fade, too." As he had been doing. "And we'll be left with a dead Samuel anyway, but only after a bonus of lots of other dead bodies."
"A regular Vikin' funeral," commented Warren.
Mary Jo gave him a sharp look, which he returned.
"Ah can read, as long as they's lotsa good pictures," he said, speaking even slower than usual and using a lot more Texas-cowboy grammar.
"That's my line," I told Warren. "I resent your stealing it."
Ben laughed. But then asked, "How is fading different from just having the wolf in control?"
Wolves are blunt creatures, mostly impatient with the softpedaling that the rest of the world considers politeness.
"I gather Sam will turn all fang and no brain and will eventually just fall over dead," I told them. "Probably less damage than what normally happens when the wolf is in charge. Especially since the wolf doesn't stop until someone stops him. But not good."
"He'll be easier to kill if it comes to it," said Warren, recognizing the advantages. Samuel was old, powerful, and clever - if his wolf was half as smart, it would take Bran or Charles to take him. This way, any of us with a silver-loaded gun could do it.
Sam didn't seem bothered by the conversation. He half closed his eyes and snapped his teeth at Warren with mock fierceness. His ears were up, showing that he was only playing.
They hurt my heart with their fierce full-on acceptance of reality.
"Pack up, kids," said Adam, with his eyes still closed. "It's time to take this party home."
Home.
I glanced worriedly at Warren. Adam would be up and functional in a day or two - thanks to nifty werewolf superpowers of healing. But the pack was still a mess.
"Right, boss." Warren nodded at me and continued to talk to Adam. "I reckon I'll stick by you for a bit, though, if you don't mind. Darryl will be there, too."
* * *
WE PACKED ADAM INTO THE BACK OF WARREN'S TRUCK on top of a thick camping pad and underneath a sleeping bag. Werewolves are pretty immune to the cold - especially the kind of cold the Tri-Cities could manage most winters. But we weren't taking any chances with him. He accepted our fussing with a sort of royal amusement that managed to be appreciative, too, though he didn't say a word.
"Camping?" I murmured to Warren under my breath after we'd gotten Adam settled. "You actually got Kyle to go out camping?" Kyle was very happy with the comforts of civilization. I couldn't see him spending a weekend in the woods voluntarily.
"Nah," he muttered. "Not overnight anyhow. But I'm hopeful for next spring."
"But you had sleeping bags and camp pads in your truck." I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face. "Does this have anything to do with the ice chest full of meat?"
He ducked his head, but he was grinning. "You don't ask me what you don't want to know, Mercy."
Mary Jo rode in the back of the truck with Adam while I drove my car with Ben beside me and Sam in the back. Ben had offered to drive the Rabbit so I could ride with Adam, but his hands were raw and painful. Mary Jo wasn't going to do anything to hurt Adam; whatever resentment or hatred she felt for me didn't interfere with her desire to keep him safe.
As soon as I started driving, Ben said, "You need to find out who the second man on watch was."
"What?"
"The other wolf Adam had watching with Mary Jo. She doesn't want to tell, and she's higher rank than I am, so I can't ask her. If Warren asked . . . She's one of the crowd that thinks he shouldn't be pack."
"What?" I'd thought the homophobic elements in the pack were all men.
Ben nodded. "She's quieter about it than most, but she's also more stubborn. If Warren gave her an order she didn't want to comply with - like one that would make her narc on someone she cares about - she's likely to defy him. He'd have to hurt her, and that would hurt him more because he likes her - and doesn't have any idea that she's one of the stupid people."
I'd always thought Ben was one of the stupid people, too. I guess that must have shown in my face because he laughed.
"I was bitter when I first came here. Eastern Washington is a big comedown from London." He didn't say anything for a while, but about the time