Mercy's Protectors (Mercy Ashby Book 1)

by A. M. Hardin

  "I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I know this isn't easy for any of us, and I shouldn't have lost my temper and yelled at you."

  I cover his hands with mine, relishing the contact. "This is something I have to do, Hunter. I know you'd rather I didn't, but I can't leave my mom there. That's not the kind of person I am. I may be selfish in some ways but never when it comes to my life over someone else's. Especially, over my own mothers."

  He sighs and leans forward, brushing his lips gently across mine. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand why you're doing it." He pauses and meets my eyes, the intensity in his gaze taking me by surprise. "We'll get you out of there as soon as we can."

  I give him a sad smile. "I'm not expecting you guys to drop everything and come rescue me."

  He narrows his eyes at me. "Tough shit. You're ours, Mercy. Not theirs. They can't have you and I'll stop at nothing to make sure you're back with us and safe. All of us will."

  I take his hands and pull them away from my face, placing a soft kiss on the tips of his fingers. "You can't promise me that you'll get to me in time, Hunter. I won't subject myself to that torture again but I can't let my mom take my place either."

  "What do you mean?"

  I meet his eyes and hold them. "I won't let them rape me, I'll die first," I vow.

  His red eyes widen slightly before he grabs the back of my neck and pulls my mouth to his. He devours me with a hint of desperation in his kiss, like this is the last time. A pang starts in my chest when I realize that it may very well be the last time.

  With a swipe of his tongue against the seam of my lips, I open for him and his tongue thrusts inside my mouth. Hunter's hand twists in my hair, gripping tightly while he consumes me with his kiss.

  Gripping the bottom of his t-shirt, I lift it up and break the kiss and his hold on my hair just long enough to tear it off his body. When he reclaims my mouth his hands reach for my top and in one swift movement he rips it straight down the middle. A gasp escapes my throat at the act.

  "Seriously?" I mutter against his lips, trying not to smile when I feel his mouth twitch into a smile.

  "You've got other clothes," he replies, biting my bottom lip then giving it quick lick to soothe the sting of his bite.

  "So true," I breathe out when my shredded top falls from my shoulders and off my body with his help. He reaches behind my back to unclasp my bra and free my breasts.

  He pulls back and the look in his eyes is so hungry that it makes me squirm slightly. I reach my hands out and fumble with his belt buckle and jeans before pushing them down, revealing his rock hard cock.

  Holy fuck, he's commando.

  He kicks his jeans off to the side and walks closer to me. Pushing me back on the bed he runs his tongue across the pulse in my throat while his hands work to get my pants off. His mouth moves lower as he kisses down my chest to my breast. After undoing my jeans and pulling them off quickly one hand comes up to grasp a breast while his warm mouth covers my other.

  I moan loudly when his teeth bite down slightly on my nipple while simultaneously tweaking the other in between his thumb and finger. I thread my fingers in his hair, holding him to my breast. His free hand roams down my side and I shiver at the barely there contact as his hand makes its way between my legs. He slides a finger against the outside of my pussy and I thrust my hips up to meet his finger, panting and desperate for him to go further.

  "Fuck, you're soaked," Hunter says a second before claiming my mouth in a hungry kiss and his finger slides inside my pussy, pumping in and out of me in a steady pace.

  Our teeth gnash against each other while we kiss furiously, putting all the anger and frustrations from our argument into the kiss.

  "Hunter," I pant against his lips.

  "I know, you have to leave." He pulls back enough to meet my eyes and murmurs, "I wish we had more time to do this right."

  I moan as his thumb rubs my clit and nod my head. "Me too. I need you inside me. Now."

  His mouth twitches into a smirk as he pushes another finger inside me, upping the pace. “I’ll be inside you soon,” he assures me. He slants his mouth over mine and kisses me hard while using his fingers to bring me to the edge. My nails dig into his shoulders as my release rolls through me. He swallows my moans with his mouth, never breaking the kiss as he pulls his fingers out and positions his hips between my legs, his hard cock poised at my entrance.

