Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7)(25)

People don't know about the vampires. Oh, they know the stories - Bram Stoker and all his ilk made good use of the old legends. But they think they are just stories. The problem, for the vampire, is that now that the fae and the werewolves have admitted what they are, people are ready to believe that the old stories might be true. If Stefan was the vampire who gave those legends new life, Marsilia would kill him. I understood why he thought killing the enemy was the best way.

Part of me even agreed with him about killing them all. These people had killed Peter and taken Adam and put my world into danger.

"Kyle is human, and they were not worried about leaving Peter dead," Stefan said, saying what I didn't want to hear. "Kyle is less valuable than Peter was. He only matters to you and Warren. Adam would not kill someone, risk the werewolves' standing in the human world, for Kyle. A hostage is a lot more work than a dead body, Mercy. There is a real chance Kyle is already dead. If you aren't willing to kill - you need to leave them alone."

"If Kyle is dead" - and didn't that suck to say - "we still need to know it. I don't think he is; I think I'd feel it through the pack bonds because Warren is as mated to him as Honey was to Peter." That thought steadied me. I'd felt Honey's grief - still did, for that matter.

"We are going in after Kyle - and, Stefan, we can't leave a pile of bodies behind. We can hide your part in this. I'll tell everyone that you are a weird kind of werewolf if I have to. But people know about Kyle and Warren. Warren doesn't advertise what he is, but it will come out because he doesn't hide it, either. The bad guys - whoever they are - want Adam to kill an important man in a public way, so that the werewolves are blamed. I have the distinct impression that the last part is as important as the first. If we leave piles of dead bodies in our wake, we'll be accomplishing at least half of what the people who started this want." I sucked in a breath. "I do not enjoy helping my enemies."

Stefan frowned at me. He could just go in and kill them all, regardless of what I said. But his name was the Soldier - not the Killer or the Commander. (Yes, those are real vampires. I'm told that we're lucky they don't live anywhere near here.) Stefan had ceded me leadership because this was my problem.

So I was in charge, but I wasn't dumb enough to think that made me competent - I needed Stefan for that. Fine. I wouldn't authorize killing them all, but there should be other options.

"Could we go in quietly to check and see if we can find Kyle?" I asked. "I might be able to scent him from outside. If he's not here, we can leave them waiting for no one. If he is there, maybe we can get him out without killing people."

He shook his head. "Mercy. They have already proved themselves capable of taking a werewolf pack. Kill them or leave."

I glanced down at Ben; he was in no shape for battle. The danger wasn't just that his wound would slow him, and they could hurt him more easily, though that was part of it. If Ben killed tonight, wounded and shaken by Peter's death, he could lose control of his wolf and never regain it.

"We might be under attack by the government," I told Stefan. "We can't afford to lose the moral high ground. As long as we don't do any harm, the public will support us and force the government to back down. We're not going in to kill everyone in sight.

"You are welcome to leave, if you'd like," I said grimly, stripping my shirt off with my bra. He wouldn't abandon Kyle, I knew it. I was mad at him because I wanted to let him dictate our plan of attack, but I couldn't because I knew I was right. I kicked off my shoes. We were talking too much, and it was time to move. "I'm not leaving Kyle to rot when I might be able to do something for him. I'm going to look for Kyle. When I find him, I'll do whatever it takes to get him out. I will try to leave as few bodies behind as I can manage."

"If we fail, Adam is the one who loses," Stefan said.

"Kyle is pack," I explained. "He is vulnerable. Adam is Alpha and strong. So we need to make sure Kyle is safe first because that's what pack does, Stefan. The strong protect the weak."

Stefan's face froze. He hadn't been able to protect his menagerie, hadn't realized that he needed to protect them from Marsilia, the woman he'd given his loyalty.

I hadn't meant to hurt him.

I jerked down my jeans and underwear so I was naked on the dark sidewalk. Anyone looking out their window or driving by would get a show. I didn't care. Being a shapeshifter had gotten me over modesty by the time I was old enough to know what the word meant.

That didn't mean I was comfortable running around naked in front of everyone I knew. Once upon a time, Stefan had kind of had a thing for me. Not so much in love, but interested in that direction. I usually avoided being naked in front of him just like you don't hold out a slab of meat in front of a lion while planning on keeping the food to yourself.

"We have an opportunity to save Kyle. A chance you did not have when Marsilia took your people." I told him. "Will you help me?"

I changed to coyote without waiting for a reply and shook the change off my fur. Stefan gave an odd laugh, not happy or humorous - but it sounded like him this time and not the vampire Stefan, so it was all right. Then he picked up my clothes and tossed them into the car, his motion smooth and almost human. He hesitated with his head in the car.

My gun was under the front seat. I almost changed back to let him know, but decided not to. I couldn't carry it, and I was the only one who would be more dangerous with a gun in my hand tonight.