Mercy Temple Chronicles Box Set 2

by Ciara Graves

  “You going to be alright?”

  I frowned at Nor. “It’s not me we should be worried about.”

  “You blame yourself for his death.” Nor laid his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t. Damian knew what he was doing.”

  “No, I shouldn’t have let go. We could’ve done something.”

  “Rafael, Damian was a bounty hunter with backup plan after backup plan,” Nor explained. “He had that bomb on him for a reason. And he didn’t tell any of us for a reason. He planned for the rescue mission to go wrong, for us to need a clear path to escape. He went into that fortress knowing he might not come out alive.” He lowered his face making our eyes level. “Damian’s death was not in vain.”

  “Unless we fail.”

  “Then I suggest we don’t fail. We know what Shuval’s plans are now. We know how she’s going to carry them out, for the most part.” Nor reached for his cell. “I’m going to make a few calls and set up another meeting with the Hunters. I want you and Mercy there. It’ll be better if they hear it directly from her.”

  “Not happening.”

  “Rafael, we don’t have a choice. I won’t let them do anything to her.”

  I growled as Nor exited the kitchen through the door leading to the alley. Tonight should’ve been a chance to celebrate bringing Mercy home and then plot bringing down Shuval. Now, we were scrambling to stop her from raising a Blood Moon, Mercy was fighting off the darkness inside her—and possibly failing—and Damian was dead.

  “Go to her,” Wesley instructed, drawing me from my thoughts.

  “She said she wants to be alone.”

  “And since when have you ever listened to her?” Wesley challenged. “She might not think she needs anyone, but she does. Go, Rafael, don’t let her face this loss alone.”

  I darted out of the kitchen. Mercy wasn’t in the sitting room or the front office. The bedrooms were empty, as was the bathroom.

  I wasn’t sure where she could be when I remembered she’d told me about how she and Damian would sit on the roof some nights after difficult cases and share a bottle. They wouldn’t talk. Just sit up there and watch the night give way to the dawn.

  I stepped outside, around the building to the alley, and climbed the metal steps to the roof.

  “Mercy?” I glanced around, and when I spotted her, my heart leapt into my throat. She sat on the edge of the stone ledge, her legs dangling as she leaned forward.

  She made no indication she heard me.

  I called her name louder.

  She straightened, wiping at her face. “I said I wanted to be alone.”

  “You shouldn’t be, not now.” I walked toward her slowly. “Why don’t we go inside?”

  “I’m fine right here.”

  I made it another few steps.

  Her arms tensed. I froze, waiting. If only I knew what the hell was going through her mind right now, I could find a way to talk her out of whatever craziness she was planning.

  “I cursed him out all the time,” she told me with a quiet laugh. “I swore up and down I hated him. That he hated me. That his goal in life was to scare the shit out of me, day after day, because he enjoyed it. I finally understand he was trying to scare me away from taking off just so he could keep an eye on me.”

  “He promised to look after you.” I made it another two steps and stopped.

  “Yeah, he did. He tried so hard not to get attached. Not for his sake, but for mine. He didn’t want me to be hurt if he died.” She half-turned, letting me see her face, tight in pain and anger. “But it does hurt. It hurts to breathe.” She gasped for air as she climbed to her feet, standing on that damned ledge. “He left me. He doesn’t just get to leave me like that. It’s not fair. We were finally a family. He was like my second dad, and now he’s gone. Just like that, and it’s all because of me.” She clutched her hand to her chest.

  “No,” I said as she balanced on that edge. “Mercy, look at me,” I growled. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who let him go. If you want to blame anyone, you blame me. Damian would not want you thinking it’s your fault.”

  “But it is,” she argued. “If I had listened to you that night and stayed home, he’d be alive. Now all of us could die. You or Gigi or Bowen. I can’t be responsible for so many lives. I’m sorry, I just—I don’t… I don’t know what to do anymore.”

  She took a half-step back and instinct kicked in.

