by D L Blade
I understood this type of fury. Mercy wasn’t off sacrificing herself again. Someone kidnapped her, along with Dorian. It must have been an ambush Dorian couldn’t stop, because he was a good fighter and he would have fought for her life. He was likely dead, but not her. I could feel her. I also knew who was responsible.
This also meant that we were right about it not being Maurice who took the dagger. If he had it, she’d be dead.
“That’s it. I’m calling the cops,” Bradley said, throwing his hands up and reaching into his pocket.
“Lily,” I said, hoping she’d stop this nonsense before it got out of hand.
She grabbed Bradley’s hand to stop him, but when he resisted, she sprawled her fingers out and chanted. Bradley dropped the phone, not able to use his hand.
“Are you kidding me, Lily? You said you’d never use your powers on me!” he screamed. He looked more afraid than upset.
“And you promised you’d keep my secret after I told you.” Lily’s face softened. “What do you think the cops will do to us once they find out what really is happening here? Huh? What do you think Maurice will do to the cops you plan to call when and if they catch up with him?”
Bradley relaxed his shoulders and Lily released the magic that had kept him from using his hand.
I turned back to Riley. “Go ahead.”
Amber, who was still trying to relax him, lifted her hand from his arm and they both crouched down. After they transitioned into their wolf forms and sniffed the ground around the street, they sniffed the car, her purse, the glass on the ground, and turned to each other. Amber and Riley tapped their noses together as if it were some kind of communication between the two.
Riley turned back to his human form and stood in front of me, naked. It was a bit awkward, but he seemed to not care, as if it were completely normal to be standing in the buff. “Okay, we have the scent. I smelled both a vampire and a witch.”
“Maurice?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I didn’t recognize the scent.”
“Dammit,” I cursed. I then looked at Lily. “It doesn’t mean it’s not him. He had people who worked for him before. He most likely has a following now.”
We got back into our cars, and I phoned Joel to let him know what we had found out.
Once back at Abigail’s, I entered the kitchen and poured myself a glass of whiskey. It had been a while since I drank hard liquor, but I felt numb at this point. The extent of Maurice’s fury left him willing to do anything to her to seek revenge. The perfect punishment. If he was willing to kill an angel with a sword, with no remorse, what was he willing to do to Mercy?
I sipped my drink as I paced the floor.
“We’ll find her,” Roland assured me. He had been standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I stopped dead in my tracks when he stepped in front of me. “Look, this is Mercy we’re talking about. You know that she is going to get herself out of this. She’s alive. That you know.”
He was right. She was alive, but what had he done to her? What was he planning? Was she even here in Rhode Island? Had he taken her somewhere else?
I lowered my head and looked at the whiskey, then back up at Roland. “I’ve got to go,” I said while handing him my glass. “Here. Knock yourself out.”
And with that, I left to find Melissa.
I knocked on the door to her apartment until she opened the door. She was wearing a green, spaghetti-strap nightgown that came down to her knees. Her tattoos showed and her hair was pulled back into a low braid.
“Hey, Caleb.”
I took a step in without an invitation and placed my hands on the sides of her neck, staring at her. “Hey, you,” I said. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“Did you find her?” She ignored my question.
I shook my head.
“Is that why you’re here? You’re sad she’s gone, and you need me?”
I winced at her question. It stung because she was right. No, not completely. I cared about Melissa. She was sexy, funny, and smart, but I was hurting tonight. I was hurting and I needed her.
“I don’t know,” I confessed as I released her and walked toward her bedroom. She looked at me, her head tilted to the right. She was probably contemplating what she wanted to do.
She walked toward me and held out her hand. After I took it, I escorted her to the bedroom. She turned to face me once we reached the bed. I leaned down, kissed her gently, and she kissed me back, so I deepened the kiss.
We kissed for a minute, and my hands reached down to her shirt and lifted it above her head. She placed her hands on my chest and smiled, giving me the invitation I needed.
We didn’t sleep. We didn’t talk about the pain I felt or the shame she’d feel in the morning, knowing I wasn’t completely with her. But it didn’t matter. We both knew it didn’t matter. She was what I needed, and she’d let me have her.
Mercy
California! Maurice was taking me to California. I’d always wanted to visit the Pacific Ocean. I also wasn’t just visiting, I was going to live there. According to Maurice, our backyard faced the ocean!
Maurice grabbed my hand as we descended the stairs from his private jet. It was evening, so they didn’t need a spell cast on them to get them from point A to point B to avoid the sunlight.
Jade grabbed my suitcase, and Julian waited at the bottom of the stairs next to the limo and opened the door for us as we approached.
It was only a short drive to Huntington Beach. Maurice owned a private runway right outside the city. I was excited to be in our new home. The flight wasn’t terrible, but I was ready to sleep.
Maurice was quiet during the drive, but as we pulled into our new driveway, he kissed me on the lips. His kiss was kind and gentle. His mouth tasted like the dark, red wine and chocolate served to us during the flight.
