Sacrifice of Mercy

by Shannon Dermott

  “I should go back downstairs. I was supposed to be making a soda run. I guess they’re too into their game to notice I’m gone.”

  “We have some in the fridge or the pantry. And you can tell them dinner will be ready in an hour or so.”

  She nodded and left. I’d finished up my prep work and had slid the roast in the oven when Sebastian appeared.

  “What’s cooking?”

  I felt like a cat because I wanted to spring and cling to the ceiling. He’d scared the daylights out of me.

  “Geez,” I said. “Don’t do that.”

  “I heard there was a meeting.”

  The front door opened, and I didn’t have to stretch far to see Flynn walking through the door. The sight took me by surprise. Flynn had a key to my house. In a bazillion years, I would have never pictured my life this way.

  My thoughts were cut off when Luke appeared. “Meeting?”

  Sebastian nodded. I set a timer on the oven and then followed them towards the living room.

  Flynn came down the stairs, and I watched wondering why he’d been up there. Mia and I were the only two technically staying there. He came into the room and sat on the very chair he’d almost kissed me in.

  Luke came and stood by the wall. Sebastian sat in the middle of the sofa and spread his arms wide. I just watched wondering how this was really my life.

  “Who called the meeting?”

  “I did, Princess.”

  I glared at Flynn. “So now I’m Princess?”

  Flynn winked at me. “I called everyone because I think we need to get all our heads together about what’s going on.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing. Something happened to me today that you all should know about.”

  I proceeded to tell them about what happened at Maggie's. Morgana hadn’t told me I couldn’t tell them. Plus, they needed to know what was going on.

  “How did she get out?” Flynn asked.

  I shrugged. “She must have left before we closed the way. But, that would mean there were two of them all along.”

  Luke pushed off the wall. “Or there’s something we’re missing.”

  “Can we trust what she says?” I interjected.

  “The Fey can’t lie.” I glanced over at Sebastian, who’d been quiet up until then.

  “They also have a way of dancing around the truth,” I said.

  “I think we should talk about whether or not we are going to hand over the scepter.”

  I spun to glare at Flynn. “I’ll give her whatever they want to leave Maggie and her family alone.”

  Luke touched my arm, and my head snapped in his direction. “There is no way we would let anything happen to Maggie’s family. We need to be smart about this. If we give it over, we risk the entire planet.”

  Sebastian sat forward. “We have another problem. Belial. He’s not going to wait forever for me to claim Mercy.”

  Flynn stood up as if that somehow helped make his point. “He can’t have her.”

  Luke stepped back to center himself in the line of fire between the two demons.

  “You think that finding out you’re the son of Lilith somehow gives you an edge over me. Think again incubus.”

  “I may not have an edge, but I’m a Prince just like you.”

  “Okay, stop it.” I watch Sebastian’s eyes glow red and Flynn's glow blue. “I have an idea. What if we take care of two birds with one stone?”

  I described what I had in mind. As they listened, cooler heads prevailed, and they added their ideas. When I walked away to serve dinner, they were still talking.

  The table was set, and I rang the dinner bell with my dinner call before heading to my room. I could cook, but I still couldn’t muster eating much without feeling sick to my stomach.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Flynn stayed behind to explain everything to our parents as I drifted out of the living room. Luke caught up with me. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  My stairwell wasn’t as wide, so Luke had to walk behind me as I made my way up the steps. We entered my small bedroom, and he closed the door behind us.

  “I wouldn’t call dying easy.”

  I met his unwavering stare. It was a topic we’d avoided since he came back.

  “Luke, I never wanted you to die, especially not for me.”

  “It was worth it.” The room wasn’t that large, so it was easy enough to step into his arms. “I would do it over again if I had to. Plus, I knew the day would come. It was something that I’d been told would happen all my life.”

  “Dying for me?”

  “No,” he said, cradling my head on his chest as I looked up at him.

  “Dying period. I should have told you about my fate. I guess I was so happy not to be confused about my future. You showed me what life was worth living for.”

  I couldn’t let that stand. He wasn’t alone. His admiration was mutual. “You showed me what love is.”

  “We did that together. I was lost before you. I hated that my life wasn’t quite my own. I did things to piss off the higher authority to get them to back off. I wanted them to think I wasn’t worthy of the fate they bestowed on me. I did things I shouldn’t have done. Led girls on and tried to be like Flynn. Although, he was wiser and better about it than I. He never gave any girl the wrong impression.”

  “You didn’t either.”

  His blonde curls moved when he shook his head. “Nina. I shouldn’t have messed around with her. I knew her feelings for me. At the time, I thought I wanted what she offered. I thought I could give her what she tried to give me back. I let it go on too long. And now she’s lost her way.”

  He was wrong about one thing. “You didn’t force her to make the decisions she made. She chose her path.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with her.”

  “No, I’ll handle her. I can take care of myself.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t warm his eyes. “I know you can.”

