Drake stood in the glass shower with his hands against the tile, head lowered. The muscles in his back were flexed from tension, and water trickled down the ridges in his arms. I could barely make out the Allegato mark on his shoulder, but it didn’t make sense. It looked jumbled, almost as if it wasn’t complete. I didn’t really care. I knew who he belonged with.
Handsome didn’t seem like the right word. Drake was a work of art—but that alone didn’t keep me standing there, interrupting his solitude. It was the magnitude of how much this man worried about me. It took my breath away, and the fact that his feelings for me could get him killed weighed heavily on my heart. Why would I put him in that situation? I didn’t want Drake or anyone else risking their life for me.
The groan of the faucet being turned pulled me from my daze, as Drake stood facing me. I couldn’t speak, all I could do was stare at him—admire him. He opened the glass door and reached for his towel, completely uninhibited, watching me. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked toward me, causing my lower belly to clench and my palms to sweat. Stepping forward, he pinned me between his body and the wall.
Placing his hands on the wall beside my head, he caged me in. He leaned forward and grazed his nose against my jawline, breathing deeply. All at once, he kissed me with passion and anger fueling his every move. My hands roamed over every inch of his back while he pushed himself against me. His hand cupped my face, and he separated his mouth from mine, nipping at my bottom lip.
“One day, when I’m not so stressed about your survival, I’m going to have you, Mercy. You will be mine.” Then he abandoned me, walking back toward the bedroom.
My head fell back against the wall, slightly flustered. “I know what would help my stress,” I whispered, inappropriately.
“I’m guessing you’ve learned how to take care of that by now,” he responded from the other room.
. . .
“Ren secured you a passage to Ireland with his father’s shipping company. I think it’s your best shot, considering you will have him to protect you if needed. They will try anything to keep you from leaving New York. Aadya has spent years trying to find you—she doesn’t want to lose you again. Custos are camped around the city, watching for you, and we have to be careful. I think you need to split up to make it across town.”
“What if they follow us after we board?” I asked.
“When you board the ship, the Custos will be powerless. There’s nothing they can do. Mr. Williams is a powerful elemental interferer—there isn’t anything Aadya can do with water that he can’t counteract, if you have issues at sea.”
“Fitz, I don’t understand. Isn’t there an easier way to get to Seregalo?” I asked. It sounded extreme. “Can’t we take the chopper?”
“Do you really want to be in the air for a long period of time if she can control the wind? This is your safest route, Mercy. Ren’s father can protect you far better than I can. Plus, arriving in Ireland on a ship is less noticeable than a chopper.” Fitz frowned. “There is no easy way to do this while they are searching for you.”
Self-doubt crept in, but I pushed it to the side. “And when we get to Ireland?”
“Understand that not just anyone can walk into a magical underground world. Security, including spells, are in place to keep that from happening. I know a family that can help you, but you must be resourceful to find them.”
“Resourceful, how?”
“Ask around town, quietly, of course. It has been years since I left, and I have no idea where they live now. Pubs and local stores are a good start. Ask for Quinn McDonnell.”
“So let me get this straight, we’re getting on a cargo ship owned by Ren’s dad? Then it’s gonna take us a week to get to Dublin, but we have nowhere to go once we arrive or have no idea where these lost friends of yours reside?”
“That’s right.” He nodded as if proud I remembered everything.
“I’m completely confused why you were so worried, Drake,” I offered, with more sass than I should have.
“Your idea, Babe. Let the man know if you have a better one,” Drake said.
Heat flooded my face at his words. The room grew quiet, and when a calm smothered the flames in my chest, I knew Nora had intervened.
“Thank you, Nora.”
She tilted her head in my direction.
“Gee, thanks, Nora. No love for me?” Drake asked.
“Have you seen her when she gets upset? I think she’s a priority,” she whispered.
I jerked my head in her direction. “Hello? I’m right here.”
“Look, Mercy. My dad takes this trip every few weeks, and he’s leaving tomorrow. This could be our only chance, not to mention we’d have him with us.”
Ren was right. We probably wouldn’t get another opportunity like this.
“You’re right. I’m in if you guys are. I would never ask any of you to put yourselves in danger, though. I want to make that clear. If anyone wants to stay behind, then I wouldn’t blame you.”
The stomp of boots pulled my attention to the right, where Drake walked off toward our bedroom . . . again.
“We need him with us, Mercy. I’m not sure we’d make it without him,” Neela said.
My heart hurt for him. “I know.”
I followed him to the bedroom, hoping to ease his mind. The tension had been unbearable throughout the day, but I wasn’t sure what to say. He took what little clothes Elise had sent over and stuffed them in his bag.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Packing,” he mumbled. “I think it might be best if I slept somewhere else. The loft over the living room is empty.”
“Are you abandoning me?”
“Nope. I’ll apparently follow you to our death because I’ll be with you tomorrow, even though we all know your powers aren’t ready. What the hell? Nobody else seems to care.”
“Aren’t ready? Did you forget what happened on the roof?” I yelled.
