My alarm went off at six, and I got up, expecting to find Mercy had disappeared during the night. But when I poked my head out of my room, she was passed out on the couch. I half hoped last night had all been a dream, but I knew better. Running a hand through my hair, I quietly stepped into the living room to make sure I hadn’t done anything worse than shove her away from me. Aside from looking cold, she appeared well enough. I tugged the throw blanket off the chair and gently draped it over her, then went about getting ready for the office.
I planned on going in early, so I could duck out by four and get back to my place in time for this witch friend of hers to come over. A mage and a witch. Never did I imagine having those two races inside my apartment. Ever. Or feeling sympathy for a mage. At least, that’s what I told myself it was.
I nearly found myself calling into the office, so I could stay home and sort through the strange emotions sifting through me and throwing me off. She’d been so close to me again last night, so very close. The scent of apples lingered in my nose long after I finally forced myself to leave.
All morning long, after I settled in at my desk, I searched for cases on missing donors. Majority registered with the city, so they could be tracked in case they were ever wrongly treated or killed by those they worked for. I hadn’t heard of too many missing, but the deeper into the system I dug, the more that turned up.
Most of them were human, but there were a few supes. Those were more recent. If Mercy hadn’t been at the ball that night, Iris would’ve been amongst them. Finding the files kept me distracted from the other thoughts invading my mind. Also kept me from dealing with Iris who was busy tracking down any leads on tips that had been called in.
A ton of people claimed they spotted Liam after Nor decided to put out a bulletin on him. I was more than happy to let her deal with the rumors and give me some space. Lying to her the last two days had been hard enough, but no one could know the bounty hunter was staying at my apartment.
Or about what happened last night.
My fingers stilled on the keyboard, remembering Mercy’s hands against my chest. They’d been warm and comforting in a way Iris’s touch had never been. I’d wanted her to stay right where she was. Hell, I’d wanted to lift her up, so I could kiss her, and that was the strangest impulse of all.
Never had I been so lost in a moment with someone I wanted to let the rest of the world fall away. But there, in the middle of the night, I’d nearly done it.
Until Mercy found the scars on my back, and the second she did, I saw the realization in her eyes. Instinct had reared its ugly head, and the rage nearly came out. I could’ve so easily seriously hurt her, but somehow, I managed to get back in my room and lock the door.
If she was gone by the time I got home, I wouldn’t blame her. Though fear had not been one of the emotions in her eyes right before I shut her out. Curiosity, yes. And confusion. And something else I couldn’t put my finger on yet.
“Any luck?” Nor asked.
I jumped. I hadn’t even seen him approach.
“Rafael?”
“Sorry, didn’t sleep well.”
“You’ve been like this all week.”
“Happens. And yeah, some luck with the missing person cases.”
Nor walked around my desk, peering at the screen. “Donors? You think they’re linked to Liam?”
“One of the sources I tracked down with a connection to Liam mentioned something about donors,” I lied. “Been combing through the files since Monday, finally getting some good hits. Recent ones, too.”
“You going to follow up on them?”
“Yes. See what I can find out. Maybe we’ll get something to lead us to where Liam’s been hiding out, where he might’ve taken these donors to.”
“If it’s him,” Nor added. “But until you get anything else, it’s a start. And Iris?”
“What about her?”
“Just want to make sure your partner is working out still. That you’re utilizing her.”
“Of course, sir,” I replied.
“Good. Then I look forward to seeing what you two find out from these files.”
I nodded, not wanting to lie again to Nor’s face and watched him walk off. Iris would not be going with me to check out anything. No, that would be Mercy. If she was at my place when I got home this afternoon.
The rest of the day went by too damned slow and by the time four rolled around, I grabbed the files I needed, shoved them in my bag, and hurried for the elevator, not giving Iris a chance to even realize I was heading out. She’d figure it out soon enough and probably call me a few times tonight to yell at me for avoiding her again. As I finally made it back to my place, I hesitated outside the door.
A voice in the back of my mind said Mercy would be gone and I’d never get a chance to figure out what this strange connection I felt to her was all about. If it was all in my head. A one-time thing. Or if there was more to this half-mage with cursed magic. That in itself should’ve been enough for me to back off. Usually was. Took Iris a long time to convince me she wasn’t going to use her magic on me, though a time or two her siren voice came out. Not that it ever worked.
But Mercy, she was the complete opposite of Iris. Sarcastic, blunt, had a wicked sharp tongue, and had to be the most attractive woman I’d ever met, scar and all. It wasn’t hard to figure out she did not see herself that way when she should. None of that mattered, though, not if I couldn’t keep my rage in check.
I opened the front door, holding my breath, and let it out the second I saw Mercy on the couch, sitting cross-legged, eating pizza and drinking a beer. She glanced up at the sight of me and gave me a crooked grin.
