Have No Mercy (14 page)

“But I do love you.” That was the
truth.

He snagged me close and pressed
his mouth to mine in one hot kiss.

Anguish marred his pretty
features when he released me. "Not enough.”

I shook my head against his
words.

“Please," he begged one
final time before turning and to leave the room. Over his shoulder, he said, “I
will still help you so you can get you shot at finding Luke. But give me some
time… away from you.”

“But I have to tell you…” The
door shot closed, and the floor rushed up to meet me as I crumbled against the
weight of his words. There was no need for a ringside announcer to give the
outcome of our bout. He'd won hands down. How could I possibly deny his wish
after that? There was so much I needed to share with him. But would it be fair?
He clearly decided that Fairy could be his new home. There wouldn’t be a risk
to him dying if our mating bond wasn’t completed. He could have the family he
wished for. I’d nearly gotten him killed too many times to count, Luke too.
They both deserved better than me.

I closed my eyes. I would be
strong. Getting Tristrom back to Amavara was my task, not Flynn’s. I’d signed
up for it alone. I could do it and free Flynn from my burden. I had to love him
enough to let him go.

At some point, Molly came to get
me undressed and into night clothes. I lay awake for a long time in the cool
sheets hoping Flynn would change his mind. He didn't. Eventually, I did drift
off, and he didn't come. The chill remained all night, and I feared I might
never rid myself of the coolness that clung to my skin.

When I finally woke from a
restless sleep and opened my eyes, I yelped as crystal clear blue eyes filled
my vision. 

Thundering footfalls alarmed me
more than Tristrom in my room possibly watching me as I slept. The noise
outside wasn't like a torrent of footsteps as if the castle were on fire. It
was worse. It sounded like a multitude of marching footsteps all in sync.

Fear cast its net and caught me,
causing my heartbeat to betray my trepidation.

"We have to go."  He
held one pale hand out to me. I knew nothing about Tristrom's motives, but an
ominous pack of frosty Fey surely wasn't good. And his suggestion for me to go
had to mean the Fey were coming for me. So I took his hand and caught sight of
an open hidden door in the corner.

I pushed aside my embarrassment
in only wearing the nightgown. Tristrom didn’t seem to notice as he guided me
through the opening and closed it before a solid knock hit my room door. In the
hidden passageway, I came to appreciate the awful artwork on the walls of my
room. Through the eye openings in the plaster carvings, I watched the interior
of my room. Another impatient rap preceded the door being flung open, and
Madeline and her son took a step into my room.

They searched the room with only
their eyes. I was surprised when Madeline didn't come forward to check the
hidden hallway where we stood. It seemed farfetched she wouldn't know about them.
However, they made no move towards the door we were hidden behind.

"Where is she?"
Larrison demanded.

Had he come to make good on our
bargain? It seemed overkill for him to bring his mother for that.

Madeline’s eyes pricked her son
as if she were jabbing a finger in his chest. "She's with him." Her
voice was clipped and clearly showed her disapproval.

"No," Larrison said,
shaking off his mother's words. "I saw him with her."

Part of me wondered who the her
was, but I knew.

"Neither were at breakfast.”
Her eyes narrowed a second in thought. “No matter, I'll send for her and we'll
get to the bottom of this."

She spun on her heels making no
sound other than the slight stir of air. Larrison stood for a moment longer;
his eyes pinpointed on the wall we stood behind.

Tristrom placed a finger on his
lips before urging me forward. I took quick, careful steps not wanting to make
a sound. We walked a bit before I caught a glimpse of tanned skin through
another set of hidden openings into another room.

At that moment, it didn't matter
that I was totally a peeping tom. He stood in profile with nothing but pants
that hung on his hips. The golden skin that had drawn my attention, stretched
and bunched as he moved, every line defined with perfection. His right arm flexed
as he brushed his teeth. And I hoped I didn't drool because I was completely
mesmerized.

A soft knock that wasn't nearly
as ominous as the one at my door earlier, came before a head popped through a
crack in the partially opened door.

"Morgana," Flynn
crooned. In that one word, I could hear his attraction to her. She responded
with a wide smile I wanted to shove my fist into.

She stepped all the way into the
room after clearly hearing his invitation by the sheer tone of his voice. She
shut the door, leaving her hands hidden behind her back as she basked in his
gloriousness. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately he turned fully towards her.
I was given a view of his backside, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Pushing away from the wall, she
strolled over to him in a silver gown that showed off her slender frame, and he
turned slightly. It was enough for me to get a view of her hand on his chest.

"I don't understand. You
chose her."

Apparently there was silent
communication going on. Or for all I knew he'd crooked a finger in her
direction.

"I need her to be
safe," he said.

Safe. The word felt like a curse.
After all he'd said to me, I was stupefied by his choice of words.

Her hand moved up his bare chest
to cup his neck from the side as she looked up adoringly at him. "And then
what."

"And then I'll stay
here." Pause. "With you." Pause. "And give this a
chance."

I saw her grow in height as she
stood on toes. He met her halfway as he bent down and kissed her. I jerked back
unable to watch anymore. I fisted my hand to my chest and started moving
forward brushing past Tristrom. I kept going biting back tears. I pushed them
down because I had no right to them. I had no right to him.

