(Cambion 04) Have No Mercy Page 3

  Chapter Four

  "Nadir and Clemency, this is my brother," the girl said. It wasn't lost on me she hadn't given us names for either of them. I began to wonder if names had power in Fairy much like it did for the demons. I remembered reading a book about them. But then again, would a fictional book have truths about races human had no idea existed?

  I drank in the guy. He had dark hair that brushed his shoulders, compelling eyes, and a kissable mouth. I hadn’t known how mesmerizing his appearance was until he nodded with a smirk fix on his face. When I opened my mouth to speak, instead a muffled curse left my lips. Flynn had kicked me. I glared at him, and he glared back like payback was sweet.

  "Clemency, such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." The words purred out the guy and the sexy spell broke with his use of such a cliché line. Instead, I channeled my inner fan girl or at least the ones that giggled like mad when they were around Flynn at school. Mr. Smooth grinned back at me, and I saw in his eyes just how much he knew what a looker he was.

  Putting the duh into dumb, and continued my best acting job. "That sooo cute, brother and sister. And we," I said pointing between Flynn and me, "are brother and sister too. That's so cool."

  The two fairies traded rueful smiles. "But of course," the girl said. Their accents were like music to my ears, and I continued to wonder if they were trying to spell us. I didn't feel different. So I continued.

  "We’re backpacking all of Europe and we heard tales of a Fairy Mound near here somewhere." I purposely used the word Fairy and not Fey to add to my brainless act and maybe see if they found the term offensive. I didn't know if the word would, but thought if they did it could also clue us in that we were in the right place.

  I started to glance at the nameless girl when I noticed something dark grow in the guy's eyes. I snapped my focus back to his, but there was only the glint of a smile in his eyes.

  "Ah, the legend of the Fey. I think I know of the place you’re talking about. We could show you." I awestruck by the lilt of his voice that sounded Irish I guess, although it could have been Scottish. However, he didn’t sound much like Sebastian. I bobbed my head in agreement as if that was the coolest thing ever. "Well, eat up. It's a long journey, and there won't be places to eat on the way."

  A glance over to Flynn revealed that he wasn't sure how to get out of eating either.

  "Eat up, it's real." My head jerked in response to his statement. "It's authentic American cuisine." He seemed to correct himself or maybe that's what he meant all along.

  My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten in what felt like forever. Before the prom, I guessed. And that thought brought a pang of guilt. Prom, Luke, and here I was flirting with some Fey guy. End game, I thought.

  "You should eat," the girl cajoled.

  In only Flynn fashion, he captured the girl's gaze. She seemed to melt like all the girls when he gave them his full attention. "You're not going to eat?"

  Her smile was bright, and she dipped her head like she was shy or trying to be coy. Oh brother. "No, we already ate."

  Flynn smiled back then glanced at me. Was the fact that they wouldn't eat with us suspicious? The food could be poisoned or spelled. Or maybe they couldn't eat human food. We couldn't take the chance. As if reading my mind, he pushed the basket of food to the middle with one longing gaze at it. "No, I'm not very hungry either. We should go before it gets late."

  I followed suit, pushing my basket to tap with his. My stomach protested, but there was nothing I could do about it. We walked out without paying, and no one stopped us.

  Outside, the girl glanced at our free hands and asked, "Where are your backpacks?"

  I'd forgotten that lie I'd told. Flynn however was fast on his feet. "They were heavy.” He shrugged. “We left them at the edge of the woods so we wouldn't have to carry them."

  Flynn pointed the way we came. It wasn’t a secret. His latest fan girl most likely had spotted us once we stepped into town and planned her ambush.

  "Good, you won't need them where we're going," the guy said, taking my hand.

  "I don't know about leaving them," Flynn said. I turned to face him wanting to narrow my eyes at him. We'd gotten away with the lie so far. What if they said go get them, then what? I gritted my teeth knowing couldn't say any of that to him with them right there.

  "It will be fine. Most don't travel that way, the road out of town is this way."

