Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

anything either.
    She got up from the piano abruptly and strode through the room. She hesitated in front of Samuel, but when Stefan cleared his throat, she trotted up to him and kissed him on the chin. “I’m going to eat now,” she said. “I’m hungry.”
    â€œFine.” Stefan hugged her, then directed her out of the room with a gentle push.
    She hadn’t once so much as looked at me.
    â€œSo you think we’re being set up?” asked Samuel, with lazy geniality that seemed somehow out of place.
    Stefan shrugged. “You, I, or Lilly. Take your pick.”
    â€œIt seems like a lot of trouble to go to,” I ventured. “If Samuel died, Bran would tear this place apart. There wouldn’t be a vampire left in the state.” I looked at Stefan. “Your lady may be powerful, but numbers matter. The Tri-Cities isn’t that big. If there were hundreds of you here, I’d have noticed it. Bran can call upon every Alpha in North America.”
    â€œIt is nice to know how we are esteemed by the wolves. I’ll make certain our Mistress knows to leave the wolf alone because she should fear them,” said a woman from just behind me.
    I jumped forward and turned, and Stefan was suddenly between me and the new vampire. This one was neither ethereal nor seductive. If she hadn’t been a vampire, I’d have put her age somewhere around sixty, every year etched in the lines of grim disapproval that traversed her face.
    â€œEstelle,” said Stefan. I couldn’t tell if it was a greeting, introduction, or admonition.
    â€œShe has changed her mind. She doesn’t want to come up to visit with the wolf. They can come to her instead.” Estelle didn’t seem to react to Stefan at all.
    â€œThey are under my protection.” Stefan’s voice darkened in a way I’d never heard it before.
    â€œShe said you may come, too, if you wish.” She looked at Samuel. “I’ll need to take any crosses or holy objects you are wearing, please. We do not allow people to go armed in the presence of our Mistress.”
    She held out a gold-embossed leather bag, and Samuel unhooked his necklace. When he pulled it out of his shirt, the necklace didn’t blaze or glow. It was just a bit of ordinary metal, but I saw her involuntary shudder when it brushed close to her skin.
    She looked at me and I pulled out my necklace and showed her my sheep. “No crosses,” I said in a bland voice. “I didn’t expect to be out speaking to your Mistress tonight.”
    She didn’t even glance at Zee’s dagger, dismissing it as a weapon. After pulling the drawstring tight, she let the bag dangle from it. “Come with me.”
    â€œI’ll bring them down in a minute,” Stefan said. “Go tell her we are coming.”
    The other vampire raised her eyebrows but left without a word, carrying the bag with Samuel’s cross in it.
    â€œThere’s something more happening than I thought,” Stefan said rapidly. “Against most of those here, I can protect you, but not the Mistress herself. If you’d like, I’ll get you out of here and see if I can find the information without you.”
    â€œNo,” said Samuel. “We’re here now. Let us finish this.”
    Samuel’s words slurred a little, and I saw Stefan give him a sharp glance.
    â€œOnce more I offer you escort away from here.” This time Stefan looked at me. “I would have no harm come to you and yours here.”
    â€œCan you find out where the other wolves are, if she doesn’t want you to?” I asked him.
    He hesitated, which was answer enough.
    â€œWe’ll go talk to her, then,” I said.
    Stefan nodded, but not like he was happy about it. “Then I find myself echoing your gremlin. Keep your eyes away from hers. She’ll probably have others with her, whether she allows you to see them or not. Don’t look at anyone’s eyes. There are four or five here who could entangle even your wolf.”
    He turned and led the way through the house to an alcove sheltering a wrought-iron spiral staircase. As we started down, I thought we were going to the basement, but the stairway went deeper. Small lights on the cement wall surrounding the stairs turned on as Stefan passed them. They allowed us to see the stairs—and that we were traveling down a cement tube, but they weren’t bright enough to do