by Ciara Graves
She picked at her nails, then rubbed at the specks of blood on her hands. “I was. I got bored. Figured I’d ask around to see if anyone had intel on Damian.”
“We’ve been over this. If the others don’t know anything, no one else will.”
“Says you. Damian has plenty of connections down here. Someone knows something, and I’m going to make them tell me.”
The demon at her feet grunted but didn’t try to get up.
“Make them tell me when they’re all conscious,” she amended, then turned to the bar. “I’ll have another, please.”
The witch nodded frantically.
I shook my head. “You don’t need anything else. You can either come with me back to the guys. Or we’re going home.”
“I need information.”
“You need to not get arrested.” I reached for her arm, but she slipped away. “Mercy, I’m not bailing you out.”
“Who said I’d get caught?”
She didn’t know about the Hunters, and this was not the place to tell her that tidbit of information. If she knew, she wouldn’t be out here kicking random peoples’ asses.
I understood her urgency to find Damian, but this was not the way to do it. This wasn’t even her way of getting information. The old Mercy would’ve bribed a few people, thrown some punches, but she would’ve done it in secret. Not in a bar full of witnesses.
“We’re leaving.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “I didn’t get the information I need.”
“They’re not going to know anything. Let it go.”
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“Mercy, this is not the place or the time. You know that. All you’re doing is drawing attention and making a mess.” I held out my hand to her. “We’re going home.”
The bartender behind Mercy nodded enthusiastically.
Mercy shot her a glare. “Fine, I’ll go.”
I waited for her to take my hand, but she moved around me and for the door. “Home, right?”
“I’m not ready to go home yet.”
“You’re not going to any more bars,” I warned, ready to grab her and throw her over my shoulder, if need be, to keep her out of trouble. I was worried she’d run into Bowen, if no one else. With the mood she was in, she would be more inclined to punch him than forgive him.
I stayed right behind Mercy.
Evidently, Todd had gone back to Rufus.
She walked quickly but didn’t try to lose me in the late-night crowd. When we exited the Underground, she marched to her Banshee and climbed on.
I made to join her, but she held out her hand, palm out.
“Where are you going?”
She shoved her helmet on her head and started the bike. “Away from you.”
“You’re going to be pissed at me for that? Really?”
“Yeah, I am,” she snapped.
I reached for her arm, not about to let her pull away.
“Unless you want to be nursing broken fingers tomorrow, you’ll let go right now.”
I didn’t, moving closer instead. “You can’t just run away from me.”
She tugged, but my grip was relentless.
She climbed off the bike and aimed a punch at my face.
I dodged it easily and sensed her glare beneath the visor of the helmet. She angrily yanked it off her head, and her eyes glowed dangerously with her mage fire.
“Let me go. Now.”
“Not happening. Not until you tell me what the hell you think you’re doing.”
“Looking for Damian while the rest of you seem content to sit on your asses and hope for the best,” she shouted. “He could be in trouble. In a cage. He could be injured. Or dead. And we’re all just sitting around waiting.”
I loosened my grip.
She backed away, her face warring between intense fear and anger. “I can’t do that, alright? I can’t.”
“We haven’t stopped looking for him,” I argued, but she scoffed. “We haven’t.”
“Sure as hell feels like it. Whatever. Not like you ever cared for him anyway.” She put the helmet on, climbed onto the bike.
This time I let her start the engine.
“I’ll be home later. I just need some time,” she said over the roar of the bike.
“Time to do what?”
She revved the engine in response, then accelerated away from the curb. Several cars honked as she cut them off.
I had to fight the urge to take off after her to ensure she didn’t get her ass in an accident.
“You want me to follow her?”
I jumped at the sound of Todd’s voice behind me, then nodded. “Don’t let her know you’re there.”
He saluted then vanished from sight.
I headed toward the apartment, not sure where Mercy would go.
Todd would find me when she found a place to stop.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be some dark alley with her beating the shit out of some other poor drunk.
Chapter 3
Mercy
People walked by the patio in groups of twos and threes, enjoying the bright, shiny spring weather. Watching them made me sick after a while. I wanted a thunderstorm, some clouds, anything to dull how happy the rest of this freaking sector was right now.
“Mercy, you’re scaring people.”
I shifted my glower to Rafael. “And? Nothing new about that.”
A couple walking by the black iron fence of the café glanced my way. The woman, clearly a fae, judging from the wings tucked against her body, locked eyes with me. Her jaw dropped, and a look of pity filled her violet eyes.
I started to stand, and she hurried away, dragging the guy with her.
I chuckled to myself until I caught Rafael watching me, shaking his head.
“What? She was staring at my scar.”
“Or the fact that you look like you want to kill someone.”
I shrugged. “To be fair, I do. Not sure what’s wrong with that. Why did we have to meet her here, anyway? Couldn’t you have picked somewhere else?”
“I’m keeping you out of the Underground. Have to, after the shit you pulled last night.”
“One fight. I picked one fight in a bar.”