  I followed the hottie’s finger ahead, and there was, in fact, a small road. It didn't look new. Weeds grew through cracks in the payment winding up the mountain side. Only, I didn't remember it being there when we first walked into the town.Our host walked with Flynn while I tried desperately to ignore the possible Fey guy next to me. Flirting had felt like a betrayal igniting the misery within me. It threatened to weigh me down and once again I struggled not to curl up in a ball and cry. Where was McKayla? It was hard to imagine me wanting her to take over but there you have it. After I made a deal with her, my burden felt somewhat lifted.

  "Your brother has taken a shine to my sister," fey boy said.

  I nodded hoping he would give up on making conversation. We'd walked up the road and seemed to be going nowhere until a gentle fog gathered ahead.

  My feet came to an abrupt stop.

  Fey boy eyed me and said, "You seem a bit jealous."

  "Of who?" I retorted.

  "Of my sister. Is there something going on between you and Nadir?"

  It took me a moment to process who Nadir was because I was still trying to figure out the fog that came out of nowhere. Nadir... Oh yeah, that was the name I'd given Flynn. It was a SAT word that coincided with the depths of Flynn's depravity.

  With incredulity, I said, "Eww, that's my brother." I hoped I was sufficient in pulling off disgust. Fey boy looked convinced. Flynn and the girl glanced back, so they'd heard. I shrugged. "What's up with the fog?"

  The girl answered, "It happens like that around here time to time."

  Her Irish accent had disappeared. It was like she was trying to sound American while turning a dazzling smile onto Flynn. Was she mocking us? Anger misplaced or not well in me. I had a few choice words I wanted to say to her. But this was our mission. We needed to get into Fairy if we aren't already there.

  Flynn who was dauntless most times turned and walked into the mist without hesitation. The girl moved quickly to his side. It didn't take long before they were swallowed into the mist and couldn't be seen.

  "Shall we," my guide asked.

  Not having a choice, I moved forward. I expected to fill a bit chilled. Fog was made when heat made water evaporate and then the vapor cooled. But it felt like nothing. When we stepped free on the other side, my first thought was illusion. Was it a security measure to deter humans from entering?

  What I didn't expect was to see an actual mound jutting out of side of the mountain like an earth sized pimple. It was maybe a few feet taller than Flynn covered in green grass or moss. It looked almost like fur. To the sides, the fog lay leaving only one way to go clearly defined.

  The Fey stood like statues as if in anticipation. I moved forward, weaving passed Flynn. I reached my hand out to touch the mound wondering if we were meant to climb over it. Before my fingers could make contact, Flynn was by my side. He captured my gaze trying to convey silent communication. Although I couldn't' truly read his thoughts, I knew he was asking if we should do this.

  There wasn't any time to answer him with a simple nod or shake of the head. Shoved from behind, we were thrust through the mound with the barest of resistance like the one we encountered at the tree line into the little forest town.

  We stumbled inside. Flynn caught his balance sooner than I and took hold of my hand before I ate dirt or whatever was below our feet. He yanked me to him and I crashed into his solid chest. He held me protectively and I caught the murderous glance he was throwing the Fey that stood just inside the barrier. My brain wanted to touch the cavernous rock or barrier that stood behind them. Was it now solid,
or was it still an illusion?

  With his arm still around my waist, I watched his mouth open. The Fey had become aggressive and I wasn't ready for a confrontation. I squeezed Flynn's side as my arm around his waist too. A part of me wanted to revel in this closeness.

  "That was weird. I must have tripped," I said trying to sound clueless again. "The fog must be playing tricks on my eyes. But this is cool. A cave."

  The Fey looked perplexed as if they weren't sure how to handle my ignorance.

  Flynn bought into my script said, "There's an opening that way."

  I turned in the opposite direction to see light coming from the mouth of the cave. Flynn let go of my waist so we could turn. I let go of him too. With the Fey at our back, which wasn't the smartest thing considering they pushed us, we walked and maintained our dumb human act. Flynn took hold of my hand, not leaving me for the pretty Fey girl. And for some goofy reason, I smiled.

