Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4)(34)

You were all set to stay until he started looking pathetic." I gave him a look, and he raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't say he didn't have a reason to look pathetic. You just need to remember that sad sack or not, he's still a vampire - and more than a match for you if he decides not to be friendly. You've cost him a lot, Mercy. He might not be your friend."

I hadn't thought about it that way. So I did, for maybe a tenth of a second. "If he was mad at me, he'd have killed me when he dropped in here starving. For that matter he could have come here anytime tonight and killed me. You need me gone - so quit trying to make trouble."

Samuel frowned at me. "I'm not trying to make trouble. But you have to remember he is a vampire, and vampires are not nice guys, no matter how chivalrous and gallant Stefan appears. I like him, too. But you are trying to forget what he is."

I thought about the two dead people whose only crime was that they had seen me when I staked Andre.

"I know what he is," I said stubbornly.

"Vampire," said Bran. "Evil, yes." He grinned, and it made him look like he should be going to high school. "But I think his Mistress made a mistake when she chose to throw him away."

"She broke him," I said. And looking into Samuel's eyes, I whispered, "You stay safe, you and Adam.

I'll keep Stefan busy looking for ghosts."

If I was really looking for ghosts, of course, it would be stupid to bring Stefan. Ghosts don't like vampires, and they won't come out when there are vampires around. Samuel knew that, and he grinned at me with serious eyes. "We'll be fine."

"Call me if you need me," said Bran - to both of us, I thought. "If I'm going to stop in to have a look at Mary Jo, I need to go now." He kissed me on my forehead, then did the same to Samuel (who had to bend down). I didn't know if he really knew who Mary Jo was, or just seemed to. But I'd never seen him meet a wolf he didn't know by name.

Speaking of which... "Hey, Bran?"

Halfway to the door, he turned back.

"What about that girl we sent to you? The one who was Changed so young and hadn't learned control. Is she all right?"

He smiled and looked a lot less tired. "Kara? She did fine last moon. Give her a few more months, and she'll be fully in control." Waving casually over his shoulder, he walked out into the dark.

"Get some rest," I called after him. He shut the front door behind him without answering.

We listened while Bran drove off - in a doubtlessly rented Mustang. Once he was gone, Samuel said, "You have a few hours. Why don't you get some more sleep? I think I'll hop the fence to Adam's and see what Da does for Mary Jo."

"Why didn't he just call?" I asked.

Samuel reached out and ruffled my hair. "He was checking up on you."

"Well," I said. "At least he didn't ask me if I was okay. I think I'd have had to do something to him if he had."

"Hey, Mercy," said Samuel with false solicitude, "are you okay?"

I punched him, connecting only because he hadn't expected it. "I am now," I told him, as he dropped to the ground and rolled - as if I'd really had some force behind my fist, which I hadn't.

SPOKANE IS ABOUT 150 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE TRICITIES, and you know you're getting close when you start seeing trees.

My cell phone rang, and I answered without pulling over. I usually obey the law, but I was late.

"Mercy?" It was Adam, and he wasn't happy with me. I guessed Samuel had told him about the vampires being responsible for the debacle at Uncle Mike's. I'd told him he could do it once I was safely out of town.

"Uh-huh." I pulled around an RV as we chugged up a small hill. It'd pass me on the downhill side, but I had to take my passing pleasures where I could - Vanagons are not speed demons. One of these days I was going to put a Subaru flat six in it and see what that would do. "Before you yell at me for not telling you about the vampires, you should know that I am risking a ticket by talking to you while I drive. Do you really want me to get a ticket for letting you yell at me?"

He gave a reluctant laugh, so I supposed he wasn't too upset. "You're still on the road? I thought you left this morning."

"Fixed a shift linkage in a Ford Focus at that rest stop near Connell," I told him. "Nice lady and her dog were stuck after having a clutch job done by her brother-in-law. He hadn't tightened down a few bolts, and one of them fell off. Took me an hour or so before we found someone who had a bolt and nut the right size." And I had the oil stains across my shoulders and the grit in my hair to prove it. In my Rabbit I kept a towel to put on the ground. I also kept a selection of useful car bits. It was going to be a while before my Rabbit was up and running.

"How is Mary Jo?"

"She's sleeping for real now."

"Bran helped?"

"Bran helped." I could hear the smile in his voice. "You be careful ghost hunting - and don't let Stefan bite you."

There was just a little edge to the last.

"Jealous?" I asked. Yep. The RV passed me on the downhill.

"Maybe a little," he said.

"Don't be. We'll be fine. Ghosts aren't as dangerous as crazy vampire ladies." I couldn't help the anxiety that crept into my voice.