Waiting for Mercy (Cambions) (27 page)

“You’re wasting time.  We should go,” he said flatly with his hand outstretched. 

I walked over to him then dug into my pocket.  I pulled out the keys and dropped them into his hand.  He’d never driven in front of me, but I assumed he must know how.  Why else would he ask?

It didn’t take long before we were on the road.  He turned on the radio but kept the volume low.  “Where is this Paimon place?” I asked.

He didn’t turn to look at me while I watch his perfect features grimaced.  “It doesn’t matter,” he said.

“Yes it does,” I argued.  “I need to know where I’m going.”

He sighed.  “It’s in West Virginia.”

There were more questions I wanted to ask.  But I needed to think it through.  It wasn’t like he’d been a flood gate of information up to this point.  So I started slow.

“How’d you find out he was in trouble?” I asked.

He didn’t answer right away.  Instead he focused on the road.  I didn’t press at first.  We had a couple of hours in these close confines.  I was definitely on an emotional roller coaster that had gone off the tracks.  How can this all be happening to me?  Just when I thought I would get some rest, I was on a mission to save Flynn.  What the hell?  And why am I needed.  Believe me I want to help, I’m just still didn’t understand why the heck Sebastian couldn’t just go pop in and get Flynn himself.

“He called,” he said simply.

I wanted to scream at him.  If he thought to use a dilatory tactic on me, he was mistaken.  He had to know I wouldn’t be satisfied with that response.  Instead, I took a cleansing breath and asked, “What did he say?”

When he answered right away, I figured this approach was working. “He said he was going to be gone for a few days.  When I asked him where he was?  He told me he was with Bernadette at her school.”

There had to be more, I thought to myself.  “Why is that bad?” I inquired keeping my tone even and level.

“Bernadette is crazy,” he said.

“Like that’s a news flash,” I replied, thinking about her attempts on our lives.  She had been trying to kill us over Sebastian.

“Yeah, well, from what I knew he’d broken it off with her.  At least that’s what he told me,” he admitted.

He never turned.  He kept his eyes on the road.  I wondered if there was more than he was letting on.  “She didn’t take it so well when you moved on,” I said.

“Exactly, so why would she call him to drive to her in the middle of the night.”

My emotions were building and I couldn’t help but blurt out, “Why didn’t you just go on your own to get him. Why do you need me to go to?”  My tone was not pleasant.  Fear was a hot pain in my stomach.

Finally he turned to me and gave me a pointed stare.  “He’ll listen to you,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.   I was so not in the mood for this conversation.  In fact I wasn’t going to play into this.  “Not any more than he will listen to you.”

“He left because of you and Luke.”

“What?” I hissed.  My huffed out response might have been because I felt guilty for possibly breaking up their friendship.

“It doesn’t make sense otherwise.  He feels guilty about his feelings for you.”

I turned back and leaned back in my seat.  This whole night was a disaster.  “Since when did you become Doctor Phil,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

“I just know,” he said simply.  Ideas swirled around my head.  It was quite possible Sebastian could read minds.  I wouldn’t put it past his abilities.  However, I hoped that wasn’t true.  The invasion of my private musing wasn’t something I’d be happy to know about.

My mouth however wasn’t currently on the same page as my brain as I blurted out, “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t said those things.” This was my argument.  “But still that doesn’t answer why you just didn’t go alone.”

“It has to be you to convince him to come back,” he said.

I thought about that statement for a moment.  Not seeing the truth in that, I wondered if maybe he and Flynn had bonded more than I was aware of.  “Why do you even care?” I asked flippantly.

He huffed out a breath. “I wish I knew,” he said with sincerity. 

The time had come.  I needed to know.  So I just asked, but I was certain he would dodge the question. “Why are you living in our house?”

He tensed.  He hadn’t expected that.  When he didn’t answer, I asked another question. “It’s really weird how you just showed up in my life and now you’re living with me,” I said.

Angling my body with my back against the window, I waited and watched.  I let him know I wasn’t backing down.

With deliberate slowness he said, “I’m here for you.”  I was chilled to the core with the icy calm of his voice.

When he returned his gaze back to the road, I let all this information sink into my system.  Slowly, I angled my body back facing forward, my arms no longer folded in anger, but rather hugging my body tight.

It wasn’t as though it wasn’t obvious that he was somehow here for me.  I just didn’t expect for it to be wholly about me.  What made me special?  The way he’d answered, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“You know things are spiraling way out of control,” I blurted out.  Fatigue had loosened my tongue.

He gave a half chuckle. “What, lover boy hasn’t taken you back?”

My anger hit a fever pitch.  One I’d like to blame for all the bad that has come tonight.  Additionally, dawn was approaching.  The sky was changing from utter blackness to a midnight blue.  The sun would be up and I hadn’t had any sleep yet.

The diatribe that came from my mouth was more than even I expected. “Let’s see, Paul might be a father. Maggie might be a werewolf and Brent is one.  Oh, then there’s Doug and Maggie creating a twisted love triangle. And Flynn’s little soirée ended in a bloody battle on the front lawn. He leaves me with all this mess and gets himself into trouble.  And yes, my boyfriend found out I kissed his best friend and I’m thinking ‘What the Hell?’” I slammed my fist on the car door after raising my hands in surrender.  Leaning forward as far as my seat belt would allow, I buried my face in my hands.