  Chapter Five

  The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel didn't lead to what I expected at all. Before us stood a field of red and it wasn’t necessarily grass. Each blade was shaped more like a leaf as I stooped down to get a closer look. I swiped my hand across to touch, and the leaves shivered beneath my hand. I could have sworn they made a shrilling sound too.

  "We should get going?" the Fey boy said from behind me.

  I wasn’t sure based on the tenor of his voice if that was a command or a suggestion. I stood, not wanting to step on the leaves. I had a feeling they were more alive than your average plant. But the red covered everything like a blanket for as far as I could see. The Fey stepped around us and onto the ground without a glance down. The sounds of distance wails were faint but there. At least I didn't think I imagined anything.

  Flynn held his hand out, and I took it. I reluctantly moved forward cringing at the thought that I could be hurting a living helpless being.

  What's wrong, Flynn's glance seemed to ask.

  I pointed at the ground then mimed tears flowing down my face with my hands. He frowned. I pointed at my ear and stranded to listen. Then he stopped as if he heard it too.

  The Fey immediately noticed we weren't walking.

  "What's wrong?" the Fey girl asked. Her accent was back. In fact, it had a musical quality like wind chimes.

  I turned my head in time to see the crushed leaves from our last few steps spring up, back to life. In fact, you couldn't tell where our previous footsteps were. I wondered if that was a good or bad thing.

  "Nothing," Flynn answered while I pondered all the questions about his strange place.

  "We should keep moving," Fey boy said taking glances at the ground.

  “Wait,” I said, halting everyone. “This is really Fairy?” It would have been stupid not to point out that we weren’t in Scotland anymore.

  The Fey traded glances and then the boy came closer all cheesy grin and patronizing eyes. “It’s amazing isn’t it.”

  I gave him an adoring gaze as I threw up a little in my mouth. Swallowing down bile, I nodded like a bobble head. His easy smile said that I’d played him well. He moved back to his sister and I glanced down at the sounds of pain.

  Crap, would we kill the leaves if we stood on them for too long? I jumped forward out of fear. Flynn got into gear alongside me. Only the Fey had already turned giving us their backs. Apparently we'd played the clueless humans all too well. They'd given us an edge by doing that.

  As we walked, I kept checking back. The leaves where we just stepped, sprang up. But the ones where we stood were still down. "I'm sorry," I whispered under my breath. After two more turns, I saw the leaves I thought we'd kill slow stand tall. Thank you, I thought. And did my best to be light on my feet and move fast as to cause the little guys the least pain. Or so I hoped.

  With nothing to see in the distance, I had no idea how far or long we would be walking. Flynn stuck by my side but said nothing.

  Clueless or not, I asked, “Are we there yet?” Maybe there was some sort of invisible portal, but saying nothing might look suspicious.

  Goldilocks spun, her hair fanning out, and said with enthusiasm I no longer possessed, “Yes.”

  Finally, we walked up a short incline. I imagined seeing a huge city or something once we crested it. What I saw was a tree. Inwardly, I groaned. My feet ached, and it looked like we had more travel time in store.

  Somehow, Flynn sensed my distress. He squeezed my hand, and I looked up into gentle eyes. It wasn't often he gave me that look. It was the kind that melted my heart because it was so sincere. A gave him a half smile then glanced away. His kindness only reminded me of Luke and all that I lost. The weight became heavy.

  "Do you think we can stop for a while?" I had meant to stay strong, but I couldn't anymore. It felt like we'd been walking for hours.

  The two Fey ahead wordlessly spoke before turning back. "Sure," the girl said with fake levity.

  We headed directly for the tree, which was fine by me. The place where it rose alone had the appearance of an island. The little red guys had given it wide berth. Once we reached there, I collapsed against it. That had been a mistake. The tree groaned out in horror as if my touch hurt it in some way. I stumbled trying to get to my feet, and Flynn's hand was there to steady me into his embrace. We turned as one.

