by Tia Louise
As her blood touched my tongue, reality hit me like a sledgehammer. Yes, I’d had the feelings, stronger as the days had progressed, as we’d continued making love.
I was pretty sure it was happening the night I’d spent on the cold hard ground just to be sure she was safe, and I was even more sure the day I’d nearly ripped Jim’s head off for touching her. Funny how stubborn some shifters can be.
When I tasted her, all the cards flipped over. Mercy is mine. She stayed away from me last night because it was the full moon. I would’ve impregnated her so hard and so fast, we’d be reeling from it today.
Only, we’re both pretty shaken up by the realization. Loosening my grip, I roll onto my back staring at the ceiling. She curls into a ball at my side. I want to hold her, but I’ve got to get my head around this first, figure out what it means.
“How long have you known?” My voice is as rough as I feel.
A few seconds click by before she answers softly. “I wasn’t sure until just now.”
“Last night?”
“I only suspected. I… I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Smart.” My Mercy… Mine. “I didn’t… I never believed in this happening.”
“I didn’t either.” Her voice is so soft.
It only takes a second longer before my insides cave. Warmth floods in, replacing the shock, and I turn to her, wrapping my body around the curve of her back, my arms tight around her waist. I sink my face into her soft hair and inhale deeply her scent of fresh air and warm woods.
“My Mercy,” I murmur, and at once her muscles relax.
Her arms cover mine and our fingers entwine. We both ease into this new state of affairs like a calming bath. Allowing the soothing truth to wash over us, cover us in fascination with what we’ve found.
After several minutes, she starts to move, turning in my arms. When our eyes meet, I feel like I’m falling even further. “You’re so beautiful,” I whisper.
Her hands are on my jaw, and she slides her thumbs across my cheeks. “Who knew I’d get such a big, sexy panther.”
“The panther sure didn’t. He’d never believe he’d be so lucky.”
She lifts up and captures my mouth. I push her back against the bed deepening our kiss. It’s magnetic. Our bodies seem to be fusing together somehow. I want to fuck her again, but it’s more than sexual attraction. The feeling inside me is soul-deep.
My mouth moves to her jaw, but she sits up quickly, turning away from me. I reach out to grab her small waist and pull her back, but she holds my wrists.
“I have to go. I’ll be late for work.” She laughs, and warmth unfurls in my stomach.
“I’ll walk you home.”
She stands, shaking her head as she crosses to my door. I love her rear view, her long hair dancing around her waist. “I can get home on my own. We’re more likely to get caught this time of day.”
“Then I’m coming to see you at work. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Pausing at the door she looks back at me, stealing my breath. Damn, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. My Mercy. Her lips pucker into a little air-kiss, and she cracks the door. The last thing I see is a streak of golden brown fur.
11
Old Debts
Koa
Mercy is behind the juice bar when I walk through the front door. She’s laughing and chatting with Jim. She’s different, and not just because of what’s happened between us. She seems lighter, more confident. The little bell above alerts them to my presence, and when she turns, her smile is so big.
I’m moving pretty fast in her direction, but she dashes out from behind the bar and runs to me, jumping straight into my arms.
“Whoa,” I laugh, catching her under the ass. Her arms are around my neck, her legs around my waist, and she kisses me hard. It’s a greeting that has another part of my anatomy joining the show.
Pulling back, I chuckle. “Take it easy, sexy. We’re in public.”
“I don’t care.” She leans in and touches her nose to mine before dropping her legs. Catching my hand, she leads me back to the juice bar where Jim’s standing, looking smug.
“Dude, I knew you guys would be okay.”
“We’re more than okay,” she says, stopping at the bar and pulling my arm around her waist.
I’m happy to hold her soft body against mine, but I’ve been thinking about what I’m about to tell her all morning. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it since I tasted her blood last night and knew she was mine. My decision weighs heavy in my chest, but I know it’s the right thing.
“Can we talk?” I say softly against her ear.
She turns and kisses my lips quickly. “Of course!”
Holding her hand, I’m about to lead her out into the parking lot when Andy appears in the hallway. He’s not smiling. In fact, his eyes are flashing with anger.
“Would you mind stepping in here for a second?” He’s talking to me, and I’m pretty sure I can guess what he wants.
Glancing at Mercy, I find it odd that she has a confused expression on her face.
“Give me a sec.” I squeeze her hand before I follow Andy into his office.
“Shut the door,” he says in a cold voice. I comply, and he immediately launches into the speech. “I told you what would happen. You were given direct instructions about Mercy.”
“Andy, man, I didn’t mean to ignore you, but—”
“Fuck that, you’re fired, Koa. Clean out your locker and don’t come back.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re firing me because I’m dating Mercy?”
“Looks like more than dating to me.”
“It is, but that’s none of your damn business.”
“Right. You are no longer my damn business or my damn employee. You can pick up your final check this afternoon. Now get the hell out.”
For a second, I hesitate, trying to think of something to say. Finally, I just shake my head and grab the doorknob. “This is fucked up, Andy.”
“Leave your key with Jim.”