“Hey, I ordered in since you have nothing in this apartment.”
“Haven’t gone to the store yet,” I explained. Going to the store seemed like such a waste of time at the moment, but I’d used up pretty much all I had to make dinner last night.
“Well, now we have pizza. Bring home anything useful? Been bored out of my mind all day.”
“Figured you would’ve been calling all your contacts.”
“Calling them? I don’t have their numbers. I usually just show up, and they either tell me what I want, or I find a way to persuade them.” She picked at the cheese on her current slice, frowning. “Did call the Wailing Siren though. Spoke with Shep and Bowen. Shep is pissed that Wesley’s gone missing and Bowen said Rot is on the hunt for me.” She set the pizza down, her face paling as she added, “So, uh, thanks and all for letting me stay here. Probably kept me alive.”
Unable to think of what to say in reply, I mumbled something about changing into more comfortable clothes, and I’d be back out in a minute. I had to talk to her about what happened last night. Apologize if nothing else. The fact she was still here meant she wasn’t too upset with me at least. Or scared. Rot might be after her, but she could’ve taken her chances anywhere else. Instead, she decided to remain here with the demon who nearly strangled her because she touched his scars. Scars Iris never saw or knew about. No one saw me without a shirt, ever. And no one was supposed to see those scars on my back.
As for Mercy, the look on her face said she knew exactly what they were.
Because they matched the scar on her face. Scars caused by dark magic meant to cause agony. Meant to kill. Yet we both survived to tell the tale.
Something told me getting her to explain what gave her a scared face would be as hard as my confiding in anyone about a past I simply wanted to forget.
Back in the living room, I drew out the files I brought from the office and set them on the table. “Mercy, about last night—”
“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Apologize or anything. Don’t start opening up to me.”
“I wasn’t going to,” I growled.
“Oh, no? Well, that’s how it starts. You apologize, I say I understand, then you or I start talking and then all the shit we try to hide from the world comes out before we can stop it. And we’re not in this relationship to be friends.”
The way she said it had me doubting every single word, but then she was rambling on again.
“You’ve been through some shit. So have I. We both hate magic, so let’s just leave it at that. We’re only working together long enough to find Liam. That’s it. Nothing else.”
She was right, so why did my mind flash to last night, right before my freak out? Why did my hands suddenly want to find her hips again and finish what we started? See what kissing her would be like. She was all fire and passion, and anger.
I gave myself a little shake and went to grab a beer, giving myself a few minutes to get my head in order.
“Rafael?”
“No. You’re right. Never happened,” I said as I returned.
She frowned slightly at my words, but agreed. “So, these files. They’re all missing donors?”
“Most were human. A few more recent ones were supes,” I explained, then gave her a more in-depth rundown.
She smirked when I mentioned something about Iris almost being next, and I knew she was in full agreement with me. But there was no gloating once she got into the files again.
“You see something?”
“Maybe,” she mused, flipping open a few of the human ones. “These five all went to the same college, same year… stayed in the same dorm building, too.”
“You think someone knew them all, dragged them into this mess?”
“It’s possible… Here,” she said, pointing to the picture of a brunette with glasses. “She became a donor six months ago and disappeared last month during the full moon.”
I took the file and checked the address. “Her family doesn’t live too far from here.”
“Guess we have plans tonight after all.”
“You want to go there? And do what?” I asked skeptically. “If her parents do agree to talk to us, seeing as we’re supes, you can’t just torture them if they refuse to answer.”
“I never would think of torturing a human in front of a Fed,” she said lightly. “Scaring them shitless isn’t off the table though.”
I glowered at her.
She sighed. “What? We need answers. And who knows, whatever they tell us might help us find their daughter alive. We could bring her back home.”
“How about you let me do the talking?”
“Fine, party pooper,” she muttered and drank her beer.
I was going to start laying out a plan when a knock sounded at the door. Iris. It had to be her. I got up and answered it, but a woman in a bright pink dress was there, wearing a cheerful smile.
The second I took a breath, the magic coming off her in waves slammed into me, and I snarled.
“Witch!”
“Yes. Yes, I am,” she replied, her smile not faltering despite my growling.
“Gigi?”
“Mercy!” The witch shoved past me and hugged Mercy, asking her a thousand questions one right after the other about what happened and why she was staying at my place.
Mercy tried to answer, but her friend kept talking over her, then turned around and shot me a glare so intense, it had me staggering back a step.
I rumbled, planting my feet as my hands curled into fists, my anger right on the edge.
“You have a lot to explain.”
“Me? What the hell for?” I shook my head, considered grabbing her arm and throwing her out of my apartment. This was a terrible idea. Too much magic so close to me was beyond off-putting, and my skin itched.
“Yes. You kidnapped my friend!”
