Mercy's Protectors (Mercy Ashby Book 1)

by A. M. Hardin

  It's been almost a week since that night in the gym and neither he nor War have pushed me into doing anything with them. There have been lingering touches from them, but no more kisses. Sadly, I wanted them to kiss me, instead of just teasing me with those touches.

  "Got what?" Talon asks from by the door.

  "Well, since there aren't any cameras in the actual tunnel, there are some that are at the entrance." Parker grows quiet as he does something on the computer. Hunter's expression hardens at whatever he sees over Parker's shoulders. "I wasn't expecting that."

  "Care to share with the rest of class?" I ask dryly, making Kai and War chuckle.

  Parker turns the computer so it's facing Talon, Kai, War and myself. He pushes play and shows us a video of someone standing alone near the entrance wearing a dark cloak.

  "Way to be a total cliche," I mutter to myself. I double blink when Aiden appears in front of the cloaked figure from out of nowhere. Aiden looks around for a moment, looking confused but then a dazed look appears over his face. The person in the cloak gestures for Aiden to come closer. When Aiden moves within reach the figure grabs his arm and they both disappear into thin air. "What the fuck?"

  "How is that possible?" Kai asks. "I don't know of anyone with the ability to teleport other people and do mind control. Especially mind control on a demon."

  "Aiden's a pretty low level demon though," I point out softly, eyes still on the computer screen, trying to make sense of what we just saw.

  War makes a noise in the back of his throat and looks at the ceiling. I look between him and Hunter. So far, they're the only ones who seem to know what just happened.

  "What the hell is going on?" I ask, directing my question to Hunter and War, though neither of them will look at anyone else. Although, I think I'm the only one who noticed that their expressions had turned shifty.

  "What do you mean?" Parker asks curiously.

  I ignore him and walk to Hunter, hands on my hips. "What is it?"

  War sighs from behind me. "Just tell her. She'll be pissed if you keep it from her."

  I narrow my eyes at Hunter when he doesn't say anything for a minute. Making a frustrated noise in the back of my throat I turn away from him and out of the room. I push the back door open, letting it slam shut behind me as I walk to one of the large trees to sit down.

  I really shouldn't be so fucking surprised. He may have said he wouldn't lie to me, and even though I consider omissions to be lies, he clearly fucking doesn't. Leaning back against the tree, I close my eyes and attempt to clear my mind.

  The sound of leaves rustling makes me open my eyes and I frown, looking around. I must have fallen asleep at some point because the sun is lower in the sky than it was before.

  A branch snaps a few feet away. I bite the inside of my cheek as Hunter walks toward me and I remember why I came outside in the first place.

  He stops and sits down beside me. I stay quiet, not wanting to break the silence first. I know I'm probably overreacting but I'm just too pissed to care. Unless he's out here to apologize and explain what the hell was going on then he can go back inside and leave me the hell alone.

  Hunter sighs after a few quiet, tense moments. "You giving me the silent treatment huh?"

  I don't respond and he chuckles quietly, pissing me off more.

  "Talk to me, Mercy."

  "Why? It's clearly something you don't do yourself. So tell me why I should even fucking bother talking to you," I snap.

  "Me not telling you what’s going on has nothing to do with you."

  I snort. "Maybe not, but it still has to be said that you said you'd never lie to me. By not telling me what's going on you're lying by omission." I say the last while turning to face him so I can watch his expression.

  Hunter looks pained before resignation appears and he lets out a heavy sigh. "War and I know of only two demons who have the abilities that you saw on the computer." He turns his face to the house, looking like he's a thousand miles away.

  "Why is this a bad thing? That should be something simple to tell me."

  He lets out a short laugh without humor in it. "You'd think, but it's really not. The demon who took Aiden is my brother. The other is my father, but he's not concerned about what goes on around here."

  My mouth drops and I stare at Hunter. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

  "My brother is the one who took Aiden. If I can guess, he's also the one who took Ada."

