This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The scanning, uploading and distribution of the book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchased only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated. For information address Shannon Dermott.
First Edition
Copyright 2015 Shannon Dermott
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
This is dedicated to the AWESOME FANS of the Cambion series. this one is for you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the readers, who without you, I would have given up writing altogether.
Thanks to everyone who’s supported me in every way. I will never forget.
To Anne, you are a life saver. Without you, this book wouldn’t have been completed sooner rather than later.
Chapter One
Frozen in a time warp of emotions, I let my gaze drift over him as I photographed every inch of him with my eyes. Golden skin once again covered muscles as if he spent his days on the beach. Blonde curls shimmered as if though kissed by the sun, untainted by my sins. His eyes radiated blues born in tropical skies and warm oceans. My Luke was back, alive and in full color, dressed like he was ready for battle.
Instinct took over, and I rose on my toes to loop my arms around his neck. Our noses brushed as I pulled him forward, needing contact to convince myself he was really there. When his lips only ghosted over mine in a familiar yet eye opening airbrush kiss, I fell flat on my feet, embarrassed by his rejection.
“Mercy,” he said, with distinct pain in his voice.
I immediately stepped back. What had I been thinking?
“Sorry,” I muttered, letting my gaze fall to the ground feeling all of a sudden shy and stupid.
I didn’t dare look up at him again as guilt washed over me. Flynn was somewhere behind me and would have witnessed the entire moment.
Tristrom’s pained cry gave me the out I sorely needed. “Mercy,” he called, with the effect of cold water being splashed on my face. Had that been the first time he’d said my name out loud? “Where’s Rowen?”
The anguish in his voice yanked my focus in his direction. A glimpse was enough to let me see how fiercely he held the figure in his arms.
“I think she’s dying.” His eyes pleaded with mine in a way that forced me into action.
The need to help as well as to forget all the choices I made and all the ones I would need to make in the future, spurred me forward. I practically slid on my knees to stop in front of him.
“CeCe, she’s—”
His words cut off as I noticed the girl in his arms wasn’t Molly. The face reminded me of the Fey girl in the Summer realm that had claimed to be his long-lost girlfriend.
Rage boiled in my gut, and I searched the ground for the scepter I’d dropped. I located it a few feet away just as the girl sputtered out his name.
“Tristrom,” she managed before a coughing fit. She turned to her side and spat blood from her mouth.
“Don’t talk CeCe.” You didn’t need to be a psychologist to hear his heart breaking.
I reached for the phone in my pocket and prepared to call 911.
“I wish you would have told me,” he said.
She faced him again, and I felt like an intruder in the middle of a private conversation.
“I couldn’t,” she rasped.
His head shook, trying to convey to her not to waste her remaining energy on words. But she was determined to speak. I hit the power button on my phone again and waited.
“I wasn’t allowed to tell you, or we both would have died. Something about—” Her words fused into another coughing fit.
So I finished it for her, “True love’s test.”
“Ye…Yes,” she stuttered while blood spittle flew from her mouth.
It only took a moment to put it together. The Fey had disguised her in plain sight with a different face and voice so Tristrom wouldn’t know it was her. Then they waited to see if he would fall for her. Like with me, there had been life-or-death consequences in the mix. What happened to me was fairly quick because they wanted results fast. Conversely, they had plenty of time to wait and watch how things turned out between those two.
My phone remained dark after several times of pressing the power button. The battery must have died while I was in Fairy. It was also possible that it had been adversely affected as a result of being in the other realm. I got to my feet. I didn’t have time to explain to Tristrom what true love’s test was. We were running out of time for Molly or CeCe, whatever her name was.
“Where are you going?” Tristrom asked quickly glancing up at me before he returned his focus back to his girl.
“To get help,” I replied
Then I was running. I passed Flynn, who appeared okay for the moment. He didn’t look on the verge of death. So I let him be for the time being. His focus had been elsewhere.
When I got to the door, I tried to open it. It was locked, and I didn’t have my keys on me. The door had been unlocked the last time I was here. A glance in the drive revealed Mom’s car. She was home. I rang the bell and beat at the door a bit obnoxiously, but it was an emergency.
The door jerked opened, and David glanced down at me. “You’re back. You’re okay.”
“Yes, but where is Mom?” I asked hurriedly.
“She’s in our room. She’s not feeling well. Did you get the note to Flynn?”
“Yes, Flynn’s here.”
David started to push passed me. “But we have an emergency. Either we get Mom or we need to call 911. Otherwise, she’s going to die,” I said, pointing a finger behind me.
Just because Mom was a nurse didn’t make me an expert. I’d seen a lot since my life had changed. And Mom had made sure I was knowledgeable in the basic life-saving skills. Molly wasn’t doing well at all.
“I’ll get your mother.”