I’m out the door, and I pull it closed a little too hard. The framed certificates on the walls and motivational posters rattle.
Mercy’s back at my side, her dark brows clutched over her pretty blue eyes. “What was that about?”
Wrapping my arm over her shoulder, I pull her to me and kiss her head. “Honestly, I thought you’d know.”
She pushes back to study my face. “Know what?”
Digging in my pocket I pull out the small silver key and slide it across the counter to Jim. “Andy just fired me.”
“Bro! What the hell?”
“What!” Mercy’s voice is a whisper. “On what grounds? I’m going to talk to him right now!”
She starts for his office, but I catch her around the waist. “Hang on. We need to talk anyway.”
“If he fires you, I quit! I’m not working for a place that fires good people for no reason!”
“Come with me, spitfire.” I’ve got her again, and I’m leading her to the front door.
“Dude!” Jim calls behind me. “I’ll see you tonight at Aunt D’s! We’ll talk about it then.”
I lift my chin at him before pushing through the glass door. We walk down the sidewalk a bit, where we have some privacy.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I touch the line between Mercy’s slim brows. “It’s actually for the best—”
“What reason did he give?”
I blink at her a few moments then just say it. “When I first started here, he told me to stay away from you. He said you were off limits.”
“What!” Her mouth drops open.
“It was about the time you told me the same thing,” I grin, touching her chin. “I thought you’d put him up to it.”
“I never!” She spins on her heel, ready to charge back into the gym. In one quick move, I’ve got her around the waist again, carrying her back to where we were. “He has no right!” she cries.
“Listen to me,” I cut her off.
“I told you it’s for the best.”
She stops struggling and looks up at me. “Why? Do you have another job?”
“No.” With one finger, I slide a loose strand of hair off her forehead. I can’t stop touching her. She’s so pretty. “I’ve been thinking about this… thing we’ve got here.” I motion between us. “Mercy, I don’t have anything to offer you right now. No name, no house, no pack… I don’t even have a car—”
Her blue eyes go round. “I don’t care about that!”
“Well, I do. I’m not going to take you out of here until I can take care of you.”
“What are you trying to say?” That confidence I just saw in her slips, and I hate what I’m about to say.
“I’m going on to California. Alone.”
“What? No you’re not. I’m going with you!”
“You’re going to stay here where you have a place to live and food.”
Fire flashes in her eyes, and she pushes hard against my chest. “NO! You are NOT leaving me behind!”
Catching her wrists, I hold her against my chest. “It’s the right thing to do,” I say firmly.
She struggles several moments trying to fight me, until she finally gives up. Her face drops to my chest, and her body jerks with an inhale. She’s crying, and the noise of her quiet sobs almost rips me apart. Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I try to make her see reason.
“I can’t take you from all you have here to nothing with me,” I say softly. “I can’t let you live on the streets or in the woods while I try to find work. You deserve better than that.”
“If you leave, I’ll never see you again.” Her voice breaks along with my resolve.
I loosen my hold on her wrists, catching her chin so I can see those beautiful eyes. They’re flooded with tears.
“Hey…” I smooth the wetness off her cheeks with my thumbs, fighting the pain twisting my insides. God dammit, I can’t fight Mercy. “You think I can live without my soul? As soon as I find a job and a place for us, I’ll send for you. I promise.”
Her head is shaking before she even starts to speak. “I’m coming with you. I’ve got a plan. I’ve been saving for this for years.”
“California is a tough place.”
She clears her throat, ready to argue to the end. She’s such my little lynx. “We’ll go to San Francisco together. We’ll find a gym… Andy will give me a good reference, and I’ll speak for you. Once we’re out there, we’ll find a place, the two of us together—we’ll make it Koa, you’ll see.”
“I won’t let you carry all the weight.”
“Of course not!” She’s blinking fast, struggling to smile. “But would you at least sleep on my couch until you don’t need me anymore?”
“Mercy,” I groan, and she steps into my arms, pulling her small body tight against my chest. “I’ll need you til I die,” I say holding her, kissing her head.
Her arms tighten around my waist. “My Koa,” she says softly, and it’s all over. With those words, I’m fucking screwed. She can have anything she wants. Hell, seeing her cry nearly gutted me. “We’ll be all right. We will.”
My jaw is set, but she’s won. I hold her pretty face and look down into her eyes so bright with optimism. “You don’t fight fair.”
Another grin, and she steps back, reaching up to touch my cheek. “I’ll go and talk to Andy now. Meet you at Doris’s later?”
“Okay,” I say with a tight smile.
Mercy
I’m at the mansion, standing in my sister’s office, watching as she leans back in her leather chair to scowl at me. This afternoon has not gone the way I’d envisioned.
I went into Andy’s office intending to resign and ask for a reference for my relocation to California with Koa. He simply replied, “Go home and talk to your sister first.”
Immediately, I knew Dylan had been behind Koa’s firing—more of me associating with the “wrong kind” of people, I’m sure. She probably told Andy to warn him away from me in the first place. I stormed out of his office straight into the alley behind the gym.
