From the Ashes (Force of Nature Book 1) (6 page)

“I got it, Kat. I got it.” I looked back at her, giving her my most irritated expression, which did nothing to improve her mood. Then my gaze reached past her to Merc, who stood exactly where I'd left him, his eyes fully trained on me.

Something in them begged me to see what I had not yet seen. And I as I walked away, I tried to make sense of his expression. But with every step I took, all I could think of was how close he’d just been to me—and how much I’d liked it.

Just like when he’d saved me.

Just like in my dream.

With a shake of my head to clear it, I ran back up to my room to throw on some pants and a top, then hightailed it down to Jase's room, where the call had already begun. The king's voice was calm as he spoke, but I had no doubt in my mind that he was forcing himself to sound that way. He had to have been pissed about what had happened.

I slipped through the door and closed it behind me, doing my best not to make a noise.

“Am I to assume that Piper has just joined us?” the king asked.

“Yes, it's me, your highness. Sorry I'm late.”

“I was just about to inform the brothers about the conversation I just had with Reinhardt.” I looked over at Jase and Dean, their expressions tight. Then I noticed Merc, leaning against the far wall looking totally unfazed by the situation. “I'm not sure that you all are aware of just how precarious this matter is. I have done all I can as of late to keep this information to myself, but now it seems I must relay it to you: the treaty is in jeopardy. More so than it has ever been before. The unrest in the supernatural community is at a fever pitch, and your antics last night have done nothing to help that, let alone the risk of exposure to humans you so carelessly ignored while embroiled in your petty battle.”

“Sire, I can assure you that it wasn't—”

“Enough,” the king said, cutting Jase off at the knees. “I do not wish to hear your excuses. You are here to listen and listen only. Is that understood?” We all quietly agreed. “Excellent. Now Reinhardt, clever as he is, was willing to see the reason in keeping this matter between us. After some convincing, he saw that it was his warlocks that were the aggressors and has taken measures to ensure that it will not happen again.”

Both Jase and Dean's gazes fell upon their silent brother, looks of disbelief on both of their faces.

“Piper,” the king continued. “You should not fear the wrath of Kingston and his crew anymore. They will no longer be a threat to you.”

I didn't know what to say or if I should say anything at all. Instead, I just stared at the phone in Jase's hand, utterly dumbfounded.

“Thank you, sire,” I said softly, wondering what he must have had to give up in order to ensure such a concession on Reinhardt's part.

“I would not thank me yet, if I were you,” he said. “You are all on thin ice with me. I want to make that point very clear. Though I understand your options were limited last night, you need to know that I cannot have a repeat of this behavior, no matter what. If I catch wind of any, and I mean any, vigilante activity or unsanctioned attacks on any of the supernatural breeds, you will be staked. No questions asked. Have I made my position clear?”

“Yes,” Jase and Dean quickly agreed.

“And what of Mercenary? Does he too agree to my terms?”

“He does,” Jase replied, looking over at Merc with a rather strained expression.

“Excellent. Then I will deem this matter closed.”

With that the king hung up, leaving us all standing there, our collective minds reeling. Except for Merc. He looked no different than he had when I'd noticed he was in the room.

“Well that could have been worse,” Dean said, letting out a breath.

“I'm so sorry,” I said softly. “I didn't want any of this to happen.”

“It's not your fault, Piper,” Jase argued. “We had no choice, though I'm sure Kingston did all he could to paint that picture differently.”

“The good news is that Reinhardt finally promised to keep that douchebag and all his little friends in line. For that alone, it was worth it.”

Jase and Dean both suddenly turned their attention over to Merc.

“What do you mean 'can he be trusted'?” Jase replied to the question Merc had apparently posed. The silent brother cocked his head curiously at Jase. “What reason would he have to lie, Merc? The only ones we need to worry about lying are Reinhardt and Kingston.”

“And Reinhardt isn't dumb enough to lie outright to the king. Treaty or not, he knows what that would mean,” Dean added.

Merc nodded once, then pushed off the wall to walk toward me. My heart raced with every step he took. I couldn't decide if it was out of fear or anticipation.

Maybe it was a little of both.

He stopped in front of me and lingered for a moment, staring at me with a curious expression. He looked as though he were trying to tell me something. Hovering for only that brief moment, he continued on and out the door.

I watched him disappear into the hallway. The pang of disappointment I felt was undeniable, though difficult to understand. Though I wanted to dissect what I was feeling, there was no time for that. With a sigh, I turned to see Jase eyeing me, his jaw clenched so tight that I could see the muscles in his neck straining.

“Anything you want to tell us, Piper?”

“Me? About what?” I replied, volleying a question back at him.

“About whatever that just was.” He looked at me, irritation in his stare. “You two sure do seem to enjoy sharing dramatic pauses and quiet little moments together,” he explained. The accusation in his tone was plain.

“What in God's name are you getting at, Jase?”

I balled up my fists and planted them firmly on my hips, trying to make myself look as intimidating as possible. It was a laughable attempt, but I was getting mad (or defensive). I didn't feel like being interrogated or berated for a third time that night. The king and Kat were enough.

“I'm wondering if you have forgotten my previous warning about Merc.”

“You mean the 'he's dangerous...stay away' one?” Jase nodded. “No, I think I have that one filed away.”

“It doesn't appear that way.”

“Listen, I get it. You know things about him that I don't. But all I've seen so far is his ability to save my ass...and reach my coffee cup.” I shot Dean a scathing look to punctuate my last remark. “I know you think he'll hurt me, but I've spent a long time running from people wanting to do just that. So far, I get no hint of ill intent from him.”

