by G. Bailey
Wings of Fire (Book Two)
Wings of Spirit (Book Three)
Wings of Fate (Coming soon)
Excerpt from Mercy’s Protectors by A.M. Hardin.
"Next, I have a special treat for everyone tonight," Payne continues. "Two of my warriors will be going against the lovely she-demon at my side in a duel, before we sit to feast."
Someone snorts as a few chuckles flutter around the room.
"I can smell the human on her," a woman scoffs. "She is not a full-demon. Yet, you expect her to be able to take on two warriors at once? It's just pathetic."
I narrow my eyes to study the female as she sneers at me. I chuckle when I see the bitter gleam in her eyes as they continue to dart to the arm Payne has around my shoulders.
Oh ho, someone's jealous.
"Something funny half-demon?" she snarls.
I smile sweetly at her. "Of course not. I don't know what you mean. I mean, other than that bitterness that is so clearly written all over your face. That’s actually quite hilarious." Mainly because this she-demon has nothing to worry about when it comes to me and Payne. Gag. Pretty sure I’d rather die first.
She looks to Payne and says softly, "This child needs someone to teach her a lesson in manners. Are you sure your warriors will be able to do such a thing?"
He smirks. "Of course not. That's why you will fight her first Damiana."
Bastard failed to mention more than one fight. Fucker.
Her face falls slightly before an arrogant mask slips into place. "Of course, my love."
I roll my eyes. "Whatever, let's get this shit over with."
Hunter's father laughs outright. "She's eager to hurt is she?"
My eyes cut to him before I make my way to the glass doors that lead outside with Payne and Jerome directing me.
Outside there's a large pit that I'm assuming will be where I'll be fighting. Movement in the pit draws my attention. I glare at Payne.
"Are you fucking serious right now?" I demand, pushing away from him. I don't make it far before his hand is clasped around my throat and I'm being dragged back towards him and in his face.
"Oh, I am very serious, Mercy. I want to see what you can do. Why would I make this easy on you?" He taunts.
Twin growling sounds from behind me and I instinctively know that it's Talon and Hunter and they aren't at all happy by the way Payne's got hold of me. Payne smirks at them and lets me go.
I rub my throat to ease the ache his grip caused. "You have hellhounds down there. You expect me to fight your people and deal with hellhounds at the same time?"
He shrugs. "It should be simple enough for you." His grin turns feral. "That is, if you are who everyone thinks you are."
"Hellhounds only answer to their masters or to supremely powerful upper level demons. They're also hard as fuck to kill, but you still expect me to do it don't you?" I ask, appalled.
"Of course. It'll be fun."
"I can't wait until I kill you," I growl at him.
"It'll never happen, Mercy. You know that," he says with a smug smile. "Now, be a good girl and go fight."
Chapter One
I walk into my room, pausing to watch as my mom flits around my room with my duffle bag, filling it with clothes and some of my weapons that she and my uncle had bought or had made for me.
“Mom, what are you doing?” I ask after watching her mumble to herself while staring at my bag.
She turns to face me, the expression on her face automatically makes me tense. “You need to go. Leave here before he finds you again. I have a friend at one of the Supe colleges who’s in charge of the security there. They can protect you better than I can. I’ll bring you there.”
Supe college, or another name for supernatural college, is pretty much a place where freaks like me -I mean, supernaturals like me- can go to learn and pretend we’re normal while learning magic and fighting. Although, I already learned everything I really need to know about my powers and fighting from my uncle, my dads brother, since my dad is gone.
I give my mother a look. “Supe college? Wouldn’t it be better to just go to the Order and ask them to help?”
The Order is the supernatural world’s police and assassins. We don’t really answer to human laws, but there has to be something in place to keep people in line.
The Order’s board is comprised of six beings. I’ve never met them but I’ve heard what they are. One is a demon, another is a shifter, there’s a vampire, an angel, a witch and a fae. The Order is also where I want to go instead of college because I’m not good for anything but fighting. It’ll be good to use my skills that I have instead of having to learn all new ones that won’t really help keep me safe.
Mom tilts her head and looks at the ceiling as she thinks about it. “Let me call your uncle and see what he thinks.” She pulls her phone out and does just that. I wait patiently for my mom to finish talking to my uncle, she sounds disappointed by what he’s saying. I’m guessing that he’s agreeing with me and she doesn’t like that because she doesn’t have any contacts there like my uncle does.
