Samuel's eyes narrowed.
"You're a werewolf," said Nemane. "Samuel Cornick." There was a pause. "The Marrok is Bran Cornick."
I kept my gaze on Samuel. "I was just explaining to Dr. Altman why it would be inadvisable for them to eliminate me even though I'm sticking my nose in their business."
Comprehension lit his eyes, which he narrowed at the fae.
"Killing Mercy would be a mistake," he growled. "My da had Mercy raised in our pack and he couldn't love Mercy more if she were his daughter. For her he would declare open war with the fae and damned be the consequences. You can call him and ask, if you doubt my word."
I'd expected Samuel to defend me - and the fae could not afford to hurt the son of the Marrok, not unless the stakes were a lot higher. I'd counted on that to keep Samuel safe or I'd have found some way to keep him out of it. But the Marrok...
I'd always thought I was an annoyance, the only one Bran couldn't count on for instant obedience. He'd been protective, still was - but his protective instinct was one of the things that made him dominant. I'd thought I was just one more person he had to take care of. But it was as impossible to doubt the truth in Samuel's voice as it was to believe that he'd be mistaken about Bran.
I was glad that Samuel was focused on Nemane, who had risen to her feet when Samuel began speaking. While I blinked back stupid tears, she leaned on the walking stick and said, "Is that so?"
"Adam Hauptman, the Columbia Basin Pack's Alpha, has named Mercy his mate," continued Samuel grimly.
Nemane smiled suddenly, the expression flowing across her face, giving it a delicate beauty I hadn't noticed before.
"I like you," she said to me. "You play an underhanded and subtle game - and like Coyote, you shake up the order of the world." She laughed. "Coyote indeed. Good for you. Good for you. I don't know what else you'll run into - but I'll let the Others know what they are dealing with." She tapped the walking stick on the floor twice. Then, almost to herself, she murmured, "Perhaps...perhaps this won't be a disaster after all."
She raised the staff up and touched the top end to her forehead in a salute. Then she took a step forward and disappeared from the reach of any of my senses between one moment and the next.
Chapter 9
Wednesday night I ate dinner at my favorite Chinese place in Richland then drove out to Tim's house. Since O'Donnell's killer was almost certainly fae, I didn't know how much good it would do me to attend a Bright Future meeting - but maybe someone would know something important. I only had until Friday to prove Zee innocent or Tad would be putting his life on the line, too.
The more time I had to think about it, though, the more sense it made for Tad to come back. I certainly wasn't getting any nearer to figuring out anything. Tad, being fae, could go to the reservation and ask questions - if the Gray Lords didn't kill him for his disobedience. Maybe I could persuade Nemane that it was in the fae's best interest that Zee's son come home to help me save his father. Maybe.
Tim's address was in West Richland, a few miles from Kyle's. It was in a block so new that several houses didn't have lawns yet, and I could see two buildings under construction on the next block over.
Half of the front was beige brick and the rest was adobe the color of oatmeal. It looked upscale and expensive, but it was missing the touches that made Kyle's house a mansion rather than a house. No stained glass, no marble or oak garage doors.
Which meant that it was still several orders of magnitude nicer than my old trailer even with its new siding.
There were four cars parked in the driveway and a 72 once-red Mustang with a lime green left fender parked on the street in front. I pulled in behind it because it's not often I find a car that makes the Rabbit look good.
As I got out of the car, I waved at the woman who was peering out at me from behind a sheer curtain in the house across the street. She jerked a window shade down.
I rang the doorbell and waited for the stocking-footed person who was hopping down a carpeted staircase to open the door. When it opened, I wasn't surprised to see a girl in her late teens or very early twenties. Her footsteps had sounded like a woman - men tend to clomp, thunder, or like Adam, move so silently you can barely hear them.
She was dressed in a thin T-shirt that sported crossed bones, like a pirate flag, but instead of a human skull it boasted a faded panda head with exes for eyes. She was a little overweight, but the extra pounds suited her, rounding her face and softening her strong features. Under the distinctive aura of Juicy Fruit, I recognized her scent from O'Donnell's house.
"I'm Mercy Thompson," I told her. "Tim invited me."
She looked me over with sharp eyes and then gave me a welcoming smile. "I'm Courtney. He said you might be coming. We're not started yet - still waiting for Tim and Austin to get back with goodies. Come on in."
She was one of those women cursed with a little girl's voice. When she was fifty, she'd still sound like she was thirteen.
As I followed her up the stairs, I did the polite thing. "I'm sorry to intrude on this meeting. Tim told me that one of your members was just killed."
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer man," she said airily, but then stopped on the stair landing. "All right, that didn't need to be said, sorry. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."
I shook my head. "I didn't know him."