“That’s one too many.” He sat up and waved. “She’s here. Be nice.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Iris has proven to be quite a useful siren. I mean I hate her on principle for being with you first, but I’ll play nice. For now.”
Rafael’s hand curled on the table.
That told me it wasn’t a good enough answer, but then Iris was there, taking a seat at our small table and the subject was dropped.
She was dressed in a sharp pantsuit, having come from the office, and carried a leather messenger bag.
“Want anything?” Rafael offered.
“Just to know what you two got yourselves tangled up in,” she muttered. “All those people you saved have been placed in safe houses.”
“Thank you,” I told her, allowing sincerity to color my tone.
“The Feds are trying to figure out where they all came from.” She tapped her nails on the table, eyeing Rafael. “I told them it was an anonymous tip that led us there, but eventually someone’s going to start digging and asking questions.”
“We don’t have anything solid to give them,” Rafael explained. “From what little we know, the dark covens have vacated Sector 13.” He glanced around, but no one was paying attention. “There’s no proof of anything we could tell you, anyway.”
“Besides, we blew up the hotel,” I added in a whisper.
Iris’s lips curled in a half-smile. “Wish I could’ve seen those bastards go up in flames.”
“Yeah, it was fun.” I sat back, studying Iris. “I didn’t realize you had a coldhearted side to you.” I glanced at Rafael. “Maybe we should bring her in on what we’re doing.”
“What? No.”
Iris’s smile fell at Rafael’s denial. “Why the hell not? Your girlfriend l
ikes me. I think that’s a sign we can be friends. We can help each other.”
Rafael glanced from me to her, then back to me again. “I’m not sure I like the two of you getting along.”
I patted his arm and leaned in to ask her a question or two. “What else are they saying? Any news on Nor?”
“Nothing. For now, they all believe he’s dealing with family. Which we all know is a lie.” Iris motioned to my water glass, I waved for her to have it. She drank it down. “They’re starting to ask a lot of questions about what my team’s up to and why Rafael hasn’t been there.”
“And? What are you telling them?”
“That you’re working on a classified case for Chief Nor and will be out of the office indefinitely. That I can’t reach you. That you have to call me.”
“They believe you?”
She gave me a sultry smile and a bit of her power brushed over me.
“I’m a siren. Sometimes men aren’t the smartest people around, especially when they’re not demons and are susceptible to my charm. I won’t be able to keep them off your back forever, though.”
“Is Jeremy giving you trouble?” Rafael asked.
I’d heard the name before but didn’t know much, except he was a shifter who worked directly under Nor. With Nor gone he was basically in charge.
“No actually. It’s kind of strange. He’s letting me run the team. Occasionally asks about you, but doesn’t seem worried. He did say if I got in contact with you that you should call him. Check in.”
I turned to him. “Should you?”
Rafael shrugged one shoulder, scratching at his bearded cheek. I was really enjoying this rugged side. He almost shaved that beard off when we came back from Sector 13. I’d convinced him not to.
His sideways glance told me he knew what I was thinking about.
I puffed out my cheeks as I stifled a laugh, having to turn away.
“You two need a moment?”
“Sorry. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to call Jeremy. Help play up the ruse that I am working on a case for Nor.”
“I suggest you do it soon.” Iris checked the watch on her wrist. “Guess it’s back to the office.”
“You know,” I said as she rose, “if you do want to get your hands a little dirty, we might have a need for you, down the road. This fight is only going to get worse,” I added in a whisper. “We won’t be able to fight them alone.”
Iris nodded. “You have my number. If you guys need me for anything, I’m there. Not about to let some psycho get away with whatever this shit is.”
Eventually, we needed to fill her in on all the details, but that would mean admitting what I was and that Shuval was a dragonborn, too. It’d mean telling her about the artifacts and the ley lines and the Blood Moon. The sacrifices.
I was starting to trust her, but I hesitated to tell her everything yet. When the time came, we’d fill her in. Then we’d see what kind of person she was.
Iris gathered up her bag and left the café.
“You continue to surprise me,” Rafael mused.
“Why? Because she walked out of here alive and in one piece?”
“You trust her.”
I pushed my tongue behind my upper lip, thinking of my reply. “She’s a good person. A bad person wouldn’t be keeping your secret, and she wouldn’t have shown up to help the ones we saved. I think when the time comes, yeah, I can trust her.”
Rafael took my hand. “Want to get out of here?”
“Yes, please. Can we go somewhere else? Anywhere else?”
We paid for our coffees and left the café. The nice weather continued to irritate me. So did the crowded sidewalks.
Rafael didn’t tell me where we headed, ignoring my questions. Eventually, we found our way to the entrance of the local park and the cemetery within. Most people would’ve probably thought walking through it was morbid. Hence, the empty walking trails.
I’d always found it peaceful. I had told him about the times I used to come here before the madness with Shuval. It’d been months since I’d been back.
