We both looked at each other in a moment of understanding. “You think David’s house is bespelled?”
I nodded slowly. She closed her eyes. “It’s better that we left then.”
Pursing my lips, I wondered if the spell was just for her or for us, but I remembered how Flynn had acted towards me. “Maybe it affected us all differently.” David had lost his cool and I thought he was unflappable.
“I think we should move far from here,” she blurted.
Shocked, I stood slack jawed. “But,” was all I could muster.
“We would be safe. They would be safe. Flynn needs distance from you if you aren’t going to choose him.”
“Luke,” I said.
“Don’t you see? You are toxic to him. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true.”
“I can’t leave him after damning him. Plus, he’ll be going to college soon. He’ll forget me once he sees all his other options.”
Her compassion only served to annoy me. “We aren’t leaving just yet, even though it would be better. I need to search for a job. It shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Where would we go?” I queried.
“It’s best you don’t know. You might tell someone. And our safety hinges on secrecy.”
“What about Sebastian? He’ll be able to find me,” I retorted, feeling sick at the thought of leaving.
“That can’t be helped,” she admitted.
Then I told her about her father, his password choice and dreamwalking with him. “Mercy you need to stay away from him. Do not take any deal he offers you. Demons are skilled at selling you a fantasy and giving you a nightmare.”
I agreed and she moved to get her computer. I knew the conversation was over. I headed downstairs to finish cooking and find some peace. I thought about calling Luke and telling him. However, I knew he would come over. And my mom had made her feelings about us being together clear. All I needed was for her to lecture us both. If I had to leave him, I wanted to do it on my own terms.
I also didn’t call Maggie. Maggie wouldn’t be able to keep this secret. She’d tell Brent who would tell the guys in whatever order, thus leading Luke to come. If I thought about it too much, I would think on why he hadn’t called me. I knew why I hadn’t. The way things stood, maybe we weren’t even together.
Getting ready for bed was an odd experience. I had grown accustom to an ensuite bathroom. In our tiny house, I had to walk down the hall again. On the way back to my room, my phone chimed. With Luke’s pic on the screen I didn’t even think when I accepted his Facetime call with only a towel and wet hair.
“Hey,” he said looking serious. “I just heard. Tell me you’re okay?”
How had he heard? “Yeah, fine.”
I watched the screen and realized that the top of my chest and the towel were showing in the picture. I adjusted so he could only see my neck up. “You didn’t call and tell me?”
I could see the hurt in his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you rushing over.” When he looked away, I bit back wanting to take my words away. “My mom is being weird and I didn’t want you to get anymore of her wrath.”
“I can handle your mom,” he said facing me again.
The depth of the blue that stared at me made me want to dive deep and- be with him no matter the odds.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” His words although sincere sounded flat. “Goodnight Mercy.”
“Wait,” I begged.
His finger that had filled the screen ready to end the call receded. “I love you,” I said. There were so many things I could say, but I wanted to in person. Still, I needed him to know this.
His lips formed a sad smile. “I love you too.”
Chapter Fifty One
The cascading sunlight came like a prism through my window. It should have been reassuring but instead I felt dismayed. My life would be changing and not for the best. I may be moving to someplace totally new to finish my senior year with people I didn’t know. I would miss Maggie and Luke. And even Flynn, Tom and Brent.
So it was no wonder that even with my mom gone to work, I stepped outside forgetting I didn’t have a car or a ride to school. But then I didn’t need one. A Hummer was idling in my driveway. Flynn.
I steeled myself and walked over to the car. I opened the door and stepped in to greet my tormentor. “Thanks,” I said, sitting face forward not really wanting to look into those ice cap eyes.
“Webster,” he quipped.
I kept my gaze averted, my eyes instead falling to his tee-shirt. It was black, of course, with write writing above and below a white dotted line. Above the line read, You Must Be This Tall. Below the line read, To Ride This Ride. I rolled my eyes, and finally met his. He grinned. “Are you tall enough?” he quipped.
