Waiting for Mercy (Cambions)

by Dermott, Shannon

  Stupid, I berated myself remembering the demon and shifter attacks recently. Yet like the silly little girl I was acting like, I’d gone off without letting anyone know where I was. Checking over my shoulder, it didn’t appear that anyone was following me. The note hadn’t threatened me, so I didn’t run to my car, but I moved with purpose.

  Would demons attack me out in the open in front of other humans? The thought had my hand shaking while trying to get the key in the ignition of my car. Fear had me jostling the keys even more when a knock came at my window. I looked over to see who it was instead of starting the car and gunning it towards home. There stood a pleasant face looking guy who eyed me warily. He motioned with his hand in a way that suggested that I should roll down the window. Foolishly, I did.

  “Can we have your spot?” he asked, while pointing to a car that was paused in the main lane. His eyes were a deep green. I studied them for a second. Instinct took over then, I lean in and so did he. I learned something important in that moment. The rush of power was like a wave of relief I’d waited so long for. My mouth was an inch away from his. We did not touch, yet power flowed into me. His eyes looked lost. And I was lost in the thrill of his life force coursing through me. My succubus awakened. She let me know that if our connection was sealed, the rush would be even more amazing. My hand cleared my window to snake behind his head.

  The sound of blaring horns shook me from the need to feed that had caught me so off guard and overwhelmed me. I pulled back. Thankfully, our mouths never met. “You should go,” I warned.

  He nodded and stepped back right into the line of traffic. “Wait,” I yelled. “Get back in your car and forget this,” I commanded, with a little prompting from my demon. Even though I had no idea if it would work, my demon seemed to send signals to my brain that it would. I was seriously freaked. Once the guy was safely at the passenger door of the car he’d been riding in, I pulled out of there like my life depended on it.

  On the ride home, one message replayed in my mind. Did Flynn know that he could get what he needed without physical contact? Something in me answered yes. If so, then he’d opted to ignore that option.

  When I pulled up to the house, Flynn was outside leaning on his car doing something with his phone. Parked, I head to the house and pointedly ignored him on the way. He stopped me short. “I’ve been trying to reach you. Jay called. We have less than a half an hour to get there or you will lose your shot.”

  Hustling me into the car, he said. “I called you a bunch of times.”

  Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I said, “I guess I forgot to charge it. It’s dead.”

  He nodded. Peeling out, we were on our way. I had no idea where we were going. It didn’t matter though. I had so many things on my mind I needed to reconcile. The elves may not grant me my request. But if they did, would Luke even want to see me.

  Dead silence filled the space we shared. The cool glass of the window soothed my troubled mind while I leaned against it. Jerking, I reacted when Flynn finally spoke. “You should charge your phone. My charger is in the glove compartment.”

  Saying nothing, I complied and pulled it out. The coiled thing sprang free. Since we had the same phone, I just plugged it in and rested my head back on the window. Restlessness crept up on me gripping me tight. I had questions. We were alone, so now was a good time as any to ask. Sitting up in my seat, I turned to catch his profile. Oh, how I wished things were different. Wishing away that fated day of our kiss would mean that I wouldn’t have my encounter with Luke. As much as I regretted the situation Luke was in because of me, deep down I felt like a better person for have knowing him.

  Flynn’s profile showed his jaw was tight. White knuckle fingers held onto the steering wheel. As much as I wanted to ask about the transfer of power without physical contact, I said, “Flynn, if you don’t want to be near me, why didn’t you have Sebastian bring me?” My words were soft and careful. For once, he wasn’t playing his head banging music in the car. We had literally been riding in silence.

  “He’s my best friend Mercy, I owe him,” his said, gritting his teeth like it pained him to talk to me.

  Turning away, I held my emotions in check. His words stung. He hadn’t refuted that he didn’t want to be around me. He was an egotistical pig at times, but on some level, we had become friends. I’d liked his playfulness and the sweet guy he tried to hide under his bad boy behavior. No, I didn’t like the position he’d put me in after I’d been taken and ended up in hell. But I’d forgiven him for that. I couldn’t blame him for being honest yet now it felt like he blamed me. And it all just seemed unfair.

  Not wanting to beat a dead horse, I didn’t ask anymore about his not wanting to be around me. “Is it possible to “feed” without physical contact?” I asked. There, at least I’d gotten that question out.

  Angling his head towards me, he narrowed his eyes. “Yes,” he paused. “Why do you ask?”

  Looking away was my best option. Did I really want to get into what happened to me? So I retorted with a question of my own. “So, then why don’t you do things that way?”

  Taking a long moment he closed his eyes. I feared he wasn’t going to open them. I watched the road despairingly. Running his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture, I turned to see him fidget. At least his eyes were open. “Look, it’s just easier, quicker, and it’s better,” he said quickly.

  Feeling snarky, and speaking before thinking, I said, “I bet.” My words were dripping with sarcasm. I could tell he got the dig and just for a moment, I felt bad for saying it.

