I’ll go, Guerre told his friends.
Merde alors. You are going nowhere, Bastion snarled.
Ash’s life is worth far more than mine, Guerre said. We lose her, we’ll lose Merc as well.
Don’t trust Flynn, Selena said. He always lies.
“Decide,” Nathan said, breaking into their debate. “We cannot waste another second.”
Liege looked to each Legionnaire. Go fuck yourself, Flynn.
Then say goodbye to your beloved Ashlyn. That was the last they heard from Flynn before Liege purged him from their minds, the room, and the fort.
Merc stared at Ash as he said to Joyce, “You’ll give her my blood.”
Liege shook his head. “No. She’ll have mine. You’re still in recovery.”
Merc met Liege’s eyes with his own hard gaze. “Mine.”
“We can start with Merc’s,” Joyce said.
“And if it’s not enough, you’ll take the rest of what you need from Liege,” Merc told her.
“Let’s do it,” Nathan said. “Acier, bring Merc’s blood reserves down here.”
Merc looked at Liege. “I need the room for a minute. I need to tell her what we’re doing.”
Liege nodded and waved everyone out.
Merc knew he couldn’t ease the sleep compulsion without causing her extreme agitation. His only way to communicate was via their mental link, but none of this would make sense without restoring her memories. The process was instantaneous.
She gasped and jerked at her restraints.
Ash, love, I’m here with you.
Merc? Her eyes opened, and she locked gazes with him. All of their shared memories were once again available to her, like a dream suddenly remembered.
For a moment, it was as if he was really connecting with her, not with the monster she was becoming. We’re going to help you.
How?
We’ll get rid of the Omni mutations that are harming you, and give you the same modifications that Selena took, along with the mods in my system.
I hurt, Merc, everywhere.
I know. This isn’t an easy process. That’s why we have you sedated.
I love you. I trust you. And you’ve got some ’splaining to do when this is over.
Merc chuckled. I do, and I will tell everything when you come out of this. And I love you, Ash, more than I have words to tell you. He stroked her hair and smiled at her. Ready?
She nodded. He sent her back to sleep. He could feel Guerre in her mind, blocking her body’s pain response. The Ratcliffs lowered the temperature in the room.
Merc looked over his shoulder to the Ratcliffs. They began the withdrawal of her blood, filling bag after bag.
Merc let his tears fall. It hurt him to watch her life force being drained from her.
Put a bullet in my head if she dies, Guerre. Swear it to me, ’cause I fucking suck at killing myself.
Guerre filled him with warm, calming energy. Hold steady. Let Mercy be your name today. She’s strong. Stay focused.
The blood continued to slowly drip from her body. The docs said they had to take it slowly so as to not shock her body more than was needed. The color was leaving her face. No, that wasn’t true. She wasn’t colorless. The warm glow of her feverish skin was giving way to a purple hue of flesh starving for oxygen.
Merc bent over and kissed her hand. Mercy is my name. His warm tears spilled over cold skin. Mercy is my name. Mercy is name. He repeated the mantra to himself mindlessly. Mercy is my name. He squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to slip into her mind, but she was too distant to reach.
He sent a panicked glance to Guerre, who gave him a nod and said, Mercy is your name.
If you die, Ash, my love, I will go with you. This is my promise to you. I will not leave you in life or in death. Mercy is my name.
“We’re going to begin the transfusion now,” Joyce said.
Merc nodded. His woman was so still. Almost dead. They hooked up the first unit of his stored blood.
Continue speaking with her, Guerre urged him.
You are my heart and my life. I’m not a mercenary today. I’m not mercurial. Mercy is my name.
You’re mercurial as fuck.
Ashlyn’s weak response shocked him. His head shot up, and he looked at her. Guerre laughed. Merc’s hand tightened on her still-unresponsive one. Sleep, angel. We’re all here for you. We’ll keep you safe. Sleep so your body can heal.
I don’t know where I am, Merc. My Mercy.
That’s part of the process. Let go and become. I know where you are. I gotcha.
If I let go, I’ll float away.
I’ll fly with you.
You love me.
So much.
I’m going to call you Mercy when I wake up.
Baby, you can call me anything you want. Just be at ease for now. Your body has important healing to do.
I’m dying, aren’t I?
No, love. You’re evolving.
Like you did?
Just the same.
I can feel your blood in me. It’s delicious. You’re delicious. Her lips twitched. I have Mercy in me.