“I’m too old for kiddie rides,” I answered, suppressing a laugh.
Reality struck killing all giggles from me. Luke hadn’t picked me up. As if on cue, he said, “He would have picked you up.” He held out keys to me. “Dad wanted you to have the car. He said that none of this is your fault. I’ll drive you home afterschool so you can get it.”
David was a saint. I didn’t want his charity, but I’d take his kindness. I’d rather not ride with Flynn to school every day. Plus having a car gave me options, especially when my mother was planning to move us away.
And the guy with a thousand words said no more. Flynn turned up his head-banging music and I was grateful for the solace. I didn’t want to talk about us. I needed to figure out how to explain everything to Luke.
We barely made it to school before the first bell. It wasn’t until lunch that I could finally see Luke. He wasn’t at the elite table and neither was Maggie. I didn’t even see Brent. So I headed over to the other table I used to sit at as it was currently unoccupied.
Tom came over and joined me. “Are you okay?” he asked. I was started to get annoyed at that question. I wasn’t okay and I really didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m good,” I said. “When do you have to take Brent and Doug to see Chris?” I asked making a conversation change.
“I don’t know. Soon I guess,” he answered. What was it about guys that every answer was ten words or less?
“How about you? How is it being king of the jungle?”
He scowled. “It sucks.”
So much for small talk, but I gave it one more shot. “So are you going to tell me more about that girl?” It had been a while, but I wanted to know about the girl that had come to the pool months ago the day Flynn had thrown me and Luke in.
“Who, Alicia?” His sandwich was halfway to his mouth when I nodded. I hadn’t known her name but I was hoping to get something out of this tight-lipped boy. “She’s just someone everyone thinks is a good choice for me. She’s okay though.”
Luke, Maggie and Brent all sat down at the same time killing our conversation. Tom wasn’t the type to open up in the best of situations and even less to a crowd. And he was a mystery I wanted to solve. It was much better than dwelling on my problems.
As happy as I was that Luke sat with me, there remained a distance between us that was tangible. We didn’t get to talk either. He was listening Brent’s story about some freshman who got locked in a gym locker. It was kind of mean and I couldn’t bring myself to laugh at the poor guy who’d been packed in to one as a senior prank. So I just sat and quietly ate my lunch.
When the bell rang, Luke took my hand and walked me to class. He even kissed me, quick and chaste. I wanted to take it as a good sign but I just didn’t know.
After school, Maggie and I went to softball practice. Coach wasn’t too pleased with us, but we’d been dedicated players for several seasons; she gave us a pass for our past absences. I might not have gone, but Flynn was going to baseball and he was my ride.
And once practice was over, I actually felt good to do something normal like speed drills, hitting the ball and catching it. Most of all, I enjoyed not having anyone trying to kill me. When Luke met me
at Flynn’s car, I couldn’t help but hope that things were looking up. “Can we meet up later over at Dewey?”
“Sure,” I answered. It was probably for the best. Although it was spring, the weather was all over the place. Today, it was cold. Dewey would most likely be deserted. We needed to talk alone and I didn’t know for sure if Mom was going to be home or not. And since I didn’t live at David’s anymore, it would seem odd to bring Luke over there. I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t offered his house, but then again his mom and my mom knew each other.
“Hey, I’ve got plans. You two handle that later when I’m not around,” Flynn said striding up.
Luke and I couldn’t help the roll of our eyes. We began to laughing when we saw that we’d had the same reaction. “Later,” Luke said before walking away. My stomach knotted and the optimism drained away as I watched him get in his car without kissing or hugging me. Was I reading too much into everything?
“Are you coming?” Flynn called out the passenger window he rolled down. I hopped in and tried not to over think everything.
When we pulled up behind my car, he turned off the radio and said, “I hope Dad and Julie work it out. Dad’s pretty miserable.”