  He squeezed me tighter.

  “How am I going to do this?” I asked out loud changing topics.

  Luke showed how smart he was by catching my meaning.

  “Some decisions have already been made. You can handle the rest.”

  “I feel like everything is hitting me at once. I can’t seem to catch my breath.”

  He was thoughtful, and we stood wrapped up in one another. “They say that you’re never given any more than you can handle. Which proves you’re stronger than you think you are. Plus, there is always a rainbow after a storm.”

  “So I should look for a pot of gold,” I teased. His laugh rumbled in his chest. “Seriously though, why are you always the sensible one? You always seem to know the right things to say.”

  His hand smoothed down my back, and I remembered all the times when he’d kissed me, and I swore I saw the universe.

  “I’ve learned a lot since being with you. You taught me not to fight fate and make the best of the time I had. Your willingness to go into any battle and not let everyone fight for you, gave me courage to do the same. We were both born into this world with a specific set of instructions we were to complete whether we wanted to or not. And we’ll both make it through, together, all of us.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  He gripped me tighter. “You have no idea how hard it was.”

  The door opened, and my hands automatically dropped from around Luke’s waist. Flynn stood in the doorway and stared at us for a second before saying, “Sorry. I should have knocked.”

  He stepped back and closed the door again.

  Luke held on and I didn’t fight to go. The push and pull between the two of them in my heart would probably be the death of me.

  He let out an audible breath and dipped his head so our foreheads met. Then in a whisper, he said, “Go to him and don’t forget to get what I left you in my room.”

  I wanted to protest and ask more. But his arms fell away, and he
disappeared. I closed my eyes for a second before I glanced at my nails. Then I stepped to the door ready to explain myself to Flynn.

  I didn’t have to search for him. He stood with his head leaning on his forearm braced high against the door.

  “Oh, you’re here,” I breathed.

  “I was going, but I had to hear you say the words.”

  “What words?”

  “That you were choosing him.”

  “What?”

  He stepped around me. “Luke, you might as well show yourself. I know you’re here.”

  Nothing. Luke didn’t materialize.

  “If you don’t show yourself I’m going to kiss your girl.”

  Nothing.

  Flynn reached for my arm and spun me towards him. When I landed against his chest, he didn’t waste time. His lips were on mine, and something burst within me. I was really beginning to understand the benefits of having a mate. His kiss lit up my nerve endings with awareness. I felt instantly stronger and more alive.

  He pulled back. “Did you feel that?”

  Unable to communicate, I nodded. He did it again, and we moved towards the bed. He fell back and pulled me along with him. We bounced, but his arms secured me from falling off.

  I started to pull away, wary about where this was going.

  “No. You know this is right.”

  His hands swept up my back and under my shirt. Next thing I knew my bra was undone.

  “Flynn,” I warned.

  “It’s poking me in the chest.”

  Dumbly, I asked, “What’s poking you.”

  “That damn underwire thing in your bra.”

  I tried to rise so that I could get away. “No, it’s not. And how do you know about underwire?”

  “I know a lot of things about girls and girl stuff.” He pulled me back down. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Away,” I began. “I need to put my bra back on.”

  He pouted and damn if it wasn’t cute. “Don’t do that.” His hand slid into the arm opening on my shirt.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Helping you out of your bra.”

  He did know things about girl stuff. He easily slipped my bra out of one arm of my shirt and then the other. That left it and pinned between us under my shirt. However, if I stood, it would fall to the ground.

  “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “You didn’t stop me.”

  He had a point. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why not? I think my…”

  “Don’t say it,” I admonished.

  “It’s broken. It has to be. Do you know when the last time I had sex?”

  I didn’t as I hadn’t made it a point to know all of those details about Flynn. Still, I gave him a duh look, and he said, “Outside of dream sex even though that was hot.”

  “I can’t believe you.”

  “It’s been a while, Princess. I’m not even sure it will work.”

  “They say it’s like riding a bike.”

  He was quick to add, “A rusty bike.”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m probably a virgin again. I won’t even know what to do.”

  “Flynn, I seriously doubt you’ll have any trouble.”

  Practice makes perfect. Then, faster than I could squeal, Flynn reversed our positions and held my bra in his hand. My jaw dropped.

  He shrugged. “I guess I’m not that rusty.”

  His lips were on mine, and the rush from our shared power had me lost. He hooked an arm under my leg and lifted it making room for himself, when my door opened.

  “Mom,” I squeaked.

  Flynn slowly let my leg down. I was grateful I was still in jeans and a tee shirt. Mom’s eyes shifted, and I saw what she saw. Flynn still had my bra in his hand. At least, he had the good sense to look sheepish.

  “Flynn, can you give us a minute.”

  He got up and saluted Mom as she glowered. David appeared and asked Flynn what he had in his hand. Flynn had managed in that short time to fold the two halves together with the straps hidden between.

  “A hat.”