Tristrom caught up and stopped me
with a well place hand on my arm. He turned me towards him and peered into my
eyes. The corridor wasn’t lit. The only light streamed through the myriad of
holes in the walls along the way.

Lightly his thumb smoothed over
my cheek as if he were checking for tears. He needn't worry because I had swallowed
them all away. As I gazed into his patience eyes, there was nothing between us.
I didn't feel attraction towards him, and he didn't seem to be attracted to me
either. His attention had brotherly affection written all over it which would
have been weird considering I didn't know him. But after everything, I felt
safe with him like it was in his nature to be kind.

Afraid his compassion would turn
into pity as quickly as ash in flame; I pulled away and got an eye full. I
happened to be at the right angle to see into another room. Rowen stood in
front of Fey girl. His palm was on her cheek; his mouth barely an inch away.
Black lines branched out like vines over every inch of exposed skin between
them. The winter white of her coloring somehow paled. Or maybe she was turning
gray. All too soon, she deflated like the air balloon and disappeared. Then she
was dust without even a pop of sound though it looked very much like the TV
version of what happened to a vampire after being staked.

Swiftly, I was moving again. I
hadn't initiated it. Tristrom had me by the wrist drawing me down the corridor
until he opened another door, and we stepped into a room.

"Why did we run?" I
sounded a little short of breath. I wasn't sure if it was our sporadic run or
the urgency of it that had me breathing heavy.

"You’re not safe here."

His flat assessment was the
understatement of the year. But I was there to save or maybe not save but bring
Tristrom out of the clutches of the Fey and yet he kept saving me.

The response on the tip of my
tongue was ridiculous. Why, was too easy of a question. Larrison had very bad
intentions towards me. I knew that, the whole castle knew it. And that was
enough of a threat without knowing the rest. But there was something I did need
to know.

"Why are you helping
me?"

I wanted to believe him. I wanted
to trust him. I needed help, and clearly I couldn't depend on Flynn. It hurt,
but it was what it was. And I should help myself, but ultimately, I needed
Tristrom. I did have a task to complete.

When he didn't answer, I closed
my eyes and backed up. I'd already gotten a good look at the room. The walls
were a buttery yellow nearly gold. The dark wood of the bed butted up in the
corner.  When the back of my legs hit the mattress, I sank on it and clasped my
hands together as I leaned forward.

"You don't belong
here." His words drifted over the heavy gap between us. I couldn't' be
sure how to take what he said.

"Is that a threat or a
warning?”

After my question, I allowed my
eyes to meet his. He didn't immediately respond, and it became clear that he
measured each word much like I did my ingredients when cooking a new dish.

We broke eye contact when a
pounding came at his door.

With two pointed fingers, he
indicated he wanted me to slip under the covers of his bed. Another rap at the
door had me quickly doing as he asked. I had a second to see him tug his shirt
free of his pants and begin to unbutton it. It didn't take a genius to know he
wanted it to appear as though he was dressing not undressing. I buried myself
under the covers. I didn't want to be recognized, and I also didn't want to let
my flushed cheeks to undermine his ruse if I was forced to reveal myself.

"Brother." The word was
said like it was a load of crap. I could imagine the smirk on Larrison's face.

Tristrom said nothing and I
didn't expect more. Each word he used meant something. He didn't spout off
casually. It made me wonder if he was always like that or if it was a result of
some event.

"The girl, Mercy... have you
seen her?"

I guessed Tristrom shook his head
because Larrison continued to speak. "We're looking for her. I need you to
help in the search. Manage the troops. Two is better than one, right brother?"

There was a long pause before
Tristrom said, "Give me a minute."

"I see you have company.
Finally got a female into your bed you eh brother. Who is she?"

The door clicked closed without
pause, and I admired Tristrom's restraint. I would have slammed it in the cocky
jerk’s face.

Soon the coverlet I'd used to
bury myself under, peeled back. Blue eyes just shy of gray, earnestly held
mine. Again, there was a long pause before he spoke.

"Stay here. I'll be
back."

I nodded, and he pulled the
covers back over me and lightly released them. There were a few more moments
before I heard the click of the door. Muffled instructions were called out
before footsteps went in opposite directions.

It would have been easy to stay
hidden and close my eyes to find oblivion. But I threw my legs over the side of
the bed and inspected the room. My hatred for the queen grew. The walls were
interspersed with framed mirrors of all shapes and sizes.

There was no place to gaze
without Tristrom being forced to think he was less. And he wasn't a bad looking
guy. In fact, had I never dated Luke, I would think Tristrom more my speed. He
was super cute but not overly handsome, attractive not pretty. But here amongst
the Fey, he would be considered flawed even ugly in their minds with all their
inhuman perfection.

I felt my nails dig into my palms
and saw for the first time in days rage on my face. I took a moment to inspect
myself. After having the Fey do whatever they did to me the day before, I was
curious if I somehow looked different. Flynn had made me feel beautiful. But
the person in the mirror with the wild hair and drab nightgown looked how I
felt, awful.