  I lunged forward, caught her hand, and yanked her off that ledge into the safety of my arms. She fought me, but her punches were weak, and then she was crying. Sobbing. She leaned into me, and I sat us down, holding her.

  “It’s not your fault,” I told her again. “It’s not. Damian loved you, Mercy. He would’ve done anything to bring you home. We all would’ve.”

  She buried her face against my chest, and I took her sadness and her anger, her fear at what might happen next. “I can’t lose anyone else. I won’t.”

  I almost promised that we wouldn’t, but I kept my mouth shut, instead. There was no way to predict what might happen next.

  Until we were ready to destroy the artifacts, my main worry was Mercy, and keeping her with me.

  Her body stilled, and then she snarled like a wild beast. When she raised her head, that deadly look was back in her eyes. Her back arched as she let out a growl louder than my own.

  I didn’t let her go, holding on tighter, whispering for her to stay with me. That she was safe. That I was here. Claws dug into my arms, but I ignored the pricks of pain.

  “Right here, Mercy. I’m right here with you. Fight it. Get control of it. You’re stronger than it. You know you are.”

  She snarled again, but it cut off halfway, then she went limp. I cradled her in my arms as she shook.

  “I can’t keep doing this. It’s only going to get worse.” Her voice broke.

  I rose with her in my arms and carried her toward the steps leading down. I should’ve been telling her we’d find a way to make this stop, that I wasn’t going to let her be turned into some mindless beast at Shuval’s mercy. But the dark magic coursing through her veins drew out the rage within me.

  If I opened my mouth now, only a growl would come out.

  How was I supposed to save Mercy from this evil when I couldn’t find it and defeat it? This was magic, and it wasn’t in my wheelhouse.

  I silently cursed Shuval all the way back inside.

  When I faced her again, shotgun blasts to the gut would be the least of her worries. I’d tear her head free with my bare hands and watch the light leave her eyes. I’d destroy her bit by bit for what she did to Mercy.

  I only hoped Mercy would be there to see it, fighting by my side, and not fighting against me.

  Chapter 11

  Mercy

  Rafael held my hand under the table at a conference room in the Fed building.

  Neither one of us slept the night before. My nightmares saw to that. I’d told him twice to go sleep in another room so one of us would be coherent for this meeting. He refused, and I was glad he did.

  I licked my lips nervously, looking at the men and women—Hunters—seated across the table from us. Their leader, Louis Hilfer, hadn’t let his gaze leave my face for the last hour.

  When we first arrived, I’d been expecting them to arrest me on sight. Nor had flat-out told them what I was. They’d tensed, but no one made a move toward me. Having a demon at my side probably helped.

  Hilfer had asked me to tell him everything I could about the current situation with Shuval, and I did. I talked and talked, waiting for him to interrupt me or ask me questions. To do something.

  But he only sat there listening, while the rest of the Hunters did the same.

  The seconds dragged on. When five minutes of silence passed, I grunted. “Alright, can you say something?”

  “Mercy,” Rafael whispered.

  I shook my head. “No. I’ve told them everything I can. Now I want to know what they’re going to do about it. You’re the Hunters, ri
ght? Well? What’s the grand plan? How are we going to stop Shuval? Or are you just waiting for the right time to throw me in handcuffs and drag me out of here? Fair warning, I won’t be taken easily.”

  Hilfer who reminded me a lot of Nor, except he was a shifter version of him, cracked the first smile I’d seen on him all day. His amber eyes glowed as he leaned back in the leather chair. He was well-armed. His leather jacket hung off the chair. His long, brownish-red hair was pulled back in a braid. An even redder beard made him appear more a Viking than the leader of the Hunters. I kept expecting to see an axe in his hands.

  “Mercy, you can relax. I understand our reputation proceeds us, but... well, let’s just say most of what you’ve heard is not true.”

  I frowned. “You don’t hunt down dragonborn then?”

