Mercy Thompson 06 - River Marked

Coyote battled it out, I’d put my money on Bran. The thought restored my usual cheery outlook.
    I dusted off my backside, and Adam rolled his eyes at me, looking remarkably like his daughter when he did so. “I bet Bran yelled at you for doing stuff like that,” he said, but he didn’t sound too upset.
    “I haven’t done it in a long time,” I admitted. “Does it still look cool?”
    He laughed, ruffled my hair, and welcomed our guests.
    We ate hamburgers, chips, and macaroni salad. We made small talk about the weather, the river, living in Washington, living in Montana, living in the military, and thereby gaining a little bit of a fix on the character of people who had been strangers a few hours ago. Eating has been a ritual between allies for nearly as long as there have been people, and all of us were well aware of the subtext.
    Gordon Seeker, I noticed, didn’t talk much. Just leaned back on a camp chair and watched with an avid gaze that reminded me a little of the river devil. He caught me looking and smiled like the Cheshire cat.
    “I think,” said Jim finally as he dumped his empty paper plate in the garbage can, “we should introduce ourselves again. To know our allies is a good thing. I am Jim Alvin of the Yakama Nation. My mother was Wish-ram, my father Yakama, and I possess a little magic of the people.” He took his seat on the picnic-table bench where he’d eaten and turned to the Owens brothers.
    “Fred Owens,” said Fred, though his brother was the one who sat next to Jim. “USMC retired.” He glanced at Adam and smiled. “Red-tailed hawk when it suits me. Rancher.”
    “Hank Owens,” his brother said. “USMC retired. Rancher. Welder. Red-tailed hawk when it suits him.” He tilted his head at his brother. Evidently it was a family joke because his brother smiled a little. “It was Fred who couldn’t let Calvin handle the job on his own.”
    “We left Calvin—” Jim began to explain, but Gordon interrupted him.
    “—at the hospital. I told them.”
    There was a little strain between Jim and Gordon that reminded me of when there were two Alphas in the room. They might be allies, even friends, but they were waiting for the slightest sign of weakness or aggression.
    “Adam Hauptman,” said my husband, who was sitting in the second of our camp chairs. “Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack. Army, honorably discharged 1973. Mate and husband of Mercedes Thompson Hauptman. In my spare time, I run a security firm.”
    Jim gave him a startled look. I was surprised myself. Werewolves might be out, but the public doesn’t know everything. And one of the things that Bran was not telling the public about werewolves was that they were immortal.
    “Long time ago,” observed Fred.
    “Vietnam,” said Hank. “You were a ranger in Vietnam.”
    From my observation post on the ice chest, I watched Adam’s face. He’d offered the chair—but I hate the camp chairs. Ten minutes, and my feet are falling asleep.
    What was he up to? If Bran found out, he wouldn’t be pleased. But Adam always had a reason for what he did. I usually figured it out about five years after the fact. He seemed to be watching Gordon. Maybe it was something as simple as acknowledging that we were all going to be sharing secrets before this was over.
    “Nasty time,” said Jim.
    Adam tipped his water bottle toward Jim, then brought it up to tip his imaginary hat. He looked at me.
    “Mercedes Thompson Hauptman,” I said, obedient to the look that told me he wanted to move things along. “VW mechanic. Coyote walker mated to Adam Hauptman.”
    “Gordon Seeker,” said Gordon. “But Indian names change from time to time. I have had others. I work a little healing, a little magic, a little of this and that. When I was young, I was a mighty hunter, but it has been a long time since I was young.” He eyed Adam. “Maybe even longer ago than when this one was as young as he looks.”
    “All right,” said Adam, when it became obvious that the old man had said all he intended to. “Jim and Calvin told us a few things this afternoon. Namely that we have a monster in the river that has killed at least one person—though the tally is unlikely to stop with Benny’s sister. Let me tell you some things you don’t know—some of which might not have anything to do with our current problem at all.” He told them about the faes’ redirection of our honeymoon, including Yo-yo Girl Edythe’s prophecy and the otterkin