Waiting for Mercy (Cambions) (10 page)

“We have school tomorrow and I’ve been waiting up for you?” he said, in a dead cold tone.

He couldn’t be serious. “Like you go to bed early,” I said. “Besides you’re not my father and I don’t owe you any explanation.  You don’t tell me where you’re going.”

“I’m in charge while they're away,” he said, referring to my mom and his dad.

“No way in hell you’re in charge of me,” I said this time shaking my head a little more furiously. My hair tumbled down and in my face, but I could do nothing short of running in the bathroom and that would be too much like hiding.  If I turned around to straighten my hair my reflection in my dresser mirror would give him a good view.  So I stood looking quite silly I’m sure, covering my breast with a mass of hair in my face.  I tried to shake it away with some dignity.

While doing so he stepped forward.  When he brushed the tendrils of hair from my face with light fingers, I shivered.  Goose bumps erupted over my skin and there was no way to hide it.

“Mercy,” he said.  His voice this time was different.  His hand was now out of my hair and on my shoulder. 

“Get out,” I said, in a whisper all the fight let out of me.

He put his hand on my chin lifting my face so we were looking directly into each other eyes. “I don’t want to,” he said.

“Luke’s down the hall,” I retorted, voice barely audible.  I felt so silly not to be immune to his charms.

“He’s not your boyfriend,” he said softly.

“No, he’s your best friend,” I said, in a hiss of words. “Isn’t there some kind of code against that?”  Still my voice was soft.  He was too close and there was no need to yell, at least not yet.

He let out a bitter laugh, letting go of my chin. “Not when I saw you first.”

My eyes widen. “What do you mean?” I struggled to say.

“It means exactly what I said.” He looked at me in ways he shouldn’t. “And I meant what I said, Webster. You know, that you’re important to me.”

I was about to speak when something stopped me.

“Mercy,” a questioning voice said somewhere behind Flynn.  But there was only one other person in the house beside Flynn and I that I knew of, that was Luke.

Flynn looked me in the eye like he was telling me something.  Then he turned and silently left the room. Luke barely stepped aside to let Flynn out.  Our eyes were locked again.  This couldn’t keep happening.  My arms were tired of the position they held.  I was tired of fighting everything I was feeling.  I dropped my hands.  But I knew, unlike Flynn, Luke’s eyes would remain on mine.  I turned away and leaned on my dresser.  Dropping my head letting my hair cascade down to hide my expression I stayed like that only a second before I heard the click of my door.  I didn’t have to look up to know Luke was gone.

acquiesce
(v.)
to agree without protesting

I woke launching myself up in a sitting position on my bed.  It was still dark.  The dream had begun much the same as it had every night, but ended very differently.  In the dream, Luke’s hand on my arm didn’t end gently, but fierce with a fire that I put in his eyes.  In my dream, I’d damned him.

The fire that blazed in his dream eyes took me back to the night of my mom’s wedding to David this past weekend.  I lay back on my bed letting visions of the memory fill my mind.  There weren’t many guests on my mom’s side beside me, Maggie, Paul and a few of her friends from work.  Most of the guests were David’s friends and business contacts.  Neither, my mom or David had any extended family to speak about.  The one group I shouldn’t have been surprised by the invite was Luke and his mom which I wasn’t really.  They’d been long time family friends of Flynn and David.  Who I didn’t expect was Luke’s father and new stepmother.

I closed my eyes willing myself back to sleep.  But I couldn’t help remembering what happened that Saturday evening.  Flynn was David’s best man and I was my mom’s maid of honor. The wedding was simple that way.  I wore a peach dress that shimmered towards pink.  I think my mom called it salmon colored which seemed fitting.  It was a strapless straight dress that ended slightly above the knee.  It was as simple and uncomplicated as the wedding.  It belted at the waist with a ribbon in the same color.  My hair was pulled artfully back with a waterfall of curls hanging loose in the back and for good measure a few fell framing my face.  This was all thanks to a trip to the salon as a part of the wedding festivities, at least my mom thought so.

The wedding was beautifully short.  But the reception wasn’t.  Initially, I’d sat at the head table with the rest of the wedding party that totaled four.  There weren’t that many around my age, so the ones there gathered at one table of twelve scooting chairs around to accommodate everyone.  I’d wished Maggie could have sat with me and kept me company but she was with her plus one, Brent. 

Luke’s demeanor showed him to be completely miserable for a long time while looking mournfully at his mother and scornfully at his father.  I didn’t understand Luke’s father or his presence at the wedding.  I’d never met the man, but when he greeted my mom and David, no one introduced us.  I had been standing there, near enough for my mom to have called me over.  But she didn’t.  His father was somewhat scary, so I didn’t press the issue.

The grief of misery on Luke’s face tore at my heart.   I wanted to talk to him, but it wasn’t my place anymore.  So I stayed away.  I tried talking myself into a place where we could be friends, so I could go to him.  But realistically, I was afraid that he’d push me away.  I wasn’t sure I could handle the rejection. 

After numerous toasts, including Flynn’s, I said as few words as I could.  Then it was time for the first dance.  When the newlyweds got on the dance floor, I have to admit the love I saw between them nearly brought me to tears.  I was so happy for my mom, but terribly sad for myself.  Flynn’s words came tumbling back.  He had said to me, ‘
You of all people know better than anyone else that love is not possible for you and me
’.  And he was right.  When he came and sat next to me to wipe my tears away and hand me a napkin, I let him. 