I’m going to be the gentlest, sweetest, kindest man alive when you wake up.
You always were that.
No.
Mm-hmm. You were. And sexy. I really need sexy you.
Twenty-four seven, Merc said.
Will you still be in my head?
If you allow me. You can be in mine, too.
Because we share blood?
No. Because we share a heart.
“We’re going to let her sleep now,” Joyce said.
I’m scared, Ash said.
I’m not leaving you. I’ll be here the whole way.
I love you, Merc.
Not as much as I love you, sweet Ash. Sleep now. I’ve got you.
After the transfusions, the Ratcliffs moved Ash to a recovery room. It had a full complement of medical equipment, but she wasn’t hooked up to any of it—there was no need with Guerre monitoring her.
Merc got into the bed with her so that he could hold her as she came back to awareness. The Ratcliffs warned him it might be hours or days. Even weeks, as it was for Summer. He didn’t care. He’d made a promise to her, and he meant to keep it.
His mind rolled through all the things they’d been through in the past few months. He remembered waking from the coma with Ash on his mind instead of his Tina. He’d been mad that Ash was replacing her, but now he realized his love for her helped soften his mourning for his family.
If Ash survived this, he might find his way back to joy.
Mercy.
His name was just a whisper in the ether. He looked at Ash, but she hadn’t awakened. He looked up and saw her astral form. It wasn’t a strong projection of herself—it shimmered in and out.
He looked over at Guerre, sleeping on a cot on the other side of the room. He had not heard or seen Ash.
Her astral self disappeared. Merc looked down at Ash. She was not conscious. Her breathing was shallow. He wondered if he should rouse Guerre to take a reading of her. Merc felt for her pulse. It was too faint.
Oh, for the love of mercy, I’m here. Ash’s image appeared again at the foot of the bed.
Ash…
Yeah. We have a problem. There are two of me.
No. There’s only one.
Well, you’re holding one of me and talking to another of me. That’s two of me.
Merc slowly smiled. Then he laughed.
Don’t you dare laugh at me, you big galumph. Help me get back into my body.
Just open your eyes.
Instantly, her astral self blinked out. Merc looked down at her in his arms. Her eyes twitched, then opened. He touched her cheek, her forehead, checking for fever. There was none. The blood pooling in her eyes was gone, and when she smiled, he could see it was gone from her mouth as well.
“Hey,” Merc said.
“Hey.”
“Are you in pain?”
Sh
e nodded. “Yeah. But not like before.”
Guerre came over. He lifted her hand and closed his eyes. Merc waited silently for his analysis. Took a few long moments, but when he looked at Merc, he smiled. “We did it. Her body is changing, but it’s doing so under the influence of our mutations. She’s going to be fine.”
Merc huffed a relieved sigh. “We got you, love. This next part will take some time.”
“What happened to me?”
“That bug bite delivered a lethal dose of mutations meant to turn you into a ghoul. We were able to intercept that and change you into one of us. There’s still a lot of work your body needs to do, but we’ll be here the whole way.”
36
Ash was in the laundry in the utility wing off the kitchen, folding a load of Summer’s clothes so she could switch her load to the dryer.
So much had happened in the months since her second trip to Colombia. She’d left her job and moved to the fort full-time. When she was a regular, the thought of being all-in with this group was overwhelming. But after her mutations, it was the only place she wanted to be.
Guerre had been working with her on mastering her psychometry skills. Acier had been helping her and Summer learn self-defense—not just through physical force but with mental skills as well.
Ash stared at Summer’s T-shirt. Guerre had told Ash the skill of psychometry carried a burden with it. Not all knowledge she encountered was hers to own or divulge. Guerre was working with her to learn how to shield, even from him, from Liege, from Merc—and the entire Legion—knowings that were secret.
That was about to be challenged.
She smoothed her hand against Summer’s folded tee, put Summer’s clothes in a laundry basket, and finished switching her and Merc’s clothes over. Laundry was a chore they shared equally as a couple, but she was pickier than he was when it came to the level of care he gave it.
“Howzit goin’?” Merc asked. He was standing just inside the door. She gave him a pensive smile. One of the many benefits of having transitioned into a mutant was the discovery that she usually knew when and where he was, even if he was only in astral form.
She liked that he couldn’t sneak up on her.
He came over and lifted her onto the washer, mentally closing the door. “Have I told you this is one of my favorite rooms in this entire fort?” He grinned.
