Mercy's Battle (Mercy Ashby Book 3)

by A. M. Hardin

  Chapter 5

  Mercy

  Ugh. My head hurts. Why does my head hurt? And why the hell does my chest hurt?

  I open my eyes and frown when I don’t recognize my surroundings immediately. The room spins as I try to get my bearings back while I wake up. I blink several times, trying to clear my fuzzy head. What the hell happened? The last thing I remember is Parker’s mom getting in my face about that one chick’s death. After that, it’s all blurry bits and pieces.

  I slowly move into a semi-sitting position and I grin happily when I see my guys surrounding me, with Kai being right by my side. My smile fades as I see them eyeing me with concern.

  “What’s going on?”

  “How are you feeling, Doll?” Hunter asks quietly, his body tense.

  I sit up the rest of the way and frown when I feel something hard fall off my chest onto my lap, but I don’t look down, too happy to be looking at my guys. Is this why my chest hurt? No. It still hurts even without this thing on me.

  I run a hand down my face, closing my eyes as my hand shakes slightly. “Um, my head hurts, my chest-” I bring my hand down to my chest and frown when I feel blood covering me. I finally look down and stop breathing. What the hell? I was seriously stabbed in the heart? What is this symbol doing on my chest? Wait, why the fuck am I still alive if I was stabbed in the heart? Where the hell did the wound go?

  I look up at the guys and I feel tears falling down my cheeks, not even sure why I’m crying. “W-what’s going on?” I repeat, voice shaking.

  “What’s the last thing you remember, Baby?” Kai asks quietly, moving to kneel beside the bed.

  “Uh, Parker’s mom was getting in my face about what’s-her-name’s death,” I answer, frowning as I try to remember. “Everything after that is really fuzzy.” I meet Kai’s eyes. “What happened? Why am I covered in blood?”

  Kai’s jaw clenches as he looks to Hunter. Apparently he doesn’t want to be the one to tell me what the hell is going on.

  “You’re covered in blood because I, technically, killed you,” Talon answers after a tense minute of complete silence.

  I gape at him for several heartbeats. “What the hell do you mean, you killed me?” I snap.

  Talon meets my gaze and the pain in his eyes takes my breath away. “We didn’t have a choice, Sweetheart,” he murmurs. “One of us had to do it. It was the only way this would work.”

  “What would work?” I growl, getting pissed at the stupid half-answers.

  “Bringing you back to us,” Parker says, his eyes running over my face before looking away, but I still caught the flash of pain in his eyes.

  “What happened? Quit giving me short answers. Just tell me!” I snap.

  “You turned rogue, Doll,” Hunter answers after a minute of the guys sharing looks, his voice soft. “You left us for six months. We just found you and managed to catch you off guard to bring you home with us. We had the spell to bring you back. We just had to pray that it worked. You wouldn’t hear anything of coming back as the person we knew. You said that you liked being rogue and didn’t want to go back to the old Mercy. We were out of options and out of time.”

  My mouth drops as I stare at him. No. He had to be wrong. I didn’t turn rogue. I shake my head. “You’re lying,” I try.

  “We’re not lying, Mimi,” War cuts in. “You know we aren’t.”

  I stay quiet and allow myself a moment to process the fact that I was rogue, killed and brought back to life. Just like that stupid Seer said. Fuck. “What did I do?” I finally ask, needing to know.

  Hunter shakes his head. “No. You don’t need to know that right now. What you need is something to eat.”

  I frown at him, not at all happy that he’s not willing to answer my question. “I’m honestly not all that hungry.”

  “She did just ingest a shit ton of blood, Hunter,” Parker mutters, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Uh, I’m sorry? I did what?” The words come out sounding shrill.

  The guys all wince. “It was part of the spell to bring you back,” Kai says, trying to sound reassuring.

  Jokes on him. I’m not feeling reassured. I don’t drink blood. That’s Parker’s fucking job. My stomach churns as I think about drinking blood and I have to fight the bile back down before I puke all over the damn bed.

  “I need a minute,” I mumble, curling my knees up and wrapping my arms around them before placing my head on my knees, closing my eyes hard. Wishing this was all just some really bad, fucked up dream.