  I gasp in his mouth as he enters me in one swift thrust. He pauses, allowing my body to get used to the size of him.

  He starts moving slowly once the pain of his initial penetration fades. My hips thrust up to meet him stroke for stroke. His thrusts start to get more power behind them and it doesn’t take long before we’re panting and swallowing each others moans while we do our best to devour the other.

  My nails scratch down his back as he pounds into me hard. “Oh fuck, Hunter,” I gasp as I feel him hit as far as he can inside me. A mixture of pain and pleasure swirls through my body as he continues hitting that one spot, driving me absolutely crazy with the need to come.

  Hunter reaches between us and starts rubbing my clit with his thumb as his thrusts grow frantic. “Come for me, baby.”

  That was all I need to hear to cry out his name as my second release flows through me, my pussy clenching his cock and he pumps hard into me a few more times before he comes with me.

  Hunter presses a slow, languid kiss to my lips, making my mouth curve into a satisfied smile. “We’re not letting you go, Mercy.”

  I meet his eyes and nod. “Then make sure you find me,” I whisper before nipping at his bottom lip.

  “We will,” he swears.

  Hunter leads me out into the living room where the rest of the guys are talking quietly amongst themselves, probably planning for what steps to take when I’m gone.

  Warwick is the first to notice us walk in and his eyes flare with heat and a knowing glint as he looks at me. “Everything okay?” He asks, though he clearly knows the answer. Freaking incubus powers.

  Hunter nods. “Mercy’s going to take my car and meet with Jerome, we’re going to work out a plan to get her out of there after they bring her to Payne.”

  “Why wait until she’s with Payne?” Kai asks. “Why not just hang out while she’s meeting Jerome and stop them before they leave?”

  “Because, I’m not willing to chance that they’ll hurt my mother before she’s free of them. I want you guys to get her and my uncle to safety first, then worry about me.” I hold my hand up when their mouths open in protest, stopping them from speaking. “I’m not the same kid I was when Payne had me the first time. I’ll be fine, so long as my family is fine.”

  Hunter growls deep in his throat, clear in his displeasure. “I don’t like this anymore than you guys do, but this is how it’s going to be done. We’ll get it sorted with her family in no time, then we can focus on Mercy.”

  I flash the guys a smile. “See? Easy?”

  Talon snorts and mutters under his breath, though everyone can still hear him, “Easy, she says. Easy, my ass.”

  I roll my eyes. “Whatever, Talon. If something happens to my mom, I’d never be able to live with myself so she’s my priority.” I turn to Hunter after hefting my bag over my shoulder and hold out my hand for the keys.

  Hunter sighs and pulls a set of keys out of his pocket and hands them over. “Be careful.”

  “I’ll do my best,” I say honestly, not willing to lie to him or the others.

  War stands and pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly against him. Pulling back he meets my eyes. He brings his head down and gives me a swift, thorough kiss that leaves me breathless.

  I blink at him, shocked. I knew that Hunter was totally okay with sharing me, especially since he actually told me so himself, but I honestly hadn’t expected him or War to openly show the others. “What was that for?”

  He winks at me. “That,” he says, “was a ‘I’ll see you later’.”

  I snicker. “That�
��s probably the lamest thing I’ve ever heard a guy say.”

  War just shakes his head with a small smile on his face and backs away.

  Parker and Kai both come up to wrap me in their arms in a hug and Talon gives me a nod, which I guess is better than him glaring at me with so much hostility it’s suffocating. I leave the house and as I’m pulling out of the driveway in Hunter’s car I wave at the guys standing in the window before making my way to the house that I grew up in.

  21

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Parker

  “Are you guys sure about having her go alone?” I ask once Mercy disappears in Hunter’s car.

  Hunter sighs. "Honestly? I'm not, but I really don't see how we could have kept her from turning herself over. In order to get her to agree to letting us come for her I had to agree to make sure her mother and uncle were safe."

