come out of the Stone Age. Really. It was just a good thing I wasn’t a werewolf or there would be a slave rebellion.
    I aimed a kick at Adam’s knee that he caught and used to drag me forward and off balance. Then he did something complicated and I ended up face down on the mat twisted like a pretzel while he held me there with one hand and a knee.
    He smelled like the forest at night.
    I slapped the mat quickly and he let me up.
    â€œAdam. Close your eyes and envision Honey in my shop. She wore three-inch heels today.” The thought of her was like a dash of cold water in my face—which I needed.
    He laughed. “Out of place, was she?”
    â€œShe spent the whole day standing up because she didn’t want to risk staining her skirt on any of my chairs. Gabriel has a crush on her.” I frowned at him when he laughed again. “Gabriel is a sixteen-and-a-half-year-old male. If his mother finds out he’s flirting with a werewolf, she’ll quit letting him work at the shop.”
    â€œShe won’t find out Honey is a werewolf. Honey isn’t out yet. And Honey’s used to male attention, she won’t take Gabriel seriously,” Adam said, as if that was the point.
    â€œ I know that, Gabriel knows that—his mother won’t care. And she will find out. That’s just the way my luck runs. If Gabriel leaves, I’ll have to do my own paperwork.” I hadn’t meant to whine, but I hated paperwork and it hated me back.
    Sylvia, Gabriel’s mother, had just found out that Zee was fae. She’d been okay with that, because she already knew and liked Zee when she found out. But I doubted she’d be so accommodating about werewolves, especially pretty female werewolves who might be after her boy.
    â€œI don’t want to lose Gabriel just because you’re paranoid. No more guards, Adam. It’s not like Honey would be much of a defense anyway.”
    He sighed unhappily. “Stefan is hunting out this sorcerer full-time. With Warren, Ben, and a few other wolves helping him, it shouldn’t be too much longer before they take care of him and you’re free. As far as Honey’s suitability as a guard goes—she fights mean. She’s taken Darryl down a time or two in training.” Most packs don’t have “training.” Sometimes Adam’s background as a soldier really shows. “If Honey weren’t a woman she’d be someone’s second or third.”
    I wasn’t surprised that Honey fought mean. I was a little surprised she fought well enough to take down Darryl, even a time or two. As second, he’d have had plenty of experience in real fights, not just training.
    I knew why Adam was only sending female guards—for the same reason he sent Warren and Ben to accompany me to the seethe. Warren wouldn’t make sexual overtures toward me because he wasn’t interested—and Adam knew how much I disliked Ben.
    Werewolves are very territorial. Since, supposedly for my protection, Adam had claimed me as his mate before the pack, I was his territory. As far as the pack was concerned, Adam’s word was law. Just because I hadn’t agreed, didn’t change what the pack took as truth. Adam had managed to come to some agreement about it with Samuel. I didn’t really want to know what it was because it would only tick me off.
    So I got Honey because Mary Jo was working twenty-four hour shifts at the fire department and Darryl’s mate Auriele, the only other female in Adam’s pack, was in Ellensburg taking a class to keep up her teaching certification. Complaining about Honey