by Ciara Graves
“One day, my friend,” Nor said. “I can’t stay long, but I needed to deliver a message.”
I waited for him to say the message, but there was the sound of an envelope being torn open.
Figures.
“Take care of yourself. We still need you,” Nor added.
“Sadly.”
Nor chuckled and then his shadow shifted toward the door.
I hurried back down the hall and slipped into an empty room. As he walked past, I peered out through the crack in the door.
He was in street clothes. He clearly didn’t want anyone to know he was here. Why? And how did he know Damian?
I marched out of my hiding place with the intention of demanding an answer from Damian until I saw him in that bed. His bruising had gotten worse, though it was healing. His eyes were closed, and his face drawn. He looked terrible. Calling him out for knowing Nor would only add to his stress.
“I can feel your glare,” he whispered without opening his eyes. “You going to stand there all night or come keep me company?”
I walked into the room, dragged a chair over to his bedside, and sat. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks, buttercup,” he replied with a smirk. “You don’t look too good yourself.”
“Fighting gargoyles and a dragonborn will do that to you.” I whispered the last.
He sat up abruptly, wincing.
“Easy. He’s dead, and we have the body and the artifacts.”
“Please tell me you got in and out without anyone seeing you?”
“I had my face covered, and Bowen was with me. We’re fine. No one will know it was me.”
“Good.”
I waited for him to say more, like who the message was from, but he kept quiet.
“The Feds are going to open a case on Envy now.”
“Then perhaps they’ll find him for us and stop him. Give us more time to focus on the ley lines.”
I rested back in the chair. “You have new information on them?”
“Possibly. Once I get out of here, I’ll be taking a trip.”
“And I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re going to stay here and keep doing what you’re doing with Bowen and Rufus. And don’t argue with a man in a hospital bed,” he added. “It’s rude.”
“So glad everyone’s deciding to take off and leave me behind to wonder about them.”
He frowned. “Who else is gone?”
“Gigi. Said she picked up on something involving the reapers.”
Damian hung his head with a curse. “Tell me she didn’t do what I think she did?”
“Go join a dark witch coven to get answers? Yeah, she did that, and I haven’t heard from her since.” It had barely been two days, but Gigi should’ve texted me by now. “Just tell me where you’re going is safer?”
“You want me to lie or tell the truth?”
“You were nearly killed by gargoyles. And now you’re going to what, go off into enemy territory?”
He didn’t respond.
I dug my nails into the arms of the chair. “Guess I’ll bite my tongue and not lecture you as you would do to me.”
“I’m the adult here.”
“I’ve been an adult for a very long time.”
He reached for my hand.
I let him take it.
“I won’t be gone long, but we need this information if we have a chance of stopping Shuval. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“If you’re not, I’m coming after you. I’m not about to lose everyone.”
“What about Rafael?”
“Don’t.”
“You’re going to need someone like him.”
“I survived without him before. I’ll do it again.”
“Mercy,” he started, but I yanked my hand free.
“I’m going to get some coffee. Be back in a few minutes.”
Out in the hall, I pressed my back to the wall and hung my head.
Leave it to a demon to mess me up this badly.
One more time.
I’d see him one more time then throw myself full-heartedly into stopping Shuval.
There’d be no need to see him again.
Yeah, as if I even believed that.
Chapter 14
Rafael
Mercy texted a few hours ago saying she’d be swinging by this evening to get her stuff and talk about what the Feds knew about what I had learned.
The old Rafael would’ve told them everything and been done with it so there would be no more secrets. But whatever I wasn’t remembering nagged at me. I was pretty sure Mercy wasn’t only protecting herself, but also other people. I busied myself gathering up her belongings and set them by the front door.
Nor had given those of us who’d been at the lot a couple of days off to recuperate and get over how many agents we lost. Twelve.
We lost twelve agents to that dragonborn and his gargoyles.
Envy might have sent the beasts after our men, but it was the dragon who slaughtered our own without a care in the world for their lives. Murderous damned race.
I wanted Nor to call in the Slayers and be done with it. Find any left alive and kill them. Our agents’ deaths needed to be avenged.
How had this one been alive without anyone knowing?
When I mentioned the Slayers being called in, a change came over Mercy like she’d been kicked in the stomach.
Why would she worry about the Slayers? Unless she worried about them stomping around her territory and messing up the Underground. They’d tear it apart if they believe there were any dragons hiding down in the darkness.
After I spoke with her tonight, I’d have a clear idea of where to start searching for Envy. That had to be my focus. I’d let Nor decide what to do about the dragonborn. If they were back, there’d be an all-out manhunt to find out how many were left and bring them in.
I had been reaching into the fridge for a bottle of water when I froze.
A war.
Damian mentioned a war.
I shut the fridge slowly as I looked absently around my apartment. Was it another war with the dragons he spoke about? Did he know how many more were out there?
My cell rang shrilly interrupting my disturbing thoughts. “Rafael.”