  "Why though?"

  "This is the part that's going to be hard to tell you," he says slowly. "My brother is Payne's best friend. Jerome has a tendency to work for both of them if my brother needs him to do something. It's how I know him and Payne so well."

  My stomach churns as a memory pings through my mind and I look at Hunter with what I'm sure are haunted eyes. "Your brother doesn't look like you does he?"

  "Not really, the only thing that's similar between us is our hair."

  "He has a scar that runs down the length of his face doesn't he?" I ask quietly, turning away from Hunter, not wanting to see his face in that moment.

  Hunter is silent for what feels like forever and I can feel the anger radiating from him in the air. "Yes." He pauses, almost like he isn't sure he wants to say what he plans to. "How do you know my brother?"

  "He-" I cut off when my voice breaks with emotion before trying again. "He was one of the demons who would torture me when I was a kid and trapped at Payne's."

  Hunter curses and stands up. I pull my knees close to my chest before resting my arms on them and burying my face in my arms.

  "You mean to tell me, the scars on your body," Hunter grinds out from a few feet away from me, fury and frustration clear in his tone, "some of those are from my brother?"

  "Not a lot of them," I whisper, still not lifting my head. I know that Hunter put space between us and a part of me is hurt by that fact. Although, I'm pretty sure he put that space there because he's so pissed off, not because of me. "A majority of the wounds he made they had to heal."

  He lets out a breath, and when he speaks again his voice is shaking with restrained rage. "He hurt you that bad?"'

  I don't say anything, I just nod my head, knowing if he isn't looking at me he'll tell me to say it out loud. Thankfully, he doesn't.

  Hunter's quiet for several, long, excruciating minutes. Finally, he says, "I'll see you later."

  I lift my head from my arms in time to see him stalking back into the house, his entire body tense. A tear slips down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away. I told myself years ago, I'd never let my past affect me the way it did before I confided in Xena what happened. I've held true to that and have no intention of starting to let it get to me again.

  “War, keep an eye on Hunter,” I say, reaching out to Warwick telepathically.

  “Uh, okay? Why? And why did he just come inside looking like he's ready to destroy the world?”

  “Have Hunter tell you. Just don't let him out of your sight.”

  19

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mercy

  Opening the back door about a half hour after Hunter left me outside I walk into the dining room and pause at the sight of Talon, Parker and Kai sitting at the table talking. As soon as they noticed me their words stopped so I don't know what they were saying, but I know that it was about me.

  The door shuts behind me and I cross my arms across my chest, giving myself some kind of barrier between us. "What?"

  They exchange glances between them then look at me.

  "Hunter told us what you said. We're all pretty fucking pissed, but I think it's hitting him more because it was his own sibling that did that to you," Kai explains.

  They're all pissed about what happened? My eyes dart to Talon for a brief second, taking in his blank expression, before going back to Kai.

  "It happened a long time ago," I mutter. "I'm not going to blame Hunter for something that he had nothing to do with, or even knew about. Just because he's his brother, doesn't mean tha
t they're the same by any means." Although, I tried to keep my tone neutral, I'm pretty sure it didn't work.

  "What do you mean?" Parker asks, proving that I hadn't kept the emotion out of my tone like I had hoped.

  "His brother... he was cold. Seriously detached and demented. Payne, Jerome and some of the others... when they would hurt me, they actually enjoyed it, they got off on it in some way. Hunter's brother though? He did hurt me, but I think it was more to relieve boredom than anything. He didn't seem to particularly enjoy hurting me, he just didn't give a damn."

  I lean back against the door and look out the window so I'm not facing the guys head on, but I can still see them in my peripherals. "I don't even know his name. Payne wouldn't let him tell me. It was weird. Although, I can't say my time there was normal by any means. Maybe it was for a prisoner, but I don't know. I don't make it a habit of being imprisoned."

  "He wouldn't let him tell you his name?" War's voice breaks through my memories. I turn my head to see him and Hunter standing in the doorway, both of them tense and looking like they could take on the world.

