Waiting for Mercy (Cambions) (39 page)

“Yeah, you guys don’t have to go,” Flynn added.  His voice sounding rough at first because he hadn’t spoken much, he cleared it.

Jay stood in the doorway again after we stepped out into the night.  He looked resigned and I knew it might be the last time I ever saw him.

“All things come to an end,” Jay said.

Flynn bustled me forward like we had something to fear.

In the car, while he was buckling up, I said, “Why did you rush us out of there?”

He looked at me and frankly I was tired of that look everyone was giving me today. I wasn’t stupid. “Didn’t you feel it?  Something wasn’t right.  They sounded all parental.  It seriously gave me the creeps.”

He was right, but I didn’t say it. What was I going to do until they got back to me?

When we pulled up to the house, I got out not paying attention to my surroundings.  I mean it was home.  One step forward and I was looking into the livid eyes of Mike.  For a second, I had to wonder why no one used the garage to park.  On reflex, my training snapped into focus.  Reaching for me, I pivoted on my toes then led with my fist with a punch to his gut.  His half crazed eyes reflected he hadn’t expected that.  Heck, neither did I.  When his arm shot up, I ducked back and down low.  Flynn was there with a crunching fist to his nose.  Blood rained down on me as I sent my forearm crashing into his knees.  He fell like dead weight to the pavement.

“What the hell, Mike?” Flynn barked. 

Mike was holding his gushing nose that was bleeding heavily.  Eyes that looked like they wanted to take a nap, lazily focused on Flynn.  Boy, he sure packed a punch. 

Mike however was definitely seeing stars.  “Tamera,” he said in one word.

Flynn having no sympathy said, “I didn’t make your crazy rules for open relationships.  You need to handle that shit with her, not here with me.”

“That’s not the only reason why I’m here,” Mike grunted out.  When he shifted like he was going to get up, I stepped forward placing my foot between his open legs.  It was enough, that the guy put his free hand on his family jewels.

“Look, I’m supposed to tell you guys Chris wants the new shifters presented to him like custom has it.”

Flynn’s eyes went to slits.  “Do I look like a shifter?” he paused, as if he was going to wait for the guy to answer.  But instead his hand went up to circle his face to make a point. “No, I didn’t think so. I’m too fucking pretty for that.  So tell Chris next time, if he wants my help to call and not send his dog.” Flynn stepped back, so I did too.  I guess we were letting him go.  “And by the way, send Tamera my best.” He winked and blew a kiss at the guy. 

Mike looked like he wanted to fight again but thought better of it.  We watched as the guy fled into the woods.  Do shifters drive, I thought in passing.  It seemed like a long way to travel, but when I heard the howl, I didn’t need to guess.

If I thought that somehow us kicking ass together would soften Flynn’s bad feelings towards me, I was oh so wrong.  He headed into the house and didn’t even hold the door for me.  I was left outside speechless.  But as I neared the door, it opened and he held it for me only after rolling his eyes.  “Get your ass in the house.  I have better things to do than to worry about you.”

Trying to bite back a smile thinking there may be hope yet, he turned and headed upstairs.  “I have a date, so try not to get yourself in trouble.”

My imagination took a vacation so I wouldn’t wonder what his date was going to be like.  Instead, exhaustion took over.  A shower, clean clothes and a half of a muffin later, I was dead to the world. The dream caught me like it always did. 

His all too familiar touch caressed my arm.  In my dream, I called out to him.
Luke
. Instead of just a hand or a finger, he fully appeared to me, sitting with legs folded to his chest.  He lifted his face from his hands to look in my direction.  Bright light flooded everything. It was like he sat in a ball of it.  His wings.  He didn’t have wings, right?  Fluttering a glowing white, I accepted the images my brain conjured.

Mercy,
he said in a whisper.  His face casts an expression of pure amazement.  He couldn’t be looking at me with the tenderness that showed in his face.  I didn’t deserve it even in my dreams.

Unable to stop myself I reach out to him.
Luke
. 
I love you
. Even if it was only a dream, it felt so important for me to say it.

“Mercy.”

timorous
(adj.)
timid, fearful

Knocking woke me up from the dream I wanted to stay in.  Things were still good there.  Hiding my head in my covers, I try to ignore the sound until the knocking became pounding.  Then the door opened.

“Mercy,” the voice said, sounding much like my dream.

Pushing stray hair that has escaped my pony tail holder from my face, I looked up to see Flynn standing in my doorway.  Shifting, I caught the time on my alarm clock.  It read seven a.m.

“Mercy, you’re not ready.  We’re going to be late,” he said frostily.  So much for me thinking we’d overcome what drove us apart.

“I can drive myself,” I said.  There was no way I was going to school today.  But I wasn’t going to tell him that.  I didn’t answer to him.

Face expressionless, he began, “Look.”  Changing his mind about something, he said, “Whatever, I just need to make sure you get up.”

I laid my head back down not really looking for a fight.  Confrontation just wasn’t my thing and I really didn’t feel up to it today. “I can take care of myself. You can go.”

“Fine, just get your ass up and to school,” he said and closed the door behind him.

Turning, I buried my face in the pillow and willed myself back to sleep not caring much if my demon half took over.  Maggie texted me last night saying she wasn’t going to school today.  Luke wasn’t going to be there.  I was too worried about him and everything else to go.  I would just be sitting like a zombie anyway.  Plus, it had been really crazy the last several days.  My body still craved sleep.  Easily, I slipped back into a dreamless existence. 

