In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves…   My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.   Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.   The reality is that nothing and no one is safe.  As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.   But we are pack, and we have given our word.   We will die to keep it. PRAISE FOR THE MERCY THOMPSON NOVELS   “I love these books.”—Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author   “An excellent read with plenty of twists and turns…It left me wanting more.”—Kim Harrison, #1 New York Times bestselling author   “The best new urban fantasy series I’ve read in years.”—Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author   “Patricia Briggs never fails to deliver an exciting, magic and fable filled suspense story.”—Erin Watt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Royals series   “In the increasingly crowded field of kick-ass supernatural heroines, Mercy stands out as one of the best.”— Locus   “Action-packed and with more than a few satisfying emotional payoffs...Patricia Briggs at the top of her game.”—The Speculative Herald   “The characters are all realistic and vibrant.”— The Independent   “These are fantastic adventures, and Mercy reigns.”—SFRevu   “The world building is incredibly lush and subsuming...a fantastic urban fantasy adventure.”—Fresh Fiction   “Outstanding.”—Charles de Lint, Fantasy & Science Fiction Patricia Briggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series ( Silence Fallen , Fire Touched ) and the Alpha and Omega novels ( Burn Bright , Dead Heat ). 1   "So what did you do, Mary Jo?" called Ben in his crisp British accent.   Mary Jo shut her car door and started toward us and toward the mountainous metal barn that Ben and I waited beside. She gave Ben a quelling frown, and waited to speak until she had come up to us.   She asked, "What do you mean, what did I do?"   It was a little chilly, made more so by a brisk wind that blew a bit of hair I'd failed to secure in my braid into my eyes. The Tri-Cities don't cool off at night with quite the thoroughness that the Montana mountains I'd grown up with did, but night usually still kills the heat of day.   Ben bounced a little on his toes--a sign that he was ready and eager for violence. I could sense that his attention, like mine, was mostly on the barn, even though his eyes were on Mary Jo. "I killed Mercy three times in a single session of Pirate's Booty the night before last. I think that's why she woke me up to come out hunting tonight." He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow in an open invitation to address the situation.   Okay, that's not exactly what he said. As usual he spiced his language with profanity, but unless he spouted something truly amazing I mostly edited it out.   "You passed up the opportunity to gain a hundred Spanish doubloons in order to kill me that last time," I told him, unable, even days later, to keep the indignation out of my voice. In the fierce high-seas computer-generated battles the werewolf pack delighted in, a hundred Spanish doubloons was a treasure trove of opportunity for more or better weapons, supplies, and ship repairs. Only a homicidal maniac would give up a hundred doubloons to kill someone.   Ben gave me a wicked grin, an expression mostly empty of the bitter edge all of his expressions had once contained. "I was merely staying in character. Sodding Bart enjoys killing more than money, love. That's why his kill score is third on the board, just behind Captain Wolf and Lady Mockingbird."   Captain Wolf Larsen, stolen from the titular character of Jack London's The Sea-Wolf, is the nom de guerre of my mate and the pack Alpha. Lady Mockingbird, who was up by fifteen kills on everybody, teaches high school chemistry in her alter ego as Auriele Zao. She is a scary, scary woman. I've been told her high school students think so, too.   Ben's gaze, swinging back to Mary Jo, paused on the dark maw that gaped in the front of the huge metal barn, the only building within a mile of where we stood.   It was either very late at night or very early in the morning, depending on which side of sleep you were on. Dawn wasn't yet a possibility, but the waxing moon was strong in the night sky. The entrance to the barn was b