I just got married, I told him, reminding my too-jittery self that Adam would be on his way back by now. If something happened, and I had no reason to think it wouldespecially as they had handed over a blanket to cover me without a wordAdam would be here before anything too bad happened. I wouldnt be caught in the trap of assuming all men were badbut I wouldnt have been human if I werent wary. We were swimming.
Good thing for Benny, said Jim. Weve been by here twice. It would have been morning before we could have seen that boat under the trees. And morning would have been too late for him.
Fred (I could tell because he wore a red flannel shirt, and Hank wore a gray one) left Benny to his brother and came over.
Evidently hed been listening because he said, I called 911, Jim, and they had already gotten a call from her husband. There is an ambulance on its way. I told the operator that we could get Benny up to the road. Itll be a rough trip. The roads only a half mile or so as the crow flies, but this is horrible country for a fast trek in the dark. But theyd have to make the trip twice that we need to make once.
What about taking him on the boat? asked Calvin.
Fred shook his head.We might get him to the hospital faster that waybut the ambulance will have medical personnel on board. Hell get faster medical care, and time matters. If he stays in shock, we could lose himbut when he warms up, that foot is going to bleed like a fountain.
Whatever you and Hank think best, said Jim, which seemed to make the decision for everyone.
5
THE ONLY BRUSH OR TREES IN THIS PART OF THE gorge that werent cultivatedvery little of the ground on either side of the riverwas cultivatedwere right on the river. For the most part our footing was cheatgrass-covered basalt, not horrible hiking if Id had shoes.
It would have been better if I could have shifted into coyote, but I didnt know these menand I dont make it a habit of telling everyone what I am. Too many bad things happened to people who admitted too openly what they were without a powerful group behind themand sometimes even with a powerful group behind them. Id survived a long time by keeping my headdown and blending in; I wasnt going to change that just to make my bare feet feel better.
The Owens brothers and Calvin took turns carrying Benny. Jim led the way and carried a couple of flares to flag down the ambulance with. We all, except for whoever was carrying Benny, carried flashlights, which did a fair bit to destroy my night vision. I brought up the rearthough they had all suggested I stay down by the river.
I could have done that, but what if they ran into Adam? Under normal circumstances, theyd be perfectly safe. But Adam had had to make two fast changes tonight and experienced a number of stressors. Hed been forced to leave me naked and vulnerable. Benny had been so afraidin addition to all the blood and pain.
Adam was not human and hadnt been for a long time. His control was very goodbut this was not a good night for him to be meeting up with strangers carrying a bleeding, hurt man.
So I insisted on going with them.
We might have been a half mile from the road, but that half mile was all up the side of a very steep hill that was broken up with basalt cliffs that ranged from two feet to twenty or thirty feet high. The first kind we scrambled over; the second we worked our way around.
Wed made it about halfway by my hazy reckoning when Adam caught up to us. He was human and clothed, but his eyes were yellow bright from the adrenaline and the pain of his rushed changes.
He handed me a backpack, and said,Clothes, shoes, and first aid. His voice was a low, growling sound, and his hand shook.
Thank you, I said. Im safe with them. I found that I believed that now, and it was a relief. Can you get Benny up to the road to wait for the ambulance? It would be dangerous, all that blood. But the men were tiring, and tired people make missteps.
Adam didnt look directly at any of the strangersso they wouldnt have the opportunity to meet his eyes. That was good and bad. It told me he was still in controlbut he didnt trust himself to stay that way.
He took Benny off Hanks back without a word, cradling the wounded man like a babywhich kept Bennys foot up higher though it was a much more difficult way to carry an unconscious person than the firemans carry the Owens brothers had been using.
Hank didnt fight Adamjust held very still, as though he sensed how much danger he was in. Adam lifted his head once, then took a quick look at all the men before sprinting off for the road at a dead run.
Who the hell was that? asked Calvin.
He had to have had a fair idea of who it wasafter all, Adam had brought clothes for me. What he meant, I thought, was how did Adam run up the side of the canyon carrying Benny at a speed that would have done credit to an Olympic sprinter. That was my husband, I said nonchalantly to the adrenaline-filled air as I opened the backpack and pulled out my jeans. Hes a werewolfand Hank was smart enough not to make an issue of handing Benny off to him.
Adams status was not a secret, though there were still a lot of werewolves who hid what they were. Adam was almost a celebrity in the TriCities, though we were hoping the fascination with him would die down. It did no harm for Calvin and the others to know what he wasand maybe it would give thema little caution when we caught up to him.
Putting on my jeans was slow work because I was still a little damp, but the warmth felt wonderful. Hed packed a sweatshirt that smelled like Adam, came down to my knees, and was warmer than anything Id brought. I dusted off my sore and bleeding feet and stuffed them into a pair of socks, then into my tennis shoes. Heaven.
I looked up to see all four men watching me.
Dont meet his eyes if you can help ithes had a rough day, I told them. Then, with the blanket in one hand, I took off after Adam, leaving the others to follow however they would. Theyd been swift and sure in the face of their friends trouble. Theyd recover from the werewolf pretty fast.
Adam was waiting for us at the highways shoulder when I found him. Hed set the injured man down a few yards away, where there was a big rock hed used to keep Bennys leg elevated.
Hey. I spread the blanket over Benny and tucked it in around him. How are you doing, Adam?
Not good, he admitted without looking at me. I need someone to kill. I think he was trying to be funny, but it came out seriously.
I could hear the others approaching. My feet were battered, shoes or no shoes, and my calf ached where the water plant had been pulled off so abruptly. I hadnt made the best time up to the highway and, without Benny slowing them down, evidently they had been able to speed up a lot. I stood up and walked to Adam.
No one here needs killing, I told him with quiet urgency. These men were out looking for Benny here. They are the good guys, so you cant kill them.
Adam still wasnt meeting my eyes, but he laughed, and it sounded genuinely amused. Shouldnt.
Shouldnt what?
Shouldnt kill them, Mercy. Not cant.
I put my forehead against his shoulder.Its the same thing for you, I told him confidently.
He took a deep breath and turned around to meet the four men who were approaching us a little warilybecause they werent stupid.
Hello, he said, his voice still growly and about a half octave lower than usual. Im Adam Hauptman. Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack.
Jim Alvin, said Jim, stepping forward. Id told them not to meet his eyes, but he did better than that. Maybe it was luck, maybe he knew something of werewolves or just wild animals, but he turned one shoulder forward and tipped his head sideways and down submissively even as he reached outa hand. Of the Yakama Nation. Thank you for the help. Bennys a good man. I noticed that Adam didnt get the elaboration of tribal bloodlines that I had.