  I shake my head. "I wasn't allowed to know anyone's name but Payne's. I found out Jerome's name when Payne yelled for him to get a healer one time that he almost killed me."

  "His name's Torn," Hunter says, meeting my eyes.

  I raise a brow. "Torn? What the hell is with you demons and your weird ass names?"

  Hunter snorts. "Don't know what you're talking about. Hunter's not that weird compared to a half-demon being named Mercy."

  I shrug. "My mom's human. She picked my name. From what I know, she didn't give dad much of a choice in my name. Although, my dad used to call me Mercenary just to rile her up,” I add with a smile.

  "Anyway, back to the subject," War interrupts. "Torn is Hunter's younger half-brother."

  "One of many anyway," Hunter mutters, looking away from everyone.

  War flashes him an odd look before rolling his eyes.

  “What I don’t understand,” I begin, “is why Torn would be taking them. What’s the point?”

  Talon speaks up. “I think that it does have something to do with you, Mercy.”

  The rest of the guys shoot him a variety of dirty looks.

  “I’m not going to lie to her and say that we don’t know what’s going on when we have a theory,” Talon defends.

  “Clearly you guys have been talking while I was outside,” I say dryly. “What’s the theory?”

  Hunter runs a hand over his face. “The theory is that they’re some kind of collateral.”

  “Collateral? I don’t have a relationship with either of them.”

  “Outside of this team, the people that you’ve had any kind of interaction with have disappeared. Besides the Head Orderly and Xena, that we know of. Although, I believe Xena will be targeted next if that’s the case,” Hunter says.

  “I know. I made my uncle give her protection.” Hunter raises a brow in my direction and I shrug. “What? Xena and I already talked about this.”

  "What I can't figure out is, why the collateral? Mercy fought Ada on her first night at the Order and, from what I know, she only talked to Aiden a few times her entire time there. There's really no reason that I can see to take those two people," Parker says thoughtfully.

  "They probably figure that Mercy will give herself up to save them." Kai taps his fingers on the table, looking deep in thought. "Or, they could just be doing it to be assholes."

  I snort. "I'll go with them being assholes and possibly getting me to trade myself. Payne, Jerome, and Torn know I'll never let someone else suffer in my place if I can help it."

  "Let me guess," War begins, "they've tried it before, didn't they?"

  I nod my head. "Yeah, they usually brought in someone that worked for them and tortured them in front of me.”

  “Jesus,” mutters Kai, shaking his head.

  “They’re demons that most likely don’t have a broad range of emotions,” I point out. “There are plenty of demons that aren’t emotionally detached jackasses but I honestly haven’t met many of them.”

  “So what are we going to do now?” Parker asks after a few minutes of silence.

  Hunter sighs. “Now, we wait.”

  My phone ringing in my pocket pulls me away from the book I’m reading. I set my book on the coffee table and pull my phone out of my back pocket, not paying attention to the multiple eyes that are on me from the other side of the room.

  My brow furrows when I see that it's my uncle calling. We talked on the phone last night and he said that he wouldn't be calling for a few days.

  "Uncle," I greet. My entire being tenses when I hear a chuckle on the other end of the phone that doesn't belong to my uncle. "Who is this?"

  "Ah, how quickly you forget me, my Mercy," Jerome's voice slithers over my skin, leaving chills.

  "Jerome, what are you doing with my uncles phone?" I ask, turning my complete focus on the phone in my hand. The guys all curse and jump to their feet before making their way to surround me. War puts his hands on my shoulders, rubbing gently, trying to ease the tension.

  "You shouldn't worry too much about your uncle, Mercy. He isn't hurt. Much." I clench my fist at the smugness in his tone. Wishing more than anything I could punch the smugness right out of him. "Oh, and if you haven't realized, you're just a little too late to get to your mom. I just got word from a few friends. They found her and are bringing her here."

