Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

It’s not all that easy to find someone willing to sell his soul to the devil.”
    Samuel relaxed.
    â€œHe was a sorcerer before he was a vampire?” I asked.
    â€œYes.” Stefan wiggled his fingers in front of Medea’s nose and she batted at them. “He was a sorcerer before he met Andre. He thought that being a vampire would make him more powerful—Andre told him so. Neither he nor the demon was pleased to find out that being a vampire meant that they had to follow Andre’s orders.”
    â€œHe wasn’t following Andre’s orders that night in the church.” Samuel reached over and grabbed a cup and filled it from the teapot on the table.
    â€œNo. It is possible to break the bond of control the maker has over his children, just difficult.” Stefan sipped his tea and I wondered what his careful expression was hiding.
    â€œSpeaking of bonds,” I said, finally asking the question that had haunted me since the night I’d killed Littleton, “will there be any permanent effects from your sharing blood with me that night?”
    I wanted him to say “no.” Instead he shrugged. “Probably not. One blood exchange isn’t much of a connection. Any effects from it will fade. Have you noticed anything odd?”
    I shook my head—no telekinesis tricks for me.
    â€œWhy were you able to call her to you?” asked Samuel. “I thought she was immune to vampire tricks.”
    â€œMostly immune,” murmured Stefan. “But you don’t have to worry about that. Calling is one of my talents. If Mercy hadn’t been mostly unconscious—and willing to come—I couldn’t have called her. She’s not going to suddenly find herself unable to resist coming to my call or the call of any other vampire.”
    I didn’t ask him about the memory I had of him murmuring loving words into my ears. I hoped it was just something to do with how he’d called me.
    â€œWhy did you come here tonight?” I asked instead.
    Stefan smiled at me with such power I wasn’t sure he was truthful when he said, “I had to strengthen my stomach. Visits with you are always bracing, Mercedes, if not completely comfortable.” He glanced down at his watch. “But it’s time for me to go while you still are able to get a full night’s sleep. The Mistress will expect a full report.”
    He put the cat down with a final pat and got up to leave. In the open doorway he hesitated, and without looking at me he said, “Don’t fret, Mercy. I’ve learned all I can, and she won’t hold back the trial again. Andre will face justice.”
    I waited until Stefan had left before I asked Samuel, “They have that chair, the one that makes you tell the truth. Why did he go out to investigate?”
    Samuel gave me a dark look. “Sometimes I forget how young you are,” he said.
    I glowered right back at him. “Don’t think that ticking me off will get you out of answering. Why did he delay the trial?”
    Samuel took a sip of tea, grimaced and set it down. He wasn’t a tea drinker. “I think he’s worried about what questions will get asked and what questions will not. If he knows enough, he can testify himself.”
    It sounded fine, but I couldn’t see why he’d tried not to tell me that. There must be something more.
    He looked at my face and laughed wearily. “ Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Go to bed, Mercy. I need to get ready to go to work.”
    Â 
    â€œDad told me to ask you when you’re going to fix that eyesore the sorcerer made of your house,” Jesse said levering herself onto a shelf in my shop.
    â€œWhen I win the lottery,” I told her dryly and went back to tightening the belt on the old BMW I was working on.
    Jesse laughed. “He told me you’d say that.”
    My shoulder was still pretty sore and I limped, but at least I could work now. Zee had taken over the shop for two weeks—he didn’t want me to pay him. But he’d saved my life with his vampire kit, I owed him enough. If I was lucky, after paying him I’d still be able to cover the bills, but not much else. It would be a few months before I could afford to even look at replacing the siding on the trailer.
    â€œWhat are you doing here, anyway?” I asked.
    â€œI’m waiting for Gabriel to get off work.”
    I looked up at that.
    She