I hadn’t had the chance to explore our home yet. The lights were dim, and Maurice led us to our bedroom. From what I did see, the home was already fully furnished and ready for us.
Maurice turned to me and pulled the blanket up as we lay in bed. He brushed the stray hair from my face and pulled me closer to him. “I love you, Mercy.” His voice was gentle, and his words were familiar. I was still trying to recall all the memories I had lost, but the sound of his voice, his words, rang familiar and brought me comfort. I felt safe. “Tomorrow, I have some business to attend to, but I’ll have Julian escort you around the city. Does that sound nice?”
I nodded, smiled, and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you. Goodnight, Maurice.”
I closed my eyes, no longer able to fight my exhaustion, and let my dreams take me away.
Did I always dream like this? I couldn’t remember. I guessed most people don’t really remember their dreams, but everything around me felt familiar, like I had entered this world in my subconsciousness. Maybe my dreams would help me remember everything.
A man with features similar to Maurice’s walked up to me, holding a red scarf in his hand. He lifted it above my head and wrapped my hair in it. “Tradition,” he said.
I looked over and Maurice stood on a stage. The wind from the open windows around us blew his hair around in a beautiful dance.
I blinked once and was standing outside. A black wolf stood by a light grey one who was a little bigger than the other. They slowly crept toward me, but I didn’t feel threatened. I didn’t fear for my life. They were enchanting.
The grey wolf was so close, I could feel its breath on my arm. It nudged me as I looked over to the other, but I wasn’t sure what they were wanting me to do. “What do you want?”
He lifted his snout as the other joined in, howling toward the moon above us. It was dark and a cool breeze blew across my skin. Their howls echoed in my ears. As their voices rang, I looked down to my hands. They were glowing bright green. The light was bright, and the feeling was so powerful, it nearly took my breath away.
I sat bolt upright, gasping for air and clutching the sheet close to my body. I looked
over to Maurice.
He looked asleep but I wasn’t sure how deep of a sleep a vampire could get. Was he simply resting his eyes or off into a dream?
I crawled out of bed, entered the balcony attached to the master bedroom, and looked out at the water. The waves crashed onto the shore, rolling over each other and then thinning out as the tide pulled up and the current brought it back to the deep sea. The full moon beamed down on the surface of the water, creating a bright glow. The moon was bright tonight, almost as bright as it was in my dream.
I brought my hands up to my body like I had done in my dream. I held my palms in front of me, focusing on the feeling I had felt just moments before I opened my eyes. Then, my fingertip glowed ever so faintly.
The more I focused on them, the more intense the glowing became. It grew until my hands radiated emerald green. It was so beautiful and powerful. My body felt a lustful hunger I didn’t know existed.
How powerful am I?
What does this power even do?
I heard something stir behind me, and I concealed the light. A moment later, Maurice joined me on the balcony, wrapping his arms around my waist. I thought I would be excited about what I had discovered, but I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I needed to keep this a secret from him. When I awoke from our attack a few days ago, he had told me that I was a witch, but that the ability to use those powers was taken from me. It was all a lie, unless whatever happened to me was no longer working. I could use them, and it felt incredible.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked me.
I stared at the moon as if I were drawn to it like a moth to a flame. There was a world out there that I didn’t fully know or understand. Slowly, memories were coming back to me about my life with Maurice, but that was it. Everything outside that box was still missing. I knew my name and places I had been with Maurice, but what about me? I had no memories of who I was. Who was Mercy beyond this relationship? What did I do for a hobby? Was I funny? Serious? Kind?
Why were memories of activities I’d done with Maurice and my feelings for him there but nothing else?
“I couldn’t sleep . . . bad dream,” I explained.
He hugged me tighter around my waist, pulling my backside into him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to grab some water and go back to bed.” I wiggled out of his grasp. “I’ll be right back up.”
When I turned around, he looked pained, or angry, but I didn’t stop to make him feel better. I left him standing on the balcony and headed inside.
Upon entering the kitchen, I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with filtered water from the fridge.
I looked around the fully furnished family room. Maurice had told me that a local furniture company had set up the house a week ago, so we didn’t need to worry about unpacking anything aside from our personal belongings that would show up from the moving truck in a few days.
I hadn’t been able to explore the new house yet. We got in late last night and turned in early due to the exhaustion brought on by our travels.
The house was dark, and not just because it was three in the morning or because all the lights were turned off. But dark. The walls had been painted a dark grey, the furniture was all black, and the cherry floors were highly polished. From each window hung black, thick drapes which I assumed were to black out the sun for Maurice’s benefit.
I didn’t mind the dark colors—they felt warm and inviting—but they created a haunting feeling around me. A strange, dark home I had never been. It wasn’t mine, not really. Maurice wasn’t my husband. I didn’t work. I was a stranger in his space, whether he wanted me there or not.
I noticed a door at the end of the hallway. The door was different from the others—dark brown and thick. There were three locks, and there wasn’t even the tiniest crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. The handle resembled a car’s steering wheel, but it was made of metal.