  "You goddamn son of a bitch!" I snarl into the phone.

  "Of course, we won't hurt her as long as you agree to meet me somewhere and take her place."

  I grind my teeth, doing my best to ignore the growls coming from the guys and War's hands squeezing my shoulders tightly. "Fine. Where?" War's hands grip my shoulders tighter, to the point that it hurts, but I pay no mind.

  "Where this whole thing began. I believe this will be poetic if we do the trade off at your childhood home, don't you think?"

  I ignore his comment and mentally calculate how far we are from the home I shared with both my parents. "It'll take me a day to make it there. I swear to the gods that if you or anyone else harms my mother in any way, shape, or form, I will kill you Jerome. And I will enjoy it."

  He chuckles darkly over the line. "I'll see you in twenty four hours, my Mercy. Alone. I don't want to have to hurt your beautiful mother."

  "Go fuck yourself Jerome." I hang up my phone and throw it off to the side before covering my face with my hands.

  "What the fuck were you thinking?" Hunter shouts before the others can even voice their thoughts or feelings about my apparent stupidity. He comes around to stand in front of me so I can see just how furious he is.

  I pull my hands away from my face and stare at him. "I'm sorry?"

  Waves of anger rolls off the others but they stay quiet while Hunter takes the floor. "You are not handing yourself over to him!"

  I blink. "I'm pretty sure I'm my own person and you do not order me what I can or cannot do outside of the missions we have."

  I frown when I notice War dropping his hands from my shoulders and going to push the rest of the guys out of the room before Hunter draws my attention back to him in the form of a growl.

  "Excuse me?" He snarls. "Care to repeat that?"

  I stand up and get into his face. "Fine. You do not order me what I can or cannot do when it's concerning my fucking mother, Hunter."

  "You're more important."

  "Fuck you! No, I'm not. Besides my uncle she's the only family I have left and I rarely see my uncle or talk to him. I am not willing to leave my mom in those sick bastards hands. If that pisses you and the others off, I don't care. It's not your choice."

  "I'm not willing to just hand you back to those motherfuckers! You're old enough now that they'll try going farther than they did before, damn it!"

  "You're not telling me anything I don't know, Hunter," I say with a sigh. I bring my fingers to my temples while I rub them with my eyes closed. "I already know this. I don't c
are. I need to get my mom out of there."

  "Do you seriously think your mom would want you to put yourself in her place?" He asks incredulously.

  I shake my head and walk away from him, to the entrance of the hallway to my room. "No, but I'm not leaving her there. If that means I die in her place, then so be it. She's only human. Her body can't take as much torture as my body can before it gives in." I meet his eyes from over my shoulder, not surprised to see that he hasn't moved from his spot with his jaw tight and fists clenched tight at his sides. "I'll die before I let her suffer at their hands."

  I walk past the rest of the guys who are waiting outside the living room, not paying any attention to them as I make my way to my room.

  Once the door closes behind me, I let the tears fall that have been threatening since I heard Jerome tell me about my mom and uncle. I grab my bag and toss it on my bed. Moving around the room I gather everything of mine to put in my bag, letting the tears flow freely.

  It's all my fault. My mother and uncle are being held as prisoners because of me.

  I stuff my clothes into my bag much harder than necessary, needing to take my frustrations out on something, since I can't beat the shit out of Jerome or Payne.

  After I'm done filling my bag I toss it to the floor and sit on the edge of the bed. Covering my face with my hands, I let loose the sobs building in my throat. The feeling of helplessness that will always be there and has been there since I was in Payne's clutches the first time, suffocating me.

  20

  Chapter Twenty

  Mercy

  A knock on the bedroom door pulls me out of my own personal hell. Wiping the tears from my eyes and taking a deep breath, I call out, "Come in."

  The door opens and shows a weirdly defeated looking Hunter. He shuts the door behind him and makes his way to me. He kneels in front of me and cups my face in his large hands while he studies me and wipes a few stray tears away.