The willow trees lining the path swayed in the breeze. Flowers bloomed along the gravel path. The tombstones, old and crumbling, stood watch over the small pond to our left. A couple of wooden benches surrounded the water.
Rafael pulled me to the nearest bench. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Think you can enjoy the weather here?” he teased.
“Dunno. Still too damned sunny, but at least there are no people. We’re completely alone. No cars honking. No one staring at us. I suppose I can relax for a while.”
Rafael sighed then ran his fingers through my hair, taking out the chopsticks I’d used to put it up.
I closed my eyes, my tense muscles relaxing.
He cupped my scarred cheek in his hand and then he kissed me. It started out languid and tender. His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me in closer.
My hands bunched in the front of his black t-shirt. I had my eyes closed, enjoying the moment.
Clouds must’ve moved in to block the bright sunshine and a chill filled the air from the lack of the sun’s warmth.
Rafael’s body was more than enough to keep me from getting cold though.
The kiss ended abruptly.
I was about to ask him what was wrong when he cursed. He grabbed me and threw us off the bench.
A heartbeat later, it exploded in a pile of wooden debris.
Rafael tucked my head against his chest to protect me. “Mercy?”
“I’m fine. What the hell was that?”
We scrambled to get up.
There, standing across the pond was another nefari. His blood-red jacket whipped around behind him as the breeze picked up.
Shadows filled the clearing, blocking the sunshine. His violet eyes raged with black fire.
Rafael shoved me behind him. “You need to run.”
“I’m not leaving you behind to face him.” Where was my sledgehammer when I needed it?
“Mercy, I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. Get your ass out of here. Right now.”
“See? This is what I’m talking about,” I complained. “I can fight.”
The shadows stretched toward us, crossing the pond.
“You want to have this argument now? You’re kidding, right?”
A burst of shadow shot toward us, and he shoved me to the ground as the shadow’s surge struck a willow tree behind us.
The trunk shattered as the rest of the tree toppled to the ground with a loud groan. Leaves and branches flew everywhere.
“Do you have any iron on you at all?” I asked.
“Always the doubter.” He reached for the sheath at his lower back. The knife he pulled out wasn’t his usual silver one. It was iron.
A third bolt of shadow came directly for us.
Rafael flattened us to the ground, then rolled us over.
The shadow struck dirt, and the nefari screeched his irritation.
“Stay down,” Rafael ordered. Then he was up, sprinting around the pond.
I was going to yell at him again. Instead, I cursed and dodged another burst of shadows coming toward my head. I glanced around.
The entire clearing was in darkness.
All I could see was the path, a few yards in front of me. And the nefari. No Rafael.
Rafael had been swallowed by the darkness. Had he already gone down? Too distracted searching for Rafael, I missed the shadow snaking across the water.
It latched onto my ankle and yanked me toward the murky pond.
I grabbed at the ground, digging my fingers into the dirt, but all that did was take clumps of grass with me. A second shadow grabbed my other ankle.
I frantically clawed the ground. Water hit my boots.
With one hard tug, I was in the pond. I expected to be dragged through the murky water, but two more whips of darkness dove toward me and wrapped around my wrists. A fifth found my neck and strangled me as I fought to get back to the surface.
>
Lungs burning, I glared at the darkness. The shadows had pinned me to the bottom of the pond, holding me there.
I closed my eyes and braced for the pain that was about to come. Drowning was not how I wanted to go out.
The shadows suddenly released me.
Bright sunlight covered the pond’s surface, breaking through the water to reach me.
I was pulled from the pond and someone pounded me hard on my back. I coughed and gagged, spitting up pond water as I whirled around, looking for the attacker.
There was only Rafael. He was as soaked as I was, snarling as I heaved until there was nothing left.
“Wh-where is he?” I asked, my voice raspy.
“Gone. I stabbed him, but he took off before I could finish the job.” Rafael shoved wet hair from my face and hugged me as I fell into him. “That was too damned close.”
“You think?”
“They’re just going to keep coming for you until one of them gets lucky.”
“Then I guess we don’t let them get lucky.” I sat back. “You okay?”
His brow furrowed and he rested his forehead to mine. “I’m not the one who almost drowned. But yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”
Our walk back to the apartment was far from stress-free.
Envy was getting desperate if he was sending these assholes after me in broad daylight.
If he wanted to play this game, then I could too. And I would win.
Rufus shook his head. “Ugly, what the hell are you doing with that thing?”
“What? You don’t like my new weapon?” I hefted the sledgehammer then placed it over my shoulder. “Pretty damned effective.”
He gave Rafael a worried look. “She’s a bit on edge.”
“You think? They’ve tried to kill me twice. I’m not going anywhere without this baby.”
We were meeting with Rufus to discuss the latest rumors he’d heard regarding several missing artifacts.
We didn’t get together in the Underground though. There were too many shadows for nefaries to hide in.
Instead, we met under the full moon in a vacant lot where I could see in all directions. When I suggested the place to Rafael, I’d half-expected him to tell me I was being paranoid.