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

altered to a human state, his otherworld adapted in kind,” she explained. “That is not important. Since he will not tell me what he is doing, I have resorted to borrowing this body to speak with you, in hopes you may be more forthcoming.”

You’re going to force me to be more forthcoming, you mean.

“I’d love to spill the beans, but if Erebus finds out, he’ll—” I started to protest, but she rose sharply with her glass in hand, cutting me off.

“He will not do anything. I will see to it myself. I simply desire to know what my husband is up to, as any worried wife might. I will not interfere in his business, so there is no need for him to know about this conversation. He has a nasty habit of keeping secrets from me, and it irks me in ways I cannot begin to describe.”

I sighed. “And I’m not leaving here until I tell you?”

“You have always been quick on the uptake, Finch. That is one of the things I admire about you.” She walked over to me, hips swaying.

“You’re not giving me much choice here.”

She adjusted her strap. “No, I suppose not. But I mean it: I will protect you from his wrath if he discovers you spoke with me. You will not be harmed.”

I had to tell her, or I’d be late for my meeting with Erebus and he’d come looking for me. The chance of him finding out I’d talked to Lux would go up considerably if he appeared and caught me with her. I had a gift for weaseling my way out of sticky corners, but trying to get out of that scenario would require an expertise I lacked.

Reluctantly, I filled in the gaps between Erebus getting his body and him depositing me at the Mapmakers’ Monastery. I hadn’t even gotten through the first trial when the champagne flute clutched in her hand exploded in a shower of shards. Blood trickled down her palm, dripping onto the plush carpet.

“The bastard wants to go to Atlantis,” she said in a low voice.

I eyed her bleeding hand. Well, her priestess’s bleeding hand. “You don’t want a refill, then?”

“I could murder him.” She balled her hands into fists. “I could literally murder him.” The ground shook slightly, and steam rose from the fountain.

That didn’t exactly put me at ease. From what I could gather, Erebus and Lux were eternally bound, but they bickered and argued like any couple who’d been together for millennia. Sometimes I got the feeling they hated each other more than they cared for one another. Maybe it hadn’t always been like that. Who knew? The trouble was, their lovers’ spats had a more cosmic effect than ordinary couples arguing. Erebus had told me once, in one of his chattier moments, that their anger had caused global catastrophes and star implosions, among other things. The last thing this world needed was Light and Darkness literally fighting.

“You skipped a step, Lux,” I said with forced cheer. “Erebus needs me to find the key to Atlantis first. Do you know why he wants to go there?”

But Lux wasn’t listening. The door behind me burst open, and I sailed through it at breakneck speed. The last thing I saw before I hit the ground was the glare of strange yellow eyes.

“Tell anyone you met me, and I will flay you,” she warned.

Anyone ever tell you that you sound like my sister? Seriously, what was everyone’s sudden obsession with flaying me? I liked my skin covering my muscle. No human bacon for anyone, thank you.

From my heap on the floor, I struggled to sit up. The doorway stood open, but the woman in white had vanished. I sat alone in the empty hallway, the sound of jazz filtering from the main bar area. Refreshed panic hit me, and I fumbled for my phone. The time read five past two. I was late for my meeting with Erebus.

Ah, for the love of Chaos…

Sixteen

Finch

I sprinted to the main bar, thrown by what just happened. Two Children of Chaos in one afternoon—my lucky day. Why did they have this irritating habit of leaving me with more questions than I started with? It was plain rude.

The host in the tux made a show of flicking through menus as I ground to a halt next to him, panting.

“Done already?” The man grinned, evidently thrilled my “date” with the hot blonde hadn’t lasted long.

“I’ve got another reservation with Mr. Erebus. Where is he?” I wheezed. Being hurled through a doorway tended to tire a person out.

The man’s face clouded. “Upstairs, sir. First door on the right.”

“Thanks.” Time to face my doom. Erebus would be sharpening his proverbial blade, ready to run me through for being late.

I raced for the winding staircase, taking the steps two at a time until I reached the landing. I went to the described door and knocked, my hand shaking.

“Enter!” my overlord’s grim voice thundered.

Gird your loins, people. Gird your loins. I drew a tense breath and entered. For a second, I blinked rapidly, doing a hell of a double take. This room looked identical to his wife’s, down to the cascading fountain and the oh-so-romantic table set with dinner service. My brain déjà vu-ed all over the place, my heart lodged firmly in my throat.

Erebus sat in one of the dining chairs. “You are late.”

“‘A wizard is never late; he arrives exactly—’”

Tolkien couldn’t save me. A bomb of pain detonated in my chest, and clawing vines of agony shot through my limbs. I crashed to the floor, the plush carpet doing little to break my fall. My hands grasped my throat, my windpipe replaced with raw fire. Clearly, Erebus didn’t like being stood up. And he definitely didn’t like his tardy date making jokes.

Erebus loomed over me. “You know I abhor lateness. I have a cellular device now—if you thought you would be delayed, why did you not send a message?”

Oh, yeah, ‘cause