David still looked torn as he headed for the stairs. Going to the hospital wasn’t often an option for our sort. If the doctor’s performed tests on our blood outside of the norm, they just might get curious. However, Molly was human. Then again, she’d been a Fairy for quite some time. It was likely she’d been changed. How much, I didn’t know.
I jogged back to Flynn. Tristrom and Molly were talking, and I wanted them to have a little alone time, just in case.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
It might have been a dumb question. His classic Flynn retort only proved it.
“Oh, I don’t know. I have holes in my hands and feet like I’m the second coming. I can’t stand or get up. So yeah, that’s how I am.” His words were baked in sarcasm. It was clear he didn’t like feeling weak and for a strong guy like him that would rankle.
“Shut up,” I said before I pressed my mouth to his.
I called forth the power, let it gather within me and pushed. It wasn’t much, for Rowen or was that Sebastian, that name thing was getting on my nerves. He’d taken much from me already, and I was on empty.
When I started to feel dizzy, I pulled back. Flynn didn’t look much better at all. And he hadn’t kissed me back.
The sting of yet another rejection plagued me for the second time in one day. I scrambled to my feet as Mom,
who looked pale, was helped out of the house with David at her side. It clicked that something just wasn’t quite right. We didn’t get sick. So what was wrong with her?
“Maybe you should bring Molly inside the house Tristrom,” I suggested wondering if Mom would make it all the way.
Tristrom quickly lifted the girl and headed for the house. I turned back to Flynn, who fisted his hand in the ground bringing up tufts of green grass marring the perfect lawn.
“Come on big guy. Let’s get you inside.”
With David helping Mom and Tristrom with Molly, there was no one else to help Flynn get in the house. Luke had disappeared. Then again, maybe he’d never been there in the first place.
The yard was expansive, but it had been a better idea to bring everyone on the inside. It wouldn’t be a good thing for a neighbor to drive by and call the cavalry.
Flynn grunted in obvious pain, but I could tell he was hiding most of his discomfort. He pigeon-toed it, hopping more than walking with my arm under his shoulder to help with some of his weight.
I was bone tired. And wasn’t it adrenaline that let’s mother’s lift cars off their babies? That had to be how I was able to get him across the threshold of the door. By that time, Molly had been placed on the foyer table with Mom checking her out. David, who had been preoccupied with whatever was going on with Mom, finally noticed his son wasn’t in tip-top shape.
“Flynn,” he cried out causing everyone to look up for a second before Tristrom and Mom focused back on our dying guest.
David was over in a flash and did a better job of helping Flynn. They went down the hall towards the family room where I had that not so interesting Valentine’s experience with Luke, Flynn, Sebastian, and Paul. How much had changed since then?
I felt the loss of Paul. We’d been friends and maybe a little more. And now we were more like strangers. Too many things had happened that had forever changed who we were. He’d moved on and so had I. And a part of me missed the laughs and the person from whom I could ask for advice. I didn’t miss his interference and his jealousy. And that was why things could never be the same.
Eyes burned on me, and I glanced up to see Mom shake her head. Tristrom hadn’t noticed, but I made a decision for better or for worse.
Chapter Two
Like a snow truck, I plowed my way to the kitchen in search of keys that were usually on a hook in the Pantry. A rabbit’s foot key chain held Flynn’s spare Hummer’s keys. Kind of creepy, but I snagged it anyway.
I wanted to ask Mom what was going on with her, but there was a list of priorities. And a dying person took precedence.
“Tristrom, let’s get her to a hospital,” I announced as I entered the foyer.
“Mercy,” Mom began, but there wasn’t fight in her.
She didn’t have to utter another word because I already knew what was going to be said.
“What? Are we going to let her die just because a doctor could find out her blood is different? She was human going into this thing. Any differences now might not be so glaring because she had been all human once. Is it better to let her to die because we want to keep secrets that may not matter once everything is said and done?” I breathed sarcastically. She didn’t argue only nodded her agreement that we could go. “Come on Tristrom, there’s not enough time.”
He didn’t question me. He scooped Molly up and followed me out of the door. I opened the car and motioned for him to put her in the front seat. By the time I got in the front, Tristrom had her strapped in and was sitting behind her leaning forward whispering soft, soothing words.
I drove to the closest hospital, Mercy General, which was its shortened name. The entire name was Our Lady of Mercy General Hospital. Again, I wondered for the millionth time at my Mom’s choice of names for me.
When we pulled up to the Emergency drop off after a death-defying drive where I may or may not have broken several traffic laws, I jumped out the car leaving it idling.
When I flagged down staff and came back to the car, I was ready with my story while Tristrom hid in the back seat as planned.
“I found her while taking a hike in Rock Creek Park. I didn’t have a phone, and she looked in bad condition. I bought her here.”