  Everyone exchanges an uneasy glance.

  "You don't think we can do it?" Talon asks, stoic as usual.

  Hunter runs a hand through his hair and sits down in the chair next to him. "Honestly? It's going to be difficult. If I know anything about Payne, Jerome, and my brother, I know that they're extremely paranoid. The only way I know for a fact that I can get them all out of the way is by going to my father." He trails off, showing that he really doesn't want to do that.

  Completely understandable, considering who his father is.

  Kai puffs out a breath. "So, what do we do?"

  Hunter looks at Talon. "I want you to follow her, if you're caught I can make sure I get you out too, but try not to get caught. If they do catch you sniffing around, they may not kill you right away, but they will hurt you until you do die. Especially if they think that you might be connected to Mercy."

  "They already know he's connected to her," War pointed out, his expression troubled. "Jerome saw all of us at the club and at Talon's house. There's a chance that the others already know about our connection to her."

  Talon growls low in throat. "It doesn't matter." He nods at Hunter. "I'll keep in touch." With that, Talon makes his exit.

  "If he's far enough away he won't be able to keep in touch telepathically," I remind Hunter.

  Hunter grimaces. "I know, but hopefully he won't be too far for long, if at all. We're going to get this place ready for Mercy's mom and uncle while we go over all the possible options. I may even need to call in some sort of backup with this."

  Kai narrows his eyes. "Backup?"

  "We don't know who betrayed Mercy, Hunter. Are you sure that that's a wise idea?" I ask.

  "No, I'm not sure, but it's seriously all I've got right now." I've never heard Hunter admit that he was unsure about something. It's a little unnerving.

  "We need to look at this objectively, instead of thinking about how we feel about Mercy and the things that could be happening to her. We need to think of it like she's just another mission like Xena was." War's words are solid, but his tone wavers slightly, showing that it'll most likely be a hard thing for him to do.

  The image of War pulling Mercy in for a kiss flashes through my mind and I have to fight back the surge of jealousy flowing through me. Considering that she and Hunter smelled very strongly of sex when they came out of the room earlier, and that we could hear the noises she made through the walls, it's not really a secret about what was happening between them not long before they joined us. The same feelings of jealousy flared through me then too.

  It was pretty surprising that she accepted a kiss from War so soon after being with Hunter. What was more shocking, was that Hunter didn't bat an eye when they kissed, almost like they already knew about their feelings for her. Though with War being an incubus, it could just be his own nature pulling him to her, instead of his actual feelings for her.

  I doubt that's the case though.

  Even though he's an incubus, he's not led around by his dick. Thank god or we'd never get anything done.

  "Have you thought about asking Xena for help?" Kai asks, pulling me back into the conversation.

  "Yeah, I figured I'd give her a call and see what she knows, if she even knows anything," Hunter replies. "Kai and War, I want you guys to get things ready around here for the uncle and mom." His gaze flicks to me. "Parker, I need you to find out as much as you can about Payne. Any places that he might take her and if you can get blueprints, then that'd be even fucking better."

  Mercy

  My hands tighten on the steering wheel as I pull into the neighborhood that I grew up in. Memories of my time here with my family and friends bombard me as I drive through the vaguely familiar street.

  Pulling up to my old house, a modest two-floor home, I frown at the sight of a new-ish swing set in the front lawn.

  I grind my teeth as I get out of the car and stalk to the door, the coppery smell of blood filling my nostrils the closer I get.

  Fucking bastards. I already know that if any adults were in there, that they're no longer alive, but if they hurt a fucking kid, I'll kill them.

  I don't bother knocking, since I know that they know I'm here. Swinging the door open I have to breathe through my mouth as the scent of blood overwhelms my senses. The entire entryway and living room off to the side is covered in blood and there's parts of a body thrown across the living room. Female, from what I can tell.