It felt like I’d only just faded to black for a moment when a voice called out, “Mercy.” And for the second time today, I’d been woken up by the sound of my name.

Wiping sleep from my face, I looked up into vacant expressionless eyes.  “Sebastian,” I said on a croak. 

His hand touched my arm. “I was looking for you.  You weren’t at school and neither was anyone else.”

Frowning, I narrowed my eyes. “No one is at school?” I puzzled.

“I mean, you, Flynn, Maggie, Jay, Kathy, Brent, Tom, Paul and well of course Luke,” he said quickly. “I was worried about you.”  Worried about me, I didn’t think so.  Not after our fight last night and him ignoring my phone call.

Rolling onto my side, more of my hair spilled over my face.  He reached out and brushed the tendrils of my hair back from my face with such care. My hair had a mind of its own and fell forward again.  Pushing on my elbow, I sat halfway up and pushed my hair behind my ear. 

Recognizing this look, I couldn’t believe it.  Now was so not the time for this.  He looked at me the same way Paul and Luke looked at me.  This is so not what I needed right now.  My heart belonged to someone else. 

Finding something to do in the silence between us, I pull my pony tail free.  My hair tumbled around my shoulders like it was happy to be free of the binding.  Starting to gather it up to pull it back, Sebastian inched closer.  He pivoted and took my hands.  Pulling them to my sides, he said. “Don’t.”

Letting my hands free, he did the one thing I didn’t desire.  He threaded his fingers in my hair and pulled me to him.  Frozen with indecision, he moved his mouth on mine.  Feeling vulnerable, I did nothing to encourage or discourage him.  Sebastian was a death eater.  He could steal my life right this moment.

Afraid to speak in order not to give him any opening, I finally pulled away enough to say, “Please.”  But the word came far too late, I was jerked back into the passenger seat.  My demon wanted this and I could feel it.

My hands moved to match his.  Gripping his head, she opened for him to deepen the kiss.  His hands left my hair moving south.  Jumping from my perch, I fought with my demon for control and so far I was losing.

Heat rushed over my body as it responded to his touch defiantly against my wishes.  My hands were snaking down his arms matching his touch for touch.  Desperately, I willed the mist to form and stay solid, so I could slip into it and become one with my enemy.

Not paying attention, I had no idea what made Sebastian pull free from me at first. “McKayla,” he breathed.

My body leaned in towards him. Panic crept over me.  I wasn’t making any headway for control.  My demon was much stronger than she had let on before.  So I watched while I fought.

He moved fast and away, raking a hand through his thick black waves.  My demon looked squarely into his eyes, chin up. “Let Kayla back,” he said.

“If I let her back, she’ll make you leave,” my demon purred.  Fluidly, she stood and backed him up to the wall.  “She doesn’t want you.  She only wants him.”

Her hand went to his chest and slid south.  “Don’t be a fool,” she said and pressed my mouth to his along with all of me.

This wasn’t good.  Frantically, I worked to gain control over my body because this was so not happening.  I’d made enough mistakes for a lifetime.  My resolve greater than the beast that stirred within me, took the reins back.

Once done, I moved us to step back.  His hand was still on the small of my back holding me in place. “Rat,” I said sternly.

His eyes flashed with alarm. Dropping his arm, he let me go.  Stumbling back, I found the bed with my hands and sat.

Quietly but clearly, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Why,” I said before looking over to the wall where he still leaned.  “All this time, you’ve acted like nothing but my friend.  Why me and not Rune?”

In his eyes, there was a flash like lightning.  As unreal as it seemed, it reminded how not human he really was.  “I told you before there was nothing between Rune and I.”

“But why not?” I asked.  “There is no shame in being gay.”

A burst of unexpected harsh laugher escaped him. “Gay is a human term, Kayla.  There is no such thing as being gay in the demon world.  You pleasure yourself as you see fit.  There are no rules, no boxes to put people in, or shame for how you feel.  You humans are such hypocrites.”  His words were harsh but not terribly cruel.

Shifting uncomfortably, I stayed silent. “As for you lass, I didn’t expect to want you,” he spoke. “You were an assignment nothing more.  Your fragility in your human shell wasn’t something I expected to find remotely interesting.  You’ve been to the school.  Demons are physically attractive to play on the shallowness of our prey.  So your beauty didn’t affect me.”

A mist of frost seemed to form around words that had shape in the air between us.  As much as I wanted to look away from him at his half compliment, I needed to watch his face as he spoke.  Although I truly thought I could trust him, so much yet had been revealed.

“When I met you,” he continued.  He looked off as if he could mentally visualize it all happening.  “I couldn’t believe a succubus even a half one could be so…”  The word hung in the air while his hands moved to find the words his mouth didn’t.  Turning to me he said the word directly looking in my eyes. “Pure.”

Pure could mean so many things.  But none of them seemed to connect with me.  I’d done so many things wrong.  It felt like my actions were the catalyst for all the bad that had happened.

“Sebastian,” I said, ready to tell him the truth.  And the truth was there was a part of me that was attracted to him.  That part was my demon half and as much as I liked to dismiss her, she was somehow a part of me.  I wasn’t going to allow that to change anything.  Not as long as I was in the driver seat.  I needed him to respect my decision and not take advantage. 

He pushed away from the wall and began a languorous walk towards me.  “Kayla, you have to admit, I’m the one that has stood by you this whole time.  Luke left you.  Flynn left you.  Paul left you.  I waited and now it seems like a good time.”