I was pretty proud of myself for the plan that I’d concocted. Only, I wasn’t even sure the hospital staff was paying attention to my story after they’d gotten a decent look at Molly. Her pallor skin and shallow breathing hadn’t been a good sign.
A gurney was rushed out and a team with it. Only one staff member remained behind as she was hurried inside. “Do you know her name?”
That information I’d gotten from Tristrom. We decided that her family had a right to know their daughter was alive. And if our plan worked, maybe Tristrom would be off the hook for her disappearance. Assuming, of course, Molly lived long enough to confirm my story for how she ended up there.
“She mumbled the name, Cecilia Jackson.” I held his gaze hoping to convey honesty.
“Are you coming in?”
“Yes,” I lied. “Let me park the car.”
The guy in the green scrubs nodded and headed back inside while I leisurely pulled out of the emergency circle and down the long drive past the parking area. I turned left out of the line of sight of the Emergency Room doors towards a covered parking area. Only I didn’t go in and get a ticket. I headed towards an exit to the main road to our next destination.
There was precious little time. The bottom half of the hourglass on my arm was almost full. I didn’t know how it worked. But there it was. And Tristrom wanted to see his mother. I didn’t blame him and thought it was for the best.
When we pulled up to the spot where I'd last been chased by hellhounds, I shivered a little before getting out of the car.
“How did you get a license?” Tristrom appeared a little green around the edges. So maybe I’d taken those curves a bit too tight.
“We’re here aren’t we?” I asked with a grin wanting to lighten the mood. We hadn’t talked much on the way. Tristrom had become mute again, lost in his thoughts, or maybe he’d been planning what he would say to his mother or what he would do.
He nodded, and I felt like he read my thoughts until I realized he was responding to my cheeky quip.
“Do you have any juice in that hand or yours?” It’s a bit of a hike otherwise as I stared into the gloom of the forest covered mountain.
He held it out and like a bad bulb, his hand flickered before going dark or rather back to a normal with no glow.
He shook his head. I sighed. I was tired, and although I didn’t need to be there, I had been tasked with getting Tristrom there. It felt like I had to be the one to see it all the way to the end.
Then an orb appeared, and a disembodied voice traveled through the portal directed at us. “Come.”
We traded glances recognizing the speaker. He stepped through with me on his heels. We landed on solid ground in the familiar clearing to stand in front of Queen Amavara.
She reminded me of a living statue poised and regal as always with Jay and Kathy flanking her on either side. But I saw the way she held her hands in front of her clenched together as if stopping herself from reaching out. And there was something that began at the corner of her eyes and shined the irises within. Hope.
“Tristrom.” She said his name as if it were an appeal. She hadn’t even looked in my direction once.
“Queen Amavara,” he said, with a quick short bow of his head.
“You don’t have to call me that.”
He ignored her comment. “I should apologize.”
“There is no need.” Her voice was warm and inviting, but she hadn’t yet moved. Everyone watched the play by play, and no one was paying attention to me.
“But there is,” he began. “I was wrong in thinking you had a hand in CeCe’s disappearance. It was the Fey who played us both for fools. They took her and played some stupid game to see if I would fall in love with her while she was disguised as someone else. And
I did fall for her. I just didn’t allow myself the chance to act because I had hope I would find CeCe in the end. And when the game was over because I’d left, Larrison tortured her to the point of death. Which is why I’m asking for your help.”
“Tristrom,” she said.
He didn’t wait. “I’m hoping you have the gift of healing.”
“I do, but—”
“Then I’m asking you to intercede and don’t allow her to die. I will go with you after I know she’s safe.”
The hope in Amavara’s eyes died. Her mouth closed, and I could see the refusal forming on her lips.
“Tristrom, even if I had the time, I couldn’t intercede. The humans’ creator has strict rules, which allow our passage to and from this realm. I’m not allowed to change the course of human life or death.”
His words were sharp and biting. “But you can send, say a demon into the creator’s realm?”
I felt the sting of his words and tried desperately not to be insulted by them. He was hurting, and it was the truth. I was part demon. It was a valid point.
“It was a choice I’m paying for now. We are leaving this place, and we won’t be allowed to return.”
“If you are leaving for good, what will it matter if you do this one thing for me? You haven’t done anything for me my entire life, including your choice to leave me here so you could remain as the future heir. Can’t you do this one thing?”
I started to understand why Tristrom had been so careful when he spoke. His tongue caused a beating when unbidden. Amavara turned from her son as if she’d been slapped.
“Even if I was willing the time has come to go. I can no longer wait as the veil thins, and we will be stuck here if we don’t leave now.”
She moved in my direction. And I met her eyes square when she stood in front of me. I glanced over at Tristrom to see his jaw working into a tight grimace. If it could, I imagined steam would escape from his ears based on how angry he was.
Sacrifice of Mercy Page 1