  "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Fey guy said with a grin that would look at home on Flynn's face. Great, the only two guys as far as I could see and both were arrogant. Good thing they weren't fighting for one girl. I didn't think I wanted to see that show.

  "Where are we?" Flynn growled. Gone was his dense act. He was all fierce fighter ready to pounce with a possessive arm around me.

  "Ah, so we're not playing games anymore," Fey boy said. His eyes traveled to the spot where Flynn's hand clutched my side.

  Flynn surprised me though. "We asked to see the Fairy Mound and you walked us to the middle of nowhere."

  The girl walked and invaded Flynn’s personal space. I wanted to gouge out her eyes. She stared at him just long enough so his arm would fall away from me. The way he stared at her made me want to hurl. I walked a few steps away, and a gazed out in a different direction.

  I wasn't alone for long; Fey boy sauntered over. I only had a second to decide how to play this. Whatever Flynn and the girl were or weren't saying, I couldn't hear. I was grateful for that.

  "Beautiful isn't it." His voice held that tinkle in it, giving it that lyrical sound.

  "It is," I said not taking my eyes off the landscape. "I've never seen red ivy before." At least not that blood red color, that I didn't say.

  "There are many things I could show you." His hand swept my hair to the side and cupped the back of my neck. I had no choice but to look up in his green eyes. "You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."

  Off balanced, I said, “You say that and I can’t thank you properly because I don’t even know your name.”

  Suddenly, my hand was in his making a journey to his lips. “My name is but a shadow in the face of your beauty.”

  His eye sparkled in ways that reminded me of the facets of what I imaged the most expensive diamond did. I was so fascinated; I didn't notice his lean towards me in what was possibly a move to kiss me. I gasped when his mouth was a second away from mine.

  The kiss never happened. Flynn yanked me back in the nick of time while I panted like a dog. For a second, the anticipation was an urgent need in my belly. Had he compelled me?

  "You two stay here. We will be right back." I turned to see the girl. Her words and tone had changed. She didn't seem at all happy. What happened between her in Flynn?

  We watched them walk off for a minute or two before it became boring to do so. There was nothing ahead but a flat landscape of red. We would be watching them for hours.

  Flynn turned my head with gentle pressure of his thumb on my chin. "Are you okay?"

  I nodded but turned back, and the pair of Fey were gone. I gasped. Flynn looked out and sighed.

  "We s
hould sit down. I have a feeling we will be here for a while."

  I glanced over my shoulder at the tree, which had calmed down. Everything here was alive in a real way. I switched my focus to the ground wondering what creatures we might harm for standing here. Thankfully, there was nothing but what looked like ordinary brown dirt. So I sat.

  "We should talk before they get back," he said eyeing me as I tried to avoid his gaze.

  "You said they'd be a while." It was my way of avoiding what may become an awkward conversation. Was I attracted to that Fey guy or had I been under his thrall?

  "Who knows how long a while is." He lifted my wrist to take in the hourglass etched on my skin. It showed we had more than enough time still left to find Tristrom. "Why didn't you tell me what happened with Sebastian?"

  It was easier to shrug then come up with an explanation.

  Flynn pressed on. "We've left our parents and friends with no warning."

  That hadn't been what I expected him to want to talk about. "I thought I killed him. I didn't think he would come back."

  He shook his head clearly annoyed with me. He pulled out his phone. After a moment of consulting with it, he sighed. "I didn't think it would work but I had to try."

  We stared at each for long lingering moments. Neither of us wanting to say what needed to be said. He reached out a hand and touched my face. "You have to know I miss him too."

  I nodded feeling the well of emotions spring up.

  "I would gladly go back in time and give my life for his," he continued. "But I can't. And I can't lose you too."

  Not wanting to cry, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face in his chest. "And I couldn't live with losing both of you either," I admitted honestly.

  He lay back on the ground with me perched on his chest. I closed my eyes hoping to hold back the well of pain. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because it was Flynn's frantic whisper of my name that woke me up. "Mercy… Mercy."