Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

get you—just as Marsilia dumps Stefan in the middle of your living room. And once you didn’t die—Amber comes and summons you to Spokane. A few wolves get hurt—”
    â€œMary Jo almost died,” I said. “And it could have been worse.” I thought of the snow elf, and said, “A lot worse.”
    â€œWould Marsilia have cared? Worried about your friends here—and informed that the crossed bones on the door of your shop means that all of your friends are at risk—you take the rope Blackwood has thrown you. And you follow his bait all the way to Spokane.”
    Samuel shook his head. “It doesn’t quite track,” he said. “Vampires don’t cooperate the way the wolves do. Blackwood doesn’t have the reputation of doing anyone favors.”
    â€œHey, my pretty,” said Adam in a deadpan imitation of a Disney witch, “would you like a taste of something sweet? All you have to do is lure Mercy to Spokane.”
    â€œNo,” I said. “It works on the surface, but not when you really look. I can ask, but I’d bet the relationship between Amber’s husband and Blackwood goes back years, not months. So he knew them first. If Marsilia just called him and gave him my name, it would be unlikely that he’d know that Amber knew me—we haven’t spoken since I got out of college.”
    I’d had my paranoid moments because of the timing of Amber’s request. But there was simply no way Marsilia had sent Amber, and the likelihood of further Byzantine plots went down from there.
    I drew a breath. “I expect that Blackwood thought I was human, at least until he bit me the first time. Bran says I smell like a coyote—doglike unless you know coyotes—but not magic. Stefan told me Blackwood would know I wasn’t human after he tasted me.”
    Both of the werewolves were watching me now.
    â€œBad luck does just happen,” I told them.
    â€œBlackwood doesn’t seem to be the kind of person to do favors for another vampire.” Samuel’s voice sounded almost cheery.
    He didn’t. Vampires were evil, territorial, and ... I thought of something.
    â€œWhat if he’s making a play to add the Tri-Cities to his territory,” I asked. “Say he read about the attack on me—and saw that I was Adam’s girlfriend. Maybe he has connections and got to see the video of Adam tearing into Tim’s body, so he knows our relationship isn’t casual. Maybe Corban sees him read the article and mentions that his wife knew me, and the vampire sees an opportunity to make the Tri-Cities werewolves cooperate with him in preparation to move in on Marsilia. Maybe he doesn’t know he can’t use me to take over the pack. Maybe he would have used me as a hostage. The ghost is happenstance. Just a convenient reason to convince Amber to invite me over.”
    â€œMarsilia’s just lost her two right-hand men,” said Samuel. “Andre and Stefan. She’s vulnerable now.”
    â€œShe has three other powerful vampires,” I told him. “But Bernard and Estelle don’t seem pleased with Marsilia lately.” I told them about the confrontation the night before. “There’s Wulfe, I guess, but he’s ...” I shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to have to depend upon Wulfe for loyalty—he’s not the type.”
    â€œVampires are predators,” Adam said. “Same as us. If Blackwood smells weakness, I suppose it makes sense that he’d try for more territory.”
    â€œI like it,” Samuel said. “Blackwood isn’t a team player. This fits. It doesn’t mean it’s right, but it fits.”
    Adam stretched the tension out of his neck, and I heard vertebrae pop. He gave me a little smile. “Tonight I call Marsilia and tell her what we just talked about. It’s not set in stone, but it’s plausible. I bet we’ll find Marsilia more cooperative.” He looked at Samuel. “If you’re home, I’d better go to work. I’ll have Jesse come here when school’s out, too—if you don’t mind. Aurielle’s booked, Honey has work to do, and Mary Jo is ... not up to snuff.”
    After Adam left, Samuel went to bed. If anything started happening, he’d be up fast enough—but it told me that Samuel, at least, didn’t think there’d be an attack in the daytime.
    Neither of them