  The guys muttering among themselves then the sounds of feet shuffling and the door opening and closing don’t even tempt me enough to look up right now. I just feel so. . . off. Not like myself.

  “Baby,” Kai mutters beside me. “The guys all left so you have some space. I’m not leaving because I want to make sure everything is okay with you and with the spell. You don’t have to talk,” he assures me, “I just wanted to let you know that I’m here with you when you need me.”

  I look up at Kai and study his sincere gaze for a while before my eyes drift over his face, landing on his lips. My stomach knots as desire churns deep in my belly. What the hell? That’s kind of a strange reaction for me to have after coming back from the dead.

  I shake the thought from my head and meet Kai’s eyes, hoping like hell he won’t deny me the distraction I desperately need right now. I drop my knees and reach out to skim my fingertips along Kai’s cheek.

  “Kai,” I whisper. “Kiss me. Please,” I swallow hard, “I just. . . I need-”

  “Shh,” he murmurs as he closes the distance between us and brushes his mouth gently against mine. “I’ll always give you what you need, Baby.”

  His hand cups the back of my head as he kisses me, similar to our first kiss before the masquerade. Deep. All-consuming. A desperate kiss filled with desire and love. My fingers knot in his hair as I pull him onto the bed and over me. I arch my back, pressing my body firmly against his as I lose myself in his kiss.

  He runs his hands down my body, lighting every nerve ending on fire as he goes. Slipping a hand under my shirt I whimper slightly as he grasps my breast in his hand under my bra, his fingers playing with my nipple.

  It’s not enough. I want to touch his skin. Without thinking, I bring my hands up and grab the collar of his shirt and tear. Fabric ripping cuts through the silence of the dungeon and Kai pulls back, shock plain on his face as he peeks down at his now ruined shirt.

  A chuckle slips out of him as my hands find the bare skin of his abs and I run my hands over the hard muscles. I ripped his shirt completely in half. In some small part of my brain, I know I should be wondering how the hell I did that, because I don’t really have any strength to really do anything, let alone rip Kai’s shirt like that in one smooth motion.

  “Sorry,” I mutter as I lift my head up to press several kisses on the side of his neck.

  He groans. “It’s fine,” he mumbles before gripping my chin and bringing my mouth back to his.

  I open for him immediately, allowing our tongues to dance together as he strips the remains of his shirt off. I push my hand against his chest and he moves away long enough for me to remove my shirt and unclasp my bra. He crashes his mouth back on mine as he pulls my bra off my arms. Once the bra is gone, he breaks the kiss and in my haze it doesn’t register what he’s doing until I feel his lips making a trail from the hollow of my throat down to my breast.

  I groan and shake my head. “No foreplay. Please. I can’t. . .” I pant in shallow breaths.

  Kai pulls back a bit and his mouth curves into a smile as his hands undo the button to my pants. “I have to at least make sure you’re ready for me, Baby,” he says softly, pulling my pants and panties down over my hips and legs.

  My lower lip pushes out a little before I nod my head in agreement.

  Kai grins at me before he uses his fingers and tongue to bring me to the edge. I come on a gasp and he moves over me, capturing my gasp wi
th his mouth. He quickly gets rid of his jeans and boxers then positions himself between my thighs, his hands gripping my hips.

  I wrap my legs around his waist, pushing my hips forward to meet his as I pull him closer to me. “Kai,” I groan as his cock pushes in, inch by excruciating inch, drawing it out until he’s buried balls deep inside of me.

  “Fuck, Mercy,” he groans, his eyes fluttering closed as he pulls back, leaving only the head before pushing forward again. He keeps thrusting in and out of me, slow but hard thrusts that leave me gasping for more.

  “More,” I plead.

  “Baby-” He sounds like he’s about to protest but I cut him off.

  “Please, Kai. You won’t break me, I promise,” I swear, guessing what his problem was and why he was going easy on me.

  He chokes out a laugh as his thrusts pick up speed. Not a lot, but enough to tell me that he’s close to caving. “You just came back from the dead, Baby. I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice is soft, pain-filled and it breaks my heart.

