Devin's Mercy [Shifters of Mystery 4] (7 page)

be. The man was far too young in Mercy’s mind, and Mercy liked to

walk alone. Always had.

He closed the bedroom door and walked over to the cot, unsure of

what to do. He knew for a fact Devin was keeping a distance from

everyone and wouldn’t welcome anyone touching him, even if it was

to wake him from his nightmare.

Squatting down, Mercy reached out to gently nudged Devin’s

sweat-soaked shoulder, but stopped himself.

The man whimpered, but his eyes remained closed.

Unaccountable fury swept through him as he watched Devin

struggle with his nightmare. Whether the man wanted touch or not,

Mercy couldn’t sit by and watch the sweaty, struggling vision before

him. He sat on the side of the cot and pulled Devin up, pulling the

man into his arms as he began to talk quietly into his ear, telling him

he was safe, that it was only a nightmare.

Devin’s struggles slowly eased until he felt the man go so stiff

that he should have shattered. “Don’t touch me,” Devin whispered.

The plea broke Mercy’s well-protected heart. The whisper was filled

with so much agony that he could do nothing but obey it. He eased

Devin back down to the mattress.

“I was only trying to wake you from a nightmare you were

having,” he said gently. “I wasn’t taking advantage of you.” Although

the mistrust in Devin’s eyes crushed Mercy in a way he didn’t think

possible. He stood, giving Devin a nod. “It won’t happen again.” And

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it wouldn’t. Mercy wanted Devin to feel safe, even if it was just with

him.

“It isn’t you,” Devin confessed. Mercy could see the man wanted

to say more but curled back up into a tight little ball and closed his

eyes. “It was never you.”

He wasn’t sure what Devin was talking about, but Mercy felt

peace settle over him that Devin didn’t look at him as one of the

monsters. Mercy may have been pack enforcer when he was in

Martin’s pack, but that didn’t mean he had a heart of stone. “Can I ask

you something?”

Eyes so crystal clear they were almost transparent looked at him.

“Depends.”

Mercy ignored the mistrust he could hear edging Devin’s tone.

“Martin has taken teenagers.”

“And you think I had something to do with that?” The question

was spoken quietly, but Mercy could hear the hurt.

He shook his head. “No, but I was wondering if maybe you

overheard where he might be keeping them.”

Devin looked as if he were thinking things over and then nodded.

“I might.”

Mercy squatted once more at Devin’s side, the other man scooting

away. “I need to know, Devin. Martin wants—”

“Please stop using his name.”

“He wants to use these teenagers in his experiment.” He waited,

letting the implications sink into Devin’s mind.

“The North Fork River.” Devin glanced at Mercy and then quickly

looked away. “There’s a cabin about ten miles south of the main

road.”

Mercy wanted to ask Devin how he knew about this cabin, but had

a feeling Devin wouldn’t be forthcoming with his answer. His eyes

were haunted when he spoke, which already told Mercy that the

memory wasn’t pleasant.

“Thank you.”

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Lynn Hagen

Devin turned over, giving Mercy his back as he pulled the blanket

up over his shoulder. Mercy curled in his fingers to form tight fists in

order not to reach out and soothe a hand over the man’s hair. It was an

odd reaction, but it was there, the need to comfort Devin and chase

away his nightmares.

You are ten years older than him. It won’t work.

Mercy stood, leaving Devin on the cot, swaddled in his protective

blanket as he sought out Sage. He found the man still sitting in the

dining room with Monterey, Isaac, Pat, York, and Jeremiah. “Devin

thinks he might be holding those boys at North Fork River.”

Sage cursed.

“Know the place?” Mercy asked.

“It was our summer vacation spot when I was a young kid. The

bastard sure knows how to twist up my fond memories.” Sage didn’t

sound pleased.

“I’m going to get lunch started while you guys hash out your

plan.” Pat stood, walking out of the dining room.

Mercy took Pat’s seat, folding his hands in front of him on the

table. “When do we go in?” It wasn’t a question of if. There was no

doubt in any of their minds that they were heading to that place to

rescue those young men. Human or not, they didn’t deserve to be

tortured.

“I know the lay of the land,” Sage said. “All we need is to know

how many guards he has there and take them out.”

Mercy nodded. “Call me when lunch is ready.”

The need to be near Devin was overwhelming. The need to protect

him from his own nightmares was staggering.

The need to hold Devin in his arms was baffling.

Devin’s Mercy

47

Devin sat on the front porch, the comforter wrapped tightly

around his shoulders. It was early spring, but the nights still were very

cold. He had needed fresh air, and oddly enough, Mercy had given it

to him.

He would have thought the man would have kept him locked up in

the bedroom. But not only had Mercy told him he could sit on the

front porch, the man had let Devin sit alone. No guards. No words of

warning about him running.

Devin wasn’t delusional. He knew there were eyes on him. But for

Mercy to give him that little bit of trust went a long way with Devin.

He may not fully trust Mercy, but the guy hadn’t made any moves on

Devin, hadn’t taken advantage of him.

Devin thought about Mercy holding him earlier. How good it felt

to have warm arms around him that weren’t tearing at his clothes or

punching him for something he hadn’t done. It was madness even to

consider how much strength Devin had felt in Mercy’s arms, yet they

didn’t crush him.

Mercy didn’t want him.

Devin didn’t want to be touched.

