Harley Merlin 12 by Bella Forrest (story books to read TXT) 📗

have stopped my hand from trembling, but I didn’t want it to become a crutch.

“Very good, sir.” The host scuttled off, leaving me stranded at Awkward Central.

Ryann still hadn’t looked up. A small smile curved the corners of her lips as she typed. A “sick smile,” Mrs. Anker had called it. I was ten, trying to woo my first girlfriend. We’d used MSN Messenger back then. I’d changed my username to “Finch<3Jenny” and everything. It’d lasted a month and gave me my first taste of heartbreak, and I’d never forgotten Mrs. Anker’s relentless teasing. But Ryann didn’t have to worry about heartbreak. Dr. Feelgood adored her. I mean, who wouldn’t?

“Good game of Angry Birds?” I slid onto the bench opposite her.

She gasped. “Finch! I didn’t see you there.”

“Ouch.” I pressed a hand to my chest.

“Just let me finish this and I’ll be all yours,” Ryann said, returning to the glow of her screen. If only that were true…

“The Boston Strangler giving you the details on his latest victim?”

She arched a disapproving eyebrow. “I’m texting Adam, if that’s what you mean. I’m meeting him after dinner, and we’re trying to decide whether to catch a late-night movie or drive along the coast. What do you think—a movie or a drive?”

“A movie, every time, as long as it’s not some crap blockbuster. Well, unless it’s Marvel. Then always go for the Marvel movie.” I stayed casual. Clearly, her having a vague idea of how I felt about her, and knowing she’d had some conflicted emotions about me, hadn’t changed a thing. Hello, friendzone, my old pal.

“Adam’s not really into movies. He always whispers about how they’re doing the medical stuff wrong.” She chuckled to herself as she typed back. “I think we’ll go for a drive.”

Then why did you ask?! The constant reminder of Psycho Killer irked my gremlins. And me. It was getting harder to figure out where I ended and they began. I tapped my fingernails on the table, agitated. The cold, anxious sweats came on again, making this stupid silk shirt stick to every part of me. I wanted to rip it off, Hulk out, and scare a few servers to boot. Maybe then Ryann would notice me sitting here. I wasn’t asking her to bare her soul—I just wanted her to acknowledge my existence instead of staring at her phone.

I’m losing it… I closed my eyes and dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands, fighting to keep it together. This wasn’t her fault. She loved Adam. Loving her didn’t give me the right to get pissed off about that. I mean, there was a reason why genies didn’t grant wishes to make people fall in love with other people. The heart wanted what it wanted, and Ryann’s didn’t want me. So, I had to keep calm and not be an asshat. Slap THAT on a T-shirt! It beat “Keep Calm and Carry On,” any day.

The only trouble was, my gremlins wanted what they wanted, too. And they wanted me to topple over the edge of self-control and give in to every impulse, no matter how bad. They’d wanted it from day one, and these pills weren’t doing their job anymore. I had no idea why, but since my orange-poison Magical Mystery Ride, they’d stopped being effective. Taking more had helped a little, but that wasn’t exactly sustainable.

“Hey, are you okay over there?” Ryann’s hand touched mine. Her phone was gone, stuffed in her bag.

I blinked slowly. “Me? I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine. You’re all… twitchy.” She peered at me intently. “Is it Erebus?”

“Can we not talk about him?” I asked softly.

She gave my hand a squeeze. “Sure, no problem. I just want to make sure you’re all right. I haven’t seen you since Kenzie’s apartment. I didn’t even know you’d come back.”

“Ta-da.” I rallied a weak laugh.

“Did you get everything done?” She slapped herself lightly on the forehead. “Ah, sorry—I can’t help talking shop. I won’t say the E-word, but I’d like to know what we’re up against, if you can manage it? I know you must be having a hard time.”

“Understatement of the century.” I sighed, feeling calmer with her hand on mine. “But yeah, I got everything done. For now, anyway. Have you heard from Kenzie since you left her apartment?”

Ryann tilted her head from side to side. “Yes and no. She’s been busy with her mom and sister, so she hasn’t been replying. But they’re awake and okay, and Krieger looked over them and gave them the all clear.”

“That’s the kind of news I like to hear.” Thinking of Kenzie, at home with her mom and sister, pushed my gremlins farther back. Erebus had screwed me over plenty, but he wasn’t a total douchebag—not to other people, anyway. He’d stuck to his end of the deal with Kenzie, and he’d saved Saskia and Garrett from the Jubilee mine, as well as the miners who’d have been crushed otherwise. The two of them had told me about that in an influx of texts that my phone picked up post-monastery, once I was free of its communication embargo.

“Have you talked to Harley?” Ryann gently let go of my hand. “I haven’t said anything, aside from you being on E-word business. But I keep expecting her to whip out a spotlight and use Wade to play good cop, bad cop.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry anymore,” I replied. “I told her everything today—mostly everything. I left out the monastery, but only because I didn’t have the energy. She knows I’ve been tasked with finding Atlantis, so she’s up to speed.”

Ryann’s smile widened. “I’m proud of you, Finch.”

“Nothing to be proud about. It was just easier if she knew. Turns out, making someone aware of danger is a good way to stop said someone from doing stupid things,” I replied.

“Did you just come back to see her, then? So you could tell her the truth?”

I took the book out of my waistband. “Actually, no. Melody ransacked her