  “You won’t,” I promise. “Kai, I need this.”

  My back bows, moans escaping me as his movements change from slow and hard, to hard and fast. I grab Kai’s head, my fingers threading through his hair, nails digging into his scalp and pull him down to me, kissing him hard.

  He returns my kiss with equal enthusiasm while he brutally fucks me. He slips a hand between us and rubs at my clit. Within seconds, I’m screaming my release with him groaning his own shortly after.

  After catching his breath, he pulls out of me and kisses my lips, my cheeks, then kisses the hollow of my throat as he pulls away from my body. “Are you okay?” He asks, his voice gentle.

  I nod. “Yeah, I’m okay.” I trail a finger down his naked chest and smile up at him. “I’m better than okay.”

  Chapter 6

  Mercy

  Kai and I leave the little cell and head to the room that I had stayed in when we were staying here before I apparently went rogue. Opening the door, I double-blink. Nothing has been changed. Nothing’s been moved. It’s all exactly the same as I left it the day that I had been arrested and placed in that stupid dungeon for supposedly killing Chelsey.

  “Why hasn’t anything changed?” I ask quietly, moving to the dresser to get a change of clothes.

  “We pretty much made this our headquarters while we searched for you. We’d follow a lead, but we always ended up back here. It didn’t feel right packing up your stuff and leaving, so we left your stuff alone and stayed here,” Kai explains.

  I pull his shirt over my head and take my pants off. I hadn’t bothered with putting my panties back on because they had ended up on the floor. Panties off the floor of the dungeon? Yeah, that shit’s not going back on my body until it’s washed.

  “That makes sense,” I mutter. “How’s my family? Vivian?”

  “They were all moved here, as well as Xena,” he says, his eyes following my movements as I get dressed. “Your dad and uncle weren’t easy to convince to come, but eventually your mom put her foot down and said that she, Vivian, and Xena were coming with us. Then she said that if they wanted to continue to try being dictating assholes they can stay there.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, my uncle constantly tried bullying my mom into agreeing with him a lot after dad was taken. I think they both fail to realize that my mother isn’t one to be bullied. She’d sooner kick them in the balls than let them bully her.”

  Kai chuckles and moves to me as I put my hair in a ponytail. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “I figured the first thing you’d do is take a shower,” he murmurs.

  I shake my head. “I’ll take one in a little bit. I want to see everyone first.”

  He presses a gentle kiss on my lips, his mouth curved into a smile. “Alright. Let’s go.”

  I follow him out of my room and down the hall. “So where are they?”

  “I believe they’re all in the library. I’m not sure about your family, but I’m pretty sure that’s where the rest of the guys are.”

  It turns out that the library is where everyone is. Even Farrah is there. The second Kai has the door open and we walk through, everyone falls silent and eyes move straight to me.

  I bite my bottom lip between my teeth, suddenly extremely nervous and self-conscious.

  After almost a full minute without anyone says anything, I wave a shaky hand. “Uh, hi.”

  The guys all watch me carefully, their eyes worried. Like they’re scared I’m about to break down any second. My mom moves forward, but is stopped by my dad and uncle setting a hand on each of her shoulders, their eyes wary.

  I’m not going to lie; that hurt. A lot. I understand why they’d be wary, but it doesn’t mean that the hurt isn’t there.

  Vivian and Xena run forward and both of them immediately throw their bodies against mine, making me rock back a little bit. My arms wrap around their shoulders, slightly awkward because of the difference in heights between the two of them.

  Xena sobs in my neck. “I was so worried about you! I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “You said you weren’t going to leave again,” Vivian mutters against my stomach, squeezing tightly.

  Tears pool in my eyes and I swallow hard, running my hands over Vivian’s hair. “I’m sorry, honey,” I whisper.

  Xena pulls back at the same time Vivian moves to go back to my mom’s side. Xena’s eyes narrow on me and she pulls her fist back, punching my arm. Hard. “That’s for making us worry, bitch.”

  I rub the spot she hit and give her a watery smile. “I guess I deserve that.”