  “We do, but we don’t drag innocent people away and throw them in cells. Nor do we kill them. That would make us criminals. Much like the ones you go after, don’t you think? We don’t hurt innocents. Dragonborn or otherwise,” he repeated.

  I blinked, confused, pulling my hand free of Rafael’s. “And you never thought to correct these assumptions? Every dragonborn out there is terrified of Hunters. You get that, right?”

  “We do, but sadly, that’s how we must keep it. You see, if we’re ever called into a situation and the dragonborn in question is, in fact, just an innocent person trying to live their lives, we help relocate them to a safer location. That’s it. As for those who are looking to stir up trouble, well, that’s a different story.” He rested his elbows on the table and steepled his hands under his chin. “We don’t just hunt down rogue dragonborn. That was our main purpose after the war, but that was a very long time ago. Now we’re a bit more… versatile.”

  “Versatile.”

  “Yes. Mercy, you are in no way a danger to anyone except Shuval and her growing army,” Hilfer explained. “Governor Rickshaw brought her up to us years ago, but like him, we weren’t able to ever get any real leads. Not until now.”

  “And do we have the full assistance of the government yet?” Rafael asked.

  Nor growled, annoyed. “Not even close. No one wants to admit war is brewing again.”

  “To be fair, it might not be,” I told them. “Shuval can’t do the final ritual involving the ley lines, not yet. We have a chance to stop this from getting any worse.”

  Hilfer’s brow furrowed. “And what way is that?”

  I exchanged a look with Rafael. He shrugged.

  “I’m not sure I fully trust you yet,” I said to Hilfer. “Sorry, but with everything going on, I just can’t.”

  His lips thinned, but he nodded. “And if this way does work?”

  “It’ll stop the magic stealing and the gene reversal, but she’ll still be here with all of her followers.”

  “We have eyes on Sector 13,” he said. “From what our scouts are saying, the entire place is on lockdown. The outer blocks are open to us, but anywhere within a mile of this park is sealed off.” He slid over a map of Sector 13, pointing to the park with the fountain at its center.

  “Yeah, that’s where the fortress is. Can’t see it, but it’s there.”

  “Oh, no, you can see it now. Shuval’s not trying to hide anymore. Once you and your rescue party escaped, the forcefield went up, and the fortress appeared. There are roaming patrols.” He moved his finger around the map, indicating their paths. “Gargoyles have been spotted perched atop the roofs. My men can’t get any closer, because the nearer we get to the fortress, the worse it will be.”

  “You think?” I snapped.

  Rafael whispered my name. “Easy, Mercy.”

  “What? They’re supposed to be helping us with some sort of plan, but all I’m hearing is that we’re still screwed. She has an army. We need one if we’re going to stop her.”

  “If you succeed in stopping this final ritual,” Hilfer said, “perhaps we will stand a chance.”

  “And if not, we’re all dead.” I sank into my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  Damian would have known what to do. He’d have a way around this, a plan. Shit, he’d have ten plans. All those times he tried to teach me to think and see the bigger picture vanished. I drew a blank and glowered at the map.

  “Let’s not give up hope just yet,” Hilfer said firmly as he tapped his finger on the map. “We are an elite fighting force. Nor has a large team of agents ready at his disposal. I hear there might be a witch coven or two joining us. Then there’s you and Rafael.”

  “What about us?”

  Hilfer motioned to our hands, still clasped. “Sounds like you two make a pretty unstoppable fighting force. Took down a hotel in Sector 13 filled with dark witches. Stopped an underground fighting ring. You destroyed the gargoyles tormenting this city. Killed Liam Manchester, one of Shuval’s top agents from what we’ve heard. Even prevented the packs from starting a turf war.”

  I gave a hint of a smile. “We have our moments, but we don’t match her numbers. They’ll overwhelm us the second we come marching into Sector 13. There’s no sneaking in there undetected, not after the stunt Rafael and the others pulled.”

  “Have faith, Mercy,” Hilfer said.

  “That’s all you have for me? Have faith?”

  “At this moment in time, yes. With the information you’ve given us, we can work on a plan of action now.”