“Gigi, I told you that’s not why I’m here.” Mercy stepped between us. “Both of you take a few steps back and calm down, alright? Gigi, seriously.”
“What?”
“I can feel you amping up to do something stupid. Just stop. Take a breath.” She glanced over her shoulder at me, giving me a crooked smile that had my hands relaxing. “He saved my life so can you not try to attack him?”
“You told me that, but I don’t believe it.”
“Well, you should,” I snapped. “The goblins attacked, and Rot is out for blood.”
“How about we all sit down and talk?” Mercy suggested.
Gigi continued to shoot me death glares, but then Mercy gave her the whole story of what we’d been through since Friday night, apparently only having told her a small bit of it over the phone. By the end, thankfully leaving out any mention of our kiss or what occurred last night, Gigi was still glaring, but not at me. The power building in her caused my anxiety to shoot up another few levels, and I longed to have her gone.
“The tracking spell. Were you able to get it to work?” Mercy asked.
I perked up.
“Sadly, no. It was enough, what you gave me to work with, but he’s protected. I cast it, but all it did was circle around my shop then fizzle out.” She suddenly seemed very interested in the cushion she sat on. “You know, if someone more powerful than me who just happened to be a mage would try to do it, might get it to work then.”
“No,” Mercy yelled then cleared her throat when I raised my brow at her. “No. You know I can’t do it.”
“You won’t try,” Gigi argued. “There’s a difference.”
“I can’t!” Mercy stormed to the kitchen, muttering under her breath.
Gigi screwed up her lips as she looked ready to strangle her friend. “You’re a coward.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a what?” Mercy whirled around.
I suddenly found myself in the middle of two very pissed off and strong people ready to tear each other’s heads off.
“You want to run that by me again?”
“I do. You are a coward. Do I need to say it slower?” Gigi was on her feet, too. “Coward with a capital C.”
“Right, the bounty hunter who runs around catching the bad guys, throwing myself into danger with only a few weapons and no magic is the coward.” Mercy threw her hands up as Gigi nodded. “You’re unbelievable! You know why I can’t, so drop it!”
I, however, did not know why and before I thought it through, I asked, “Why can’t you? You said you’re a mage.”
If looks could kill, I would’ve been flat on the floor, dead.
“Cursed, remember?”
“And? I saw what it did for you when you were thrown off the roof. As well as when you went after Liam. You’re damned powerful. You can’t use it at all? Have you tried? Really tried?”
“Yes!” she yelled.
At the same time, Gigi said, “No.”
I crossed my arms, not believing I found myself siding with a witch. “You won’t even try if it gets us to Liam? To the man you need to find? The mage who cursed you, to begin with?”
Gigi stiffened, then she relaxed, and I wondered if I imagined her strange reaction.
“The last time I tried to use my magic, aside from the ball, it blew up a building,” Mercy replied.
I started to laugh, thinking she was overexaggerating, but then she asked if I remembered the apartment building that collapsed two years ago. A lot of people got hurt, but thankfully, no one was killed.
“That was you?” I asked.
“Yeah, it was.”
“You were alone when you tried,” Gigi pushed. “If you’d let me help you then there might be a way for you to learn to control it. To get past the curse!”
“You of all people know you can’t just get past a curse! You either break it, or you don’t.”
“We need to find Liam,” I insisted, but then she was walking away. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom! Mind? I’d like to at least look decent when we go talk to that girl’s parents. You coming with me or do you want to stay here and side with a witch instead?” she yelled, then slammed the bathroom door shut so hard it shook the walls.
This was not the time for me to get distracted, but suddenly I wanted to know everything about Mercy and her curse. Maybe by catching Liam, we’d find a way to lift it, and she would be free to use her magic again.
“So,” Gigi said, tearing me from my planning, “what’s your story?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that scowl on your face. You don’t like witches?”
“Don’t like magic,” I corrected. “Any magic.”
“But you saved Mercy, brought her back to your place,” she pointed out. “Bit of a contradiction don’t you think?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you. All I want to know is do you have a way to track and find Liam or not?”
Gigi planted her hands on her hips, but then her face softened when she glanced in the direction Mercy disappeared. “If she wasn’t cursed, she would be a great mage,” she whispered. “And no, I don’t have a way to track Liam, not unless you convince her to try and use her magic. I doubt that’s going to happen, since I’ve been trying for years.” Her eyes narrowed.
I sensed her magic stretching out toward me until I growled a warning for her to back off.
“What an interesting demon you are,” she mused.
“You won’t get anything from me, witch, so don’t even try it,” I warned.
She held her hands up, but I doubted she was going to drop the issue as Mercy had. Then again, she only didn’t want to know about me so she wouldn’t open up about herself. Gigi was an entirely different story, and I suddenly regretted letting her into my place.