...Not that Kingston had displayed any warning signs of his impending betrayal.

But still, in hindsight, it was easy to see how he'd manipulated me, magically or otherwise. He'd wanted something from me and had exploited my desires to fit in, to know how to call upon my magic, and to be loved. Merc, on the other hand, just seemed interested in me—or keeping me alive, to be more precise.

At least for now.

“Merc can be misleading.”

“So can a lot of people, Jase. But either way, I haven't forgotten what you've told me about him. He just shows up wherever I am.”

“I'll take care of that. You work on avoiding him. Got it?”

I let out an exasperated sigh.

“Got it.”

“Good,” he replied, looking relieved. He ran his hand through his dark hair a few times, messing it up in the most perfect way. “I'm not trying to be a dick, Piper. It's just with everything going on, I wanted to make sure you didn't forget what we told you. That's all.” He let out a heavy sigh of his own. “I get that you've kind of been thrust into the crosshairs recently and Merc did right by you. I just don't want that to lull you into a state of complacency, okay? He's my brother and I love him, but he can be dangerously unpredictable. I don't want to see you get hurt. That's all.”

I wanted to be mad at Jase, but I couldn't. He was like a brother to me, and I loved him. He was watching my back as he always had. That's what family does.

“I understand,” I said, walking over to hug him, then Dean, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout Jase’s and my exchange.

“I'm going to have a chat with Merc later tonight,” Jase said as I pulled away from Dean. “But for now, Dean and I have some planning to do.”

“Planning for what?”

“Before you came in the king suggested that we start training some of the younger vamps to see who is cut out to be an enforcer. He wants a list of potentials drafted before the day is done so that we can round them up to begin by next nightfall. Dean and I need to get on it if we have any chance of organizing this in time.”

“That's fine. I'll find something to do,” I told him, turning to leave.

“And try to stay out of trouble while you're at it,” Dean called after me. I looked over my shoulder to find him grinning from ear to ear.

“I'll do what I can. I can't seem to help that trouble always finds me.”

“Please steer clear of Merc until I talk to him,” Jase added. “This interest he seems to have taken in you—it makes me uneasy. I'll feel better once I know more.”

I felt a spike of fear and excitement shoot through me.

“Okay,” I replied, trying to keep my tone even and calm while my body felt anything but. With his closing remarks running wild through my mind, I exited the room, closing the door behind me. Leaning against the heavy wood, I sighed heavily, trying to slow my racing heart. Then I remembered what the Merc debacle had eclipsed. A smile grew wide across my face. For the first time in as long as I could recall, the threat of the warlocks had been lifted. It was as though a weight had been lifted off of me. The freedom from that burden felt better than I ever could have imagined.

Unfortunately for me, that freedom was just an illusion.

4

I'd gone for a run that evening.

It seemed like the perfect time to do it, given the conversation we'd had with the king. His message that the warlocks were no longer a threat to me was greatly reassuring. Reinhardt was many things by reputation, but stupid was not one of them. He wouldn't dare cross the king. The consequences would be far too dire, and for what? To eliminate someone like me? Even Kingston wouldn't put himself in the king's crosshairs. He was too committed to living to sign his own death warrant so easily.

Since it was not quite dark yet, I threw on my running gear and made my way outside. I knew the vamps wouldn't be up for a while, and Jase and Dean were still busy rounding up potential candidates to pick up for enforcer training, so I decided to capitalize and take some time for myself to recharge a bit. The perfect way to clear my head.

I stretched for a minute, taking in the smell of the freshly cut grass, then I started off on my normal path, my pace easy but quick. But the farther I ran, the more my mind wandered, turning over and over the events of the prior night. I wanted to believe they hadn't affected me, but it seemed I was wrong. That dream—it had seemed so real. And the way Merc had looked at me in the kitchen afterward? Something seemed so different. Or maybe I just wanted it to be. Maybe I was reading into things.

But then there was the moment in the store breezeway...

With every stride I took, I dove deeper and deeper into the mystery that was Merc. I wound my way through unfamiliar streets, my mind determined to sort out what I was feeling and why I was feeling it. By the time I realized I was lost, I wasn't any closer to the answers.

“Shit,” I muttered to myself, bent over at the waist to catch my breath while I surveyed my surroundings. I'd gone way farther than I'd meant to, and now I was too exhausted to run home before dark. “Just what I need.”

With few options, I turned around and attempted to jog back toward the mansion. After three blocks of that, I slowed to a walk. Running home just wasn't an option. Luckily, I knew that the boys were meeting the new recruits at a vampire-owned bar just across the street from Central Park. I decided to head there and wait for them.

It didn't take long to walk over to the park's edge, the dying light of day casting a soft orange glow around me. The park was huge, spanning well over a square mile, so it was no surprise that I had arrived at a section I was unfamiliar with. I decided to head into the center, where there was a map posted in a large concrete fanfare. Once there, I could figure out which way I needed to go to cross paths with the boys. It all seemed so simple really.

It should have gone off without a hitch.

Darkness had nearly settled around me by the time I reached the map, but the surrounding lampposts illuminated it, making it easy for me to read. According to what it said, I needed to get to the opposite side from where I'd arrived if I was going to have any chance of catching Jase and Dean.

Missing them was not a very appealing thought.

Trying to avoid that outcome, I decided to veer away from the delineated paths, hoping to take a more direct route and shave some time off the trip. I knew that Jase and Dean had wanted to leave the house the second the sun was down, and judging by how dark it was, that had already occurred. With my anxiety rising, I cut through a copse of trees, jogging toward the intersection where the bar was located, and came upon an unwelcome sight.