  He however quickly rebounded. “You wish you knew.”

  “Not in your lifetime,” I said with a snarl. But I couldn’t help the smile tugged at my lips. “You make me feel nothing but ennui.” I grinned thinking I’d won the battle of words.

  “Only in your dreams,” he answered turning and giving me a wink. I couldn’t believe he knew that one.

  Shaking my head, I said, “You’re such a dick.”

  One of his hands moved from the steering wheel and before I could look away it fisted in his lap. “Now is not a good time to talk about my needs.”

  “You are so gross,” I said making it a point to keep my eyes face forward and on the road ahead.

  “Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it,” he answered. Biting back a smile, I tried my best not to laugh. He groaned, “Don’t bite your lip.”

  Now I did turn, but his eyes were on the road again. Mirroring him, I kept my face forwarded. Feeling my lips were dry, I moistened them but didn’t speak. I wasn’t in the mood for his crude comments. “God, Mercy, don’t lick your lips.”

  Agape, I was filing through a list of things I could say, but he beat me to the punch. Cursing, he said, “That’s not working either.”

  Rolling my eyes and sighing, I breathed “What do you want me to do?”

  He tilted his head back a little keeping only one hand on the steering wheel gripping it for dear life. “Don’t speak.”

  But of course I didn’t listen. Something I would regret later. With a questioning look, I asked, “What did I do to you?”

  My seat belt tightened because the car veered to the side and came to an abrupt stop. The force of the car stopping sent me forward with the seat belt restraining me. But my body never returned to the seat back. In a blur of movements, I found myself sitting in Flynn’s lap. Somehow, he undid my seat belt and moved me to him at a speed of which I’d never known he could do.

  One of his hands was on my hip, the other was threaded in my hair bring our foreheads together. Speaking like he was straining to compose himself, he said, “This is what’s wrong with me.”

  There was no doubt of what he was referring to. I cursed my chosen outfit today of a tee and yoga pants. It almost felt as though there was no barrier between us. But I wouldn’t give voice to his lewdness. What I needed to do was to get out of his lap. His hand moved from my hair and now both hands held my hips in a vice grip. “Wiggling is no
t helping,” he whispered to me with his eyes closed.

  Pivoting my upper body to face him, I glared at his closed eyes. “Well, let me go then,” I said pointedly highlighting each word.

  “Now your boobs are in my face,” he whispered. It was my turn to grit my teeth against the plethora of four-letter curses I so wanted to say.

  Turning quickly, he still held my lower half in place. “Look, Mercy my control is on the edge. If you don’t stop moving I’m going to know what color your bra and panties are before you can say my name.”

  Shock was replaced with something else when he opened his eyes. I flinched back as far as I could which only included the top half of my body until it met the steering wheel. Which meant, I didn’t move much. For the first time, I saw something inhuman in them. His glacier blue eyes were back glowing. Muttering to himself more than me, he said, “How Luke’s ever manage to sleep in the same bed and you remain a virgin-.” He shook his head.

  “That’s because he is a gentleman,” I spat, through with this little game of his.

  He laughed but his grip had yet to loosen. “Yeah, that’s right Luke is candy hearts, love sonnets, and roses. I’m edible body lotion and lost panties,” he said disgustedly.

  Somehow through all of this, I managed to feel sorry for him. “Flynn,” I uttered.

  “God, Mercy, stop saying my name like that,” he said. “Let me explain something to you.” Keeping my mouth shut, I waited. “Even though you may think Incubi and Succubi are the same, we’re not. We,” he said referring to incubi, “are built to fulfill our prey’s desires.”

  Indignantly, I said, “I don’t want you.”

  Thankfully, he closed his eyes, killing the beacon of light that radiated from them. “Mercy,” he said. And I wondered how many times he was going to say my name. “Have you ever heard the saying your lips may say no?”

  I rolled my eyes. When I focused on him, he was looking at me again. “Well, there is truth in that. At least for us incubi.” He added, “My senses don’t lie. You are giving me the green light.” He paused again. “If I didn’t know the difference in how you look at us, me with lust but him with love, you would be flat on your back.”

  How was I sending signals? I so did not want to lose my virginity to Flynn of all people. Adding to his list of conquests wasn’t in my list of goals. Then it hit me like I just popped a V8, “Are you low on power? Do you need some power like last time?”

  He shook his head miserably. “I got enough of that.” He paused. “Look, Jay’s call kind of interrupted...” he began. He didn’t have to spell it out for me to know what he was talking about. He’d been with some nameless girl probably getting it on. “Anyway, I had to send her away to find you. But it’s not in our nature to not see things through to the end.”

  Silence took over. I didn’t know what to say because I couldn’t offer him that. “Here is what we are going to do,” he began. “I’m going to move my hands. You hold on to the steering wheel and move off me. Don’t touch me in the process. Then you need to get out of the car. I would, but I can’t trust myself at the moment.”

