Pursued(161)

Turning on her heel, she marched out of the kitchen door, past the formal dining room and the living area where the two sets of parents still congregated, making polite chit-chat. She could feel their eyes on her—especially Charles’—but she ignored them and left by the front door as quickly as she could.

Thankfully, the car that had brought her and James here was still in the driveway. Elise got into it and gave the driver directions for her apartment in downtown Tampa. Then, closing her eyes, she leaned back against the leather seat and finally let herself cry.

All this time her fiancé had been her stepfather’s spy, only interested in her for her monetary value. On top of Merrick’s death, the pain and betrayal were more than she could bear.

Oh Merrick, she thought longingly as the tears rolled silently down her cheeks. I miss you so much! If only you were here. If only…

* * * * *





Merrick opened his eyes and tried to roll to one side. Something sharp stabbed him—possibly a broken rib—and he groaned. What the fuck is wrong with me? He looked down, trying to answer the question, and wished he hadn’t.

Part of his rib cage was caved in—hence the stabbing sensation—and his right leg was bent at a wrong, unnatural angle. As for his left leg… was that bone poking out of his pants leg? And was the puddle of blood he was lying in all his? He moaned and closed his eyes. His entire body sang with agony. Gods, what a mess.

How long have I been out? He couldn’t remember. In fact, the only things clear in his head were the events leading up to the explosion. Explosion. Damaged the ship…atmosphere and oxygen sucked out. Why aren’t I dead already? Should be floating in space frozen colder than a naked vranna caught in an ice squall. Turning his head to one side with a groan, he looked at the wall, which had been shattered by the bomb. To his surprise, the wound in the ship was healed. In fact, nothing remained of the gaping hole and the gory conglomeration of dismembered troll parts but a single, bloody hand, which had been severed at the wrist.

It was so startling that Merrick almost forgot about his own horrible pain for a moment. Amazing—so Draven wasn’t just bragging. He was telling the truth about the ship being self-healing.

As if to prove his thought true, the smooth, dull silver wall around the bloody hand convulsed and pushed, as though it was trying to rid itself of the foreign body. With a faint pop the troll hand disappeared from view, presumably pushed outside the hull, into the void of space. The once wounded wall was completely whole and smooth once more, just as though nothing had ever happened.

Merrick only wished his own powers of self-healing would work that quickly. He’d been injured before, plenty of times, and come back from it. But he’d never been wounded this badly.

This time it felt fatal.

Things were broken inside him—organs were punctured and possibly burst. Both his legs and half his ribs were fractured. He was bleeding from somewhere and from the size of the puddle around him, he had been for some time. Everything hurt so fiercely he could barely breathe, let alone move. This was the end.

He closed his eyes. It seemed blackly ironic that he’d survived the punishment of the Ancient Ones and Draven’s tortures as well as the blast of the tiny bomb that he’d brought aboard the prototype ship, only to finally expire from his wounds. And now he would die without ever seeing Elise’s face again, without ever holding her and telling her how much he loved her. Sorry baby, he thought. So fucking sorry…

Suddenly a soft, powerful contralto voice filled the cabin. I say to you, Warrior, that you will not die.

“Huh?” Merrick’s eyes popped open and he looked around. There was nothing there—no one to see, but he felt something—a presence too tangible, too real to deny. “Who…?” He coughed, gasped when his broken ribs stabbed him, and tried again. “Who’s there?”

It is I, my child—the Mother of All Life.

“The Goddess?” Merrick looked around again, wishing he could see her.

Do not search for me. To see me is madness and death for a mortal. It is enough that you hear my voice, she murmured.

“Why…why are you here?” he demanded hoarsely. “Come to tell me I’m going straight to the seven hells? I’ll save you the trouble—I already knew that.”

I have come to tell you no such thing.

“So I’m going with you to live in paradise instead?” Merrick laughed weakly though each wheezing breath he took hurt like hell. “Imagine that. And all this time I thought you hated me.”

I know of your thoughts. The Goddess sounded sad. And I will not deny that the path you have walked through life has been difficult. Often I have watched you, my child. Often I have hurt for your pain and grieved for your grief.