Ash looked into his eyes. She lifted her hands to his cheeks, running her thumb over his lush mouth. “I love you.”
“You know I love you. Why the strange mood?”
Ash sighed. She was dying to tell him the news she’d discovered, but it wasn’t hers to speak about.
“We don’t keep secrets between us,” Merc said.
“I doubt I can ever keep a secret at all. Guerre said there would be times I’d have to.”
Merc frowned. “Not between us, love.”
Ash handed him Summer’s tee. “What read do you get off this?”
Merc smiled as he took the shirt. He felt it, smelled it, then closed his eyes. “I can smell the laundry detergent and softening chemicals.”
Mutant physical senses were so keen that they could detect things regulars couldn’t. Ash was hoping Merc would pick up on what her touch had revealed.
“I can smell Summer’s scent—“ His eyes opened wide in disbelief. He shoved the shirt against his face again and drew a big breath. “Fuck. Me. Dead.”
Ash bit her lip to keep from smiling. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Nah, yeah. You are. We’re going to have a baby here at the fort. We’re going to be uncles and aunties!” He laughed and swept her into his arms. “A baby! Here. Who would have thought that would happen? Summer and Liege are going to be parents.” He swirled her around in the little space of the laundry room, then caught a good look at Ash’s face. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy?”
“Because I found out this way. Summer hasn’t said anything to me. Probably not to Kiera either. We’re her besties. We share everything. But she didn’t tell us about this.”
“Ah.” Merc set her on the washer again. He braced his fists on the cold metal on either side of her hips. “I see. And I understand. And fuck it all, we have to keep this quiet still, though I know how happy it will make everyone.”
Merc stroked her cheek, giving her a sad look. “I understand why you’re upset. But what they are facing is touchy. They may fear the viability of the baby. Will it be a mutant or a regular? Will it be stronger or weakened by Summer and Liege’s biology? And how will Summer’s body handle pregnancy? It’s not known. So I’m sure they are waiting for time and test results before telling everyone. And Guerre’s right. This is something we will have to keep secret.”
Ash wrapped her arms around Merc’s neck. “I want a baby, Merc, if it’s safe. I want Summer’s and my babies to play together here. Kiera’s too.”
He grinned and slipped between her legs. “I will happily do my part for you, but Kiera’s on her own.”
Ash punched his arm. “You know what I meant.”
“Yeah, love. I do. I’d love to build a family with you.” He put his forehead against hers. “I’ll give my life for you and our babies. I won’t be like I was my first time as a d—“
Ash put her fingers against his lips, stopping him from saying what he was about to. “I know. And same for me. I love you, sweet Mercy.”
He smiled. “I love you, sweet Ashlyn. My heart, my soul, my life.”
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected]
Published by Elaine Levine
Copyright © 2020 Elaine Levine
Last Updated: December 22, 2020
Cover art by The Killion Group, Inc.
Editing by Arran McNicol @ editing720
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All rights reserved.
Other Books by Elaine Levine
O-Men: Liege’s Legion
Paranormal Suspense
Liege
Bastion
Merc
Red Team Series
Romantic Suspense/Military Suspense
(This series must be read in order.)
1 The Edge of Courage
2 Shattered Valor
3 Honor Unraveled
4 Kit & Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
5 Twisted Mercy
6 Ty & Eden: A Red Team Wedding Novella
7 Assassin’s Promise
8 War Bringer
9 Rocco & Mandy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
10 Razed Glory
11 Deadly Creed
12 Forsaken Duty
13 Max & Hope: A Red Team Wedding Novella
14 Owen & Addy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
15 Greer & Remi: A Red Team Wedding Novella
16 angel & Wynn: A Red Team Wedding Novella
Sleeper SEALs
Romantic Suspense/Military Suspense
11 Freedom Code
Men of Defiance Series
Historical Western Romance
(This series may be read in any order.)
1 Rachel and the Hired Gun
2 Audrey and the Maverick
3 Leah and the Bounty Hunter
4 Logan’s Outlaw
5 Agnes and the Renegade
About the Author
Elaine Levine has a simple life and a twisted mind, both of which need constant care and feeding. She writes in several different su
bgenres of romance, including romantic suspense/military, historical western, and paranormal suspense. Her books are sexy, edgy, and suspenseful, but always end on a happy note because she believes love gives everything meaning.
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O-Men: Liege's Legion - Merc Page 35