Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

Wulfe.
    â€œYou hid her because you liked her.”
    â€œYes,” agreed Stefan. “And because there would be no justice in her death. She had not killed one of us—and would not, except that you set that task to her.” For the first time since he sat in the chair, he looked directly at her. “You asked her to kill the monster you could not find—and she did it. Twice.”
    â€œTruth.”
    â€œShe killed Andre !” Marsilia’s voice rose to a roar, and power echoed in it and through the room we were in. The lights dimmed a little, then regained their former wattage.
    Stefan smiled sourly at her. “Because there was no choice. We left her no choice—you, I, and Andre.”
    â€œTruth.”
    â€œYou chose her over me ,” Marsilia said, and her power lit the air with strangeness. I took a step closer to Adam and shivered.
    â€œYou knew she hunted Andre, knew she’d killed him—and you hid what she did from me. You forced me to torture you and destroy your power base. You must answer to me.” Her voice thundered, vibrating the floor and rattling the walls. The suspended lights drifted back and forth, making shadows play.
    â€œNot anymore,” said Stefan. “I do not belong to you.”
    â€œTruth,” snapped Wulfe, suddenly coming to his feet. “That is fair truth—you felt it yourself.”
    Across from us, high in the bleachers, a vampire stood up. He had soft features, wide-spaced eyes, and an upturned nose that should have made him look something other than vampire. Like Wulfe and Estelle’s human, he strode down the seats. But there was no bounce to his step or hesitation. His path might as well have been straight and paved for all it impeded him. He landed on the floor and walked to Wulfe.
    He wore a tuxedo and a pair of dark-metal gauntlets. Hinged metal on the top and chain link below. He flexed his fingers and blood dripped from the gloves to the floor.
    No one made any move to clean it up.
    He turned, and in a light, breathy voice, he said, “Accepted. He is no man of yours, Marsilia.”
    I had no idea who he was, but Stefan did. He froze where he sat, all of his being focused on the vampire in the bloody gauntlets. Stefan’s face was blank, as if the whole world had tilted from its axis.
    Marsilia smiled. “Tell me. Did Bernard approach you to betray me?”
    â€œYes,” Stefan said, without expression.
    â€œDid Estelle do the same?”
    He took a deep breath, blinked a couple of times, and relaxed in the chair. “Bernard seemed to have the seethe’s best interest at heart,” he said.
    â€œTruth,” Wulfe said.
    â€œBut Estelle, when she asked me to join her against you, Estelle just wanted power.”
    â€œTruth.”
    Estelle shrieked and tried to get to her feet, but she couldn’t move away from Wulfe.
    â€œAnd what did you tell them?” she asked.
    â€œI told them I wouldn’t make a move against you.” Stefan sounded utterly weary, but somehow his words carried over the noise Estelle was making.
    â€œTruth,” declared Wulfe.
    Marsilia looked at the gauntlet-wearing vampire, who sighed and bent to Estelle. He petted her hair a couple of times until she quieted. We all heard the crack when her neck broke. He took his time separating her head from her body. I looked away and swallowed hard.
    â€œBernard,” Marsilia said, “we believe it would be good if you return to your maker until you learn the habit of loyalty.”
    Bernard stood up. “It was all a trick,” he said, his voice incredulous. “All a trick. You killed Stefan’s people—knowing he loved them. You tortured him. All to catch Estelle and me in our little rebellion ... a rebellion born from the heart of your own Andre.”
    Marsilia said, “Yes. Don’t forget that I set up his little favorite, Mercedes, to be the lever I needed to move the world. If she hadn’t killed Andre, if he hadn’t helped her cover it up, then I could not have sent him out from the seethe. Then I could not have used him to witness against you and Estelle. Had you been of my making, disposing of you would have been much easier and cost me less.”
    Bernard looked at Stefan, who was sitting as if it would hurt to move, his head slightly bent.
    â€œStefan, of all of us, was loyal to the death. So you tortured him, killed his people, threw him