Angel Of Mercy (Cambions #3) Read online

  “We can talk about this later,” David said evenly.

  Mom huffed. “No, I think we should talk about this now.”

  “Julie,” David warned.

  “She is my daughter. He is your son. You don’t see me telling you how I think you let him run wild and doing all the things he does,” she chided gesturing in Flynn’s direction.

  Flynn froze. I opened my mouth to defend Flynn on instinct. But David whom I’d never seen angry had finally reached a melting point. Daddy bear came out to protect his cub. “At least I’m honest with my son. Maybe if you’d been more honest with Mercy we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  “How dare you,” she said defensively. It was flimsy at best. Instead, she went for what she thought was a weaker target for her rage. “If you hadn’t come into my daughter’s life, none of this would have happened,” she yelled and pointed at Luke.

  Now it was my turn to flip out. “This isn’t Luke’s fault,” I thundered.

  Luke put a comforting hand on my shoulder and step up next to me. “Yeah?” she snorted. “If that’s so, why has Jonah threatened to take away his protection if you two continue to stay together?”

  Silence descended like fog. It was so hard to see through. “My father wouldn’t,” Luke choked out.

  “He would,” Mom roared. David looked away. Flynn looked dumbstruck. Whatever that meant, it wasn’t good.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Luke said, letting his hand sweep down my back.

  David spoke up. “Luke, it’s fine. We’ll figure this out.”

  “Mercy,” Mom hissed. My head snapped in her direction. “Go get your things.”

  My jaw dropped. David spoke up. “Julie, don’t do this.”

  “Why?” she asked. “You don’t respect how I raise my daughter. Everything went to hell when we moved here.” David’s jaw tightened. I could tell he wanted to say more but didn’t want to in front of us. “Go,” she directed at me.

  Feeling like I had no choice, I turned and headed for my room. How easily my world turned to shit. Alone in my room on the verge of losing it, I threw things in a bag, not really caring what I brought. This wouldn’t last forever, I told myself.

  With my bag stuffed with the essentials, I headed back to the foyer where my mom stood near the door. The boys were near the hallway separated by the center table. It was like slow motion as I made my way down the stairs. Reaching the final stair, I stopped to look at the guys. Flynn was looking anywhere but at me and my mom. David looked devastated. And Luke—well, his look was full of longing and despair. I wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in my arms and make this nightmare go away. But when I made a move in his direction, my mother called out. “Mercy, let’s go.”

  With lead feet, I followed her instructions wondering all the while if things were really over between her and David. Would this be the last time I came to this house as an occupant? Would future visits be only as a guest? I hadn’t brought all my things hoping that this was only temporary. The door closing behind me sounded too final.

  Mom and I didn’t speak at all on the ride home. When she pulled up in a familiar drive, I made note that the for sale sign was gone from the lawn. Our house had been up on the market for months, but still, had Mom planned this? Our furniture remained because the realtor told Mom that it helped potential buyers see how their own furniture might fit in the space. That seemed odd to me, but it really wasn’t any of my concern.

  The house opened and I went in and had my foot on the stair when I heard raking sobs from my mother. Leaving my bag at the foot of the stairs, I followed her cries into the living room.

  I sat down next to her. Startled, she looked at me like I was a stranger. “Mercy,” she whispered.

  “Mom, what’s going on?” I asked, with a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

  “David,” she sobbed.

  Confused, I studied her for a second. “But you left him,” I replied.

  “Don’t you see Mercy, I had to. We brought all of this on them.”

  Sitting back, I knew she was right. But only partly so; I was the poison. I was like rust eroding everyone’s life. “I should leave and you should stay, Mom.”

  “Oh Mercy, David is right. I’ve kept you in the dark far too long. I never wanted this life for you. For anyone really. I’d never change the past, because I love you. I just didn’t know you could exist. Then again, I shouldn’t either,” she confessed.

  She swept my hair from my shoulders. “I guess I should explain.”

  There was no way I was breaking this spell. I remained mute hoping that all the truths that were trying to break free from everyone around me would finally see the light.

  “When I was young, my father promised me to Belial.” I gasped. I knew he had been creepy with my mother. “You see, incubi can only father other incubi. You can see why having a succubus caused quite the stir. And I knew that I was the start of a prophecy. So having a child was out of the question for me. Little did I know I’d be the exception to the rules, much like you.”

  So many questions filled my mind I didn’t know where to begin. She continued. “I refused to fill my father’s bargain and left before he could force me in that role.”

  “So what stopped him?” I found myself asking.

  “Jonah,” she breathed. And I got it even before she said the words. “I met him and he pledged his protection. As long as Jonah protects me…us, Belial can’t take me or you.”

  “Me?” I blurted.

  “Not all human laws apply but in this case, you are underage, therefore under my protection. Thus if Jonah protects me, he protects you.”

  Jonah was removing protection from her because of me. “And that’s not it. You have to know your father did the same to you. You’ve been pledged to Sebastian.” She studied my face. “You didn’t think we allowed him in our home because we had a choice. He has a claim to you I cannot undo.”

  “Don’t I have a say in this?” I insisted.

