Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

connection to Adam and the Marrok, I’m not important. There’s no reason that she should know. Especially since she’s been producing shows in California.”
    â€œShe makes assumptions,” Darryl said. “Most people look at you, Mercy, and wonder if you are fae or wolf and just hiding it, because you’re mated to a wolf and working with a fae.” He stopped and raised a speculative eyebrow. “Or she thinks you are one or the other and might react and tell her which one if she kept taunting you with being human.”
    â€œThat sounds about right,” I said.
    â€œWhy not just give them whatever she wants and get Gabriel back,” Mary Jo said. “It’s not yours, and it sounds like the rightful owner is dead anyway.”
    Ben snorted. “You aren’t usually this dumb. You want to hand a woman like this fairy queen an object of power that she believes can protect her from us?”
    Darryl tilted his head and looked at Mary Jo. She flushed and dropped her gaze. “Don’t think I don’t remember that you disobeyed Adam,” he said. “You have no standing here, and you will not leave this house until your punishment.” He waited, then answered her question. “Ben’s right. Besides, you really think she’s going to let anyone live who knows what she has? I don’t know a damn thing about what she wants. If the Gray Lords are willing to kill Mercy just because she knows about it—Mercy who has their favor and is beloved by our Alpha—don’t you think they’d kill one of those under their power, who has no such protections? If I can figure that out from one phone conversation, this Daphne, she knows it, too. She has no intention of letting anyone go. She’d make the exchange, then kill both Mercy and the boy.”
    â€œOr keep the boy and kill Mercy,” added Jesse, who had her dad’s clear eye for strategy. “Gabriel would rather be dead.” She was still a teenager with a streak of drama, though. I wasn’t so sure Gabriel would rather be dead than serve the fairy queen—from all accounts it was fairly pleasant from the victim’s side because they had no willpower to object.
    I’d rather be dead. Maybe she was right.
    â€œMercy,” grumbled Darryl, “she was right about one thing: you need some sleep. Go to bed.” His voice softened. “You, too, Jesse. We can all help your boy better on a full night’s sleep.”
    He was right. I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.
    I yawned and hooked my arm through Jesse’s. “Okay.”

    AFTER DROPPING JESSE OFF AT HER ROOM, I OPENED the door to Adam’s as quietly as I could. Someone had stripped the comforter and thrown it on the floor. Adam was sprawled naked on top of the sheet—and he looked horrible. A mass of dark red scabs covered most of his extremities as well as here and there on the rest of his body.
    Warren had taken off his boots and was lying on the near side of the bed on his side, facing the doorway. Sam was curled up between them at the foot of the bed.
    I’d worried a little about leaving him with a wounded Alpha, but apparently he was still behaving atypically for an uncontrolled werewolf. While I closed the door, he rolled flat on his side and half looked at me. He wiggled a bit and let out a satisfied oof as he pushed Warren’s feet over a few inches. I noticed that he didn’t touch Adam.
    Warren was awake—even if he looked like he was deeply asleep. I crawled over him and the corners of his mouth tipped up. I settled in between him and Adam, curling my legs up so I didn’t kick Sam.
    I tried not to touch Adam, but he rolled over and threw an arm over my hip. It felt warm and safe and good—and probably hurt him. His eyes opened a slit, then closed.
    I lay there a while in simple appreciation that he’d survived the fire. The door opened just as I was drifting off to sleep.
    â€œIs there room for one more?” asked Ben. I lifted up my head to see him standing in the doorway in a pair of baggy sweats. His hair was ruffled on one side as if he’d been lying down before he came up. “If not, I can go—”
    â€œCome on in,” rumbled Warren. “I’ll go take the upstairs guest room.”
    Warren rolled off the bed, and Ben crawled on. He put one foot on mine, then let out a sigh and collapsed like a puppy