Waiting for Mercy (Cambions) (2 page)

“Ouch,” he moaned. His pouty look and grimace of pain had me convinced. I guess I’m soft like that. Suddenly, I was on my knees beside him thinking that maybe he’d fallen on a hard patch of ground or rock and really hurt himself.

 “Are you ok?” I asked, my tone becoming remorseful.

His hand moved from his back where he’d been rubbing and took my hand that held the sprayer. I still kept my finger on the trigger just in case. He looked at me sorrowfully and I, like a dummy fell for it.

“Do you have a Band-Aid?” he asked.

My eye widened. “Are you bleeding?” I questioned while reaching for his other hand to see if there was blood on his fingers. In doing so, I was bent over his chest crosswise. We weren’t touching except for our hands.

When he spoke, I turned my head to meet his eyes. It was then I knew I’d been duped. His devious grin had returned replacing the sullen look he’d been giving me moments before. “No, but I’m sure I skinned something when I fell for you.”

I rolled my eyes. I should have known. It only took a minute for my itching finger to trigger a shooting stream of water into his waiting face. At the same time, I scrambled back. But he’d held on, only using one hand to divert the spray of water. He tugged me to him and now I was caught off balance. I landed back across his torso. This time, my body was pressed to his warm one.

“You,” I started to say something using a slew of SAT words I’d learned. That would be more effective against him than any four-letter words I could say. I knew whatever I said, his retort would include the nickname “Webster” he’d given me. A string of widely unused words was hanging at the tip of my tongue when someone else’s voice preceded mine.

“So what are you two up to?” a voice said from behind me. We froze. I recognized the voice immediately. It carried a hint of Scottish lilt, which was hidden most of the time. Sebastian. I didn’t have to see the tall, dark-haired and dazzling guy behind me to imagine him standing there. Flynn’s arm was across my back. The ground beneath us was wet and muddy. We were a mess of greens and browns stuck together. I clicked off the nozzle before I lifted up my head in an attempt to turn towards Sebastian. My vision was filled with someone but not with him. I couldn’t help but wonder when he’d gotten here. His arrival had been silent.

My body tensed. The view of Flynn and I didn’t look good. I could read that much in Luke’s eyes framed by a tousle of golden curls. But he held his tongue as I gazed at his beautiful face. So what could he possibly say? Things between us hadn't changed. Flynn and I had been caught by not one person but by both Luke and Sebastian. Flynn must have turned and saw Luke because he let go of me like my body was made of flames. The flush in my face confirmed the heat that crashed over me was from more than one stimuli. Immediately, I rolled away and sat up as fast as I could manage. Arms came around me from behind and helped me to my feet as I continued to stare at Luke. His gaze captured mine. Even though I wanted badly to turn from him, I found I couldn’t.

I saw the regret in his eyes that mirrored my own. I loved him more than I was willing to admit. But we couldn’t be together. I loved him enough to let him go. Luke stepped forward giving Flynn a hand up and the tension between the four of us was thick. You’d think that Luke and Sebastian pulled Flynn and me apart from a fist fight. We all just stood saying nothing. Awkward moments passed while I ponder how not too long ago I could have had my pick of any one of them.
They were each stunning in their own
way. My eyes were finally able to lift away from Luke, who was no longer looking at me but glowering at the boy behind me. I looked at Flynn, who looked a little sheepish.

Sebastian finally did something none of us had yet to do. He broke the tension. He rapidly turned me to him, easily lifted me off my feet tossing me over his shoulder in a show of strength.

“What,” I said out of sheer surprise.

“We should be off,” using the full force of his natural Scottish accent he hid most of the time. I didn’t have time to speak or look at the two boys who were left behind. Because Sebastian parted time and space and absconded us directly to my bathroom with only a thought. He was a full demon. One of his gifts was to defy physics and go wherever he wanted in seconds.

He put me down. I pushed at his chest. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting it because he staggered slightly back into the counter. “Why’d you do that?” I said unperturbed by his expression of confusion.
He huffed out a laugh. “Lass, you were shivering and it was doing you no good staying," he said flatly. Still, he used that seductive accent.

I frowned. I didn’t remember shivering. But, when I looked down at my arm, goose bumps plagued my skin. I looked back into those vacant eyes of his. It only made me shiver more. “You made it look like,” I began.

His eyes darkened. “Like something was going on between us,” he finished. He looked at me intently daring me to answer in the affirmative.

“Yes,” I said, except my conviction was gone. It seemed unfair to punish him for my own doubts over my choices. Watching my foot making circle patterns on the floor, I muttered more to myself
Stupid absconding Scottish demo
n, under my breath.

Abruptly, he stood and crossed the distance between us. Lifting my face to his, he placed his hands on either side of my face. I pressed my hands flat against the wall behind me to steady myself. “Is there something going on between us?” he asked, capturing my attention.

I stopped breathing. He was one word away from my unspoken mouth. I was reminded of the day when I had returned to the land of the living. The day Flynn made his intentions quite clear by kissing me. Then Paul left and hadn’t spoken to me since. Luke told me for the first time he loved me only moments before he broke up with me. I’d given Flynn hell. Sebastian, on the other hand, showed up just when I’d sworn off boys, my most vulnerable moment. My heart had been open in ways it shouldn’t have been. He leaned in just like this very moment. But Flynn had come rumbling around the corner and the spell had been broken with Sebastian leaning back just a little. I’d fled the scene. The kiss never happened and here we were again.

“Don’t lie Kayla. I can see it in your eyes,” he said. He was the only one to call be that. My name was Mercy McKayla. His name for me coupled with the rich baritone of his voice made my heart unable to resist a flutter.

