Patricia Briggs - The Mercy Thompson Collection: Books 1-5

The Mercy Thompson Novels

Moon Called

Blood Bound

Iron Kissed

Bone Crossed

Silver Borne

River Marked

The Alpha and Omega Novels

On the Prowl

(with Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, and Sunny)

Cry Wolf

Hunting Ground

Masques

Wolfsbane

Steal the Dragon

When Demons Walk

The Hobs Bargain

Dragon Bones

Dragon Blood

Ravens Shadow

Ravens Strike

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Moon Called

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

All rights reserved.

Copyright 2006 by Patricia Briggs

This book may not be reproduced in whole or part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. Making or distributing electronic copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement and could subject the infringer to criminal and civil liability.

For information address:

The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

The Penguin Putnam Inc. World Wide Web site address is
http://us.penguingroup.com

ISBN: 978-1-1012-0843-4

AN ACE BOOK

Ace Books first published by The Ace Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ACE and the A design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc.

Electronic edition: February, 2006

This book is for
Kayes mom, Almeda Brown Christensen, who likes my books;
Alice and Bill Rieckman who like horses as much as I do;
and in memory of Floyd Buck Buckner, a good man.

As always, this book would not have happened without my personal editorial staff: Michael and Collin Briggs, Michael Enzweiler (who also draws the maps), Jeanne Matteucci, Ginny Mohl, Anne Peters, and Kaye Roberson. Id also like to thank my terrific editor at Ace, Anne Sowards, and my agent, Linn Prentis. Bob Briggs answered a ton of questions about Montana wildlife and wolves. Finally, Mercedes owes a special debt to Buck, Scott, Dale, Brady, Jason, and all the folks whove worked on our VWs over the years. Thanks, everyone. Any mistakes found in this book are mine.

I didnt realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isnt at its best when surrounded by axle grease and burnt oiland its not like there are a lot of stray werewolves running around. So when someone made a polite noise near my feet to get my attention I thought he was a customer.

I was burrowed under the engine compartment of a Jetta, settling a rebuilt transmission into its new home. One of the drawbacks in running a one-woman garage was that I had to stop and start every time the phone rang or a customer stopped by. It made me grumpywhich isnt a good way to deal with customers. My faithful office boy and tool rustler had gone off to college, and I hadnt replaced him yetits hard to find someone who will do all the jobs I dont want to.

Be with you in a sec, I said, trying not to sound snappish. I do my best not to scare off my customers if I can help it.

Transmission jacks be damned, the only way to get a transmission into an old Jetta is with muscle. Sometimes being a female is useful in my line of workmy hands are smaller so I can get them places a man cant. However, even weightlifting and karate cant make me as strong as a strong man. Usually leverage can compensate, but sometimes theres no substitute for muscle, and I had just barely enough to get the job done.

Grunting with effort, I held the transmission where it belonged with my knees and one hand. With the other I slipped the first bolt in and tightened it. I wasnt finished, but the transmission would stay where it was while I dealt with my customer.

I took a deep breath and smiled once brightly for practice before I rolled out from under the car. I snagged a rag to wipe the oil off my hands, and said, Can I help you? before I got a good enough look at the boy to see he wasnt a customerthough he certainly looked as though someone ought to help him.

The knees of his jeans were ripped out and stained with old blood and dirt. Over a dirty tee, he wore a too-small flannel shirtinadequate clothing for November in eastern Washington.

He looked gaunt, as though hed been a while without food. My nose told me, even over the smell of gasoline, oil, and antifreeze permeating the garage, that it had been an equally long time since hed seen a shower. And, under the dirt, sweat, and old fear, was the distinctive scent of werewolf.

I was wondering if you had some work I could do? he asked hesitantly. Not a real job, maam. Just a few hours work.

I could smell his anxiety before it was drowned out by a rush of adrenaline when I didnt immediately refuse. His words sped up until they crashed into one another. A job would be okay, too, but I dont have a social security card, so it would have to be cash under the table.

Most of the people who come around looking for cash work are illegals trying to tide themselves over between harvest and planting season. This boy was white-bread Americanexcept the part about being a werewolfwith chestnut hair and brown eyes. He was tall enough to be eighteen, I supposed, but my instincts, which are pretty good, pinned his age closer to fifteen. His shoulders were wide but bony, and his hands were a little large, as if he still had some growing to do before he grew into the man he would be.

Im strong, he said. I dont know a lot about fixing cars, but I used to help my uncle keep his Bug running.

I believed he was strong: werewolves are. As soon as I had picked up the distinctive musk-and-mint scent, Id had a nervous urge to drive him out of my territory. However, not being a werewolf, I control my instinctsIm not controlled by them. Then, too, the boy, shivering slightly in the damp November weather, roused other, stronger instincts.

It is my own private policy not to break the law. I drive the speed limit, keep my cars insured, pay a little more tax to the feds than I have to. Ive given away a twenty or two to people whod asked, but never hired someone who couldnt appear on my payroll. There was also the problem of his being a werewolf, and a new one at that, if I was any judge. The young ones have less control of their wolves than others.

He hadnt commented on how odd it was to see a woman mechanic. Sure, hed probably been watching me for a while, long enough to get used to the ideabut, still, he hadnt said anything, and that won him points. But not enough points for what I was about to do.

He rubbed his hands together and blew on them to warm up his fingers, which were red with chill.

All right, I said, slowly. It was not the wisest answer, but, watching his slow shivers, it was the only one I could give. Well see how it works.

Theres a laundry room and a shower back through that door. I pointed to the door at the back of the shop. My last assistant left some of his old work coveralls. Youll find them hanging on the hooks in the laundry room. If you want to shower and put those on, you can run the clothes youre wearing through the washer. Theres a fridge in the laundry room with a ham sandwich and some pop. Eat, then come back out when youre ready.