Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4) - Jim Butcher Page 0,72

her weight from one foot to the other. "Fix? Are you okay?"

The smaller man panted, "My lip is cut. It isnt bad."

The woman nodded and faced me again.

"All right," I said. "Who the hell are you?"

"My names Meryl," she said. Her voice was surprisingly quiet, contrasting with her size. "I wanted to apologize to you, Mr. Dresden. For hitting you and throwing you into the Dumpster."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you sure you got the right guy, Meryl? No one ever apologizes to me for anything."

She pushed at her hair with one hand. It fell right back over her face. "Im sorry. I was scared earlier, and I acted without thinking."

I traded a glance with Billy. "Uh, okay. Im pretty sure lurking in a dark alley to mug me with your apology isnt the usual way to go about saying youre sorry. But I didnt read that Mars-Venus book, so who knows."

Her mouth twitched, and she relaxed her stance by a tiny degree. "I didnt know how else to find you, so I was just waiting near your car."

"Okay," I said. My neck still throbbed where her fingers had clamped on. Five to one I would have wonderful stripy bruises the next day. I nodded and turned away. "Apology accepted. Now if youll excuse me, I have things I need to do."

A note of panic crept into her voice. "Wait. Please."

I stopped and looked back at her.

"I need to talk to you. Just for a minute." She took a deep breath. "I need your help."

Of course she did.

"Its very important."

Of course it was.

The headache started coming back. "Look, Meryl, Ive got a lot on my plate already."

"I know," she said. "Investigating Rons death. I think I can help you."

I pursed my lips. "You were close to Reuel?"

She nodded. "Me. Fix. Ace. And Lily."

I flashed back on the photo of Reuel and the four young people. "Green-haired girl? Very cute?"

"Yes."

"Wheres Ace?"

"He had to go to work right after the funeral. But Lilys why I need to talk to you. Shes missing. I think shes in trouble."

I started filling in context on the conversation Id overheard between them. "Who are you?"

"I told you. My name is Meryl."

"Okay, fine. What are you, Meryl?"

She flinched at the question. "Oh. Im sorry, I didnt know what you meant." She raked at her hair again. "Im a changeling. We all are."

"A what?" Billy asked.

I nodded, getting it. "Changeling," I said to Billy. "Shes half mortal and half fae."

"Aha," Billy said. "Which means what?"

I shrugged. "It means that she has to choose whether to remain a mortal or become wholly fae."

"Yes," she said. "And until then Im under the rule of the Court of my fae father. Winter. The others too. Thats why the four of us stuck together. It was safer."

Billy nodded. "Oh."

"Meryl," I said, "what makes you think your friend is in trouble?"

"Shes not very independent, Mister Dresden. We share an apartment. She doesnt have a very good idea of how to take care of herself, and she gets nervous if shes out of the apartment for too long."

"And what do you think happened to her?"

"The Winter Knight."

Billy frowned. "Why would he hurt people in his own Court?"

Meryl let out a brief, hard laugh. "Because he can. He had a thing for Lily. He would hurt her, frighten her. He got off on it. He was furious when Maeve told him to back off. And once Ron was gone " Her voice trailed off and she turned her head to one side.

"How does Reuel fit into this?" I asked.

"He was protecting us. Maeve had been torturing us for fun, and we didnt know where to turn. Ron took us in. He put us under his protection, and no one in Winter was willing to cross him."

"What about your fae dad?" Billy asked. "Didnt he do anything to look out for you?"

Meryl gave Billy a flat look. "My mother was raped by a troll. Even if hed been strong enough to do anything about Maeve hurting us, he wouldnt have. He thinks hes already done enough by not devouring my mom on the spot."

"Oh," Billy said. "Sorry."

I frowned. "And with the Summer Knight gone, you think Slate grabbed the girl."

Meryl said, "Someone broke into the apartment. It looked like there had been a struggle."

I let out a sigh. "Have you contacted the police?"

She eyed me. "Oh, yeah, of course. I called them and told them that a mortal champion of the fae came and spirited away