Pursued(140)

The older man shifted uncomfortably. “Why…at the market. She decided to do a little shopping—make something special for our last meal tonight.”

Merrick’s mismatched eyes narrowed. “Liar.” Turning, he ran through the living area and into a smaller kitchen and dining room area, which looked clean and neat but was every bit as shabby as the living room.

“Wait!” the older man shouted, leaping to his feet. He ran after Merrick and put a hand on his shoulder. Now that they were standing together, Elise could see that the older man was taller, but not by much.

“What?” Merrick glared at him. “Get your hand off me, Jonquil.”

The man’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “She’s taking a nap,” he snapped. “Let her be.”

“I thought she was at the market. Is she buying special ingredients for last meal or sleeping—which is it, Jonquil? Either way, I’m going in.” Merrick shrugged the man’s hand off his shoulder and turned to a small doorway that led off the kitchen area.

“No!’ Jonquil shouted but it was too late, Merrick had already swung the door wide and seen what was going on, on the other side.

From where she stood, silent and invisible, Elise could see it all. There was a bed—a thin mattress set on a stone platform—and on it a lovely, disheveled woman with blonde hair and green eyes. On the bed with her were two men whose nearly identical faces proclaimed them to be related—probably brothers. Both of them had their pants around their ankles and one was in the act of mounting the woman—the woman who had to be Merrick’s mother, Elise realized with a sinking heart.

The two men looked up at the interruption, the looks of surprise and fear on their faces almost comical. But there was nothing funny about the look on Merrick’s face. As Elise watched, his expression went from disbelief to horror to black rage.

“Merrick,” his mother cried, her pale skin flushing red. She scrambled to cover herself with the rumpled sheets. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, Mother.” He looked at her coldly. “Are these two males attacking you?”

“Of course we’re not,” blustered one of the men.

“We paid our money fair and square,” the other one protested.

“Is that so? You paid for my mother?” Merrick spoke quietly, but the look on his face was hatred so pure and cold it was frightening to see, especially on one so young. Something in that look seemed to scare the two men.

“I…we…” began one, backing away as he reached for his pants.

“She…Jonquil said we could…” The other man was also fumbling for his trousers.

“Jonquil said that, did he?” Merrick’s voice was a soft, threatening growl and Elise could feel his rage rising through their bond. She could feel the cold bloodlust Merrick called “the killing frost” overtaking him and this time he wasn’t trying to push it away. This time he embraced it.

“Yes, I said it.” Merrik’s stepfather, in some ways as loathsome as Elise’s own, was suddenly standing in the narrow doorway. “So get out now, Merrick and let them finish their business.”

“Let them finish? Let them finish?” Merrick took a step toward his stepfather, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes blazing. Elise wasn’t sure but it looked to her as though his fangs had grown much longer and sharper than they had been at first.

“You heard me.” Jonquil frowned at Merrick. “Go on now, boy, before I take my fist to you.”

“Jonquil, no!” Merrick’s mother pleaded, her voice soft. “It’s natural for him to be upset. He didn’t know.”

“He should have guessed.” Jonquil spat at the floor. “Did he think I’d take in a cast-off Kindred bitch and her half-breed whelp out of the goodness of my heart?” He looked at Merrick. “Nothing’s for free, boy—your mamam has to earn your keep. Now get out, so she can finish earning it.”

“I know something you’ve earned, Jonquil. You fucking earned it the first minute you forced my mother to do…to do this.” Merrick’s voice had grown deeper—a man’s voice. And the look in his eyes was so cold Elise wondered that his stepfather didn’t freeze on the spot.

“Going to dish me out a punishment, are you brat?” Jonquil gave an ugly laugh. “You’re not even a man yet. You haven’t spilled first blood.”

“No,” Merrick growled softly. “But I’m about to.”

“You dare to threaten me?” A knife suddenly appeared in Jonquil’s hand. “Come at me, boy. Do your worst.”