Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

able to detect how much the scent of his fear was exciting her, and after a few minutes his fear began to die down.
    â€œMy daughter could be like this?” he asked me, sounding more naked than a man should when surrounded by strangers.
    I nodded my head.
    â€œHow soon?”
    â€œOn her own? That depends upon her. But in the presence of an Alpha, immediately.”
    â€œNo more cages,” he whispered.
    I couldn’t let him think that. “Not metal ones,” I told him. “But once she is a member of the pack, she’ll fall out of your control and into the Alpha’s. That can be a cage of sorts, though a more comfortable cage.”
    He took a deep, shaky breath. “Can she understand me?” he asked, nodding toward Honey.
    â€œYes, but she can’t talk.”
    â€œAll right.” He looked straight in her eyes, not realizing he was challenging her. I almost said something to him, but Honey didn’t seem to be bothered, so I let it go.
    â€œIf you had a daughter,” he asked her, “would you bring her here? Would you trust her to Hauptman?”
    She smiled at him, not so widely as to display her sharp white teeth, and wagged her tail.
    He looked at me. “If I bring her here, will he take her away from us?”
    I wasn’t sure how to answer him. Adam wouldn’t see it that way, to him the wolves were all his family, but conveying that to someone who hadn’t be around a pack was difficult—and I’m not sure that a father would find it any better. How do you give up your child, even for their own good? That was a question I had never asked my mother.
    â€œHe’ll take her under his wing,” I said at last. “He’ll take responsibility for her welfare—and he will not lightly give up that responsibility. He’d never refuse to let you see her. If she is unhappy in Adam’s pack, there are other options, especially once she has control of herself.”
    â€œShe can become a lone wolf,” he said, relaxing.
    I shook my head. I wouldn’t lie to him. “No. They’d never let a female out on her own. There are too few of them, for one thing, and the males…are too protective to allow a female to fend for themselves. But she could request to change packs.”
    The lines on his face deepened and he swore. Three times. Honey whined. She might have been sympathetic, or just protesting the foul language. I didn’t trust myself to predict Honey anymore.
    â€œWhat are your alternatives?” I asked him. “If she kills someone, the wolves will have to hunt her down. How would she feel if she hurts you or her mother?”
    He took out his cell phone and stared at it.
    â€œWould you like me to call him for you?” I asked.
    â€œNo,” he said and riffled around in his pocket for the paper with Adam’s phone number on it. He stared at it for a moment, then almost whispered, “I’ll call him tonight.”

Chapter 7
    â€œHey, Mercy, what’cha workin’ on? Looks like a miniature Corvette.”
    I looked up to see Tony, cop and old friend—usually in that order—leaning up against one of my work benches. Today he was dressed casually in a thin shirt and khaki shorts appropriate to the hot summer day. Tony looked a bit frayed around the edges. It had been a little over two weeks since the sorcerer had moved into town and, according to the local news, the crime rate had been skyrocketing.
    â€œGood eye,” I told him. “It’s a ’71 Opel GT, designed by the same guy who designed the Corvette. Friend of mine bought it from some guy who replaced its wussy original engine with a Honda engine.”
    â€œHe didn’t do it right?”
    â€œHe did it fine. Excellent job of refitting it, as a matter of fact. I couldn’t have done a better job myself.” I grinned at him. “Only problem is that a Honda engine turns to the right and the Opel was designed for a lefty.”
    â€œWhich means?”
    I patted the sleek fender and grinned at him. “It only goes twenty miles per hour forward, but can break one hundred backward if you use all four gears.”
    He laughed. “Cute car.” He stared at it for a minute and the smile fell away from his face. “Listen. Can I take you out to lunch? Business, so I’ll foot the bill.”
    â€œKennewick PD needs a mechanic?” I asked.
    â€œNo. But I think you can