  Xena points hard at me. “Don’t do that shit again or I’ll kick your ass.”

  I chuckle. Xena’s usually a soft person, but apparently that’s changed since I was rogue. It’s kind of weird to see. “Alright. I’ll take your warning into consideration.” I reach out and pull her to me, enveloping her in another hug. “Love you, Xe.”

  “Love you too, shitface,” Xena mutters, squeezing me once before letting me go.

  Farrah steps forward, looking between my eyes, probably checking to make sure that they are back to normal. “You’re back to normal, right?” She asks cautiously.

  I smile and give her a nod. “Yeah, I’m back to normal, Farrah.”

  She grins and runs to me, wrapping her arms around me for a quick hug. “Good. I’m glad you’re back to normal. You really scared me.”

  “Sorry for scaring you,” I whisper, returning her hug.

  Farrah backs away and I look to my parents and uncle. My stomach churns because of the wariness in my dad’s and uncle’s eyes. My eyes burn as I meet my mom’s teary gaze.

  “Mom,” I whisper a split second before she breaks out of my uncle’s and dad’s grip and barrels into me, squeezing me tight.

  “My baby,” she cries in my hair. I hold her just as tight, tears falling down my cheeks. “My beautiful baby girl is back.”

  “Yeah, ma. I’m back,” I murmur, burying my face in her neck, holding her tighter for a second before letting her go. The only problem is that she doesn’t let me go. A wet laugh bursts out of me as my mom clings to me, sobbing into my hair.

  I meet my dad and uncle’s gazes from over her shoulder. “A little help?”

  My uncle rolls his eyes and nudges my dad with his elbow. “Get your damn wife before she drowns your daughter in tears.”

  My dad chuckles, though it seems a little forced to me and moves close, pulling my mom off of me. “Your uncle and I will talk to you later, alright?” My chest tightens and I nod, forcing myself to keep my face blank. “We’ll all give you and the guys some time to talk.”

  One by one, the others leave the room, leaving me with my guys. We’re all silent until the library door closes, cutting off the sounds of my mom crying happily.

  “How’re you feeling, Mimi?” War asks as he walks toward me. He cups my face in his hand and tilts my head up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

  “I’m okay. I feel fine. Better than
I expected to,” I answer honestly.

  He studies my face for a minute before he nods, accepting my answer. The next thing I know his mouth is hard on mine. The kiss is filled with so much relief that it makes me want to cry. When War pulls back, it takes a minute for me to come out of the daze his kiss left me in.

  His thumb brushes against my bottom lip as he smiles down at me.

  “Quit hogging her,” Hunter says. I’m pretty sure he’s joking, since he’s laughing a little, but I’m not totally sure.

  A laugh bubbles up as War fakes a pout as he backs away from me, making room for Hunter. Hunter immediately tugs me into a hug and kisses my hair.

  “Glad you’re back, Doll,” he mutters before letting me go.

  Talon frowns as Hunter gestures for him to come forward and I have to fight a smile as I shake my head and close the distance between us. His body tenses the closer I get, squeezing my heart. I press a chaste kiss on his lips and wrap my arms around his waist, clutching tight.

  “Thank you,” I mumble into his shirt.

  “Just. . . don’t make me do that again,” he pleads.

  “I’ll try.” It sounds like a question coming out and I can’t really help that. We don’t know if I’ll go back to being rogue or anything along those lines. There are too many ‘what ifs’ and uncertainties for us to really relax until we know more.

  I let him go and turn to face Parker.

  “Parker?” I ask, my voice shaking when I see the pain in his eyes as he looks at me. Dread fills me and my stomach in knots as my mind wanders to what could possibly make him look at me like that. Oh god. What did I do?

  “Hey, Sunshine,” Parker says softly before finally wrapping me in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, so quiet that I almost don’t hear him.

  “For what?” I whisper back. He just shakes his head and tightens his grip on me.

  “We’ll talk about it later. We’ve missed you, Sunshine.”

  I turn my head to look at Hunter without letting go of Parker. Something in me is telling me not to let him go right now. That I need this as much as he does. “So what have I missed?”