Drake looked up, angry. “By accident! You don’t have a clue how to conjure that kind of power on demand yet, Mercy. I wouldn’t be so worried if you had control, but you don’t and you know it. You’ve had three months of training, and you’re ready to put everyone at risk. And here I am, following you into the pit of the unknown, knowing you're keeping something from me.”
My mouth fell open. “Keeping something from you? What are you talking about?”
Drake charged across the room and tilted my chin up to look into his eyes. “Tell me you aren’t lying to me. That the feeling you’ve been dishonest is ridiculous. If you tell me that, then I’ll stay.”
I opened my mouth to deny it. To tell him I’d never lie to him, but he was right. The color in his eyes faded at my silence—the word Marley sitting on the tip of my tongue—that I was responsible for his parent’s deaths. I felt like a coward.
He turned and walked out.
. . .
“One more time, guys. Let’s make sure everyone understands,” Ren instructed.
It was five o’clock in the morning, and Ren’s father had sent a driver to pick up our bags. They would store them on the ship, so we weren’t traveling across town with visible luggage. We needed to blend in as much as possible.
“We’ll split up and meet at the Seaport District on Fulton. Mercy’s taking the subway with me, Drake and Neela are on the bus, and Nora’s taking a taxi—which will drop her off right at the door of the port. Everyone in agreement?” Ren asked.
We all nodded, but nerves kept us from answering. Nora was the youngest in our group, just sixteen years old, so we planned the safest route for her. Even though everyone else was only a few years older, we felt that our powers were more defensive.
“Elise and I will fly overhead in the helicopter. We’ll keep an eye out on the port. I purchased everyone a cell phone, and the numbers are programmed for you. If I see anything, I’ll send a warning,” Fitz explained.
“Fitz, we’re ready,” Elise announced.
Fitz looked around at each face as if memorizing every detail. “I believe in you, all of you. I hope you know that,” he said.
Nora went first, a taxi waiting at the door. After a few minutes, Drake looked back at me before walking out the door with Neela. What if I never saw him again?
Fitz leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Everything inside of me says I’m stupid for letting you go. What would your father think?”
“He would tell you that you couldn’t stop me.”
Fitz cracked a grin. “That sounds just like him. When this is said and done, we’ll have a proper memorial for Noah, alright?”
“Thank you, Fitz—for everything.”
“Time to go,” Ren called out from the door.
We took the stairs, neither of us speaking. Ren and I were dressed in dark colors to blend in with the other New Yorkers, but I wore a hood over my head so I’d be less noticeable. Fitz said they’d be on the lookout for my long dark hair, so we did our best to hide it.
As we exited the building, the helicopter’s engine roared to life, hovering over the rooftop. They circled, looking for any sign of trouble, and when Ren and I made it to the subway terminal, they took off downtown to watch for Nora’s arrival. Fitz had planned this exceptionally. My phone beeped, alerting me of a group message, Drake sent the all-clear for him and Neela. They were on the bus. I hadn’t received anything from Nora yet.
Ren and I stood to the side, waiting for the train to arrive. My lungs felt tight, as if they fought to expand, and sweat coated my palms.
“Mercy, are you okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He scoffed. “You don’t look fine.”
“Such a charmer, Ren.”
He smiled at my remark. “Try to relax. You look like you’re up to something, and someone might notice.”
I took a couple of deep breaths and willed myself to relax. I leaned into him and put my arm through his, looking like the happy couple.
“Drake’s gonna kick my ass.”
“He had the choice to go with me, he chose the bus.”
“Are you guys alright? The tension’s been thick.”
“I don’t know, Ren. He doesn’t agree with this excursion. I need him to support me.”
“I guess it’s hard to support you when he knows you’re keeping something from him.”
My head whipped around at him in surprise, and he grinned.
The train arrived, and he jumped on without another word. We found a seat in the far corner and tucked ourselves in tight, out of view.
We rode for a few minutes before I made the decision to address his comment. “I’m not purposely trying to lie to him, or any of you. There are things I’d rather not talk about yet, that’s all. Sometimes, I need to process it before I hash it out with you guys, you know?”
“Have you told him that?” he questioned.
“The things I need to say, well it needs to be the right time. I’ll talk to him, I promise.”
We sat for several more minutes, as the train stopped to pick up early morning passengers. The closer we got to the financial district, the busier it became. The hair stood up on my arms after the last stop, and two men in black stepped aboard the rail. “Ren, I think two Custos are here.”
Ren turned his back on the crowd to hide me in the corner. The men were slowly making their way toward us, looking over each face in the crowd suspiciously.
“They’re coming, Ren,” I whispered.
Ren clenched his jaw, going over our options. He made eye contact with me and said, “I’m sorry, Mercy. Please forgive me.”
My eyes narrowed. “What are . . .?”
All at once, Ren grabbed the back of my head and slammed his mouth over mine, kissing me. My body froze, and my first instinct was to hit him, but I quickly realized his plan. If they saw us making out in the corner, they wouldn’t suspect us. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. I did the only thing I could think of—I pictured Drake. The kiss intensified, and more of Ren’s body pressed into mine as his palm came up to cup my face. We stayed locked for several minutes, and when we finally broke away from each other, I took a peek over his shoulder. They had moved on to another car.