I was furious, and I didn’t have any time to lose. A quick scan of the area told me no one was around. Discarding my clothes quickly, I shifted and ran at top speed all the way to the mansion and up to my room to pull on jeans and a shirt.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Dylan says. And with that she leans forward, returning to whatever crap she has on her desk. Lord knows I have no idea what she does with her time.
“I didn’t come for permission. I came to inform you.” I infuse my voice with the same authority as in my self-defense classes. “I’m leaving… tomorrow.” Although, Koa and I haven’t set a timeline. “I’m moving to San Francisco.”
“With the panther?”
So she does know. “Yes. We’re together now.”
“Mates?” Her lips curl in disgust.
“Unofficially…” I hate being in front of her without a plan. Dylan has the most infuriating way of making me feel every bit the youngest sister.
“Real smart, Mercy. One of your best ideas yet.” Her sarcasm is even worse. “Not that it matters. You can tell your panther goodbye. You belong to Hayden Cross.”
At that I see red. “I most certainly do NOT belong to Hayden!”
She stands and circles the desk to my side. “You’re the youngest sister of the fourth Quinlan generation. By order of the High Council, you belong to Hayden. He’s coming to collect you next week.”
My mouth drops open, but it takes a few seconds for my brain to catch up. “What the hell are you talking about!?” I’m almost shouting, but Dylan isn’t bothered.
She continues past me to the small table holding a decanter and two tumblers. “Scotch?” she says.
“Explain what you’re talking about this instant!”
My pulse ticks higher as I wait for her to remove the crystal stopper and pour herself a drink. I’ve never seen her drink during the day. She lifts the glass to her lips before continuing.
“I had hoped you might develop an attraction for him through our dinners. That is, until the panther showed up.” A deep breath, another sip. “Once I saw how you felt, I went to Chicago to try and plead your case. I spoke to every person in authority I could find. Most wouldn’t even see me. Hayden’s claim on our family is established. What’s done is irrevocable.”
I fight the pressure building behind my eyes. “What claim? I’ve only known Hayden two years. Did our parents arrange our marriage and not tell me?”
I can’t believe my beautiful mother would do something like that to me.
“If only it were that easy,” she mutters. “Hayden is a very powerful immortal, Mercy. When Woodland Creek was founded, one of our ancestors killed his immortal mate. Our family has been paying for it ever since. Every fourth generation, when his last Quinlan daughter dies, he comes here to claim his next one.”
For several moments, all I can do is stare at her, waiting for this to be a sick joke. I wait… I wait… She simply stares right back.
My panic starts to rise. I feel as if my world tilts on its side. “I… I don’t believe you. There has to be some way…” My voice has dropped to a whisper. “Please,” My eyes are burning, and I’m begging her. “Please, Dylan, tell me there’s a way out of this.”
“There is no way out of it. I was informed of the arrangement after our parents died, when I became the alpha of our family.”
I can’t believe it. I can’t… At the same time, all the pieces are clicking into place. It’s why Autumn could leave and I couldn’t. It’s why I’ve never been allowed to leave here. My entire life has been building to this moment, and no one ever told me.
Breathe, Mercy, breathe… My head is spinning, my emotions flying between soul-twisting panic, overwhelming anger, and heartbreaking despair. I have to calm down. I have to find a solution to this problem. My life cannot be over.
“You said he’s coming to collect me. What does that mean?”
She wal
ks slowly over to a framed map of the forest. It shows the lake and the curved creek cutting through the trees. It shows the university observatory. My eyes drift to the small meadow not on the map where I met Koa for the first time. My Koa… A cramp twists my stomach.
“The town was founded by five very powerful families, wizards and shifters. A ley line cuts through the heart of Woodland Creek, and near it is a small passage to Hayden’s world, the underworld, where he rules.”
Instinctively, I wrap my arms around my midsection. I’m trembling, and I do want that scotch now. “What’s a ley line?”
“It’s a straight fault line in the earth’s tectonic plates. Magnetic energy and magical forces work through them. They draw mystical creatures and occult phenomena.”
“Why haven’t you told me about this before?”
“Like I said, I first hoped you might find him attractive, want to be with him. Then, I hoped I could get the High Council to end our family’s servitude. You’re the third Quinlan daughter to be handed over to him. I had hoped my legacy would be to end his claim on us. I’m sorry I failed you.”
It all makes sense now, and it’s so much worse than what I imagined. Dylan doesn’t hate me. She isn’t trying to dismiss my dreams. She knew I had no right to dream them in the first place. My hopes have only ever been castles in the sand. Now a cyclone is blowing them all away.
“What if I talk to him?” My voice is barely above a whisper. “I could ask Hayden to let me go. He might say yes.”
“Oh, Mercy,” she laughs bitterly. “You’re so sheltered and naïve. He might seem aloof at Thursday night dinners, but Hayden Cross is very serious about his property.”
NO! I am NOT his property! I have to stay strong. I won’t go down without a fight. I’m a fighter—self-defense is what I do every Saturday! I might not be able to take on the fucking Lord of the fucking Underworld using self-defense maneuvers, but I can talk to him, reason with him.