I glanced away not wanting to
throw myself a pity party. I had a job to do. So I checked out what else was in
the room. The only other furniture was a bedside table where a dusty book sat.
Across from the bed but centered was a short wardrobe. On top of it was a snow
globe. I reached up on tiptoes to grab it. It was the only other visible object
in the room.

Once I got it down, I realized
just how heavy it was. A stirring of white flakes settled quickly. There in the
middle was a blonde figurine of a boy who leaned just a bit forward with one
arm stretched towards a dark haired girl. She wore a mischievous smile in black
framed glasses and appeared to be running away from the boy. The figure glanced
over her shoulder but didn't reach back. If the queen allowed it in his room,
my guess was it meant something. Who was the girl who’d run away from Tristrom?

The base of the globe was almost
too big for my one hand grip, but I shook it anyway. I needed to see how winter
only made the boy’s desperate need for the girl impossible.

Disgusted, I slid the globe back
on the top of the wardrobe. I then stepped in front of another mirror only to get
a distorted reflection like the kind at carnivals. I raised my hand to punch it
when the door opened, and a girl slipped inside.

Her eyes widened when she saw me.
It was as if she were reenacting her pose from when I saw her earlier. Hands
behind her, she leaned her back on the door as if it were the only thing
holding her up.

"Oh my goodness, you're
here." Morgana moved forward like I was an enigma she saw for the first
time. "Everyone is looking for you."

I stepped away from her false
sincerity. There was no way she was concerned about me. I shifted towards the
only potential weapon in the room, the weighty snowglobe. Somehow I didn't
think Tristrom would be broken up if I destroyed it.

Not moving, I stood prepared for
whatever came next. I would hurt her if she outed me. I couldn't say I didn't
have an ulterior motive, but the main one would be self-perseveration not
jealousy.

"Flynn told me," she
said sympathetically.

A spike of anger speared me.
"Told you what?" I asked coldly.

She wasn’t at all deterred by my
attitude. "I can help."

Her hand wrapped around my arm
like the snake she was. I really was getting tired on people putting their
hands on me, well-meaning or not. I tried to shake off of her grip, but she had
a stony grip that molded to me. She dragged me across the room ending my time
to explore Tristrom's room. Not to be nosy, well maybe, but only to find out
more about him. His room held secrets about him. Like, although it had been
painted in a cheerful color, it was downright sad.

I bent to kick out at her.

“Stop.” She speared me with a
look. “I could give a shout and my brother would be here in a minute. But I’m
trying to help you out. For Flynn,” she added.

Her face was sincere. Was it
possibly Flynn asked her to help like I’d suggested? Maybe. I relaxed and let
her poked her head out of the room’s door. I could always put up a fight if I
thought she was double-crossing me. 

The coast was clear, and she
moved like a cat, lithe and sneaky. She hardly made a sound, which seemed to be
the Fey way. Although that didn’t make sense? Why did the soldiers barrel
about? Then again, maybe it was only royalty that possessed light feet.

We zipped down a long hall before
she turned a corner.  I paid more attention to where we were going after that.
I had no idea of this girl's goals. She may still see me as a rival despite
Flynn's declaration that he only wanted to keep me safe. I didn’t hold an ounce
of trust when it came to her.

A couple more twist and turns we
stood in front of a very plain looking door. It didn't appear any different
from the rest of the doors we’d passed. There wasn't a plaque to announce the
room's purpose, and I considered that a good thing.

"What's in here?"

Her grin spread like the sun as
dawn approached. "Everything you dream of."

As if they were waiting for us to
get to this spot, footsteps trumpeted in our direction. Her eyes shined more
like a cat than the kitten she pretended to be. "Go ahead. There isn’t'
much time."

Her eyes promised bad things when
she made no move towards the door. And there was that saying about a cat and
curiosity. Call me a fool, but I turned the knob anyway.

"Hurry," she urged me
again as the footfalls grew closer.

At that point, I had nothing more
to lose. I would be caught anyway. I slipped in the room alone expecting, I
don't know, Larrison waiting for me, but there was nothing beyond a nondescript
room. The walls were maroon above a golden border and ivory below. And there
was a bed, covered in the same maroon as the walls with gold filigree woven in
the fabric.

The room was by far the smallest
I'd been in so far. There were only five steps to the bed, with about ten steps
from the bed to the wall on either side. I stood still wondering what the punchline
was.

Morgana couldn’t possibly be
trying to help me. Where had she gone? What had she meant by everything I
dreamed of? Did she think I longed for sleep because there wasn't much else to
do in this room?

As the soldiers passed with their
steps as one, I breathed out half expecting an ambush. None came, and I was
left alone. I closed my eyes and placed my hands on my forehead. I guessed
maybe Morgana had indeed helped me, most likely to gain points with Flynn. She
had to have a reason for this. Or maybe she was going to alert Larrison where I
was. And I was just tired of running.

 I stood still, for just a
moment, and thought about better times. I found myself wishing for school and
lunchtime, as crazy as that was. I wanted to see Luke's expectant face as I
walked towards him with a tray in hand.

"What are you doing?"
The voice cut in from the past I thought I lost. A hand on my forearm cleared
the picture.