“I think it worked,” I whispered.
Silence.
“Ren?”
“Yeah, good. That’s good.” He turned around—his body rigid—and took a deep breath. “Let’s keep that between us, alright?”
“Of course. Quick thinking on your part—that was genius,” I offered.
Still no response.
My heart ached for him. Even though I’d pictured Drake, I knew that Ren kissed me, seeing no one else.
“This is our stop.” Ren stood, and I followed him to the sliding doors, waiting for them to open.
“Ren, I’m sorry. . .”
“Mercy, I’m fine, really,” he said.
Again, I put my arm through his, walking toward the Seaport. The bus pulled away when Drake and Neela turned on the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for a threat. Drake’s gaze instantly found me, and I saw them shift, taking in my arm wrapped around Ren. He turned away from us, and they walked off to their designated spot.
“He may not talk to me after this, Mercy.”
I stopped in my tracks, unable to move forward.
Ren looked apologetic. “Hey, it was just a joke. I didn’t mean to stress you out.”
I lifted my finger and pressed it against his lips, listening. “Do you hear that?” I asked.
We closed our eyes and reached out as far as we could. Our phones dinged, and we looked down to a message from Fitz.
“RUN!”
We took off, but not fast enough. I glanced over my shoulder at what appeared to be a massive tornado, ripping through the concrete and buildings toward us.
Rain poured down as people everywhere screamed and cried, grabbing their children and running, while the funnel of wind swept up an older man pushing a hot dog cart. I vaguely heard my name shouted, but I wasn’t sure by who. Ren and I were both gifted with elemental, so if we could get control of it we could stop the devastation.
We came to that conclusion at the same time and stopped in our tracks. Turning toward the funnel spinning our direction, we reached out, forcing a calm over the angry storm. The rain turned into large hail, beating down around us. It was too much—too powerful. Ren reached for my hand the minute the tornado hit us, pulling us upward in a spin of confusion.
I couldn’t hear anything except what sounded like a freight train in my ears. Anger resonated from the wind, and I knew this was the result of Aadya’s attempt to keep us contained in the city. Ren’s grip on my hand grew tighter, determined to hold on. The storm made its way toward the Seaport, and if she succeeded, she’d ruin our chance of escaping the city.
“We have to fight harder!” I screamed.
Ren controlled the spin that had overtaken us, and we were now upright in the eye. We stayed connected and placed our palms out to slow the wind. My heart cried out as adults and children were still being swept into the vortex, crying with fear. Blood covered faces screamed as I tried to concentrate on what we had to do. The only way I could focus was to close my eyes and not absorb the wreckage.
Our powers fused together, and my hand warmed around my mother’s ring. The emerald gleamed brightly as the whirl slowed substantially. At once, Ren and I stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by the city’s destruction. Calls for help sounded under the rubble, and sirens wailed in the distance. I fell to my knees at the catastrophe around me.
“Are you hurt?” Ren asked from beside me.
I couldn’t speak—my heart hurt more than anything.
“Mercy, look at me. Your head is bleeding.”
I reached up to the top of my forehead, where warm sticky blood coated my fingers. I looked down at my hand, and it rippled, the blood disappearing and reappearing in a flashing scene before me.
“Is that Fitz?” Ren asked.
The chopper had landed on the tall building beside us. Fitz, Elise, and four others I didn’t know were standing on the rooftop looking out over the city. Elise and the other strangers all had their palms out, turning, erasing the damage before our eyes. Even with all five of them, the struggle was apparent—but they were doing it. Structures slowly pieced back together, and individuals returned to where they were before the destruction hit. Food carts reappeared onto the street, and glass meticulously put itself back together. I breathed deeply, and relief overpowered everything else at that moment.
Drake and Neela ran over to where we sat and helped us to our feet. His hands searched my body for injuries, “You’re good?” He cupped my face, forcing my eyes to his. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
Drake pulled me to his chest and kissed the top of my head.
“That has to be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Neela said. “And I’ve seen a lot.”
My phone rang out as I pulled it from my front pocket.
“Fitz? That was insane!”
Fitz’s voice was stern, “Board the ship right now—all of you. If you don’t leave now, I’ll never be able to get you out of the city.” He ended the call.
“Wait, where’s Nora? We can’t leave without her.” I looked around, frantically.
“Maybe she’s already on board. She should have arrived before us,” Neela reminded me.
We quickly made our way to the entrance of the pier where two men in black and gray leaned against the gate, grinning. Fitz was right, they had been waiting for us.
“Now, that’s what I call entertainment,” the first one called out. “Impressive, you guys have skills.”
“I don’t have the patience for this today,” Drake mumbled.
A snarl crossed the Custos’ face, then he cut his eyes to us mischievously.
“You know, I scoured the subway for hours, all morning, searching for you, Mercy. I couldn’t figure out how I’d missed you.” He grinned.
My stomach dropped, and my mouth tightened.
Interference: Book One Page 19