  “As much as we live in the human world, the human laws don’t apply to us. He’s put himself at risk.”

  “How so?” I replied quickly.

  She looked around as if someone could be listening. She shook her head. “Let’s just say that Sebastian would be better off allowing you to die and be claimed by hell. Then your choice would be made for you.” She shook her head again as if to tell me not to ask any more questions about the subject. My mom would put herself at risk if she revealed too much to me. That I’d witnessed when Belial showed up at our home not long ago.

  “Mercy, if you were any other girl, I couldn’t have been happier with Luke for a boyfriend for you. And if we were different, it would be a coup that you’d claimed an angel and marked him no less. But we aren’t. Succubi were meant to drain the very soul from males. Their role on this earth was to tempt the good and break their spirits. Even as Cambions our draining life force has far reaching effects. You saw how you affected Paul.” Paul had become obsessed with me. Kissing him once when he already had feelings for me had made him want to be with me so much more, he was willing to find a way to become supernatural for a chance at a life with me. He’d ended up in a coma under the spell of a demon. I hadn’t really spoken to him since Sebastian had the demon free him.

  I didn’t like the reminder. “And clearly you are the exception to all the rules. We shouldn’t be able to affect other supernaturals.”

  “I can’t,” I spluttered.

  A humorless laugh escaped her. “But you have. Think about what I’ve already said.” I did. Sebastian and Luke. I didn’t want to believe it. Sebastian should be happy if I were to die. He could claim me in hell. Luke possessed Angel blood and automatically shouldn’t be interested in me. “And then there is Flynn. I don’t want to sound creepy because I have no desires for the young man. But I have eyes. We are created to be very attractive to humans. I have to admit that Flynn is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

  Groaning, I rolled my eyes. Th
at brought a real laugh from my mom. “That bothers you.”

  “It’s just he knows it and it’s so annoying.”

  Her next words stopped me. “Yet he pines for you. And you two are bonding.”

  “You knew,” I blustered.

  “We guessed.”

  “But I don’t—” Her brows lifted. “I love him like a brother,” I implored. “He’s doing this to me somehow.”

  “Mercy, Flynn may possess strength beyond the normal range, maybe even extra powers. He is certainly special. But he doesn’t have the power to create emotions. No demon does. It’s something called free will. And by denying him you put him at risk. If you don’t complete the bonding he’s at risk of starving to death.”

  A horrified expression filled my face.

  “Not that I want you to have sex, Mercy. But it’s time I stop treating you like a child and a human. You are neither. Your love for Luke will destroy them both.”

  “But I love Luke so much,” I pleaded.

  Giving me a tight smile, she said, “I know you do honey. But you love Flynn too. ” I turned away not wanting to hear this. “You’ve managed to do the impossible. You’ve turned the hearts of three supernaturals. There is no telling what else you can do.”

  Not able to contain it any longer, I begged for the truth. “What am I?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, resolve came over her. “There are many things I’m not allowed to tell you. But some things I think you figured out. When I became pregnant I feared the prophecy.” She searched my face. It held no astonishment. When Luke read that passage to me, I’d known if it were true, she’d know about. “A child was to be born soulless.” Again she paused as if waiting to see if she’s said something that surprised me. “That child would have been the gateway to allow demons passage back into this world. I couldn’t be sure if that was you, but I’d seen into the heart of your father at your conception. It was too late. I found myself praying.”

  She stopped. It was as if she sensed my eagerness for her next words. “I can’t be sure, so this isn’t breaking any of the rules. I think you possess the power of heaven and hell. And both seek to use you as a weapon against the other.”

  “That’s why Luke is watching over me?” I offered.

  “I suspect,” she sighed.

  “Does he know?” I inquired.

  She shook her head. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Why Sebastian hasn’t pushed the issue of you being with him, I don’t know,” she added.

  Things he’d said to me over time clued me in. “I think he’s giving me the choice.” Mom said nothing. She only looked at me. “It’s my choice isn’t it?”

  She got to her feet. “I should go to bed.”

  So that was it. All of this has something to do with my choice. “Mom,” I called out. She turned slowly as if she feared what I was going to say next. “Thanks.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Being back at home was an odd feeling. My room felt both like familiar and strange. Based on everything Mom said, I didn’t think we were ever going back. And maybe it was for the best. Separation from Flynn could only help him.

  It wasn’t long that the doorbell rang. I opened the door and stopped dead in my tracks. “Paul,” I said.

  Shuffling on his feet, he looked down before meeting my eye. Something in his expression said sorry, which only served to piss me off. My calm mood had morph to irrational in sixty seconds. How dare he come here now? Maybe it was insane, but so far today, it hadn’t been a good one. I nearly shut the door in his face. I know that sounds rude, but I couldn’t handle any more finger pointing today. “Mercy,” he called out putting his hand in the doorframe as if I wouldn’t shut it.

  He bargained right. I stopped and opened the door again allowing my eyes narrowed. “I’m busy.” I wasn’t busy, but he’d ignored me all this time. Why was he here today?

  “Please,” he said earnestly.