  “Make it two,” Rafael chimed in. “One for if we succeed and one in case we fail.”

  “And when will you know the outcome of this mission of yours?”

  I glanced to Rafael since he’d spoken with Bowen this morning. “By tonight. You’ll have your answer by then.”

  “Then I look forward to your call and hope you are successful.”

  “Are you certain you won’t take Mercy afterward? Or any of the other dragonborn who come to our aid?” Rafael’s words came out with a fierce growl.

  “You have my word. No dragonborn will be harmed unless it’s Shuval or her followers.”

  “Then we’ll be in touch.” Rafael stood.

  I rose with him. We left without another word. Nor let us go, and then we were out the door, to the elevator, and finally outside.

  The fresh air on this sunny, warm day should’ve been a relief, but all it did was make me more depressed. How much longer did we have until this city was swept away by Shuval’s war?

  “We need more men,” I said as we walked down the sidewalk.

  “We’re working on it.”

  “How about the packs we helped? Do you think they’d come if we called?”

  “It’s possible, I guess. No harm in reaching out to them.”

  Thomas and Curtis were the leaders of two of the packs we helped, what seemed like forever ago. I wasn’t sure about the third pack or if the leaders had split the pack between them. I’d find a way to get ahold of them and see if they were up for some bloodshed. Their packs were at risk too, after all.

  “We should get you home. Let you rest until tonight.”

  “I’m not sure I can.”

  Rafael tugged me to a stop then out of the way of others on the sidewalk. “You need to try.”

  What would I have done without this demon in my life? I gave in and hugged him, resting my cheek against his chest. “Let’s go home then.”

  It’d be good to get away from Damian’s place. Horace was there, going through his brother’s things. I wanted to help him, knowing it had to be difficult for him, but couldn’t now. I’d have to do it later, when I wasn’t exhausted and mentally unstable. Surviving the meeting with the Hunters had been stressful enough, though to be fair, it wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated.

  We reached Rafael’s apartment.

  I stepped inside the front door, and whistled. “Decide to remodel a bit?”

  He coughed. “Don’t ask.”

  I didn’t have to. Gigi had told me a bit about how bad Rafael had fared the whole time I was gone. “Gives us an excuse to get some new stuff, right?”

  “Or
maybe move to a new place,” he suggested.

  I stepped out of my boots, changed into comfy clothes, then climbed into bed. I rolled over, facing him, and ran my fingers over the worried lines on his forehead.

  “Do you want that?” I asked.

  “Want what?”

  “To move away from here. Get out of Sector 21.”

  “Do you?”

  This sector had been my home ever since the night my parents were murdered. I grew up on these streets, trained here, fought and brought down countless bad guys here. My entire life had been spent here, and if we survived the fight against Shuval, I decided I didn’t want to stay long enough to die here.

  “Yeah, think I do.”

  “Where would you want to go?”

  “Anywhere as long as it’s with you. You can’t ever leave me, understand?” I whispered. “Whatever happens, you can’t die on me.”

  “Neither can you.”

  I kissed him.

  He drew me in as close as he could, crushing me to his strong, bare chest. “You’re supposed to be resting,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

  “This is resting. Better than resting.”

  “Mercy,” he said and started to pull back.

  I caught his horns and held him there. All my fears and worries about what tomorrow or the next day might bring rushed to the surface. My hands trembled as they moved from his horns to hold his face. I ran my fingers through his dark brown stubble, then tugged, bringing his mouth to mine.

  The kiss was slow at first, tender. But as my worries and desperation seeped into him, it turned into a storm of emotions.

  He covered me protectively with his arms, pulling the covers up over our heads.

  Our love was the one thing Shuval couldn’t take from us.

  Not now. Not ever.

  No dark magic was strong enough to break our bond.

  “Mercy,” Rafael whispered in my ear.

  I grunted. His chuckle reverberated through his chest. I snuggled under the blankets and against him, seeking his warmth.