  I shook my head in agreement like a bobble head. Silently, I saw him compose himself with great effort. Counting but not voicing the words on three, he moved his fisted hands to either side of himself. Not wanting to press my luck, using the steering wheel for leverage, I lifted myself about an inch off his lap. I tucked my outstretched legs and launched myself over to the passenger seat. Landing on my stomach, I heard the distinctive click of a seat belt popping free. Swiveling, I turned on my back. Leaning towards me, Flynn’s glowing blue eyes had a pin prick of red in the center.

  “Your ass was in my face. You need to get out of the car, now,” he said seriously.

  Reaching with my right hand, I fumbled for the latch that would open the door. Too late, he was on me. His head buried in my hair next to my neck. “God, you feel good,” he said.

  When the car righted itself, I realized that he hadn’t attacked me. Something was attacking us, careening into the car, tilting it on its side forcing him on me. “Flynn,” I said scared all of a sudden.

  “No, this is good,” he said. “I can use this diversion to let you go.”

  Whatever it was, hit the car again. I couldn’t see a thing because he had me pinned to the seat. “When I get off you, you run like hell up that hill and go save our boy.”

  “I can’t leave you,” I cried.

  “You can,” he said. The thing rammed the car again. He groaned my guess against the friction the car movement caused between us. “Mercy, you will be late and lose this chance.”

  Shaking my head, “I won’t leave you to die.”

  He laughed. “Mercy, I’m a demon. If you ever feed, you’d know just what power you have.”

  I shook my head again. Pleading with me, he said, “You have to. If I lose control after killing this thing, you won’t be safe with me either.” Kissing my forehead, he added, “Please, I owe him everything.”

  Giving in, not knowing what else to do and feeling torn, I agreed. With that he was off me pushing the driver side door open with a groan that said the metal was severely damaged.

  The last thing I heard him say was, “My father is going to be fucking pissed I ruined another car.”

  Chapter Thirty

  dexterity (n.) – skill, agility, cleverness.

  Running felt easy with the rush of human power that still coursed through me. But it wasn’t the physical part of the running that was bothering me. What bothered me was the running away leaving Flynn in unknown danger. Looking up the hill that appeared mountainous from where I stood, I saw my future. Looking back over my shoulder with my hair trailing behind me, I saw the present. The future was unknown. I really had no idea what trouble Luke was in. However, the present was clear. Flynn could be in mortal danger. Could I live with myself if something fatal happened to him?

  My steps faltered as I tried to stumble to a stop. In my head, I screamed for Sebastian wondering where the hell he was when I needed him. Turning forward, I stopped. “Kayla,” came the voice I’d longed to hear.

  “Sebastian,” I said.

  He looked me over. “You’re going to be late rabbit. Let me get you there faster.”

  A deep guttural growl had us both turning to look. Three hounds that resembled the ones we encountered on our trip to Paimon appeared in our path. “Mercy, go make your appointment,” Sebastian said in a way too casual voice.

  “Flynn,” I said just loud enough for it to be heard over the continual growling.

  Sebastian’s eyes never left the hounds that were stalking up towards us snarling along the way. Their red eyes focus on us. If not for that, their darkness would have blended into the shadows in the forested hill we stood on. “I’ll take care of this and go help Flynn. Don’t worry.”

  Not wasting time, I found myself running again dodging trees and fallen limbs. The wind was like a comfort waking my numb senses. This was the right thing to do. Sebastian could handle himself. I’d seen it with my own eyes. And if I thought about it more, I would know that Flynn had battled with the wolves and came out unscathed. He was right. I hadn’t given him credit for his strength and dexterity. I had no choice but to focus on the positive. They would be fine.

  Ahead there was a clearing. Slowing just a little, I felt a little pop when I crossed the tree line into it. The clearing which looked empty before, now was filled with things that couldn’t be real. Far off in the background, there was a dock with a boat that looked more like a pirate ship and than any modern day boat I’ve seen. More puzzling, I frowned wondering how a boat could be on top of a large hill. With all I knew and had witnessed, it shouldn’t be crazy. Heck, Paimon had been cloaked. These elves were not of our world. Maybe like Luke’s wings, what I was seeing was how my mind coped with what I saw.

  Inside the bubble, that was the clearing, the sky was somehow brighter. Instead of a midnight blue the sky was a shade brighter. It was the color the
sky gets right before complete darkness. Also inside the bubble, stood three figures. Two of them I recognized, well sort of. Jay and Kathy’s cloaks of humanity had been shed. Still attractive, their skin appeared almost translucent. Moonlight seemed to radiate from their very pores. The glow was subtle but it was amazing to see. Catching me staring, they bent their heads at me in greeting. Not knowing what to do, I tilted my head down in reply.

  The other figure with the same radiant skin and long hair fell in waves, caught my attention. Tucked behind one pointed ear, a lock of hair hung forward nearly to her waist. She wasn’t tall or even built like a muscle bound warrior princess, but power emitted off of her in waves.