I took a step toward the door when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I jumped.
“Maurice doesn’t like to keep his money in a bank. The safe is off limits,” Jade said in a harsh tone.
“I was just curious,” I said, hoping she’d leave me alone. “Besides, it’s secured. I’d need a key.”
Her face grew hard. She did not like me.
“I didn’t even realize you were here in the house with us. This place is huge. Did I wake you?” I asked, hoping if I came off like I cared about her feelings, she’d back off.
“Does that bother you?” she asked. Her question didn’t sit well with me, but I didn’t want to argue with her at three in the morning.
I’ll just talk to Maurice about it.
“No. I just didn’t expect you here, that’s all. You startled me.”
She laughed and took a step toward me. “You’re not the only one he wants.”
I knew what she meant, and it made me sick. I didn’t want to be here. Not standing in front of her, not even in this house.
“Jade, what the hell are you doing?” Maurice asked her, his voice filled with fury and disgust.
“Nothing, Master. I was just stopping her from snooping.”
He glared at her. He was pissed. “It’s not snooping when it’s your own damn house,” he said through gritted teeth. The moonlight streaming through the windows cast a garish glare on his protruding fangs.
She stopped, her face frozen with fear, and a familiarity to her words struck me like a ton of bricks.
Master.
Where had I heard that?
“Forgive me. I just came to the kitchen to grab some blood. I’ll be leaving now.”
She was afraid of him. No, not afraid. She was terrified.
Mercy
I didn’t ask Maurice about the safe. I didn’t ask why Jade had called him Master. I didn’t want to know. All of this was unsettling, and my instincts told me that everything they’d been feeding me since I woke up yesterday morning was a lie.
“Can you pour me some more?” I asked Maurice, who was holding the coffee pot.
He walked near me, topped off my coffee, and leaned back against the counter after setting it back down on the warmer.
I sipped my coffee slowly, shifting my gaze up at him. He only stared at me, as if he were waiting for me to speak. But I had nothing to say. I only wanted to see what was inside that safe.
“I’m going to Los Angeles this morning to get my office set up. Julian will be in and out, and if you would like to explore the city, make sure he is with you,” he said.
“Not Jade?”
“You’ll be out in the daylight too long. The spell Julian creates is only temporary,” he explained.
“Oh, yeah.”
He came around the corner, leaned down, and kissed my head. I didn’t look up. Just the feeling of his lips on my head sent a wave of uncertainty coursing through my mind. After last night, something wasn’t right, and I was going to find out what it was.
As he neared the front door, he turned to face me again. “Oh, and Mercy?” I looked at him intently. “Sorry if Jade made you feel uncomfortable last night. This is your home, too.”
I nodded in understanding, and as he left me standing in the kitchen, I said, “Wait, did Julian cast that spell so you can walk to the car safely?”
He laughed. “Yes, my love. The limo has tinted windows, and we’re parking in an underground parking structure at the office. I only need his help from the house to the car. It will be dark when I leave the office tonight.”
“Oh. Okay, well, have a good day, then. I’ll see you tonight.”
I walked toward the front, stared out the porch windows, and watched him drive away.
Where was Julian? I really needed to get out of this house.
Speaking of the devil, just as I put my plate in the sink, Julian strolled into the kitchen.
“I have to run a few errands in town for Maurice. Would you like to join me and get some sun?”
Thank goodness. I was already suffocating in this place, and this was my new home.
“Let me put on my shoes,” I said, as I rushed to get ready.
After ten minutes, I met Julian at the front door. “Okay, let’s go.” My tone came off a little too excited. I didn’t want to let him know I was already hating it here.
We drove only a few blocks until we hit Main Street. There were people everywhere. On the crowded sidewalks were a few street vendors who lined the boardwalk, and couples walked hand in hand on the pier. A few young skateboarders and even a man playing his guitar for money could be seen on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main. It was quite different than Salem.
Julian parked along the street, and we walked toward the pier. “I need to speak to a colleague and give him a few items. Enjoy the beach.”
Really?
I saw a man looking at us on the pier, wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants. He held a cell phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other. As curious as I was about this little exchange of theirs, my eyes shifted to the waves crashing onto the shore. It was stunning at night, but this was something else. I stepped onto the sand and vague memories washed over me. Perhaps I used to live by a beach near Salem.
I walked toward the water, feeling the grainy sand between my toes. I dropped my shoes at the perfect spot and sat down, crossing my legs underneath me. I closed my eyes and a single tear fell.
I didn’t understand it. Why was I crying? I kept them shut and took a deep breath in.
“Lily, you’re too close to the water,” a woman called, and my eyes shot open.
Lily?
A little girl, maybe four years old, ran toward her mother who sat on a beach towel, carrying a bucket of salt water. “Sorry, Mommy,” she said. The mother pointed her finger at her daughter, then toward the shore as if teaching her the dangers of getting too close to the water when she wasn’t next to her. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could see the worry in her mother’s eyes.