I couldn’t tell him it was doubtful and that my mom seemed pretty steadfast in her decision to stay away from David. Instead, I told him my truth. “I do too.”
When I drove away, I didn’t look back at Flynn. It was too hard to do so and not feel guilty for the growing shadows under his eyes.
Pulling up to the empty park, I thought about how this is where it all began. Kind of, Jay’s house may have been more accurate. But Dewey would always be the place where I realized that I’d started falling in love with Luke, if only a little then. He’d been so nice to me, not knowing his kindness would be his doom and would come back to haunt him.
Sitting on the bank, I tossed rocks in the water unsuccessfully, watching the gray rocks sink as I tried to skip them. There had to be some kind of skill to do it that I didn’t possess.
“Well, well, well, I didn’t figure you to be dumb. Guess I was wrong.”
Scrambling to my feet, I turned around to stare at the girl who was forming a wedge in my relationship with Luke. I hadn’t totally bought her good girl attitude on the island. This, however, was pretty bold. “This isn’t a good time,” I said with what little strength and fortitude I felt.
“Wow, you’ve got,” she tapped her chin with her index finger. “How do you humans say… balls.” I wanted to inform her that was something you mostly said about boys but didn’t bother to correct her. “You’ve got him so wrapped up. I have to give it to you succubus; you’ve done an excellent job. And here I thought I had him. Yet, I can’t seem to break him. It’s high time I get a two for one deal. I came to kill you. It's nothing personal, but I need allies against my father. And well, Luke is the chosen one. Can’t believe my stroke of luck there. He’ll lean on me once you’re gone. Since you’ve tainted him already, with a little coaxing, he’ll be on our side. And maybe dear old dad will forgive me.”
There wasn’t any time. She was just in my face. The air left my lungs and I glanced down to see her hand had penetrated my body without spilling any blood. The only thought that came to my mind was Sebastian as her hand constricted around my heart.
My mouth opened. The name “Seroff,” escaped my tongue without my conscious thought, and stunned the blonde in front of me. My demon was making an appearance. And for a moment, Sara looked almost afraid.
“Let her go.” Sebastian arrived. His rage filtered through his Scottish brogue. He added, “Sister.”
Her hand retreated from my chest and I fell to my knees. My demon had vanished and maybe because I could no longer breathe. I was quickly losing consciousness. I wanted to tell him that it was too late; she’d succeeded where the rest had failed. The last thing I heard was Sebastian saying, “You won’t kill what’s mine.”
Just when I thought I was done for, my eyes flew open as air filled my lungs. My mouth opened greedily to take in the oxygen I’d been deprived of. Luke’s strained face was above me. His concern and his love were written in every inch of his expression. “You’re going to be okay,” he panted though shaky breaths.
As tense as my muscles had gotten, when I exhaled all the energy fled my body with it. I went limp in his arms. “You can’t die on me. I won’t live without you.”
Unable to control any of my emotions along with any bodily function, a tear escaped the corner of my eye. “You’ll survive,” I coaxed out on a whisper.
“No, I wouldn’t,” he said, sounding distant. I felt him link his fingers with mine. He also touched the place at my neck where the puffy heart necklace he’d given me rested. “You are my forever girl.” My heart skipped a beat. “And don’t forget prom. You’re my date,” he added.
Heat coursed through me. His healing continued. I could feel air expand my lungs. Better able to speak, I rasp, “You could always go with Nina. I’m sure she’s dying to link arms with you.” My voice was still weak.
My eyes fluttered in my will to keep them open. Smiling at me, he said, “You sure are a funny girl. Because even if you died, there is no way in hell I’d go to the dance with her.”
“Right answer,” I teased. “Because I’d claw my way out of hell and haunt you both if you did.”
Serious, he looked at me. “You aren’t going to hell. You’re my angel.” The depths of his blue eyes seared me. “My angel of mercy. And you’ll live out eternity in heaven with me.”
