"I killed a couple of phones by sitting on them." He just smiled and said into the phone, "Charles, I need you to find out about an Amber ...
?" He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry to wake you, Charles.
Chamberlain was her maiden name," I told Samuel's brother apologetically.
"I don't know her married name." Charles would hear me as clearly as I heard him.
Private phone calls around werewolves needed headsets, not a cell phone speaker.
"Amber Chamberlain," Charles repeated.
"That should limit it to a hundred people or so." "She lives in Spokane," I said.
"I went to college with her." "That helps," he told us.
"I'll get back to you." "Arm yourself with knowledge," said Bran when he hung up.
"But I don't see why you shouldn't go." "Take some insurance with you." "It's Stefan," I shouted.
Before I had the last word out of my mouth, Bran had Stefan up against the opposite wall from where he'd been sitting.
"Da." Samuel was on his feet as well, a hand on his father's shoulder.
He didn't try to pry Bran's hands off Stefan's neck--that would have been stupid.
"Da.
It's all right.
This is Stefan.
Mercy's friend." After a very long couple of seconds, Bran stepped back and dropped his hands from Stefan's throat.
The vampire hadn't fought back, which was good.
Vampires are tough, maybe tougher than wolves because vampires are already dead.
Stefan had been one of Marsilia's lieutenants, powerful in his own right.
He'd been a mercenary in life ...
which had been in Renaissance Italy.
But Bran is Bran.
"That was stupid," said Samuel to Stefan.
"What part of `never sneak up on a werewolf' don't you understand?" The Stefan I knew would have bowed gracefully, expressed his apologies with a hint of humor.
This Stefan gave a stiff jerk of his neck.
"I'm no use here.
It's a good idea to get Mercy out of the line of fire--she's the weakest target.
Send me to keep her safe in Spokane." He sounded almost eager ...