  Making my way past the staircase and into the dining room I have to bite back the bile at the back of my throat. Jesus. They even tore apart the peoples fucking dogs.

  Entering the kitchen attached to the dining room I do my best to ignore the overwhelming scent of death and blood circulating through the air in the house.

  There's a hand laying in a pool of blood on the floor near the door to the kitchen from outside and I can only guess whoever it was tried getting away. Every step I take in this house, my anger just continues to build until I feel like I'm going to explode with the fury lancing through my veins.

  Finally upstairs I go towards the door that's partially opened and push it. I grind my teeth together in an attempt to fight back a curse.

  "Took your time, didn't you?" Jerome asks sarcastically. "I almost didn't think you weren't going to show up."

  I meet the eyes of the scared, teary-eyed child tied to the chair in front of him with a knife to her throat. She can't be any older than five years old. I try to ease her fears by softening my gaze, but I know that nothing I do can really help her right now, outside of getting her out of here and somewhere safe.

  "Was all this really necessary?" I ask, adopting a bored tone.

  A sick smile spreads over Jerome's face. "Of course. I needed something to help ease the boredom while waiting for you to come to me."

  I look around the room, expecting to see another demon at least with him but find none and I can't sense anyone else in the house either. "Where's your minions?"

  "I don't need them," he announces arrogantly.

  I snort. "Whatever Jerome, you don't go anywhere without backup when you're after me, so where are they?"

  "They're with your mother and uncle." He narrows his eyes. "Are you going to come willingly?"

  I stare at him before answering. "I'll go willingly. As long as you let the girl go with my mother and my uncle to Hunter and his team, unharmed in any way, shape or form," I say, choosing my words carefully so he can't find a loophole.

  He knows it too because he snarls at me. "Fine." He brings his blade from the girls throat to the ropes holding the child secure, freeing her. I automatically reach for her and she barrels into me, clearly believing I'm here to help. I hold her trembling body close to me and run my hand over her hair. "Your family is in a house in the next street over. I'll show you where they are. They and the child can leave before us since you so clearly don't trust me," he adds with a sneer.

  I barely hold back a snort. Of course I don't trust him.

  The girl and I follow Jerome to the house he says my family is. I'm careful to keep my body between him and the girl in case he gets any ideas. The poor thing's shakin
g and sniffling behind me, making tears well up in my eyes that I quickly blink away as I think about the fact that she's most likely an orphan now. I didn't see her dad's body, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

  We come to a stop when we get to a plain house that has a for sale sign sticking out in the yard. The front door opens and my mother and uncle come out first. My uncle has a set of handcuffs on his wrists, that are no doubt spelled to cancel out any powers he may have.

  Their eyes widen when they spot me and tears fall out of my moms eyes when she sees me and the little girl hiding behind me. My uncle shakes his head while scowling at me, letting me know he's clearly not at all happy that I gave myself up for them.

  Jerome clears his throat as three demons exit after my family and stand around us. "Let's get this over with."

  I glare at him. "Give me a minute to talk to the girl and then they can go."

  Jerome returns my glare before giving me a short nod. No doubt, he knows that I could make it a giant pain in the ass to take me back to Payne so he's humoring me. For now.

  I turn to the girl behind me and kneel down so I'm meeting her eyes. "What's your name sweetie?"

  She sniffles. Her voice is quiet as she responds, "Vivian, my friends call me Vivi."

  I cup her cheek and wipe the tears off her cheeks and smile softly at her. "You see the two people standing directly behind me? That's my mom and my uncle. I know my uncle looks kind of scary but he won’t hurt you, I promise. They're going to take you to some people that will help you find your family."

  She nods but whispers, "I don't have any family left. The bad man killed my mommy and my daddy. I don't have anyone else."

  My heart breaks as I listen to her words and I pull her into my arms, giving her a tight hug. "Then they'll keep you safe until I come back for you," I murmur in her ear, careful to speak quietly enough that Jerome and his lackeys can't hear.