Pursued(157)

After a long, awkward silence, James cleared his throat. “Darling,” he said tentatively. “Are you quite all right?”

“Yes.” Elise made herself take a deep breath. “Yes, but James, I have to tell you—”

“Good, then—here we are,” he interrupted her.

Elise frowned. She’d forgotten it was only a hop, skip, and a jump from downtown to the privileged area of

Bayshore Boulevard. The long street, lined with opulent mansions and ultra luxury condos, was where everyone who was anyone in Tampa called home. Before she knew it, the car was pulling into the winding driveway that led to James’ sprawling estate and Georgian style manor house.

Looking around, she noticed that there were several cars parked in the semi-circular driveway, lined with magnolia trees. Was James expecting guests? She really wasn’t in the mood to play the gracious hostess at the moment. Although if her future mother-in-law was one of the attendees, Elise probably wouldn’t have to worry about it. James’ mother loved being the center of any social gathering—which was something Elise detested.

“James,” she said as he helped her out of the car. “Who all is here? I see some cars I don’t recognize.”

“That’s the surprise.” He was practically rubbing his hands in glee. “Wait until you see, darling!”

“James,” she began as he grabbed her hand and started pulling her up the white marble steps. “If this is some kind of a wedding shower, I need to tell you that—”

“No, no, nothing like that. Just a little informal get together to welcome you home.” He opened the huge front door and stuck his head into the interior of the mansion. “I’m home, everyone. And you won’t believe who I have with me!”

Feeling miserable, Elise plastered a sickly grin across her face. Now she would have to pretend to be happy to see whoever it was James had invited over and try to be social until she could pull him away into some dark corner and break the news that their wedding was off. Why did James always do things like this? Why didn’t he ever listen when she tried to talk?

Merrick listened, whispered a little voice in her head. He listened with his whole heart. And he asked the hard questions—the ones James is so willing to gloss over and ignore. He—

Her thoughts stuttered to a stop when she saw who was standing in the doorway, waiting to greet her. There was James’ mother, of course—looking very prim and proper and his father as well, wearing a suite that practically screamed “old money.” But standing beside James’ parents was her own mother, whom Elise hadn’t seen for over ten years.

And beside her mother was Charles—her stepfather.

* * * * *



A trip through the fold was never pleasant but this one went relatively smoothly. The prototype ship came out on the far side of Mars, with Earth just a tiny blue speck in the distance.

“A little closer, I think,” Draven drawled. “Let’s get a really good look at that wretched little ball of rock. After all, this will be the last time you ever see it.”

“That may be true,” Merrick said neutrally, pulling past Mars and nudging the ship closer to Earth. “But it’s also going to be the last time you see it. Or anything for that matter.”

Draven frowned. “Whatever are you talking about, half-breed?”

“You heard me. I gave you my word as a Kindred that I’d build you a working wormhole generator. I never said you’d get to keep it.” Turning to the smug, silver-eyed bastard, Merrick pulled the tiny bomb out of his pocket and flipped the detonation countdown switch.

“What are you—?” Draven began.

“Catch,” Merrick said and threw the bomb directly at him.

But to his surprise, the bomb passed right through Draven’s abdomen to land in the hands of the troll captain standing behind him. The troll made a noise that sounded like, “Hurgh?” and bent to examine his ticking prize. The other trolls around him did the same, crowding close to see what he was holding.

What the fuck? Merrick thought. A hologram? But the best fucking one I’ve ever seen. I never would have guessed—

“No, you fools!” Draven was shouting at the trolls. “Throw it aw—”

And then the ticking stopped and a high-pitched whistling began. A moment later there was a deafening explosion. Troll guts and blood splattered everywhere in a blackish-red mess. Draven disappeared and then everything and everyone aboard was being sucked out the hole that had suddenly appeared in the side of the ship.

“Fuck!” Merrick bellowed and his voice was sucked away immediately as the ship bled its atmosphere into the cold dark of space. He hadn’t minded dying as long as he could take his tormentor with him, but Draven was gone. And Merrick was going to die without ever seeing Elise again. Die for nothing. For—