  Mom closed the door, which was a good thing. If he put my bra on his head, I would kill him.

  I sat up and swung my leg over the side just as Mom pulled my desk chair over and sat. I was nearly eighteen, but I felt every bit of five as Mom gave me her best, I’m disappointed in you glare.

  “I know what you are Mercy, so you don’t have to say it. Still. You’re my seventeen-year-old daughter, and the idea of you having sex here of all places disturbs me.”

  “We weren’t having sex, Mom.”

  Her mouth closed, lips pinched and cocked on one side. “He’s your chosen one.”

  “Chosen one?” It appeared today was the day for me to repeat people’s words.

  “Mate, whatever. And for that to have happened, it means that the two of you…”

  I groaned as I covered my eyes. “Are we really going there again?”

  “Mercy—”

  “Look, I thought it was a dream with Luke and it turned out to be real with Flynn. I can’t say that I even remember it as it had that smudge around the edges dream quality to it.”

  Mom decided she didn’t want to hear. She winced, and I sighed.

  “You’re still torn up about Luke.”

  “Of course, I love him.”

  Her mouth closed, and she sat back.

  “I love Flynn too,” I added.

  “You can’t love them both.”

  “I can and I do. You loved Dad, and now you love David. And there is some part of you that still loves Dad.”

  She paused for a second. “Mercy, that’s different. I love David and would choose him every time over your father.” That gave me pause. “Mercy, you have to understand. What your Dad and I shared wasn’t real.”

  “That’s not what he told me.” Her mouth gaped. “Yeah, he loved you. He didn’t have a choice in what he had to do. It doesn’t make him a good person. But he loved you.”

  Good person was putting it mildly as in life, he’d been a serial killer, but that was beside the point. Hell had a way of putting one’s life choices in perspective.

  “Which of them do you love more?”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to have this conversation with her. But, it felt good to talk about it.

  “I love them both equally, yet differently. They fill different spaces of my heart, but yet completely. I could be happy with either one of them.”

  “I can’t say I understand, but it sounds as though you’ve thought this through.”

  Her words made me realize I had. “I have. I know that my heart will be broken without one of them. Yet, at the same time, I know I will be whole with the other. If that makes sense?”

  “How will you choose?”

  “Somehow, I knew I’d already made the decision. I just need to tell them.”

  She stood and bent over to kiss the crown of my head. “It will be hard. Just promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t have sex while I’m home. I don’t think I can take that.”

  I laughed. “You don’t have to worry. I don’t think I’m ready for that step.” Even though I’d gone there before. Things were different and a lot needed to be said before I took that next step, no matter with whom.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  There was something I needed to do. I grabbed my keys and headed downstairs. Luckily, no one was on the main level that would stop and ask me where I was going. I closed the door as quietly as I could. With Morgana on ice until tomorrow and hell at bay, my only concern was Nina. She, I could take on my own.

  I drove with a weird feeling in my gut. When I pulled up in the driveway, I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. I got out of the car and steeled my nerves. I’d fought hellhounds, demons, fairies and other foes. Luke’s mother should be a piece of cake.

  The doorbell sounded hollow as it reverberated throu
gh the house. There wasn’t a car out front, but then there could be cars in the garage. If I was ever going to follow through on Luke’s request, I had to come here to get something from his room. The time couldn’t be better. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring.

  The door swung open, and Luke’s mom looked nothing like the woman I remembered, except for the scowl. That was the same.

  “You,” she said, holding the door in such a way to bar my entrance.

  From my peek inside, I would see boxes everywhere. The rumors were true. She was moving.

  “I left something in Luke’s room, and I was hoping I could get it.”

  “Luke’s room. Luke doesn’t have a room. He’s dead, and I have you to thank for that.”

  The word slap left me gaping.

  “Besides, you couldn’t have been my son’s girlfriend. You couldn’t bother yourself to come to his funeral.”

  As she attempted to slam the door in my face, I raised a palm to stop her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

  “So it is true.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I used her moment of silence to say what I needed to say.

  “No one is more sorry about Luke’s death than me. I would have traded my life with his. And I didn’t go to the funeral because I was trying to find a way to bring him back.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Someone told you, didn’t they? Or maybe you were angling for it all along.”

  “I’m not sure I follow you,” I confessed.

  “You might as well come in. And wait right here. I don’t trust you.”

  She let me in and closed the door. She eyed me suspiciously before she exited the hallway we stood in. I glanced around remembering my time there with Luke. I wished for him.

  When Ms. Bishop returned, she had her hand extended with an envelope. “My son took it upon himself to do this.”

  I took the proffered envelope but didn’t immediately open it.

  “Aren’t you curious? Then again, my son told our family lawyer that the two of you were married.”

  My eyebrows shot past my hairline.

  “Not legally, but spiritually, he said. He had him draw up a will giving you his trust fund in the event of his death. Conveniently, he died not too much longer than that.”