She hangs up the phone, meets my eyes and nods once, her expression sullen. “Roderick agrees with you. He says that he’ll have his friends son keep an eye on you while you’re there.”
I raise a brow. “Great. I get to be babysat?”
My mom glares at me. “Don’t start, Mimi. We need to leave now.” She tosses my bag to me. I catch it in midair.
“Why? What’s going on? Do you even know where the Order is?”
“Yes, I do. And because I saw Jerome not far from here when I was out today. Now go, Mercy!”
Fuck. Jerome. He may only be a lackey but he’s a giant dick. Last time I saw him, I’m pretty sure he almost killed me. Of course, that was when I was twelve and not nearly as strong as I am now. A lot can change in six years.
I run down the stairs of our home and race to the car. Tossing my bag into the back seat I look up and meet my mom’s frantic stare as she climbs into the driver’s side of the car. We get in and mom quickly drives us away from the house. I refuse to look back at the home that we’ve been at for the last four years. We were actually able to make a home for us here. A life.
Fucking Jerome just had go on and ruin it all. Again.
Well, it’s not necessarily just his fault. He’s doing his job but I refuse to go back to the life of being beaten daily for nothing more than being alive. At least that’s what I have always assumed I was beaten for. I never knew the exact reason they took me and locked me up, torturing me frequently.
Jerome and his boss, Payne, took me from my parents when I was eight. My family never stopped looking for me and it was my father and uncle who found me and took me back when I was twelve. My father died while they were rescuing me.
After that, my uncle made sure to be there to train me in everything I’d need to defend myself. I wish I could say that I’ve never had to use those skills but I have. Any being who wants to cash in on my capture that’s been able to find me… Well, most of them haven’t lived to tell the tale. There were a couple who got away, which is probably how Jerome knew the general area to find me. Thank gods the ones that found me at home weren’t able to tell anyone that was where they found me.
We stop after four hours of driving to the nearest Order headquarters. I look at the scenery outside and see no other roads and no other cars. Just trees and wilderness.
“Where are we?” I ask my mom, speaking the first words since we got in the car.
“We’re just about to the Order.” She reaches over and unbuckles my seatbelt. Lifting her hand to point in front of us she instructs, “Go straight through these trees and within a minute you’ll pass through their wards and you’ll find the building. Your uncle said that his friends son, a man called Aiden, will meet you at the entrance.”
“You’re not coming with?”
She shakes her head. “I’m only human baby. I can’t make it through the wards. I’ll call you when I get home and you can
tell me all about this place.”
I smile and nod trying to hide the pain at the knowledge that she can’t come with me. “Alright. I’ll talk to you later.” She holds her arms out to me and I give her a hug, squeezing her to me. “Love you Mom.”
“I love you too Mercy. Now go. I don’t want to be driving all night.”
I laugh and grab my bag from the backseat before getting out. I wave to my mom, watching as she pulls away, leaving me to be babysat by people I don’t know. The thought of my mom leaving me and not knowing when I’ll see her again, or even if I’ll see her again has a pang starting in my chest and tears rushing to my eyes, wanting out. I blink several times to stop the tears from surfacing. I refuse to cry.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself I head into the darkening woods in the direction mom told me to go. Within seconds I feel the air around me shiver slightly. My skin tingles as I pass the ward to keep out humans as well as hide the place. Now that I’m past the ward I can see that there’s a large almost school-like building ahead of me, enclosed in a gate. Whereas before, all I saw was miles and miles of forest and creepy ass trees.
As I step to the gate two men appear in front of me on the other side of the gate. They are too far away from me to tell what they are. I watch them carefully, not knowing if they will let me pass or even if they are good guys.
“What is your business here?” The taller of the two asks. He’s gorgeous with his dark hair almost carefully messy, his eyes are a blood red that brings a chill down my spine, despite the fact that my father had the same eye color. The vibe I’m getting from him makes me want to run the other way. Which would make sense because now that I’m close enough I can sense and see from his eyes, that he’s a demon. A very strong one.
So, quite possibly not a good guy. Fuck.
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