“Sir, we have a situation.”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s been a break-in.”
“What?” I was reaching for my coat as I asked if anyone was killed.
“No. A few injuries, but no one was killed, thankfully.”
“What was taken?”
The agent sucked in a harsh breath then muttered, “The four artifacts and the dragonborn body.”
“They stole that?” I raged.
“Yes, sir. And the artifacts.”
“They, how many is they?”
“Two from what we could tell.”
“Did the security cameras pick up anything?”
He said they picked up the two figures escaping, one carrying the body and the other the bag with the artifacts, but it was hard to make out anything useful. I told him to send me the feed then hung up. It had to be another dragonborn. Or more of Envy’s hybrids.
I booted up my laptop and set it on the kitchen counter.
Mercy would be here any minute. With any luck, she might be able to identify the two figures in the security feed.
I logged into my secure e-mail and waited for the feed to come through.
When it did, I clicked play and hit full screen.
There was no sound, but the two figures came into view just as the agent described.
I played it over several times, but the faces remained covered. There was no way to ID them that way…
I frowned and squinted at the frozen image on the screen. I played it back again, concentrating on the second person’s hip. As soon as I saw it, I curse and staggered away from the counter.
Mercy?
What the hell was she thinking?
Why would s
he steal the artifacts and the body?
Dizziness overcame me, and I cursed, reaching out to catch myself as the room spun.
Pain throbbed behind my eyes, and I was lost in a whirlwind of memories. Vaguely, I heard a knocking and someone yelling my name but was too lost in my own head to reply. Images of Bowen and Rufus, of Mercy and me making plans. Of talking about the Blood Moon. All these memories rushed back. The name Shuval crashed over me like a tidal wave. There was a sharp crack nearby, then hands holding me, but my eyes refused to focus. I was with Mercy on a couch, and then we were fighting Envy. My rage burst through me as I remembered what I had to do to save Mercy and the rest of the innocents from that evil mage. Then my mind soared all the way back to the beginning, to the moment Mercy brought me to her place.
“Rafael? Can you hear me?” she called out now.
But I couldn’t answer.
In the memory, she stood before me. There was something she had to tell me. Something bad from the look in her eyes. Another lie she had to correct. Her lips moved, and the words came out one after the other. I couldn’t have heard her right, but the memory replayed itself, and I went completely still as my vision refocused.
Mercy gripped my shoulders hard, her brow furrowed with concern. “Rafael?”
The rage I thought had been all in my head had me snarling like a beast and shoving her away from me.
The gun holstered at my side was in my hand a second later, aimed it at Mercy.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted coming toward me.
“Don’t you move.” I lifted my lip in disgust as the truth was finally revealed. “Don’t you dare move, dragonborn.” She was just like the bastard we fought. Just like him.
Her eyes widened. “You remember?”
“Everything. I remember everything.” I narrowed my eyes at her as I recalled she was not the only dragonborn involved with this Shuval. That this she that they were all so worried about was one of those dragonborn herself. That she was getting ready to start another war.
A war involving artifacts.
“You lied to me.”
“To be fair, I told you what I am.”
“I wasn’t exactly myself now was I.”
She made a move to come toward me.
I shook my head and raised the gun higher, aiming right between her eyes.
A voice inside my head screamed at me to put the gun down, but my rage was too strong. Demon rage.
All this time, she played me. Used me to get information. To get a lead on what the Feds were up to. I let her trick me.
“Rafael, put the gun down, and we can talk about this.”
“I’m done talking. You’re going to tell me what you’re doing with those artifacts and why you stole the dragonborn’s body?”
I waited for her to lie, but when she started speaking, there was nothing but the truth in her eyes. Either she was doing a damned good job at hiding her tells, or she was truthful.
“I stole the artifacts to keep them safe.”
“We could have done that.”
“If you truly remember everything, then you’ll know you can’t. We took the body to stop mass panic from breaking out.”
“If the dragonborn are indeed here, the people need to know.”
“Do they? So they can all overreact? Like you are?” she yelled. “Look at you. I’ve saved your ass how many times, and you’re pointing a gun at me. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“How do I not know you aren’t working for her?”
Her jaw dropped, and her eyes glowed white. “How dare you ask me that?”
“How can I not? You’ve committed countless crimes. For all I know, everything you showed me is a setup, some elaborate plan to help Shuval, not stop her.”
“And those innocents I nearly died saving? Envy attacking me?”
“A way to lure me in.”
“You’re a dumbass, you know that?” She turned her back to me and headed for the door.
“I said, don’t move.”
“You’re not going to arrest me because you know damned well what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. You know why I couldn’t tell you who I am.”
Dragonborn. She was part dragonborn. How had I not seen it? The Fed in me knew I should drag her downtown to the Fed building and let Nor deal with her. But every instinct screamed I couldn’t do that. I didn’t lower the gun. I stood there in silence as she picked up her bags and reached for the door.