I blinked, afraid that my succubus had taken over.  My eyes would be changed into large black orbs, filling in the entire eye around my irises. No, I still was in control and responding to his nearness. Even still, I didn’t know what to say anyway. He was wickedly handsome and terribly tempting. There were parts of me, specifically the demon who shared my body that wanted him and wanted him bad. And being with him wouldn’t be forbidden.

Something crossed his amazing face, like he’d read my thoughts. The emptiness in his eyes remained, reminding me he wasn’t human. He came forward even more, invading my personal space. I thought I just might give in. I’d been a little cold in the air-conditioned house still dripping wet. Now, I radiated heat. My breath began to quicken.

“You should get out of those wet clothes,” he said in a whisper, the warmth of his body filling my air space. Eying me up and down first, reminding me how my damp shirt clung to my body, he leaned in impossibly more. Then he was just gone, leaving nothing but warm mist that enveloped me only to quickly dissipate.

I blinked away that memory when he, Sebastian, the latest addition to our motley family, entered the kitchen with a huge smile and good mornings all around.

invective
(n.)
an angry verbal attack

Where Flynn was pure lust, Sebastian was delicious sin. In untypical demon fashion, Sebastian was all smiles this morning. Unable to stop myself, I took in his tall frame in destroyed jeans with a navy zip down sweatshirt over a white shirt. How had I ended up living with two amazing guys I’m not related to? Truthfully, I didn’t know.

I really couldn’t fathom how or why the demon ended up living with us. Yes, everyone in the house was part demon. He, on the other hand, who came and sat next to me at the bar area, was a full demon. One who devoured other demons. He was a threat to everyone in the house. The soulless guy sat comfortably with a coffee and a bagel as if he wasn’t death on two legs. It was so surreal. If you didn’t know, you would think he was at least as human as the rest of us.

Days after I’d been rescued, David announced to a stunned Flynn and I that Sebastian was going to live with us. I hadn’t even guessed that had been the reason for the closed-door meeting between him, my mom and David. It was all so strange. My mother’s haunted expression had revealed much but not enough when she’d come out. We were told that Sebastian had asked for a place to stay and they’d agreed to it. Maybe she felt indebted to him because he saved my life. It was more than weird that they accepted him so easily. And all of Flynn and my other questions were blown off. I was used to that with my mom. She was good at keeping secrets. She’d kept things about what I was from me for a long time. Even now she held a secret she promised to reveal only in time. But Flynn and David had a very open relationship. Flynn wasn’t used to secrecy and didn’t take it very well. Come to think of it, it was shortly after that Flynn had gotten his new car.

Giving Sebastian credit though, he had done nothing to harm me or anyone else. In fact, he’d only really helped me since I met him. He hadn’t even tried to pursue a relationship with me. He’d simply been somewhat of a friend. We weren’t total buddies like Paul and I had been. But for the most part, he’d kept our relationship blissfully uncomplicated. And that had been just what I needed.

I hadn’t known I'd been watching Sebastian until out of my peripheral vision until I saw Flynn. Rolling his eyes at me, he apparently caught me in the act. I think he was partly jealous of Sebastian, but maybe even grateful in some ways that the other guy was here. I was certain it bothered him that Sebastian shared his throne as the hottest guy in school. That was just Flynn’s ego there. But Sebastian also took some of the heat from constant girls’ attention away from him. On some level, I think he was happy not to have to deal with all the interest all the time.

Stepping out of my thoughts, the sunny and bright kitchen didn’t match my mood. I didn’t see how this day was going to end well for me. My mom was still making small talk for which I’d ignored, for the most part. I’d only given her one-word answers in response to whatever she said.
She was probably
talking about her upcoming honeymoon trip with David. They would be leaving later today. I wanted to be interested, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t help it. My focus was on the dreaded day that lay ahead of me.

What I really wanted was to pretend to be sick, but my mom was a nurse. She would pick up on my lie or delay her honeymoon to take care of me. So I accepted my fate even though I didn’t want to face the day. The thought of what was to come made my stomach churn in unpleasant ways. I forced myself to nibble on a bagel while nodding noncommittal responses to something my mom said when Flynn’s father entered.

David, tall, dark-haired and handsome was dressed in a traditional navy blue suit, the kind any CEO in his position would wear. He crossed over to my mom and gave her a kiss. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said.

“You too, handsome,” my mom gushed.

Flynn and I both turned our heads and simultaneously said
Get a Room.
A few short months ago, I would have never believed I would be living with Flynn. He was the boy every girl and I mean every girl, including me at some point dreamed of, which is why I hated him desperately for it. No one should be that good looking. And although he was only a junior like me; he’d had any girl at school he set his sights on including senior girls like his last girlfriend. Amanda was not only a senior but a part of the inner elite crowd. The elite were a select group of popular people at our school who were the cream of the crop of the beautiful and rich. The name was also reserved for the reigning seniors. But it didn’t matter with Flynn. He was readily included in that group despite being only a junior.

Even now I had to wonder how my life would be different if I hadn’t gone to that party with Maggie a few months back. That was the night I was unceremoniously introduced to Flynn’s charms first hand. The bottle he’d spun landed on me resulting in us kissing. It would be a very cold day in hell when I would play the stupid game of spin the bottle again. But no, it wouldn’t have mattered because my mom and his dad had been secretly dating for a while. The odds were good that I still would be living here.

I’d just put down my empty glass when Flynn announced, “Saddle up boys and girls, time to go.” I was certain Flynn was trying to show up the other boy. We weren’t running late. Clearly, Sebastian wasn’t finished eating. He raised his half uneaten bagel to Flynn, but Flynn only shrugged and rattled his keys. Sebastian just sighed and stood up to head for the door.