He shivered, not only from the cold, but from the ice forming

around his heart. He didn’t want to be this emotional train wreck, but

didn’t know how to stop it. He glanced around noticing how quiet it

was. The soundless space would have been nice if Devin’s mind

would only quiet or if his emotions weren’t so battered. The pine-

needle-strewn yard made Devin want to run free, to feel the earth

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Lynn Hagen

beneath him, but he had another month before he could shift and he

had missed out on the freedom this shift.

It was heartbreaking that he had missed what he loved the most.

Devin had always become excited when in his lycan form. He wished

he could shift at will like the mated werewolves. But, being single, he

was ruled by the full moon, which sucked.

“You’re thinking too hard.” Mercy walked out onto the porch,

handing Devin a cup of hot chocolate.

“Thanks.” Devin grabbed the cup, not realizing how cold he had

become until the warmth of the mug warmed not only his hands, but

his body as he took a tentative sip.

Mercy took a seat on the steps, but kept his distance. “How do you

feel?”

Devin glanced at Mercy, hearing something in that tone…a subtle

edge that resonated with the unnamed thing inside of him. “Fine.” The

lie had slipped off of his tongue so easily that it surprised Devin.

Lying to Mercy didn’t sit well with him, but his other option wasn’t

something he would even consider. He would take his humiliation to

his grave.

Shifting his blanket around, Devin took another sip of his hot

chocolate and realized there were tiny marshmallows floating in the

top of the drink. They were the real ones, not the kind that came with

the powdery mix. And then Devin tasted it.

This was homemade hot chocolate.

He could tell by the rich taste.

As the night fell, Devin looked out over the forest surrounding the

house, a small part of his mind wondering if at this very moment one

of Martin’s men was watching him.

“No one’s out there.” It was eerie how Mercy kept reading his

mind. “Monterey is in the forest, watching. I would know if someone

came anywhere near the house.”

That thought settled Devin’s nerves, even if having Mercy so

close was the real reason he was on edge. His feelings were

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49

conflicting and Devin didn’t like that. He wanted to shut the world

out, to keep everyone at bay. But Mercy was slowly pulling the bricks

away from the wall he had erected around himself, a wall to help him

survive what had been done to him.

“I should go inside.” Devin stood, escaping. It was the only thing

he could think to do. He wanted to look Mercy in his eyes, to tell him

he appreciated the homemade hot chocolate, but Devin feared looking

into those grey depths.

Mercy was dangerous to Devin in ways that mattered, and though

Mercy had freed him from the cage in the basement, he wasn’t sure

he’d survive the ex-enforcer if he allowed Mercy into his life, into his

darkest secrets.

No, it was best for him to find out how long he was going to be

held prisoner and then make plans to settle somewhere as far away

from Martin, and Mercy, as possible. Both men were lethal to him,

but for different reasons.

Against his will, Devin listened for Mercy to come inside as he

neared the steps. He realized that he was starting to see Mercy as his

anchor, his safe harbor. Devin growled. Mercy could be neither.

“I see they allow you freedom now.”

Devin turned to see Kell coming up from the basement. The

doctor was the last person Devin wanted to see. The scientist was up

to no good, but Devin had no proof. It was a gut feeling, a hot burning

sensation in the back of his mind telling him to keep an eye on the

man.

“Even dogs are allowed to roam free at times.”

The smirk wasn’t friendly. “Yes, they are.”

Devin noticed the look in Kell’s unyielding eyes and knew it for

what it was. A lethal promise. This man wasn’t hiding his intentions

in front of Devin, and Devin knew why. No one would believe him if

he told them that Kell was an evil bastard with less-than-friendly

intentions.

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Lynn Hagen

“Don’t you have someone to butcher?” Devin’s tone held such

rage that he was frightening himself. “Or some serum to create for

your beloved alpha?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Devin knew why Kell backed down. He heard the front door

close. Mercy was standing behind him. He wanted to shout at Kell to

tell the truth, but knew it was futile.

“Is there a problem?” Mercy asked as he moved closer, Devin

feeling the heat at his back. He inched toward the steps, letting his

gaze fall from Kell.

“No.” Devin hurried up the stairs, promising himself that he was

going to expose Kell for the monster that he truly was. Even if Mercy

and his friends no longer trusted Devin, he wasn’t going to allow

harm to befall them.

Mercy followed him.

“I don’t need a keeper. I didn’t run when you allowed me

outside.”

“Put your claws away, Devin. I’m not your enemy.” Mercy moved

ahead of Devin, opening the bedroom door. Devin walked in behind

him, slamming it shut.

“Then why do you keep following me around? Do you think I

would hurt one of the mates or go running back to the bastard?”

Devin cursed under his breath, hating that he was losing control.

Mercy was in front of him in seconds, his body a strong and hot

aide-mémoire of the dominant male before him. The heat coming off

of Mercy was a vivid reminder of the wild animal the man truly was.

“Have I given any indications that I think you would run or hurt

anyone?” His tone was snarly, as if he were offended that Devin

would even think that of him.

“No,” he admitted. “So why do you keep following me around

then?”

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51

Mercy pulled his shirt off, tossing it toward the chair before

grabbing a heavier fabric shirt from the drawer, tugging it on before

he answered. “Maybe I’m making sure you’re safe.”

This only angered Devin. “I’m not a helpless cripple who needs a

babysitter. I’m twenty-five fucking years old and can take care of

myself.”

He wasn’t sure why Mercy looked surprised, but the expression

was gone just as fast as it had appeared. “Huh, I thought you