Chapter Fifty Two
If there was one thing I was clear on, it was my love for Luke. Looking into his eyes, I couldn’t imagine life without him. I still was confused about Flynn, but that didn’t take anything away from what I had with Luke.
It was crazy to think that my heart could belong to more than boy, but in some ways it did. And I needed to get Flynn out of my system and not allow Sebastian to worm his way in. A girl could only handle so much.
“It hurts,” I said, coming out of own thoughts and to the reality of the pain burning inside.
His eyes widened. “Here,” he said and put his hand on my chest. Even with his fingertips on the tops of my breast, there was nothing sexual about his touch.
I saw when the concentration hit. His brows furrowed. A glow spread from his hand to my body. Just when I planned to lie to him if the pain didn’t subside, it did. The tightness left and I was left able to breathe with no discomfort. “Better?” he asked.
“Yeah.” He’d been so close. It only took minimal effort before his lips touched mine. There was just something about his kiss. It was a lightning bolt to my soul. God I loved him.
His hand moved from my heart to the side of my body gripping my ribcage before his hand glided to my waist. Breaking our kiss, he said, “Please don’t leave me.”
The look of anguish on his face pained me. “Why do you think I’d leave you?”
Closing his eyes before opening them again, he said, “I know something’s going on between you and Flynn.”
“No,” I protested.
His hand left my side and I longed for his touch. Sitting up, I now supported myself having been healed. He held up a hand. “You don’t have to lie to me. I know. I have eyes. I feel it too.”
My eyes closed. And it was truth time. Biting my lip, I said, “You’re right.” He’d saved my life. I wasn’t dying anymore, but if he left after afterwards… Looking away, I couldn’t bear to see his hurt when I told him. “Flynn took so long to heal because apparently we are forming a bond.”
A loud exhale preceded Luke’s total abandonment of my body. He was no longer pressed to my side. When I ventured a look, he lay flat on the ground with his forearms folded over his eyes. “I don’t know how it happened even though Flynn explained it to me. He said –”
“I know how it works,” he choked out. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to hug him but thought better of it. He’d moved away from me obviously needing space. He sounded wou
nded which I expected. “And Sebastian.” There was finality in his voice. “What’s this about you being his?”
Placing my palms on my eyes, I decided that hiding my vision seemed like a good idea. “My dad apparently betrothed me to him before I was born or something like that.”
Silence. He said nothing. I guess that was the best I could hope for. He hadn’t stormed off or told me goodbye forever. “I don’t know Mercy. How can I possibly compete? I had no idea it would be this hard to love you.”
His words stung like a swarm of bees. “There isn’t any competition. It’s you I want,” I pleaded, getting close to him but not brave enough to touch him yet.
“So you don’t love Flynn?” he asked. There was a pause before I could answer. I wanted to be totally honest with him. It seemed the only way for this to work between us. “And don’t forget I know how the bond works.”
Taking time to say it right because I knew I only had one shot at this, I said, “I don’t love him the way I love you. I’m not even sure you can call it love.”
“Some part of you does, otherwise you wouldn’t have bonded,” he said flatly.
“We aren’t bonded. I haven’t sealed the deal and don’t plan to. Flynn thinks there may still be time to stop it.”
Huffing out a laugh, he said, “And Flynn is such a stand up guy.”
That made me a little angry. Flynn was a lot of things, but I didn’t think he planned this out especially to hurt Luke. “He didn’t want this. He tried to get away from me when he went to that demon school. He doesn’t want to hurt you. You have to believe that.”
“Really, you don’t know the half of it.”
“I don’t?” I hissed. “Why don’t you explain it to me? And now that I’ve told you everything, why don’t you tell me about your feelings for that Seroff girl.”
His arms fell away from his face. Turning, he looked me dead in my eyes. “That was a long time ago. And I never loved her. I didn’t even know her long enough for that.”
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