Silver (31 page)

“Stop that.” John stuck out a hand and hauled Andrew back up straight. “We owe you for saving Selene and stopping that madman.”

Relief and gratitude softened Andrew’s feeling, however suppressed, of resentment toward John. He was a good alpha in his way. The two men shook and then Andrew stepped aside to let John wade into his pack, accepting touches and smiles from everyone. The bright noise of the aggregate of voices grew louder.

Andrew felt suddenly sharply alone standing there, but as people dispersed into the house, he could see through the doorway into the kitchen to a head of white hair. He made his careful way over.

Silver sat at the table, her back to the entryway and transition of power. Andrew joined her, leaning the cane against the table. Silver laid her injured hand on the table, palm up. Andrew sat and put his on top to let her exercise her returning control. The press of her fingers against his skin, one by one, was light but there. She’d plateaued at that much movement in the last few days, but it was better than nothing even if she never went any farther.

“And now we figure out where to go,” she said, voicing his thoughts.

“I had some thoughts about that.” John surprised Andrew by appearing in the doorway, a road map in his hands. He strode to the table and smoothed the map flat over the wood. “We do have pack property down in Vancouver—Vancouver, Washington,” he clarified, seeing Andrew’s frown. “It’s right on Washington’s southern border. I know you mostly got along with her, but Portland would still probably be giving you the hairy eyeball from right across the river. And I don’t think you’d want to be in Bellingham.”

Andrew smiled wryly. “No.”

“Mm. I’d recommend you head east to Ellensburg, personally. We go up to Snoqualmie a lot, but we don’t actually go all the way over the pass. There’s not much there, forest-wise, since it’s in the rainshadow of the Cascades, but it would do temporarily. Billings doesn’t come right up to the border much. It’s a college town, so there’ll be a lot of cheap housing if you want to get a place to rest up for a while.”

Andrew bent his head over the map, examining the city and its surroundings in the flat false colors of elevation. This offer was unexpected. It would solve so many problems, though. “You could just kick me out of your territory entirely. I wouldn’t think less of you.”

“I could do worse than being allies with Roanoke and having him owe me a favor or two.”

Andrew looked up at the gravity in John’s voice. He wouldn’t be challenging Rory for a good few months yet, but he’d given his word he would if he healed, and he was healing. It still sounded strange to hear John say it. “You sure?” he asked Seattle.

John extended a hand instead of answering. The two men shook on it. Then John extended the hand to Silver. She blinked in surprise, but took it a moment later. “And Roanoke’s mate,” John clarified. “Something tells me you two will make a formidable team.”

“Took him long enough to realize it,” Death said, voice sardonic. Andrew turned his head quickly, trying to pin down the lump of blackness at the edge of his peripheral vision, but he found nothing. It was just the power of suggestion taking a long time to fade. And the laugh he thought he heard at his reaction was pure imagination.

He turned his eyes to Silver instead, and shared a smile with her.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

SILVER

A Tor Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

ISBN 978-0-7653-3037-6 (trade paperback)

ISBN 9781429991094 (e-book)

First Edition: June 2012