Turning on the charm, he said in his native brogue, “Sorry to hear that, lass.”

Fury was the undercurrent that rode my emotions. “And what the hell is up with you and your accent.  Can’t you just pick a persona and stick to it.”

He laughed which only heighten my wrath. “I told you that you America girls can’t resist an accent.”

I rolled my eyes. I don’t think he saw though because he didn’t comment. “Well, why are you using it on me?”  My voice was thick with sarcasm.

“I sent you the rose, I’m pretty sure you get the idea,” he said.  The rolling of his r’s was sexy if I wasn’t so angry, I might be blinded by it.

“Look, I’m not stupid enough to believe that you wormed your way into living in our house just to “get” with me,” I said rolling my eyes again for good measure. “You and I know there is much more to it.  Besides, my mom wouldn’t agree to that.  So why don’t you start by telling me what you told them.”

“Ah, Kayla the demon has come to play,” he said. 

Thinking rolling my eyes again might just get them stuck, I refrained. “No, it’s me Mercy and I have none for anyone tonight,” I barked, playing off my own name for once.

He laughed again as if any of this was funny.  If I thought I would have a chance at killing him, I might have tried. “You need protecting. And I’m the best one for the job.”

“And what do I need protecting from,” I said, in a barely controlled rage.  “I mean really wasn’t that obvious I would ask.”

He sighed and finally I believe he took me seriously. “Not really, I mean you kind of just let things go,” he said.

Right he was. But no more. “Well, you know what. I’m tired of being passive.  In fact, I’m tired of all this shit,” I cursed.

“Wow,” he said. “I don’t think I ever heard you curse before, lass.”

“Well, you’ll be hearing a lot more if you don’t get to the point,” I demanded.

He shifted in his seat like he was uncomfortable. “Look, there are things I can’t tell you,” he began.

I shook my head. “This is such bullshit.  I’m tired of everyone telling me that.”

“I can’t,” he said.

“You won’t” I countered. “You just like my mother.” The words spewed out of my mouth poisoned.

“She’s only doing what she can,” he said.

My eyes got big. “Since when are you on her side?”

“Kayla, I’m on your side. There are things if said out loud will be heard no matter where they are said.  These things can’t be spoken without penalty,” he added.

Quick wit on my side, I said. “Well, write it down then.”

He titled his head back enough so it lay on the headrest. “Kayla, I’m not your enemy.”

“And you know my next line. You’re not acting like my friend either,” I said.  I felt the anger begin to recede.  He wasn’t going to tell me and I was just going to accept it like he said.  I was so pathetic right now.

“You have to trust me,” he said.

Leaning my head on the window and closing my eyes, I said, “Why should I?”

He exhaled a breath like he was just as tired and frustrated as I was. “If I could tell you, I would. I’ve never done anything like the rest of your guys to betray your trust,” he said.

Guys, I wanted to say but kept it to myself for the moment. There were some aspects of truth to his statement.  He’d saved my life more than once.  “There’s Paul,” I said from somewhere deep in my understanding.

Chucking once again, “I’ll say this. Paul out of all of us probably loves you the most.”  I sat up in my seat. “Yes, see Kayla.  I will tell you the truth even if it’s not in my favor.”

“Paul’s not in love with me.  He’s just used to having me all to himself,” I said absently.  My mind drifted back to Paul being a father.  How was I going to handle that one?

He shook his head slightly before he spoke. “No, Kayla.  You don’t understand.  You know where the boy’s been spending his lunch hours?”

With Amber I though automatically, but in truth, they’d been broken up and he had still disappeared frequently from lunch.  I hadn’t heard he’d been dating anyone. “I see your mind working and ‘taking a roll in the hay’ as you humans say wasn’t part of it,” he said.  Now it was my turn to laugh. No one used that phrase anyone, but I didn’t mention that. “He’s been reading up on his options of how not to be a human anymore,” he said.

My head turned so slowly to stare at Sebastian, he had time to speak before I could think of a response. “Yes, he thinks he’d have a better shot at you if he wasn’t human.”

“You’re joking right?” I said.  This couldn’t’ be true.  I put my palm on my forehead trying to wrap my mind around this revelation as if I didn’t have enough to worry about.  “Paul isn’t that stupid.  Heck, I’m not that much of a prize.” I said, thinking out loud.

“You, lass are far more than you see of yourself,” he said.

“Huh,” I exclaimed. “Even if that were true, I’m not worth his humanity.”

“I can’t say. I’m not human.  But you have to realize your value if all of us are patiently waiting for you to make up your mind,” he said, like his words were rational.

“All of you,” I said, like the meaning was preposterous. “First of all, my mind is made up.”

This time I caught him rolling his eyes. “Who do you mean, golden boy?”

I hated that everyone called him that like it was a bad thing. “Yes, he’s my golden boy,” I said defensively.

Looking out as the skies brightened, I noticed we had made it to the highway.  “Yeah, and he’s going to be the damned boy if you two don’t break it off and soon.”

If I weren’t still somewhat pissed, I might have agreed with what he said. “Look, Luke said it was fine.  So why doesn’t everybody just stay out of our relationship.”

That’s when his expression that still held those vibrant vacant blue eyes changed to pity.  He didn’t have to say the next words because I already knew what he was going to say. “And really, you believe him?” he asked, without the piteous expression reaching the tone of his voice.  His voice was soft with the lilt that made me feel like I could trust him.