  Pausing, I studied him. “Why?” It was one word but I was sure he could tell by the tone of my voice there was more meaning. Just in case he wasn’t sure I added, “Why should I?”

  “I deserve that,” he responded quickly.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  He sputtered. “I went over Flynn’s first.”

  I nodded and just stared at him. “Can I bother you for a minute?” he asked.

  “Actually no. I’m not in the mood to be told just how all this is my fault right now.”

  Determined to leave it at that with the final word, I made a move to close the door again. But his next words stopped me. “None of this is your fault,” he said. That was an attention grabber. “Please, can I come in for a second?”

  Opening the door wider, I let him pass into the house and close the door. Leaning with my back on it, I didn’t offer him a seat.

  With downcast eyes, he stood for a second before continuing where he left off. “At least nothing with me. I’m sorry how I’ve treated you. You’re a good person. That’s why it hurts that you love him and not me. And why I did something stupid like try to put myself on equal footing with the rest. I should have just been your friend. I knew you cared about me and I took you for granted, thinking you’d always be there. You couldn’t date, I told myself. Then I acted like an ass when Luke stepped in and was with you.” He stopped and looked at his feet again. I was speechless. “Anyway, I see how happy you are with him. How happy he makes you. And he’s a good guy. As your former best friend, I approve. I’m not sure you’ll ever forgive me. And maybe we’ll never be friends like we were before. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am.”

  Part of me wanted to hug him. Part of me wanted to slap him. Part of me missed him so darn much. But the rational part of me had checked out somewhere at the threshold of my house. So chin up, I said, “Thanks.” And I opened my door. He stood for a moment before taking the hint. On his way out, he murmured, “I hope one day we can be friends again.”

  As I closed the door, I closed my eyes. Somewhere in me, I still hurt over the loss of our friendship. I had loved him once. And maybe somewhere I still did. Not how I loved Luke, but in a brotherly way. And so I muttered back even thought I knew he couldn’t hear, “Maybe.”

  I was in kitchen in the middle of chopping veggies when the doorbell rang again. There was food in the house. It was clear that my mother had returning to this house planned. And I heard her in her room sobbing when I’d come downstairs to cook, but I let her be. She had her own pain to deal with as I had mine. Heading to answer the door, I heard sorrowful music coming from her room. She would have never heard the doorbell with the volume it was at.

  It wasn’t far to the front of the house. I threw open the door thinking Paul might have come back. Instead a girl stood on my threshold. She was slightly taller than me. Her hair hung loose in brown waves. In fact, she kind of looked like me, which in itself was creepy if she hadn’t also pulled out a knife.

  It was the middle of the afternoon. My neighbors were outside. Plus she had me by surprise. Reacting on instinct, I grabbed her knife hand. I yanked her into the house. She fumbled off balance, momentarily giving me the upper hand. Kicking with my foot, I shut the door but kept my focus on her. I lunged for the knife. Recovering quickly, she sprung out of my grasp getting behind me. I found myself trapped with her arm around my neck. Breathing hard, I held her hand to keep her knife from plunging in my eye. Bending forward, I used her momentum to toss her over me. I stepped on her hand that managed to still hold onto the knife. As I bent to get it, her other hand landed a solid blow to my knee sending me careening into the wall that held the staircase. My head hit the spindles and I saw stars for a second. I turned around unwilling to give her my back. She came at me, also quick to get to her feet. As she moved forward to attack, so did I. We crashed in the middle falling to the floor, rolling to gain the upper hand. When I landed on the bottom seemingly done for, I knew this girl outweighed me only where it mattered most. I needed to gain my strength because I wouldn’t have a
ny help. My mom’s music blotted out the noise we had made. And so I opened my mouth a little. Her surprise was my gain as I latched onto her gaze and drew her life out of her.

  It filled me with sweetness unlike any other. I wanted to hate that I enjoyed the taste of her essence but now was not the time to dwell on such things. Caught up in the majesty of the act, it wasn’t until I saw her weakening that I was able to stop myself.

  Under my compulsion, I first asked her all the questions Flynn asked the girl in the principal’s office like Who sent you? Who is in charge? Where do you meet? But I got the same answers. She didn’t know much beyond the website we already knew about. I was still the only suspected demon. “You will leave here and forget this place. You will tell your people that I moved. But that we all appear human, not demon-like at all. You think you have the wrong person.” Flynn tried this with the girl at school and they were still after me, but it was worth another shot.

  She nodded and rolled off me. Tucking her knife in an arm sheath, she stood and walked out of the house, leaving me breathless on the floor.

  Had that just really happened?

  Pushing my hair off my face, I laid there a second longer before finally getting to my feet. I didn’t want to disturb my mother but she needed to know.

  “What!” she exclaimed after I told her what happened. She got up and paced the room running a hand through her short blonde hair. “But you compelled the girl to leave and forget us?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Our house is well warded against demons and the like, but humans no. There is no way to do that. Did you think to ask who it was before opening the door?”

  Her frustration was at a fever pitch and I didn’t want to add to so I shrugged. She sighed and didn’t blow a fuse, which was so different than it had been at David’s house.

  “Mom,” I said, drawing her attention. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “In fact I feel much better here like I can think.”