“Mercy, I can’t let you walk out that door.”
“Then shoot me and be done with it.”
“What?”
“I said shoot me. You’re so full of hate for a race that’s been turned into something evil. For the record, we’re not. My parents were killed for standing up to Shuval. For trying to put a stop to her madness. I’m doing the same. You want to shoot me and put her one step closer to winning? Want to put hundreds of dragonborns’ lives at risk for your ignorance? Then do it. I don’t have all night.”
On the trigger, my finger itched. “It’s your fault.”
“What is?”
“All those agents. They’re dead because of you. Because you kept your secrets.” Their dead bodies appeared before my eyes again. Twelve agents dead. Twelve families who would be mourning a loss that hadn’t had to happen. “It’s all because of you.”
She clenched her jaw in anger, and I waited for her to attack me, but she didn’t. “Then what are you waiting for? You hate me that much? Blame me for something not in my control? Then kill me and save the enemy the trouble. I’m tired of fighting anyway.”
I sucked in a deep breath then let it out. All I had to do was squeeze. Those cold blue eyes were filled with nothing but lies. Just squeeze, and this threat would be over. But I growled furiously and lowered the gun. “Get out.”
“Rafael, if you tell anyone about us, you’re condemning the rest of my race to death.”
“Maybe they should be,” I shouted. “I said get out.”
My chest ached like I was stabbed in the heart as Mercy’s glare gave way to a look of hurt then slipped right back into anger.
“Fine, you want me to go, I’ll go. But if you come after us, if you get in my way, I will take you out.” She left, slamming the door behind her.
I stormed over to verify she was gone, then locked it.
Holstering my gun, I rested my hands against it then bellowed, banging my fists against the metal door.
Mercy Temple, the bounty hunter I got myself wrapped up with, was dragonborn.
A race that should have been extinct. Her lies about Todd’s death I could deal with. I’d even been willing to overlook her breaking Rufus out of prison. But this? She lied right to my face about what she was. That the blood of such a treacherous race ran through her veins. What else had she neglected to tell me?
She was right, though. I knew all their plans. I knew everything they knew about Shuval and the ley lines, about the sacrifices and the hybrids. The question now was, what did I do with it all? Did I turn them all over and let the Feds take the case? Risk their lives? Risk Mercy?
Or did I keep their secret and go on, as if nothing had changed, when, in fact, every single thing about the last few months had done just that.
I scooped up my keys, and my coat then left my apartment, heading for the Fed building.
Reaping Mercy
Mercy Temple Chronicles Book Five
Mages. Sirens. Demons. Dragons. Gryphons. A Federal Paranormal Unit. Attackers of magic. The Mercy Temple Chronicles will hook you!
Mercy’s in a bind. Her best friend, witch Gigi is lost in the dark coven sector. Damien, Rufus, Bowen are all out of reach. The only one she can turn to is Rafael. The one who held a gun to her head the last time she saw him.
Heartbreak has to take a back seat to finding Gigi. Rafael needs to get over her secret and help her on this mission.
Demon Rafael’s had more than enough of Mercy’s lies. But when it comes down to it, he can’
t let her go into that godforsaken sector to find Gigi alone.
Problem is, can he get over Mercy’s betrayal long enough to work with her?
Warning: Unputdownable action-packed fantasy, with mages, sirens, demons, dragons, gryphons and a Federal Paranormal Unit
Chapter 1
Rafael
I nursed another beer at the bar, glaring at my reflection in the mirror behind it. The music was too damned loud, but I needed something to drown out the demon rage I hadn’t been able to tamper since Mercy stormed out of my apartment.
Two weeks.
It’d been two weeks since I remembered the last piece of the puzzle. Two weeks I sat on enough information to bring her down and drag the Hunters back to Nashville. That night when I left my apartment, I had every intention of going straight to Nor’s place and telling him everything I knew. Telling him the truth about Mercy. Only I didn’t. Somehow, I’d circled right back around and ended up standing outside my own front door. I told myself it was for the best. If I told Nor about her, about what she was, I’d be put on the case, which meant I’d be forced to hunt Mercy down.
I never wanted to see her again.
So instead, I kept the information about a possible coming war to myself. Told no one about the artifacts, and spent every night since doing my best to forget Mercy. Too bad nothing worked. Nothing at all. I saw her face on the crowded sidewalk, dreamt I heard her laughter echoing through my apartment. Hell, there were times I woke up sure she was in my arms. But she never was, and she never could be. She was dragonborn. Nothing else mattered.
I ordered another beer and glowered at the crowd around me. I avoided the Underground at all costs. The only place I could think to go was the club Mercy and I tracked Liam to on our first case. I told myself it had nothing to do with hoping she’d be brought here for some reason. Or be drawn to me. The music was loud enough to give me a pounding headache, but every time I blinked, Mercy’s face, her eyes filled with so much rage and hurt, were before me again.