I turned to him, searching his eyes right before the master of ceremonies voice boomed through the microphone.  ‘
Now will the Maid of Honor and Best Man’ please join Mr. and Mrs. McCallister on the dance floor
.”  All eyes turned to us.  Flynn’s hand was on mine with his other hand wiping another stray tear from my face.  We broke apart like we’d done something wrong which I was sure only made us look guilty.  I flashed an innocent smile and nodded to Flynn.  We stood and I let him guide me to the floor. 

He placed one hand on my waist the other on my shoulder.  We kept a respectful two inches apart and glided while ‘At Last’ played instrumentally by the live band in the background.

“Are you embarrassed?” Flynn asked.

I shook my head and tried not to gaze in his eyes.  It would only make the situation more awkward.  But I had nowhere to look, afraid I might meet Luke’s eyes.  So I stared intently at the white rose pinned on Flynn’s impeccable tux.  It was the first time I’d seen him in one and he looked amazing.  But that was to be expected.

“Are you worried what Luke is going to think,” Flynn said still in a hushed tone.

I didn’t answer because I was.  Flynn whispered ‘
Shit
’ under his breath. I did look up at him then, not sure why he’d said that.

“You still want him?” he asked accusingly.

I bit my lower lip and glanced away this time.  There he was.  His eyes were like blue flames on mine.  Flynn spun me around as if he knew and was trying to break my eye contact with Luke.  But I was grateful anyway.

When others came up to dance to, I hadn’t realized the song had changed.  My thoughts had been a tangled mess.  I tried to let go of Flynn to leave the dance floor, but he gripped my waist and pulled me closer.

“No, you don’t,” he said. “This may be my only chance ever to dance with you.”

Flynn had made his intentions clear that long ago day, but I never thought he would put on a show in front of his best friend.

“I’m sure there will be other opportunities,” I said, still moving to the song following Flynn’s lead.

“Not when you two get back together,” he responded inclining his head in Luke’s direction.

“He is your best friend,” I said. “Wouldn’t you want us back together?” I threw in his face.

“I told you before, you two are no good together,” he said, before giving me a little twirl.  So the boy had moves along with his good looks.

He pulled me back close to him and I looked in his eyes. “And I told you there was no chance in hell for you and me or me and Luke for that matter,” I said.

He simply grinned and dipped me.  When he stood me straight again he said, “We’ll see.”

It was then that Luke tapped Flynn on the shoulder.  He didn’t have to speak.  Surprised, I thought,
Flynn acquiesced
as he dropped his hands from me.  He nodded at Luke and walked away.  But not before he cast his eyes at me willing a message I understood from our conversation only moments before.  He thought I should make sure Luke understood things were over.  But Luke and I hadn’t spoken in months.  Two months to be exact.  He gave no indication that he’d wanted us to get back together.  There had been stolen glances between us, but nothing more. Luke looked amazing in the suit he wore.  It had to have been tailored to fit him.

Luke’s familiar hands warm and safe embraced my lower waist.  My arms encircled his neck not sure of what else to do.  He looked me straight in the eye, giving me all his attention.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress,” he said.  And he was right.  He hadn’t.  “You look stunning,” he said.  His smile caressed me in ways I’d missed.

“Thanks, you look good yourself,” I said before looking down and away from his topical gaze.

His hand came to my neck and fingered the necklace he gave me, that rested there.  The inscription on the heart charm read ‘
My heart belongs to you
’. He didn’t say anything.  He just put his hand back on my waist.  When he muttered something I looked up, but he didn’t repeat himself.  I didn’t press the issue.  So we danced, like it was old times.  I could allow myself this time with him.  But how I ached for him to lean in and kiss me. 

Time seemed to stand still but then someone else came and cut in.  Sebastian met Luke’s stare of incredulity with a mocking expression of his own.  But in the end, Luke let me go and I could have screamed at Sebastian for taking that dance from me.

“You looked like you were in need of rescuing,” he said, using his Scottish accent on me.  He knew I was pissed and thought his overseas charms would make up for it.

“I was fine,” I said.

“I thought the two of you were done,” he replied.

Sebastian was light on his feet and was by far the best dancer of my other partners this evening, but it still didn’t matter.  He flashed me a wicked smile that tugged on my succubus bringing her free.  I felt her swimming to the surface at his call.

“Don’t,” I said weakly.

“Too late,” he whispered and leaned down to my ear.  “She’s here already.”

That’s when his hand dipped lower on my waist.  He wasn’t overt with his action, but his hand was firmly on my butt.  I felt my head lean up and match his sinful grin with one of my demon’s doing.  I moved into action but without control, I wasn’t sure who had seen.  I easily slipped my demon skin regaining control, feeling the power crackle over me.  I pushed him back and he moved only a few inches but it was enough for me to get away.  Sebastian just laughed as I stepped off the dance floor to return to my seat.

When I got there and sat down, I noticed just how full the dance floor was.  I was alone, but I caught sight of Paul dancing with a girl with short dark hair.  She’d come with some big shot that David knew.  She was cute and I’d felt a little resentment.  But I shook it off.

That’s when I saw Luke and Flynn dancing with two girls also daughter’s of David’s friends or business acquaintances.  When I saw Luke laugh, I mean, open mouth laugh at something the girl said. My chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe.  I clutched at my heart wondering if I was having a heart attack.

“Hey,” a voice said.  The person studiously sat next to me. “Are you okay?”